A Summer to Remember

I remember that day in a heartbeat. It was one of those hot summers where it hadn’t rained in months, the air was sweltering, and the ground was as dry as the Atacama dessert. Moorland fires blazed unknowingly while we swam in the river-pool to cool our burning bodies. You were sat there on the rocks by the side of the water, sipping at your beer that was slightly warm, watching me, silently. I lay there floating, looking up at the trees that surrounded us in a halo. Somehow, it felt as though we were far away from everything and everyone, in our little world of shared solitude, and yet I knew the rest of the world was just a short walk away.

We sat together on the riverbank, leaning against one another quietly one moment; laughing in hysterics the next. The sunlight reached its way through the branches and danced on the river. Our fingers intertwined while our feet gently drifted to-and-fro in the water. We talked for hours about everything and nothing at all. You watched me in admiration as I spoke, hanging on to every word. I watched you in awe as you commended the scenic haven, we’d found ourselves in. The waterfall fell gently into the pool beneath it, bubbling up as it hit the surface. The pool was still, except for where it cascaded down to the rest of the river.

As the afternoon sun slid across the sky, we wandered back through the woodland. Birdsong and chatter could be heard around us. There was something so serene and as we walked through the shaded trees, without a breeze in sight they stood silently still. The cool air that accompanied us was well received, as we took in long rejuvenating breathes. While we walked, your fingers carefully slipped between mine and out again. It was too hot for our hands to touch for longer than a moment, but you kept reaching back for more. We tread carefully across the uneven surface, hearing the sound of crunches and crackling beneath our feet on the ground.

In an instant, the bubble burst. You stopped and pulled back at my hand; I grabbed your arm to stabilise myself. You nodded over to the distance. I looked ahead and just there before us a doe and her fawn appeared out of the thicket, a mere four metres or so away. We stood there together, watching, waiting. The doe turned in our direction, she stopped, and stared. The fawn was hidden slightly behind its mother, its little white tail slightly quivering. The four of us studied each other in silence. It was a picturesque moment, but we knew even the slightest movement or sound would destroy it. A crow cawed and the spell was broken, the two ambled off through the trees.

As we climbed over the stile, out of the woods and back into the brilliant sunlight, we found ourselves on a grassy path that was different from the way we came. The evening was drawing in and we wanted to catch the sight of the sun set resting on the hillside before it dipped behind and out of view. We kept walking, in the hopes of finding some sort of bench or rest place to watch the day drift into night.

The meadow in which we found ourselves emitted dulcet sounds. The hum of insects and bees, chirping of crickets in the long grass and the vibration of wings. Wildflowers grew everywhere, weaving in and out of one another, reaching up towards the sky that was now a brilliant shade of orange. We stood there watching as sun dipped below the horizon, the hillside alight with the red and amber flames of the burning sun. It was a quiet, comfortable, togetherness we had created from two lost and confused souls who had found each other. As the sun caught light on the meadow your attention was drawn to a single marigold, blazing in the sunset. You bent down and gently picked it from its bed. You turned and faced me, took my hand in yours and pressed your head against mine. Our eyes closed and our noses touched as you drew in a long deep breath.

You handed me a marigold and whispered,

“Let’s stay together”.