Past the Horizon (Eddie Vedder)

Prologue

Chapter song:
"Time" - Pink Floyd

Sometime in October...
        
Summer had come to an end. While that may sound like a negative thing, there were positives too. No more stifling humidity, frizzing hair, sweat seeping through your clothes, makeup running, or having to dry out your armpits in front of the air vents in the car. The number of mosquitoes and other undesirable critters would begin to dwindle down, their relentless assaults becoming much less frequent. Fall colors would begin to emerge in all their earthly glory. Reds, yellows, oranges would fill the trees and then eventually the ground in piles of leaves for children to jump in. Not to mention, the ever highly anticipated holiday countdown would begin. Starting with Halloween and ending with New Year's, the holiday season could arguably be the most exciting time of the year.

Of course, the perks of summer can never be discounted either. So many things that happen during summer are always sorely missed. Like lounging poolside with a good book, the sun warming skin that was chilled from the cool water. Then, jumping back into said water once the sun's heat becomes too unbearable. Summer barbecues and cookouts, having a beer or a mixed drink in front of a bonfire later in the night. Going to theme parks and eating overpriced junk food after drying your wet clothes from the water rapids on a breezy ride. Those are just a few notable activities that might be included when describing the perks of summer.
         
But summer had closed its doors for the year, another chapter completed. It was time for fall to rise up and take its place on the throne, at least for a short while. Then, winter would make an appearance, followed by spring, and the cycle would begin once again. Nostalgia always seems to settle in during the changing of the seasons, such as reflecting on a childhood birthday party that you may have attended during the fall, or maybe remembering that first heartbreak suffered one summer several years ago. Time moves on though, the seasons change, and if people are lucky, they'll live to fight another day.
         
She wasn't quite sure what was causing herself to be so melancholy. Perhaps it was an accumulation of different things and events that had shaped her current position. Not that everything contributed to the negative; there were just old memories that managed to resurface. To be honest, those thoughts had been on their way out the door, stopping by to visit much less frequently. September 5th and the month that followed were just something along the lines of painful… something, strangely enough, also worth reliving. There was an excessive amount of crying, too many sleepless nights, and embarrassingly, times when hair washing maybe wasn't as much of a priority as it should have been.

She was definitely not proud of that last one.
         
The days were supposed to be filled with fun though, not a time to be recollecting the unpleasantness of the past… or the present… or the future… 

There were also certain things worth remembering.

There's no question that Stoneridge, Tennessee was always bustling with some sort of activity, but it was typically the same routine for her, set to the always exquisite view of the Smoky Mountains. However, there was one event, settled between her day-to-day monotony, that offered some sort of reprieve from the mind-numbing obligations that fueled daily life.
         
The Blue Ridge Festival, one of Stoneridge's claims to fame, happens every year around the time summer turns into fall, lasting from the beginning of September to the end of October. Blue Ridge Fest made its home in the open space across the street from the Blue Ridge Campground, the hazy mountains standing tall in the background. Crowds would flock from neighboring cities and states as the festival continued to expand year after year. It became a place for up-and-coming artists of all kinds to showcase their talent. There was one band last year that even got a big record deal. Unfortunately, that didn't pan out the way everyone had hoped. Regardless, that set the bar high for this year's festival, and supposedly it was to be grander than ever.
         
During daylight hours, it provided wholesome activities for families with children. There were carnival rides and games, concession stands with cotton candy and popcorn, a splash park, photo booths, shopping stands from local vendors, and of course live music. But as the sun began to set, the debauchery would be in full swing. The watering holes would begin opening, outdoor sections being roped off where people of a certain age could enter and purchase the poison of their choice. The carnival rides and the food and shopping stands would still be open, but the splash park would close and the entertainment would become a bit more mature, per se. It was the one time out of the year that the local law enforcement would turn the other cheek, contingent, of course, on things not getting too out of hand.
         
This year's affair had started off on a sour note, spent wallowing in self-pity and embarrassment. All because of her now arch-nemesis, the supervillain of her story. She was still a regular at the festival, mainly due to the encouragement of friends… and, well, because she had to go for work. It was a series of unfortunate incidents all occurring around the start of the festival, but she pulled herself together, fluffed her curls, threw on a yellow summer dress (because yellow is a happy color), and disguised her saddened red-rimmed eyes with shadow and liner.

Then, he was there. With her. She should have seen it coming, really, but it caught her off guard all the same. And what would any other self-respecting, empowered female do? She fled with her tail tucked between her legs. That did nothing to ease the inner turmoil that seeped into her pores and flowed through her veins. He was smiling and happy, with his arms wrapped around her as she ran her fingers lovingly through his hair.

It was hurtful to find out that she was so easy to cast aside.

But… maybe he was just as easy for her to cast aside.

Maybe she was a hypocrite of the largest proportions.

Somehow, though, the horizon seemed both closer and farther away at the same time.
                   
Just as the seasons change, bringing about a new era, the makings of new beginnings and endings as well, she had changed too. The realization struck her as fiercely as a bolt of lightning might. She wasn't the same bright, social girl she had once been, excited for any adventure the day might bring, eager for the unknown of the future and what may unfold. That girl had died years ago. Instead, there was an endless drifting, going through each day as if half-asleep, living but not experiencing. Waiting for something or someone to come along and finally wake her up.

Waiting and searching for what lies past the horizon…