Songs: How you swallowed your Anger - Black Sea Dahu, Dust Bowl Dance - Mumford & Sons, Sun to Me - Zach Bryan.
"So how far is this cabin Tink?" we'd been hiking for at least ten hours now and we still hadn't made it out of the woods. The trunks just lined every which way you looked, she clearly liked to keep out of sight explaining following the coastal roads or what was left of them was a bad idea. Being out in the open like that was a sure fire way to get into trouble.
She wasn't very happy about travelling on the forest floor, travelling by tree was off the table; that was all my fault with my aversion of heights putting a spanner in the works.
She was a ruthless guide. For such a small package she never faltered in pace, even the changing terrain and inclines didn't phase her. We only stopped a couple of times to drink water and give our shoulders a rest from the packs.
The little devil sped up jumping over knotted roots, the challenge just seemed to spur her on. I quickly realised she knew every foothold.
Every root placement and height she already knew how she would land, which one to jump to next without getting her foot caught. She would abruptly turn left or right for a while then straighten back out like she was following some freaky GPS. It hurt my male pride to admit I was struggling to keep up with the tiny mountain goat.
"How do you even navigate out here? You commit everything to memory like some emigrating bird?"
"I used to carry a compass... I still have it but I've made this trip so often I guess I could walk there and back with my eyes closed."
"So you don't always Tarzan through the trees?" I managed to puff out the sentence between strides, the sun still made it through the canopy and I was baking.
"Not the whole way no, but either or. I know both by memory it gives me options I guess."
"Well Tink you could at least give me a chance to catch up, you're working me to death." I was red in the face and puffing air out like a chimney.
"Cardio not in your gym routine big boy?" She winked as the joke fell into a strange void of silence, the kind that's too charged for you not to do anything about it. She realised her mistake as soon as she finished the sentence, her eyes filling with awkward regret.
"The kind of cardio I do Tink... would have us both breathless." I didn't have to say it, I shouldn't have said it. This weird competition we have gets under my skin, we flirt and try to out do the other. Problem being she always wants the last word.
"In your dreams you couldn't handle it." She took a big swig of water from her canteen, we only had two each and the sloshing sound that came from hers indicated it was nearing empty. A chuckle escaped automatically, my resolve shook and expression fell with what cruel karma had to say next.
"Shit." She coughed choking on her last mouthful, water over spilled escaping down the column of her neck, droplets raced down her chest eventually seeking out her cleavage, soaking a patch of her off white tank see-through.
I couldn't control it then. The flash backs to the night of the rain storm invaded my every thought. Hands raking through wet hair, eyelashes loaded with droplets, dancing tracks of water flowing over every curve, highlighting god given beauty. She met my stare and with even five feet between us I could sense it. But we couldn't go there, it wasn't on the table not anymore. I had to fight it. It wasn't the right thing to do.
"There's a falls with a cave close by, if you shut your big mouth for once you can hear it from here." She puffed out the barb while retying her boot laces, guess all that root hopping loosened them.
***
The dying of the day is sacred, live every one like it's your last.
Varying shades of earthy green lit up like stained glass.
Lined evergreens stand tall like pews, they cry out in praise,
Trees joined in song, parted by orange rays.
Their bows swaying in song, as the breeze runs through their fingers.
Yes, the dying of the day heeds your prayers as the light splinters.
The wind carries many scents along its travels; toxic fumes mixed with natural flora and fauna. To predict their destination is a fools errand. If they're picked up by another being alive or not so much... it would be purely by chance.
Small stolen moments of the day like this are still untouched they present themselves as wonders. Like clockwork they come around but when your days are numbered they seem that much more miraculous.
The sun a trusty companion she'd never let you down, the frustrating knowledge that there are whole other worlds up there some inhabitable, all unreachable.
A convincing argument for the existence of God, when he's abandoned you on your own home what do you say to him then? Maybe he simply focuses his attention on another planet? Too busy creating life somewhere else out there he neglects his children on this one. Silently sentencing us to wither away in our own mistakes.
***
The crashing crystal clear water falls from such a height it sprays out in a mist, the sunset setting it alight. The falls a perfect vision of hell blending in with the end of the world, flames plummet downward into a dark pool swallowed by its depths. The spray, glittering embers float down with such grace and beauty you flinch back as if they would burn your skin on contact.
"Tink I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." I choked out the pun completely awe struck by the inferno before me. Her hair was coloured lava red, backlit like the falls the sunset painted her in a blaze she was ethereal. Strands whipped away from her face like amber sap dancing in the breeze, the constellations of freckles branded across her face burned brighter, her lips parted on a breath I expected angelic song to pour out of her.
I'd read about this natural phenomenon, a while back our neighbours took a trip out to Yosemite for their anniversary. They came back with fuzzy polaroid photos paired with huge smiles preaching how they'd seen Gods love with their own eyes. Coming from a large farming community faith was a big part of daily life everyone obeyed their preacher first and their parents second. Momma used to tell us kids when we grazed a knee or cried about something or another, that "God proves his strength in many ways including through us and we have to just keep faith in him and he'll give us the strength to get through anything."
I'm not sure all those teachings apply anymore. Love thy neighbour ended when 'thy neighbour' groaned wanting to eat your brains.
But I swear I've seen heaven on earth.
Her, standing there surrounded by wilderness lit by fire.
She's all the faith I have left.
YOU ARE READING
Evergreen
冒險"It wasn't long now, time had ceased to exist. The world had become impoverished, crops have shrivelled to dust, wildlife slowly died out. There were only survivors now; groups of warriors scavenged to stay alive." My name isn't important, my stor...
