eat and drink later, she could look back at this moment with a certain degree of joy, the full story played out, the ending known.
The fate of Hart was the most difficult of all for her. It was the aspect of the narrative that she had the least control over. She prayed he was okay but that was all she could do for now, pray.
_______________
The sun was at her back and sinking fast. Summer hoped she would not have to spend the night out here, but even the prospect of that was accepted with a certain calm that surprised the hell out of her.
An hour later, this bullishness was bolstered even further when she at last saw a way up from the tier on which she had been tramping for the last several hours. It felt exciting that her movement would now be vertical.
As the tiers dovetailed, the slope of each became less severe. This gradual flattening had allowed trees to spring forth, where earlier the lay of the land had been too sheer to permit much growth.
The relative density of the trees would make it possible to scale the walls of the valley as she now had something to hold on to, and so up she went, almost giddy at her new discovery.
She moved from tree to tree with a new sense of vigor fueled by adrenaline and a positive will. Sometimes she almost leaped to the next tree. And when the trees were farther apart, she’d take steps in between like in the triple jump.
The real challenge, of course, was when the span between the trees were spaced at a fairly large distance. When this happened, Summer really had to bear down, clutching rocks and clumps of not-so-established dirt in an effort to avoid sliding back down. Sometimes she’d push herself into the rock wall, feeling herself trembling and gradually losing the battle with gravity.
On one occasion she lost about twenty feet, not to mention some skin. She felt her heart pounding the whole way down and for minutes after. It was at this time that she became aware of the darkening aura that was surrounding her as the sun made its final descent behind the mountains at the other side of the valley.
She hoped the moon would be fairly bright tonight, realizing that she didn’t have much by which to gauge it as she hadn’t paid much attention to the sky the night before. And even in the light of day she hadn’t been able to get a good sense of the moon’s size as something had been blocking it whenever she had tried to look.
As she reached the top of the first tier, the feel of the forest had changed and Summer was very much aware of it. The terrain had remained the same, but an altered backdrop had unfurled to accommodate a new act in the play. Darkness was now dominating, but tempered by a haze of light led by a milky swath of stars and more importantly a moon that was thankfully almost full.
TWENTY-THREE
“I LOVE YOU, TOO, SWEETHEART. I can’t wait to see you.”
At first Summer thought the words were directed at her. But they made no sense. I love you, too ? Too ? She hadn’t even said anything. I can’t wait to see you ? Why would you say that to someone who was a few feet away, just outside?
Maybe she hadn’t heard right. She was exhausted. Thirsty. Maybe just not thinking clearly. Besides, the words were faint, coming from behind the door.
This last hour had in some ways been the toughest of her trek back to the cottage. Even though the terrain had been relatively flat, this hike had had an attritional effect on Summer that seemed to weigh the heaviest that final hour. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
Her feet were like lead and she had long ago blocked out her bumps and bruises as her desire for water, rest and peace of mind had obscured all else.
When she had seen the light coming from her grandmother’s cabin, it felt like one last shot of adrenaline had been injected. Hart! Hart must be home. He must be safe, she thought.
And then, “I love you, too, Sweetheart. I can’t wait to see you.” It was as if Hart had read her mind
The fate of Hart was the most difficult of all for her. It was the aspect of the narrative that she had the least control over. She prayed he was okay but that was all she could do for now, pray.
_______________
The sun was at her back and sinking fast. Summer hoped she would not have to spend the night out here, but even the prospect of that was accepted with a certain calm that surprised the hell out of her.
An hour later, this bullishness was bolstered even further when she at last saw a way up from the tier on which she had been tramping for the last several hours. It felt exciting that her movement would now be vertical.
As the tiers dovetailed, the slope of each became less severe. This gradual flattening had allowed trees to spring forth, where earlier the lay of the land had been too sheer to permit much growth.
The relative density of the trees would make it possible to scale the walls of the valley as she now had something to hold on to, and so up she went, almost giddy at her new discovery.
She moved from tree to tree with a new sense of vigor fueled by adrenaline and a positive will. Sometimes she almost leaped to the next tree. And when the trees were farther apart, she’d take steps in between like in the triple jump.
The real challenge, of course, was when the span between the trees were spaced at a fairly large distance. When this happened, Summer really had to bear down, clutching rocks and clumps of not-so-established dirt in an effort to avoid sliding back down. Sometimes she’d push herself into the rock wall, feeling herself trembling and gradually losing the battle with gravity.
On one occasion she lost about twenty feet, not to mention some skin. She felt her heart pounding the whole way down and for minutes after. It was at this time that she became aware of the darkening aura that was surrounding her as the sun made its final descent behind the mountains at the other side of the valley.
She hoped the moon would be fairly bright tonight, realizing that she didn’t have much by which to gauge it as she hadn’t paid much attention to the sky the night before. And even in the light of day she hadn’t been able to get a good sense of the moon’s size as something had been blocking it whenever she had tried to look.
As she reached the top of the first tier, the feel of the forest had changed and Summer was very much aware of it. The terrain had remained the same, but an altered backdrop had unfurled to accommodate a new act in the play. Darkness was now dominating, but tempered by a haze of light led by a milky swath of stars and more importantly a moon that was thankfully almost full.
TWENTY-THREE
“I LOVE YOU, TOO, SWEETHEART. I can’t wait to see you.”
At first Summer thought the words were directed at her. But they made no sense. I love you, too ? Too ? She hadn’t even said anything. I can’t wait to see you ? Why would you say that to someone who was a few feet away, just outside?
Maybe she hadn’t heard right. She was exhausted. Thirsty. Maybe just not thinking clearly. Besides, the words were faint, coming from behind the door.
This last hour had in some ways been the toughest of her trek back to the cottage. Even though the terrain had been relatively flat, this hike had had an attritional effect on Summer that seemed to weigh the heaviest that final hour. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back.
Her feet were like lead and she had long ago blocked out her bumps and bruises as her desire for water, rest and peace of mind had obscured all else.
When she had seen the light coming from her grandmother’s cabin, it felt like one last shot of adrenaline had been injected. Hart! Hart must be home. He must be safe, she thought.
And then, “I love you, too, Sweetheart. I can’t wait to see you.” It was as if Hart had read her mind
Similar Books
