A Hike Monday Morning

 A little short story about a hike.

I wish I was walking in a group, that way someone would be able to read the map. Tell me if I am going the right way. But I don’t have a companion today. I don’t have one any day.

It feels as though I have stepped out of a fantasy movie. Fields below me, perfect to skip and collapse into my lover’s arms. The woods are a place for me to run into during a dramatic moment. The tree branches made for me to twirl around, while my hem becomes muddy, my hair tangled with sticks and leaves.

I’m not wearing a dress. I do not have wavy hair.

While my body is warm, my fingers are red and feel as though they should be turning blue. My phone has been in my hand since the time I set off. I cannot understand how to read the map, and I do not care about looking up the way out. I only care about taking photo after photo and video after video.

Every time I am in nature, I feel as though I am so connected that I become disconnected. Maybe it is a simple fact that I need to venture into the forest more. It is an activity I love to do. And the scenery is breathtaking.

The rocks are green. Not covered in moss, but as if someone walked along the path with spray paint, to mark the way. I take it that this is the way attended. The steps slant in the middle, due to constant wear. It makes it difficult for me to get my footing. Water sits in the middle, each step a small splash is created.

I should have my phone in my pocket, and my hands brushing the rocks to the side of me. The boulders create a V, and at the very bottom is where I walk. The path is just as wide as my foot that fills it. I walk as though I’m a cat on top of the countertop.

The water grips to the bottom of my shoe. Unable to find balance on the stone path below. My arms shoot below, phone in hand. As I land, my butt bounces on the ground, getting soaked by the water that slowly drips from the runoff. My phone splits as a rock tries to become a part of the device.

My palms ache, from supporting my whole body.

I sit for a second, in disarray. I want to cry and chuck all my belongings. I knew I should have come with a friend.

Who am I kidding, I don’t even have a friend.

Leaning against the wall, closing my eyes and trying not to scream. I hear how beautifully the birds sing. As they haven’t noticed me entering their territory. For a second I wonder if the chirping is all fake. Looking up and seeing a mound of floating candy floss, and the hues of grey and green that keep them horizontally.