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ma<strong>in</strong>tenance has been around, and <strong>the</strong>y’ve probably left some food <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> kitchen, and <strong>the</strong>re’s likely leftovers<br />
from last season. From <strong>the</strong> shadow of <strong>the</strong> forest he observes <strong>the</strong> P<strong>in</strong>e Tree property, scann<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />
bunkhouses, <strong>the</strong> tool shop, <strong>the</strong> rec center, <strong>the</strong> d<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g hall. No one. A couple of cars are <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> lot, as usual.<br />
Still, he waits. You can never be too cautious.<br />
Eventually he’s ready. Motion-detect<strong>in</strong>g floodlights and cameras are scattered around <strong>the</strong> P<strong>in</strong>e Tree<br />
grounds, <strong>in</strong>stalled chiefly because of him, but <strong>the</strong>se are a joke. <strong>The</strong>ir boundaries are fixed—learn where<br />
<strong>the</strong>y are and keep away. <strong>The</strong> hermit zigzags across <strong>the</strong> camp and stops at a specific rock, turns it over, grabs<br />
<strong>the</strong> key hidden beneath, and pockets it for later use. <strong>The</strong>n he climbs a slope to <strong>the</strong> park<strong>in</strong>g lot and tests each<br />
vehicle’s doors. A Ford pickup opens. He clicks on his penlight and peeks <strong>in</strong>side.<br />
Candy! Always good. Ten rolls of Smarties, tossed <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> cup holders. He stuffs <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r pocket.<br />
He also takes a ra<strong>in</strong> poncho, unopened <strong>in</strong> its packag<strong>in</strong>g, and a silver-colored Armitron analog watch. It’s not<br />
an expensive watch—if it looks valuable, <strong>the</strong> hermit will not steal it. He has a moral code. But extra watches<br />
are important; when you live outside with ra<strong>in</strong> and snow, breakage is <strong>in</strong>evitable.<br />
He vectors past a few more motion cameras to a back door of <strong>the</strong> d<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g hall. Here he sets down his<br />
canvas gym bag of break-<strong>in</strong> tools and unzips it. Inside is a pair of putty knives, a pa<strong>in</strong>t scraper, a<br />
Lea<strong>the</strong>rman multi-tool, several long-necked fla<strong>the</strong>ad screwdrivers, and three backup flashlights, among<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r items. He knows this door—it’s already slightly scraped and dented from his work—and he selects a<br />
screwdriver and slots it <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> gap between <strong>the</strong> door and frame, near <strong>the</strong> knob. One expert twist and <strong>the</strong><br />
door pops open, and he slips <strong>in</strong>side.<br />
Penlight on, clamped <strong>in</strong> his mouth. He’s <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> large camp kitchen, light flash<strong>in</strong>g over sta<strong>in</strong>less steel, a<br />
ceil<strong>in</strong>g rack of sleep<strong>in</strong>g ladles. Right turn, five paces, and to <strong>the</strong> pantry. He removes his backpack and scans<br />
<strong>the</strong> metal shelves. He grabs two tubs of coffee and drops <strong>the</strong>m <strong>in</strong>to his pack. Also some tortell<strong>in</strong>i, a bag of<br />
marshmallows, a breakfast bar, and a pack of Humpty Dumpty potato chips.<br />
What he really desires is at <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r end of <strong>the</strong> kitchen, and he heads <strong>the</strong>re now, takes out <strong>the</strong> key he’d<br />
collected from beneath <strong>the</strong> rock, and <strong>in</strong>serts it <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> handle of <strong>the</strong> walk-<strong>in</strong> freezer. <strong>The</strong> key is attached to a<br />
plastic four-leaf-clover key cha<strong>in</strong> with one of <strong>the</strong> leaves partially broken off. A three-and-a-half-leaf clover,<br />
perhaps still lucky yet. <strong>The</strong> handle turns and he enters <strong>the</strong> freezer, and <strong>the</strong> even<strong>in</strong>g’s entire mission, all <strong>the</strong><br />
meticulous effort, feels immediately rewarded.<br />
He is deeply, almost dangerously hungry. Back at his tent, his edible supplies are a couple of crackers,<br />
some ground coffee, and a few packets of artificial sweetener. That’s it. If he’d waited much longer, he<br />
would have risked becom<strong>in</strong>g tent-bound from weakness. He sh<strong>in</strong>es his light on boxes of hamburger patties<br />
and blocks of cheese, bags of sausage and packs of bacon. His heart leaps and his stomach calls and he sets<br />
upon <strong>the</strong> food, load<strong>in</strong>g it <strong>in</strong>to his backpack; smorgasbord.