241 - counted

ith some trepidation, Jason placed his fingers on the metal clasps of his lunch pail. He had been staring down the container for what felt like an eternity, but there was no point in putting it off any longer.

He undid the clasps one at a time, first the left and then the right. Slowly, he pulled the lid back, just enough to peer inside. After catching a glimpse, Jason closed the lid sharply. Bologna. A goddamn bologna sandwich. He couldn't believe that she had put him in this situation once again.

Jason refastened the clasps with much less trepidation. Now that he knew there was a bologna sandwich in his lunch pail, there was nothing to do but deal with it. He grabbed a shovel, resting nearby on the wall of the shed where he resided, and headed to the door, facing the bright midday sun. His eyes took a few moments to adjust to the contrast of light, but soon enough he regained his vision and was on his way.

The temperature today was just slightly above a level that Jason considered comfortable. Insects occasionally buzzed by and he felt dust in the air sticking to the beads of sweat forming upon his brow. He readily admitted to himself that he might be in a better mood if he had actually been able to eat something for lunch. Having to trek like this to dispose of food on an empty stomach added insult to injury.

The noontime streets of the small village he set out from had been desolate enough, but after about ten minute of walking into the countryside, he knew his chances of encountering anyone else were virtually zero. Jason was alone, with the shovel slung over his left shoulder and the lunch pail firmly gripped in his right hand. He did not check his surroundings as he deviated from the path, beginning to wander through someone's pasture.

Jason ambled through the grass for another five minutes or so, eventually settling on a spot behind a small hillock. There was enough cover here, and he was fairly certain he had not used this place for disposal before. He tossed the pail to the ground, and readied the shovel for usage.

Penetrating the unbroken soil for the first time was always the most difficult part of the dig, but Jason had grown accustomed to the task. Nothing could make him ignore the heat, nor the hunger pains, both of which had grown more bothersome since he had set out on his journey. Nevertheless, all he could do was dig.

He continued his excavation, steadily creating a little hole in the brown earth. After a few minutes of work, he was sweatier and dirtier, but he reckoned the cavity was big enough. He opened the lunch pail quickly, and tossed the bologna sandwich into its shallow grave.

Jason said nothing, but his face instinctively contorted to convey a sense of disgust as he looked upon the sandwich in the hole. The sooner he buried it, the better. Using the shovel to scoop up the soil from the little pile he had created, he now reversed the process, and a few minutes later, the bologna sandwich was gone. All that remained was a small circular patch of brown dirt among the yellow-green grass.

His work done, Jason bent down to pick the now-empty lunch pail up off the ground. He closed it for the final time today, but as he straightened his back, something seemed off about the shadows being cast. Suddenly, he realized was not alone. This spot was not as secluded as he had supposed.

Jason turned around, ready to accept his fate.