A friend of mine asked me to share some of my forest lookout stories. I particularly remember one night, as I was sound asleep in my aerie, (the tower was 4 stories tall) I was suddenly wide awake. I had felt the vibrations of someone stealthily walking up the steps. The footsteps vibrated the whole tower. My little dog, sleeping beside my cot, was awake and alert also. I waited to see if the intruder would leave. No such luck. So I pulled my .22 rifle out from under my cot and tiptoed out onto the cold, damp deck. I waited until he got right up to the trap door under my feet, and then, afraid he would try to climb over the deck onto the platform, I yelled, "Who are you and what do you want. I've got a gun and I'll use it."
A scared voice yelled, "Don't shoot. Don't shoot. It's me, Carl (not his real name)." This was a boy a couple of years behind me in school, and I knew him.
I yelled, "What the heck are you doing up here? You could have got shot."
"I'm camping out here with the boy scouts and they dared me to climb up here."
Much relieved, I snapped, "Well, you'd better get back to your camp and don't ever do this again. And let your friends know that they almost got you shot."
He left and I went back to bed.
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