I loved hiking, it didn’t matter where, but on this particular day my wife and I were exploring the woods of northern Michigan. The sun was shining, there was a light breeze and it was just me and her doing one of our favorite past times together. We had woken up that day knowing that hiking was all we were going to do that day; our only goal was to cover as much area as we possibly could. We ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon and toast, another favorite of ours. After breakfast we packed our bag with sandwiches and snacks and a few water bottles and were on the trail by 10 am.
As we trekked deeper into the woods, we came to a river, it was clear and the sun shining through the trees made the water gleam. This river went for a very long distance and we decided that following it was the best decision as there was no telling where we would complete our journey. By doing so we had a guide to lead us back out as well as preventing us from getting lost. We came to steep hill around 1 pm, the sun was high and warm coming through the trees, making the walk up difficult. When we reached the top we could see for miles and decided it was a good place for a rest. Just before sitting down to rest I felt a chill and looked around, it was a strange feeling, but I ignored it. Laying out a blanket we ate our lunch and just took our time soaking up the sun and feeling the little bit of breeze there was. After we finished we continued to follow the river deeper into the woods, knowing there were many secrets hidden under the vast canopy.
The river trickled quietly next to us as we walked in the patches of sunlight that breached the trees. We had been walking for almost two hours when I saw a large tree at the edge of the river that reminded me of the place I had proposed to my wife. I pointed to it and said “let’s sit in the shade of this tree and catch our breath.” When we were settling down for our break a broken tree branch tore open my wife’s bag. I quickly tried to patch the hole, as I didn’t want to lose anything on the hike. We sat there looking into the river for some time, when my exhaustion took over and I feel into a light sleep under the shade of that tree. When I opened my eyes I saw my wife next to me then I quickly looked at my watch. The sun was lower and over an hour had passed. Before we continued I took a long look in the clear water of the river, and noticed something. There was a strange rusty red tint to the water near the edge.
The hour was late so we had to move faster to complete our journey. The sunlight was now casting long shadows of the trees causing me to question the trail at times. The forest was becoming denser the deeper we got. The uneasy feeling was growing in me almost like being watched. There was no time to rest. Our haste was causing the birds to rise out of the trees and small wildlife to leave their dark hiding places under the leaves. We had walked miles and the rusty tint was still in the water, I was beginning to get worried, questioning my decision to walk next to the river. What would it mean at the end of this long walk?
The further we walked I started to feel like there was someone behind me watching. I said to my wife, “We need to pick up the pace!” We had already been moving fairly quickly but now we were almost at a run. As we hurried along I started to wonder “What was hiding in the dark behind us?” There was no sound and I couldn’t see movement whenever I turned around. I could feel it, feel it bearing down on me. We just kept moving. The day had started with the sun shining and the birds singing now all I could feel was the dark closing in around. This was close to carrying a weight with me. I didn’t know what to do. The hike had taken me nearly all day; I was tired and hot, hadn’t stopped for water in miles. I stumbled and fell to knees to catch my breath. I looked up and realized this was it, this was the spot. I could leave this weight right here, no more feeling that burden.
The sun was going down as my shovel pierced the earth where what was left of my wife would lay. With that I started my long walk back through the woods along the clear cold river. NB
Edited by EB
