Signal Lost

Alex stared at the **iphone** screen, watching the battery indicator drop from 3% to 2%. The cold lake water had claimed his device during the senior class camping trip. Now, sitting by the dying campfire, Alex felt completely cut off. No TikTok scrolling, no Instagram stories, no escape from his own thoughts.

"You okay?" Sierra sat beside him, offering half of a sliced **papaya**.

Alex blinked. He'd never actually tried papaya before - it wasn't exactly a staple food in their suburban town. "I've never had that."

"It's my grandma's recipe," Sierra said, her smile uncertain. "She packed it for me because she knows how much I hate s'mores."

He took a bite. The texture was weird - soft and musky, like nothing he'd ever tasted. But the flavor... tropical, bright, unexpected. "It's actually kind of amazing."

They sat in silence for a moment, the forest sounds surrounding them. Then came a rustle in the bushes nearby.

Alex stiffened. "What was that?"

"Probably nothing," Sierra said, but she moved closer.

The rustling grew louder. Alex's heart hammered. A shadow emerged from the darkness - massive, shaggy, definitely a **bear**.

"Stay still," Alex whispered, reaching for Sierra's hand without thinking.

They sat frozen, barely breathing. The bear sniffed the air, looked toward them, then ambled off in search of easier prey.

The exhale came from both of them simultaneously.

"Did you see that?" Alex's voice shook. "That was insane."

Sierra squeezed his hand. "Yeah. It really was."

And somehow, with no phone to check, no notifications to answer, Alex realized something: he was exactly where he needed to be.

The papaya still sat between them, half-eaten. The bear was gone. And maybe, just maybe, losing his phone was the best thing that could've happened.