The mid day June sun beat down on the group of men that sat around a long extinguished fire pit. They weren’t doing anything of note, simply enjoying the melody filled nature around them.
“Seriously!” James feverishly brushed at his khakis.
Almost all of them were enjoying the nature.
“That was a tick! I know it!” James now stood as his eyes franticly scanned the compact dirt beneath his feet.
“Bro, relax. We have bug spray and we are literally not in tall grass.” Curt smiled behind his sunglasses.
“That doesn’t mean anything.” James tentatively returned back to his foldable chair. “I freaking hate camping. I’m literally only here cause it’s your birthday.”
“I know, we all know.” Curt laughed with the other guys that circled the ash pit. “Means the world you suffer through tick infested woods for me.”
“I totally feel the love.” James shoved baked cheddar crackers in his face.
The day bled into the night as the friends gathered new wood and built their fire to welcome the cooler night.
“How are you going to see the ticks now that it’s dark?” Mitch prodded James jokingly.
Without an answer James reapplied bug spray across every inch of his body.
“You might have a problem.” Curt fed the growing fire with a dried out log.
“No, Lyme is a problem, which I won’t have.” James nestled the bug spray in the cup holder of his chair.
“I know my lungs aren’t safe from the deet you are blasting every five minutes.” Kyle held a marshmallow at the edge of his stick.
“Arguably better than ticks.” James smirked at his words.
“Anyone feeling cards? I can go get the lantern, get that LED brightness for us.” Curt didn’t wait for an answer as he went to the tent to grab his light.
“You might want to get more bug spray for James!” Mitch shouted over the crackling wood.
Everyone shared in the laugh, even James, as the group collected around the wooden table by the fire.
Kris Writes Worlds 
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