Booze and Boos

Did you get turned around or something? There was a fork, though. About two miles in, took me off the main trail and down toward a ravine. I pinched the bridge of my nose. Tyler, are you sure you're remembering right? There was a pause on the line, just enough to raise every hair on my arm. Then his voice came back a little quieter. Dude, no, there's no fork. There's never been one.

Did you get turned around or something? There was a fork, though. About two miles in, took me off the main trail and down toward a ravine. I pinched the bridge of my nose. Tyler, are you sure you're remembering right? There was a pause on the line, just enough to raise every hair on my arm. Then his voice came back a little quieter. Dude, no, there's no fork. There's never been one.

I closed my eyes and my skin felt cold all over, like the sweat I'd worked up on the climb had now frozen in place. I told him I'd fill him in later, hung up and just sat there in the dark, listening to my house settle, every creak and pop sounding a little too sharp for my own comfort. My mind would not let it go, the fork, the woman, the camp tucked away like an old scar in the landscape. Sleep.

I closed my eyes and my skin felt cold all over, like the sweat I'd worked up on the climb had now frozen in place. I told him I'd fill him in later, hung up and just sat there in the dark, listening to my house settle, every creak and pop sounding a little too sharp for my own comfort. My mind would not let it go, the fork, the woman, the camp tucked away like an old scar in the landscape. Sleep.

Sleep. Didn't come easy that night. And, I'm sure you can guess, I never went back to that canyon. Not once. Not even to check if the fork was actually still there. Tyler tried to talk me into another trip months later, but I turned him down straight up. Whatever's down there, or whoever's down there, can keep it.

Sleep. Didn't come easy that night. And, I'm sure you can guess, I never went back to that canyon. Not once. Not even to check if the fork was actually still there. Tyler tried to talk me into another trip months later, but I turned him down straight up. Whatever's down there, or whoever's down there, can keep it.