"I pulled my collar up against the cold, October evening as I waited. Dinner was a stale tuna salad sandwich from the campus diner. Somewhere in the failing light I heard the distinctive "clop-clop-clop" of a pair of well-worn hiking boots on a concrete sidewalk. I looked up from the past-it's prime tuna and there she was- a long drink of water on a hot day. She had deep, brown eyes that even a Boy Scout with a new compass could get lost in. She stopped directly in front of me, her gaze drifting downward towards my wilted lettuce.

"You Aero?" she asked.

 

"Who wants to know?" I replied.

 

She was a classy dame with the cool detachment of a backpacker on the fourth day of a five-day trip and the soft skin of someone who knew their way around a hot pool. If my hunch was correct, it might be the girl on everyone's mind, Newgirl.

 

"So, what can I do for you?" I asked knowingly.

 

"You need to help me. They don't believe me!" she said with a shake of her soft brown hair.

 

"They?" I asked.

 

"They, them, the Trail talk regulars!" she said with a hint of exasperation. "They just don't think I'm real! I'm newgirl!"

 

She looked real enough to me. I tried my best to straighten up my sandwich and gave her a sideways look. "How do I know you're who you say you are? Mind if I ask you a few questions?"

 

"No, of course not!' she shot back.

 

"OK, here goes. Who's Buddha Bear?" I fired at her.

 

"Strange juxtaposition of peaceful prophet and saber-rattling hawk." she answered without missing a beat.

 

Hmmmmm. I had to think.

 

"Bacpac?"

 

"Saber-ratting hawk", she replied.

 

"Nigal?" I thought I had her.

 

"Beer-guzzling buffoon, but lovable!"

 

This dame was sharp as a tack, and as deadly. She had them pegged, but I wasn't convinced. I had to think of a tough one. Just then it hit me!

 

"Who's Radagast?" I knew I had her!

 

"Who isn't?" she said with her eyes melted my mayonnaise. That clinched it. She could only be Newgirl.

 

"OK, suppose you are newgirl. How am I going to prove it?" I was stumped.

 

"You'll have to take a picture." she pleaded. "But I'm afraid of all the wackos out there."

"Look sister, if we were all afraid of wackos, we'd stay at home reading paper backs and spending time with our families. But why me?"

 

"Because you're Aero, the most honorable man I know of, besides Phil!"

 

"Ya got that right, Doll." I agreed. "OK, I got a plan, see. I'll take a picture of your mug and plaster it all over the Internet. That way they'll all know it's you." I offered.

 

"No!" she pleaded, "not the Internet!"

 

"I got a better idea. I'll just post it on Trail Talk. No one ever takes that rag seriously."

 

"Well, OK", she agreed. "But will they believe it?"

 

"Trust me, Doll. I know what I'm doing."