I peeked around the corner looking at the receiving bay doors of the grocery store.  Since I had the world's shittiest poker face, I thought this would be my best bet.

The forest's growth came right up to the parking lot of the grocery store and for me, that's a bonus as a quick escape may be required.

I waited... I waited until the driver and the receiver were engaged in paperwork. I slipped around the corner and quickly walked down to the bay doors staying close to the cement wall as I went.

The truck had pulled ahead about three feet from the bay door and yet the bay door was still wide open. Not general practice I'm sure.

I slipped behind the truck and hopped up onto the bay door landing. I could see a warehouse full of pallets and on each pallet was a different type of food or sundry.

I pulled the hood of my jacket up over my head and pulled the drawstring on my waist.

Even then it occurred to me that there might be a camera.

Had to be quick so I zeroed in on one pallet...Alfa Ghetti's. I ran over stuck my hand through the shrink wrap grabbed as many cans as I could and as quickly as I could. I stuffed my jacket with as much as I could carry.

I ran, then jumped out the load bay door and sprinted as quickly as I could for the forest.

I kept running until I reached the turn-off to my campsite. I thought my heart was going to explode so great was my fright! Back to my site, I sat down on a log and dropped all the cans onto the forest floor.

My heart began to slow and I thought to myself, "I can't do this all the time.  At least not the warehouse way."

I looked down at the cans lying on a pile of pine needles and started lining them up.  Twenty-one cans.  A haul.

No wonder my torso felt like it had gone through the spin cycle on a washing machine!

I had enough cans now to get me to Saturday when my friends showed up. 

Three cans a day for three days and I'd still have half the pile left.  Good...my heart was not up for another run.

One minor setback... How was I going to get the cans open? I started looking for one sharp and one blunt rock.

Around twenty feet past the perimeter, I found a small pile of slate and around it was the more common rock, granite.

It didn't look natural so I thought someone at some point must have dumped these rocks here.  All the better for me.

I selected a rock that fit my hand then I selected a few slate rocks that I thought might be sharp enough to cut through the tin.

Sitting down I put a can between my feet. Pulled the sleeve down on my jacket enough to cover my hand.

The granite in one and the slate in the other. I started to hammer the slate into the top of the can. Of course, you can go through a few of those when you're trying to get into a tin can as it is not the most solid of rocks out there. I concentrated my hits on one side of the can and finally, a corner of it was free.

I was so hungry I couldn't wait to get the rest of the top open.  I upended the can and let the contents pour into and put of my mouth.

I gulped the Alpha Ghetti's quickly spitting out little pieces of slate and orange sauce as I did. Then sat for a few moments letting my tummy settle and take the terrible hunger pains away.  Although better, one can just wasn't enough so I started a small fire.

I took my time with the second can careful not to leave so many slate pieces inside.

I was able to remove the entire lid except for one tiny corner so I could manipulate it like the lid on a pot.

I put the can on a small bed of coals and watched the label catch fire while I blew the ashes away. This time I ate slower. I wasn't so frantic that I couldn't take my time and enjoy the food in my mouth. Setting aside the can, I leaned back in the log, stretching my hand across my tummy, a small crooked grin of satisfaction even at the guilt of having stolen, crept over my mouth.

Gazing at the top of the canopy. I could see the tips of the mountains in the distance covered in white as if the clouds draped their white blankets over the peaks to warm the land with its cottony breath.

Quiet, peaceful with the occasional bird melody singing to the sky, I slowly drifted off....