Matt
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
I stumbled and looked down.
Embedded in the sand, half covered by ash, was another Polaroid.
For a second, my brain refused to process what I was seeing.
Then the image snapped into focus.
It was a close-up of our campsite, not like a random campsite that happened to look similar.
Ours.
Ryan's Tacoma.
With its specific scratches and the custom bumper.
Our fire pit.
Our folding chairs.
The ones we were literally packing up.
Even the blue cooler with the broken latch.
The angle suggested it had been taken from the opposite bank of the wash, looking down.
The sky was darker in the photo than it actually was at that moment, veering toward twilight.
Standing just beyond the circle of chairs, barely visible in the gloom, was a tall, thin shape, limbs lanky, head tilted at an unnatural angle, like it was listening.
The bottom of the Polaroid had fresh handwriting in black ink.
Don't let it answer for you."
I dropped the photo like it had burned me.
What?
Miguel asked, seeing my face.