Elmer was a simple man; all meat and potatoes. He worked in an office all week and on weekends, he liked get out of his white shirt and tie and into his red plaid shirt, don his hunting cap, grab his shotgun and head of into the woods. He loved the woods. He loved nature. He absolutely loved the thrill of the hunt. He didn’t much care if he shot a rabbit, a duck or nothing at all. For him, it was all in the pursuit, in the tracking, of being able to discern the telltale signs.

One day, while hunting, he came upon a man seated on a rock having his lunch. This man was out hiking. As it was lunchtime, and Elmer had also packed some sandwiches, he asked the man if he’d minded some company. And so they broke bread together.

It turns out that the man worked at one of those big movie studios. He said he often came out to the woods on weekends for inspiration. He fascinated Elmer with stories about the studio and the stars that he’d seen there. Elmer, being a little intimidated, couldn’t bring himself to bore the man with his mundane Monday through Friday life so he told the man about his passion for hunting. He told him of his weekend forays and his tracking skills. Like many a hunter, maybe he embellished a bit, but the passion was right there for the man to see.

Elmer saved his best hunting story for last, a self deprecating little tale about the one that got away. A rabbit, so elusive, that Elmer couldn’t help but admire the little fellow. He told the man about how, in chasing down the rabbit, he’d thrown caution to the wind and scrambled over some loose boulders, which then shifted, causing him to fall down a hillside. He told how he’d broken his shotgun and how he’d gotten all banged up in the fall. And, as he lay there, dazed and out of breath, the hare jumped right over his head and scrambled off into the brush. Chuckling to himself, he’d had to admit that the little furry fellow had got the best of him.

The man laughed and began picking up his picnic trash. He thanked Elmer for a most enjoyable lunch and wished him luck. Elmer said the same sort of goodbye and they parted ways, the hiking writer and the weekend hunter.