The Hill
A light patter of rain falls against the tent.
It’s comforting.
Grounding.
It echoes against the chorus of bugs and the quiet rustlings of the leaves.
She is not certain of the time, but she knows it must be past midnight and that the bout of wakefulness stirring in her body is not about to subside.
A resigned sigh passes her lips as she slides from the comfort of the sweaty acrylic binding her legs.
Careful not to wake her friends, each movement is measured.
The unzipping of the tent a painfully slow scene, as each individual tooth can be seen unclenching.
The exit is a little fumbling as hanging bowls and cutlery are knocked into, causing a small racket that makes her wince.
But breathing in the cold air reminds her for a brief moment that she is actually alive.
For a campsite so remote, it is surprisingly well lit.
The path winds around the other areas of the site, the ground crunching beneath her feet. She wonders what it sounds like to the people in the tents she passes.
Approaching the hill at the end of the campsite, she hesitates. The path arches over the hill and back down again. There are very few trees and nothing obviously dangerous about the hill itself but the light stops here. Despite that little tingle of fear that lingers in her stomach, she continues up the hill, almost excited.
As she walks, everything seems to be getting smaller and bigger all at the same time. The few trees and bushes that line the path feel almost like they are closing in around her and towering ever higher above. For a reason she doesn’t quite understand, a slight panic overcomes her and she begins to sprint.
As she reaches the apex, she keels over, yelping as she realizes she has collided with something very solid.
“Fuck, What the FUCK”,
“Shit! I - “
“Wait, Jesuuus Chriist. Oh!”. her friend gasps before bursting into a wheezing laugh.
“I am so sorry”
The friends lie there snorting and twitching with adrenaline for what feels like a really long time, their bodies still tangled together from the fall.
“So…”, she turns to look at her friend, squinting hard to make out their facial features in the moonlight.
“Why were you lying here in the dark? ”
“Why were you sprinting up the hill?”
“Oh, the trees… scared me”
“The trees.”
“Yes, the trees”
“Okay.”, her friend chuckles.
“So, couldn’t sleep?”
“Hmm, no”
She sighs, rubbing her hands across her face.
She is silent for a few seconds before turning away and rolling onto her back.
Her eyes widen as she looks up at the sky. There are so many stars that it is hard to distinguish them from each other, like a toddler had spilt a tub of silver glitter over a gluey black surface.
“Have you seen the stars?’”
The friend turns to look over at their stargazer.
“That’s why I’ve been lying here.”
There is a pause that is slightly too long.
“Are you cold?
“A little”
The friend opens their coat and pulls it around both of them.
She leans in, slipping her hands around their stomach.
Their heads turn to face each other.
“Are the others awake too?”
“I don’t think so”
