SAVING FALCON

CHAPTER ONE

It was that time of month again. The mildly invigorating time of month during which I visited my father at his place. Notice the not-so-subtle use of the word "place" rather than a specific description of his home? I did that deliberately, to symbolize that he didn't have a single house or apartment or cottage or whatever other domicile type you can imagine (the list goes on for a few miles ranging from condo to igloo etc.)

Okay I'm finished taunting your brain, what I'm trying to say is he's something of a nomad on his own property. He manages a myriad of cottages in which his guests reside during their stay. He manages an outdoor adventure park in Minnesota during the summer. During the winter he sort of hibernat es like a bear. He works online so he only has to get up at specific hours to attend virtual meetings and complete a small amount of work crap before going back to napping and surfing through the cable channels. He won't buy any streaming services because he says they aren't authentic enough for him. He likes to boast about how tough his life was as a kid, when he had to hang up his sopping wet clothing on a clothing line in his backyard, and (in his description) seemingly had to basically trek halfway around the globe to get to school. I feel like all stereotypical parents like to exaggerate about that. But my dad is anything but typical. He's a burly guy with a love for all things loose and wild. That was why he started working at Falcon. He was barely getting by before he got promoted, but he still insists he would have stayed even if he never did. He said he liked the raw and unfiltered nature that surrounded him there. My mom would always mutter things like "they have parks in New York," or "You mean the bird poop that perpetually ices our car like it's some kind of turd cake?" but he was a happy guy and he could easily shake off her pessimistic remarks. I sort of liked to sit in between the two of them. Which was perfect considering the arrangement. Once a month I would go to my dad's park, assist him with guests, help the staff out by cleaning up their offices so that after a full day of the exhausting weight that comes from repeatedly explaining the same thing over and over again, they didn't have to force themselves to do it. And I guess I kind of enjoyed it but there were also some disadvantages. First of all, Falcon is located on some massive mountains and I had to hop between two thirty minute buses just to get to school and repeating the process again to get back. I wasted so much time commuting, sometimes my butt would just feel tired of sitting. I can guarantee to you from experience that it is not pleasant to have a butt ache. Anyways, my dad has a few pets that I love probably a small amount more than him. He has this big and beautiful pit bull named Russel and a lanky tabby named Crystal. They roam around the park when they aren't sleeping. They're like my dad. They know how to snooze.

The park has a vast selection of activity options to choose from. They have outdoor laser tag, a tree top obstacle course (my personal favorite) they have kayaking, canoeing, rafting, boat rides, you get the memo. They also have some pretty sick zip lines and hikes with astoundingly breathtaking views. There's also mountain biking. I've already participated in every single activity the place has to offer, but I usually don't get too tired of them even after doing every single one a million times per month. Because there's always a minute shift at Falcon that you have to know that you're looking for to heed. Sometimes the rapids are just a bit bumpier than usual; sometimes a new rock sits at the center of the biking trail patiently waiting for an unsuspecting rider to bike over it and face plant into the jagged ground, sometimes the ropes are a little looser than they were last month. Which I guess helps keep everything interesting, you know? And I like interesting things.