Phone calls from underwater

part v

Everyone seems to be fast asleep when I rustle out of my tent. I wash away the weariness of last night and stumble towards the small stove, under the main canopy, to make myself tea.

If not for a strange dream, I would have been sleeping too. I was suspended in the velvet-blue waters of the lake, undisturbed, when a tree fell. Its trunk came crashing in, and the placid water sprayed into the sky. The reeds entangled its tall body, the algae were pushed away. Bubbles rose violently around it as it sunk deeper and deeper.

My wide frantic eyes looked for an escape route. I was still swimming away from the whirling, rippling water when the panic jolted me awake.

"Well, at least you're up." Nadira's voice catches me off guard. I turn towards her, still squatting next to the kettle on the stove.

"What time is it?" I ask, and my eyes sweep the scene around me. The whole world is bathed in blue.

"Four-thirty. The sun should rise soon." She grabs a small bag and straps it onto her shoulders. "Take some in your flask, and hurry."

"Oh." My eyebrows pull together in confusion. "Are we heading up?"

"Of course," She replies with a wide smile. "Come on, you'll get your money's worth."

If I choose to sit here, I'll keep thinking about Yohani's words from last night. So, without asking any further questions, I pack my bag to leave with Nadira.

Dew drops cover the wild grass, the rocks, and the barks of trees. Shining like pearls, they wet the edges of my sneakers as we head uphill. We climb over boulders and stick to a narrow stony path.

"Put something on," Nadira advises as she unties the jacket around her waist. "There will be a breeze up there." I happily oblige.

Birds squawk, preen, and fly from one branch to another. Their colours are in stark contrast to the monotonous shades of the forest. Hidden corners tingle and buzz with early risers. Twilight draws out some of the best singers, and shrill notes electrify the air as we get closer to the summit.

I can see past the bending, twisting branches of these short trees. The summit is a flat area of land with thorny shrubs. Feeling dry earth under my heel feels refreshing, and I purposefully kick up some dust. The wound on my side aches for a moment, but I barely feel it.

Nadira laughs. "The light is too strong up here to allow any undergrowth. Feels nice, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it's funny how fascinating this is." I smile sheepishly.

Even closer now. The breeze brings relief from the growing humidity. I take a deep breath in, thinking 'it smells like open air and nectar. I can't even remember the heavy scent of the lake.'

We reach an opening, and there is a small board welcoming us to the summit. The bright yellow sign, my heavy breathing, it all adds to a sense of achievement. I pull a disposable camera out of my bag—maybe for the first time—to take a picture.

The camera flashes, and Nadira says, "Now that you've gotten a picture, you probably don't want to miss that."

"What?" I breathe. Following her eyeline, I turn to face the other side.

My breath catches in my throat, and my composure unravels. She steps out into the empty strip of land and my feet follow.

The sky isn't blue anymore.

You could say it's violet, further away from the peaks of the surrounding hills, but the horizon is burning red. Like orange flames dancing on a dehydrated log of wood, the sun is a pulsating, shifting body, glowing brighter and brighter. Green dense vegetation covers the impassable hills, and the air is saturated with the call of birds celebrating the break of dawn.