Mason
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
A step, then stillness.
I held my breath without deciding to.
That's what fear does.
It decides for you.
My hand found my headlamp and I didn't turn it on.
I didn't unzip the tent.
I listened and waited for the sound to fade because part of me still wanted it to be an animal.
And animals leave if you don't react.
The footsteps stopped.
Then from somewhere back in the trees, I heard a low whistle.
It wasn't a bird call.
It wasn't wind.
It was a simple human whistle.
Two notes, then nothing.
I stayed frozen until my lungs burned.
Eventually I forced myself to breathe again, slow and quiet.
I didn't sleep after that.
I waited for morning with my eyes open, listening for every small sound.
When the gray light finally came through the fabric, I unzipped the tent and looked out.
Mason was sitting on a log with his boots on, his pack half open, staring at the trees like he'd been doing it for an hour.