 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
“I haven’t seen him since we moved. That was so long ago. I can’t remember the last time we saw each other.” “Why don‘t we give it a try. Close your eyes and concentrate on your memories with him.” “Why do you care about Danny anyways? Isn’t your job to ask about my problems? “You said he was your best friend when you were younger. Don’t you think its odd that you can’t remember the last time you saw him?” Pause. “I guess. I never really think about him. I’ll try and remember.” I never went out into the woods alone. Not even right behind my backyard, not one step past the tree line. It’s the way so many little sounds blend into one, constant buzz. Even with my eyes squeezed closed, it made me feel watched. Neither of us stopped on the trail to look around. We were always moving and our heads were always down, focused on avoiding rocks and roots and branches. Trees and trees. That’s all to see anyways, if either of us had looked up. Danny would always be the first to the trail. He was limber and athletic, so he would keep up a fast, tiring pace for hours at a time. I could keep up, but it was a constant struggle to hide my exhaustion. I wasn’t as naturally athletic as Danny, but I could hold my own. His feet never made any of the crackling sounds that mine did. He always wore a red baseball cap backwards on his head, smashed down on top of his greasy brown hair. The only sound he ever did make while we were on the trail was “shush“. He said it every once in a while, even if I had been completely silent for a good long time. Sometimes it was just because he thought he had seen something moving ahead, sometimes just to make sure I was still focused. He carried his .22 tight in both hands, leveled forward at his right hip. Though neither he nor I would ever admit it, there was a unspoken consensus in Danny’s leadership. Hunting together in the woods on Sunday afternoons didn‘t require many decisions to be made, but he made them all. “So this little hunting trip took place every Sunday afternoon?” “Every Sunday until we moved.” “Did either of your parents know that you did this?” “I would always take a shortcut home from Church and get my rifle out of the closet before they got home. I don’t think Danny’s parents cared what he did.” “You never met them?” “Nope.” “Why not?” “We just liked to hunt together.” “Tell me more about that last time with him in the woods.” I walked casually along the tree-line at edge of the woods, glancing up every few paces. Once my ears adjusted to the echoes and buzzing of nature, my breathing sounded louder and sharper. I knew that Danny would soon be in sight, walking directly towards me from the opposite direction. I carried my .22 rifle across my back with my arms resting over top of it. We would usually meet four backyards down from mine. There was a tire swing attached with a thick rope to an old oak tree on the edge of the woods. That was our spot. I reached the tire and still didn’t see Danny up ahead. I thought briefly about walking farther towards the direction he always came from, but it didn’t make any sense to waste energy that I knew I would need on the trail. I didn’t hear anything but the calm buzz of the woods and the trees to my right. I sat down inside the tire swing to wait for Danny’s tall, skinny silhouette to appear down the tree line. Just as I pushed off to swing backwards, “Hey!” bellowed a voice from behind the swing. A sharp jolt went through my body and finally settled into my thumping heart. I knew the voice. Danny chuckled as he walked around the tire swing to start into the woods. “You didn’t scare me,” I replied, “I knew you were there.” He chuckled softly and then motioned to get going with a nod of his head. Everything went along without being second guessed because this was our ritual. “How did you meet Danny originally? Can you remember?” “It was when I was really young. I was on the edge of the woods in my backyard and he wanted me to come in and find some creek with him. We talked for a while and decided to meet that next Sunday and bring our rifles.” “And nothing changed after that?” “Nothing changed. We liked it the way it was.” “Can you remember the trail in the woods?” |
