Journey

A man recalls his time spent "traveling" with his friend Ellie.

Journey

We’d started walkin a long time ago, Ellie and I. Not sure why to be honest, and I’m not sure it really matters, because at this point, nothing seems to matter. I suppose if you really wanted to know though, I would say we’d planned on it about 10 years ago, in our tree-fort. The two of us dreaming of goin off into the wild, seein distant lands like the ones we read about in our favorite adventure stories, and stoppin when we found the edge of the world… or couldn’t go on any longer; but despite all our dreams, I’m not sure I can hold onto them much longer.

Ellie and I stopped walkin when we found a mountain range. The tops were snowy, the slopes were steep, and the air was electric from our nervous excitement. We weren’t the brightest survivalists, and lookin back, I’d be foolish if I didn’t admit how stupid we actually were. What little knowledge we did know we learned from my pop. He’d taken us out on so many huntin and fishin trips that we’d learned enough basics of survival, and well, the rest is history considerin I’m still here talkin to you. Ellie stuck to me like glue, and I remember my pa always jokin that we could have been siblings. Part of me misses those times, but knowin what I know now about how it was for Ellie bein home makes me pray we never go back.

The mountain we were on slopped down into a cauldron, least that’s what we called it, and in the cauldron was a lake about the size of a football field. We caught a ton of fish from that lake, and cooked em in the camp we set up first thing we got there. We were happy, but I began to see Ellie change. She wasn’t as happy as we were when we were travelin, and I suspected it was from bein where we were now, all settled down. I could tell a difference because we used to talk all night until the fire died down into embers red as the kind you find in pirate treasure chests. Now she usually went to bed before the fire spit its last flame into the starlit sky.

This was about the time she left me. It was in the dark of the night, when sleep cast its thick blanket over you, and sent you off to dream of other faraway places. Had I known she was leavin I would have said goodbye. I don’t know where she went, and I’m not quite sure why either, but I do know in that time we were together, journeyin on across vast scapes, she changed, and found something I hadn’t yet found myself.

Author's Note

Enjoy.