A Collection of Short Stories

River

(Written: 9-8-21)

May stood in the tall, yellow grass staring out at the lake before her. She wasn't quite sure how long she had been there, although it didn't seem like too long. She knew she came here for a reason, but she wasn't sure what that reason was.

"May!" She jumped and quickly turned around. Eden stood there, her camera in hand looking like she had just taken a photo of something. May had forgotten that she had asked Eden to come along because she was scared, but she wouldn't admit that. "Come look at this photo I just got!" May let out a sigh and ran her hand through her short hair.

"This isn't the time for photos! Didn't I tell you not to bring that?" May asked in annoyance. Eden walked down the hill to stand by her side.

"Well, yes. But, this is the perfect spot for pictures and I never would have come down here alone. But, since you asked I figured I would take the opportunity to get something good out of it" Eden explained as she waved the photo she had just taken so it would show up. Eden showed her the picture, but May just groaned.

"Why am I in it?" May asked, displeased.

"It's just the back of your head, you're being dramatic" Eden stated. "Come on, let's go home. My parents think I'm sleeping over at your house tonight, well last night"

"Huh," May said in confusion. "No, tonight" She corrected. Eden let out a sigh and pointed at the sky.

"The sun's coming up. We've been here all night and my parents expect me to be home by at least 8:30. And I still need to change" Eden explained.

"There's no way. It's only been a few minutes" May denied, staring at the sun in bewilderment. "What have I been doing?" At this point, Eden was a bit concerned for her friend. She walked back over to her and put her hand on her forehead. May swatted it away and huffed.

"You've just been staring at the river. You haven't said anything to me at all" Eden explained. May was beyond confused at this point and Eden tried to make her feel a bit better. "But, don't worry! The night wasn't a total bust. I got tons of great pictures! They're in my bag over there. I'll have to keep them hidden from my parents, but I can show them to you"

"No, thanks" May denied. She didn't find photography as interesting as Eden did and didn't want to spend hours looking at pictures.

"Why did you want to come here in the first place?" Eden asked as she carefully put her camera back into its case, and placed it in her bag.

"Um...I don't know. It just seemed...fun?" May said, not really sure why she wanted to be there.

"Fun? This place is so dangerous and you thought it would be fun?" Eden asked with a small laugh. "There's a reason our parents don't want us here. Speaking of which, I should probably be getting home"

"But, it's only..." May pulled out her phone to check the time. "7:30. You've got an hour"

"Well, yeah. But, I need to change and find a place to hide these photos. And not to mention I smell like a swamp" Eden said.

"It's a river," May corrected. Eden gave her a look and continued to zip up her bag.

(That's all I got)