The left path was shrouded in fog, with moss hanging down from the treetops. The right path wasn’t much better – there was a deep ditch littered with beer bottles. But I figured the right path had probably seen human traffic more recently so I decided to head that way.

I was careful to avoid the ditch. As I turned the corner I could see a clearing up ahead. My cell was down to one bar out of five and the battery was running dangerously low. I hoped I would be able to call one of my so-called friends to let them know how I felt about their little joke.

For sure they would laugh at me. Like they always did. I didn’t care. I just wanted them to come back, the sooner the better.

When I reached the clearing and peered down at my cell phone again, relief saturated my every pore: the blessed electronic was now up to four bars. Success!

I quickly punched out my best friend’s number and pressed SEND . She answered on the second ring, laughing.

But I couldn’t speak. The scene before me had stolen all my words.