of pine trees that had been burned. Nothing was left but dried skeletons.”
“Oh that.” Hannah’s voice was quiet. “The Colorado Pine Beetle.”
Daniel returned her a confused stare.
“It is some infestation that started a few years ago and has wiped out areas of forest. Did you see the brown looking pines as well? That is what the infestation looks like first, then the trees just die.”
“I guess I saw the dead ones and assumed it was a fire. I didn’t pay attention to any brown.”
“You’ll see it tomorrow.” Hannah felt her throat tighten. She hated to think about her mountain being eaten alive. “Breckenridge wasn’t hit as hard as the sections along I-70, but it’s beginning to show signs of it.”
They were both quiet, Hannah turned the corn on the grill, glad to focus on something else. Daniel had no idea what the forests had looked like before, so he may not notice the impact. But he seemed to sense Hannah’s emotions.
They stayed up late into the night talking, watching as the sun turned the sky a passing of beautiful colors, and then as each star twinkled its way to life. Daniel and Hannah hardly noticed when the light faded from crimson to black, as a few became thousands of stars, or as the song of the evening birds turned to an orchestra of crickets.
“Wow, is it really almost midnight?” Hannah finally became aware of the passage of time.
“I kept you up late, I am so sorry. It has been an amazing evening. Dinner was wonderful. Thank you…”
“It has been nice to have someone to spend the evening with” interrupted Hannah. And she meant it.
“I guess I better go check into my room then. What time do you tend to get up in the morning?” Daniel did not look like he wanted to go anywhere. It was now or never, thought Hannah.
“Look, I know… well I don’t want…hotels in town are probably pretty loud this time of year. They tend to be really busy. I have an extra room here if you would rather. Of course, I don’t know if you can cancel your reservation….”
“Are you sure?” Daniel’s voice was so quiet and so full of respect that Hannah wanted to kiss him.
“If it isn’t too… awkward,” Hannah replied.
“It would be wonderful. It is so quiet here. So peaceful.”
Daniel kissed Hannah then. No different than before. His kiss was tender and full of caring and without demands.
“Well, let me grab my stuff out of my car and you can show me to my room.”
Despite the late night, Hannah still woke at her usual time, as the sky was turning to a light pink as it does just before dawn. As quickly and quietly as she could, she got around, being sure not to disturb the sleeping man in the next room. For a brief moment, she thought about peeking in at him, awed by the fact that he was there. Part of her didn’t want to leave his side, afraid that she would come back and find that none of it had been real. Part of her desperately wanted to get away for a while in order to assimilate all that she had experienced in the past few hours and days.
Expertly bending to pick up her shoes from the dark closet and quietly opening her drawer where her clothes were folded in their place, she pulled out her running shorts, socks, and a sports bra and was ready in an instant. Sneaking to the kitchen, Hannah scrounged in a drawer for a slip of paper to write a note on. She gave up after a few minutes and grabbed a paper towel instead, contemplating what to write. It had been a long time since she had left a note telling anyone where she was. She finally wrote simply, “On a run. Coffee is ready, help yourself! Be back soon. Hannah”
Hannah thought about those words. ‘On a run’: as in a run of good fortune? She felt like this was true, so much different from ‘on the run’, which is what she had been for the past ten years. Shaking these thoughts from her head, she left the note on the kitchen table in the first place she hoped Daniel would
“Oh that.” Hannah’s voice was quiet. “The Colorado Pine Beetle.”
Daniel returned her a confused stare.
“It is some infestation that started a few years ago and has wiped out areas of forest. Did you see the brown looking pines as well? That is what the infestation looks like first, then the trees just die.”
“I guess I saw the dead ones and assumed it was a fire. I didn’t pay attention to any brown.”
“You’ll see it tomorrow.” Hannah felt her throat tighten. She hated to think about her mountain being eaten alive. “Breckenridge wasn’t hit as hard as the sections along I-70, but it’s beginning to show signs of it.”
They were both quiet, Hannah turned the corn on the grill, glad to focus on something else. Daniel had no idea what the forests had looked like before, so he may not notice the impact. But he seemed to sense Hannah’s emotions.
They stayed up late into the night talking, watching as the sun turned the sky a passing of beautiful colors, and then as each star twinkled its way to life. Daniel and Hannah hardly noticed when the light faded from crimson to black, as a few became thousands of stars, or as the song of the evening birds turned to an orchestra of crickets.
“Wow, is it really almost midnight?” Hannah finally became aware of the passage of time.
“I kept you up late, I am so sorry. It has been an amazing evening. Dinner was wonderful. Thank you…”
“It has been nice to have someone to spend the evening with” interrupted Hannah. And she meant it.
“I guess I better go check into my room then. What time do you tend to get up in the morning?” Daniel did not look like he wanted to go anywhere. It was now or never, thought Hannah.
“Look, I know… well I don’t want…hotels in town are probably pretty loud this time of year. They tend to be really busy. I have an extra room here if you would rather. Of course, I don’t know if you can cancel your reservation….”
“Are you sure?” Daniel’s voice was so quiet and so full of respect that Hannah wanted to kiss him.
“If it isn’t too… awkward,” Hannah replied.
“It would be wonderful. It is so quiet here. So peaceful.”
Daniel kissed Hannah then. No different than before. His kiss was tender and full of caring and without demands.
“Well, let me grab my stuff out of my car and you can show me to my room.”
Despite the late night, Hannah still woke at her usual time, as the sky was turning to a light pink as it does just before dawn. As quickly and quietly as she could, she got around, being sure not to disturb the sleeping man in the next room. For a brief moment, she thought about peeking in at him, awed by the fact that he was there. Part of her didn’t want to leave his side, afraid that she would come back and find that none of it had been real. Part of her desperately wanted to get away for a while in order to assimilate all that she had experienced in the past few hours and days.
Expertly bending to pick up her shoes from the dark closet and quietly opening her drawer where her clothes were folded in their place, she pulled out her running shorts, socks, and a sports bra and was ready in an instant. Sneaking to the kitchen, Hannah scrounged in a drawer for a slip of paper to write a note on. She gave up after a few minutes and grabbed a paper towel instead, contemplating what to write. It had been a long time since she had left a note telling anyone where she was. She finally wrote simply, “On a run. Coffee is ready, help yourself! Be back soon. Hannah”
Hannah thought about those words. ‘On a run’: as in a run of good fortune? She felt like this was true, so much different from ‘on the run’, which is what she had been for the past ten years. Shaking these thoughts from her head, she left the note on the kitchen table in the first place she hoped Daniel would
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