“Beyond them.” He waves at us to follow and leads the way into the thick forest.
Nat and I eye each other. Feeling brave and excited, I head out. It takes a few minutes of walking before I hear Nat closing in behind me.
Her skepticism turns to awe as she beholds the sight before us. The sunlight dances through the covering of leaves and scatters in warm spots all over.
We both halt to take in the sheer magnificence of it.
“I think I died and went to heaven,” Nat says.
Same.
“What are you doing?” Stu’s voice shakes us out of our gaping.
“We’re entranced by the amazing forest?” Nat throws her hands indicating the woods.
He laughs. “No, city girls. That’s not amazing. This is.”
We tread to where he stands. It’s a few feet away. The closer we get, the louder the sound.
“What’s that?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.
He stands immobile, aside from the growing smile on his face. When we come up next to him, I see it then. The whitest waterfall I’ve ever laid eyes on.
“Oh my,” Nat breathes. “Truly amazing.”
“That’s not what’s amazing,” he says. “Come closer.”
We draw nearer.
“Look.” He points to the bottom of the waterfall where it meets the running river.
Right there, a myriad of colors flashes occasionally.
“What?!” I gasp. “How’s that possible?”
“When the light hits the water just right, it creates such beautiful colors,” he explains.
We say no more, content to soak in the beauty.
Nat comes out of her daze much quicker than I do and the clicks go off. “My co-workers are going to be jealous.”
I don’t have co-workers to brag to anymore. Or a lover to share this with. Just my parents. And this is not their kind of thing. Dad would ask if I caught fish and Mom would ask if I put on lotion to repel bugs.
Suddenly, a deep ache sits in my chest.
“It’s beautiful. Can we go now?”
Nat and the tour guide don’t argue.
I’m in a better mood the next day while Nat is the opposite.
“I think a bug got me.” She rubs her neck and looks over the people having breakfast around us. “He’s not here.”
My worry for Nat overshadows my disappointment at not seeing Chance again. “Do we need to get some medicine for you?”
“Ugh, I don’t like it. Is my head hot? I think my head is hot. My stomach hurts too. I’m tired.”
It takes me five minutes of her whining to get why. “You’re trying to get out of hiking!”
