Dating : Shadows

The hills are lighting with read and blue, leaving shadows to fill the crevices as we come up over the hill. People gathered around a police vehicle possibly over some sort of dispute at the lake, I think. I looked to you and we both looked a little concerned questioning what might be going on. We laughed it off though, continuing our drive deeper into the hills on our way to our little camp site we have shared for the last year and a half. As we grew closer though we noticed a helicopter making its way through the mountains, spotlight shining at the ground below, “Is that life-flight?” I asked, “I’m not sure but it kind of looks like it.” We again, looked at each other somewhat more nervous now, considering it was hovering over the area we were headed to. We pulled up on more police vehicles, more police, more concern in our voices. You asked if we should keep going and I said that we could ask them what was going on. A police officer approached the truck and said hello, asking us how we were doing. We said good, and asked what was going on, if we could go down to the camp sites or not. “Oh yeah sure, we just have a man that has been missing for 6 hours. His family and him went riding quads and they haven’t been able to find him. So, if you happen to see a man dead in a ditch please let us know.”

I think that kind of shook us up, we both were a little uneasy thinking maybe we should just go home. Although it was our last weekend together and we both really wanted to make the most of it and spend what little time we could together. We drove to the site, backing in so that if someone else came that way they wouldn’t be able to pull in. It was twilight out, still able to see as we set up our tent and gathered wood for our camp fire. Our night continues as we talked and enjoyed not having the harassing sound of our phones constantly calling for our attention. We loved this, it was where we go to get away after being stressed out at work or when we just really only wanted the other’s company.

The helicopter continues to fly over our heads, shining it’s light periodically on our site and seeing we were perfectly active as they searched. I asked if we should go and help look. You said no, it wouldn’t be helpfully when they see one of us and think that they may have found the man. I just felt uneasy sitting at our camp site sharing smiles and laughs as another family was dreading the next voice coming over the radio; possibly saying they found a body.

We ate s’mores and talked about a lot of things but I was sleepy. This was my first day off in almost three weeks. I wanted to go to sleep. We crawled into the small tent and stared at the stars together. Me, antagonizing you saying that O’Rien’s belt was the Little Dipper because for whatever reason it truly bugged you. Never letting up though and admitting it really wasn’t. I started to fade into sleep as I was holding you and teasing you.

You wake up before me, hearing something sound like it’s digging in the back of your truck. I ask you what’s going on and you tell me you think there’s something out there. “What do you mean?” You put your hand up as if you’re hushing me and I listen. I hear it too, but now I think I hear footsteps rather than an animal. It’s getting closer to our tent. I grab you and pull you back. I’m scared. A voice that’s not ours makes us jump and me let out a startled scream. “Hello?” That’s all it says. As if we’re out walking around at 3:30 in the morning and not sleeping as he’s walking around our campsite. You reach to open the tent and I urge you not to. I want to be a kid and just hide under the blanket and believe that it will make him go away. I whisper “ Babe, no we don’t know who it is.”