Day 1
After three days of hiking, stopping only to eat and sleep, Moonoo seriously reconsidered if this job was meant for him. He had seen a job opening online for a "Firewatch", whatever that was, he thought. A cushy job where he sits at a desk and stares at trees all day. He knew that there would be some walking involved, but it was nothing like what he imagined. The hike through the Shoshone National Forest was a good forty miles. At least it felt like it- there was no device to tell him how far he had gone. Only the signs dotting the trail every now and again, which he felt great relief whenever he saw one, as it meant he wasn't completely lost in the wilderness.
And, as expected, he had stopped appreciating the sight of the towering trees and flowing rivers when his legs started to burn, and when his stomach began to groan loudly.
He climbed a stone step with a great grunt. And another. And another. The sun was beginning to set, but lo and behold, when he reached the top of the stone stairs, he saw a grass clearing with a watch tower planted in the middle. It was far taller and older than any of the trees there. The wood pillars holding up the tower looked rotten, and so did the steps that spiraled around it towards the top. But Moonoo couldn't care less. At least a step breaking and him falling to death would stop the pain in his stomach.
"Hahh...hah...," he panted with each pained step.
He reached the top. There was a combination lock that secured the door to the wall, which he unlocked without a second thought. "1...2...3...4...," he muttered to himself, before pushing open the door. The first thing he did was clumsily drop his bag behind him. That thing must've weighed 20 pounds, even after he stripped it bare of food and water. Then he flicked the light switch on and made a beeline towards the cabinets that lined the walls on the opposite side of the door. It wasn't exactly a beeline though, there was a large circular table with a map on it in the middle of the room.
"There you are!," a female voice chirped. The sudden sound prompting Moonoo to bump the back of his head on the inside of the cabinet. "Hungry, are we?"
With a bag of chips in one hand, he walked over to his table. On it, was a charging station with a small orange walkie-talkie, still dirty and dusty from its previous owner.
He pressed the button. "Hello?," he groaned.
"Hi Moonoo!," she replied. Her voice sounded crackly through the speaker, but still clear and lively. "I'm Aurora, I'll be your supervisor for this summer. Did you have a nice walk?"
"Walk? That has got to be one of the hardest 'walks' I've ever been on!"
"Hahaha...ohhh, it's so funny watching the new ones get up the stairs."
"Yeah, must be hilarious."
"Well. Before I let you go, I have to ask you some questions."
"Greaaat. Shoot."
He heard her flick through some papers.
"Hmm...let's see. On a scale of one to ten...where would you rank Chinese culture on your list of favorite cultures?"
"Oh my God. Goodnight."
"Goodnight Moonoo. Welcome to the job!"
It was around six in the morning when our comatose hiker was stirred awake by the radio on his pillow. He didn't bother to lift his face off the pillow, choosing instead to smack the orange rectangle angrily as if it were an annoying alarm clock.
"Moonoo. Wake. Up."
"...what," he moaned, trying not to sound too irritated at his new boss.
Aurora breathed in and whispered. "I need your help."
"What is it."
"Um...how big are you?"
This got his attention now and he sat up. "What?"
"Like...are you scary? Can you be scary?," she asked.
"I'm going to bed now," he sighed.
"Because there's this guy...outside my lookout."
"So?"
"...and he's naked."
Moonoo didn't know whether to laugh or be concerned, but it came out sounding like a half-chortle.
"Hey. This is serious," Aurora hushed.
"Tell him to go away then," Moonoo replied. "So what if he's naked?"
"Hey, I'm a girl. And...it's just not...just get over here would you?! It's an order!"
"Roger that boss," he droned. Empty cans, clothes and a sleeping bag were tossed wherever out of the bag, leaving only his map and a compass. His legs screamed with each step he took down the stairs, but he made it down eventually, and started to head north towards Aurora's watchtower. He could see it from the bottom of his tower. It looked like his, only a little bigger and without the long poles that held up the hut, as hers was on a mountain top. He located a trail going in that direction, and started to walk while looking at the map.
"Umm...go around the shore of Jonesy Lake," Aurora advised. "And then you can go north through Thunder Canyon."
"Thunder Canyon. Got it." He put down the map. "How's your naked friend?"
"He's not a friend! And take this seriously, please?!," she complained. "What if he comes up here? What am I gonna do, hit him with a bottle of Jack Daniels?!"
"You'll be fine," Moonoo reassured, hiking a little faster. "Just stay inside, lock the door and make sure the blinds are closed."
"Moonoo...I'm strong but...I don't think I can take him. If he breaks in..."
"What does he look like?"
"He's...well...uh...old. Like sixty, I think."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes."
"He's probably some old pervert who gets a kick out of showing his junk to women."
"Probably."
He continued hiking the flat, dirt trail. To his left were lush green trees and bush, to his right was a serene lake. The fog rising up from it in the cold morning air looked like something out of a movie, but he couldn't stop to appreciate it for long. He had to keep moving, keep moving north as fast as he could. He broke the silence in about ten minutes, when the dirt trail turned to tan rock.
"I'm at Thunder Canyon," he radioed.
"Good. Come quick."
"What's he doing?"
"Lemme see...he's...w-where is he?"
"Aurora?"
"Wha-oh...he's...are those my..."
There was silence on the other end.
"What? Your what?"
"...he's...'using' my clothes that I hung up down there. Old son of a..."
Moonoo suppressed a chuckle. "Pft...using?! Is he smelling your panties?"
"NO! Well...now he is."
"Hahahahahaha! Why do you hang your clothes down there anyway?"
"Because Moonoo! There's only so much space on this tiny balcony that I can hang clothes from!"
"Oh lord...I'm coming Aurora."
"I feel disgusting. Yes, please come quick. Sorry for waking you up like this. I was meant to go through orientation and responsibilities with you and the other lookouts around this time."
"It's okay. Maybe we can go through it in person, after I scare this guy away."
She hesitated. "Uh...yeah. M-Maybe. God, what is up with this guy...?"
"What happened?"
She didn't respond.
"Aurora?"
Moonoo quickly moved his radio back when he heard yelling. "GO AWAY! GO!"
"Aurora? Please tell me you didn't open the blinds!"
"Moonoo?," she breathed. "What was that?"
"I said did you open the blinds?"
"I did."
"Great, now he's gonna see that you have a walkie and-"
"I have a headset!"
"-and run off before I can catch him."
"Oh. Yeah, it looks like he's going away now. With my...sigh..."
Moonoo reached the top of a large rocky hill, facing the sunrise. He stopped and sighed too. "Great. Don't think I'll be able to make it."
"Yeah. Good thing he's gone now right?"
"No. Bad thing. He's just gonna come back again to steal even more of your panties."
"Stop. Saying that word! And I'm not hanging my clothes down there anymore!"
"O-kay then. Man, what a beautiful sunrise. I'm almost grateful you woke me up early."
"Hmpf. Enjoy it while it lasts. You have work to do, so head back to your tower. Then I'll get you up to speed on your new position."
"You got it."