Gen-Zennials

THE GIRLS TRY CAMPING AND HIKING

It's December now, and the girls are on the couch. Brooklynn's sipping cocoa from a mug and Charlie's mug of matcha has been resting on the table next to Brooklynn's laptop. Charlie's laptop is on her lap and she's concentrating on what she's reading with a focused face, one written with a vague sulk.

Brooklynn licks fudge off her spoon. "We should go to the park. I hear it's a real winter wonderland. Like Narnia."

Delayed, Charlie says, "Huh? Oh...yeah," without taking her eyes off her laptop though she moves her head towards Brooklynn.

Brooklynn shifts her eyes with flat sass. "And then we could go look at the Christmas tree at Lotte Palace?"

"Totally..." Charlie's staring at the screen.

Brooklynn sarcastically tries to see what she's so focused on. "Um, hello?"

"What?" Again Charlie moves her head but not her eyes. Brooklynn waves her hand in front of Charlie's face, who abruptly shuts her laptop altogether, making Brooklynn frown suspiciously.

"Did you hear what I said...about going to the park and Lotte Palace?"

"Oh! Yeah...um...why don't we just go to an actual park? Like, one of those campsite ones outside the city?" she suggests excitedly.

Brooklynn furrows her eyebrows with a speechlessly open mouth. "And why would we do that...?"

Charlie shrugs. "It'll be fun. A nice little adventure. We can go hiking and rock climbing and look at waterfalls..." she says in a cajoling singsong voice.

Brooklynn squints. "Ok...but...we can just go to the local park and enjoy nature there. Mostly because it's free and doesn't require a car."

"I'll pay for it! It's all on me." She's starting to insist, piquing Brooklynn's concern.

"Ok. Since when are you all pro-nature and outdoorsy, anyway? And where are you gonna get the money to take us to some mountain?"

Charlie sighs. "It's not as expensive as you think. Anyway, I'm not taking no for an answer!"

And suddenly Brooklynn finds herself in a red flannel parka with thick wool inside, and Charlie's in the same parka except hers is red. And they're in black bunny tail beanies and blue snowsuits and brown boots and hauling rucksacks on their backs. They're standing on a seemingly endless cobbly concrete trail at the foot of a green mountain, with a diaspora of fellow hikers leisurely but happily passing them. There's no tour guide. Just compasses and survival instincts, neither of which Brooklynn nor Charlie have.

"Ok...let's go!" Charlie says in a here-goes-nothing voice.

"Oh god, I can't believe this..." Brooklynn mutters as she strolls miserably with Charlie up the trail from the parking lot, where they got off a shuttle coach bus. They took a park-and-ride with a rented smart car that Charlie drove.

"So we have to find our way to the peak, and back down here by the time the bus comes back," Charlie tells her.

"Yeah, if we don't get eaten by a bear before then."

"Don't be ridiculous," Charlie rolls her eyes with a smile.

"Let's just follow these old white people."

"No, let's find our own way. Let's beat our own path and blaze our own trail!"

"And the award for Shittiest Uplifting Speech goes to?"

Charlie laughs as they amble across the pavement, with intentionally challenging bumps and rockiness for light exercise.

Brooklynn hears a crunch and a drop. "Oh god! What was that!?" She stops and stands extra close to Charlie, frantically looking into the surrounding parallel forest on either side of the walkway. Charlie stops and watches too but with nowhere as much alarm.