Two Twin Tree Stumps

When I was in Eupora, Mississippi, I decided to sleep in the woods by the public high school. The woods were pretty big. They were pretty spread out, with a lot of space to stretch out my blankets. I brought my sleeping bag and my compass, and my rope-saw. There were lots of straggly trees around, on the ground. One thing you have to know: in those days I was always sleeping with my head to the North. I found a good place to lie down, although there there were two thin trees standing. I decided to sleep there anyway, cutting them down with my rope saw. They were about a half an inch in diameter. I lay down head to the North, my navel face down on top of 1 of the tree STUMPS, 'breathing' in the expired life of the dead tree.

After leaving Eupora, a few days later, in Mantee, I inherited a dog which I named Sam Duke Mae who hung out with me for four days. He was killed by a passing car on the Natchez Trace Parkway. (Read 'The Story of Sam Duke Mae' to discover the whole plot). I said goodbye to Sam, and unfortunately, had to spend the next 2 weeks in the mental hospital. 

When I got out, my dad had come from Georgia and picked me up, later dropping me off in the same place on the Natchez Trace where Sam died, driving back to Georgia and leaving me to continue my bike ride by myself. I slept there, that night, and the next day, I rode back to Eupora, a distance of only a few miles.

Back in Eupora after Sam Duke's death and my stay in the mental hospital, I returned to the same plot in the woods in which I had slept weeks ago to sleep. 

Incidentally, without even trying, and which out of all the places that I could have chosen (there, again, being dozens of square meters of space), I happen to lay down in the EXACT same spot IN which I had lain before my encounter with Sam Duke; I noticed I was in the exact same spot. Only after throwing down my sleeping bag did I look down and see the 2 tree stumps I had left, behind. I slept there that night, also, with my navel breathing in the expired life of 1 of the 2 dead stumps.