Desperately Seeking the Unforseen

When I pull into the boat ramp parking lot, it’s just after midnight. It should be deserted. Nobody goes night boating. But my headlights illuminate a red sedan parked hood to the woods. I can’t tell if it’s occupied. The windows are dark. My brain tries to make it make sense. You can’t pull a boat with a sedan. Teenage lovers? A person taking a night hike? Murderer?

I park a couple of spots away and debate my next step. I have driven three hours north into an area that a light pollution map promised would be dark.