Fics like To the Ends of the Earth

Mickey Milkovich is basically content with his life. He tends bar at The Elk Horn, a bar and grill in Jackson Hole, Wyoming near the south entrance to Yellowstone National Park. He has a tiny one bedroom cabin in the woods he calls home and a nice girl he sees once or twice a week. He gets to chat with all the tourists who come in, an interesting menagerie of people from all walks of life. His life isn’t unhappy, but maybe just a little unfulfilling. One day, a hiker walks in and takes a seat at the bar. Mickey is inexplicably drawn to this man and his beautiful copper hair, his even more beautiful face adorned with a short copper beard and deep green eyes. They strike up a pleasant conversation; the man orders a beer and a burger, leaves a large tip and waves a friendly goodbye. Mickey can’t get this man out of his head but like most patrons of The Elk Horn, he likely won’t step foot through the door again, having moved on in his travels. But when the man returns the next day and again the day after that, Mickey can’t help but be intrigued. Why does he keep coming back? He’s definitely not a local and the food at the grill isn’t that good. What follows has Mickey questioning his entire existence.