salted honey never tasted so sweet - HONEYSALT PROMPT WEEK 2024

Day 1 - (Another) Sleepover

It wasn't really a sleepover.

Everyone knows that the 'sleep' part in sleepover is a stretch of the truth deserving to teach a yoga class. Any good sleepover should have kids staying up until at least eleven, and past midnight for middle schoolers. If we're looking to rename them, stayovers is a more appropriate title.

Craig isn't staying at Jason's house. He isn't even staying in Jason's backyard, even though that's where they set up their tent and promised his stepmother where they'd stay.

This is all part of the plan. It's easier to sneak out of the house when they're already... well, out of the house.

"It should be late enough," says Jason in a hushed voice. They're still in the tent, lit by lamplight.

Craig grins, and shoves one last handful of marshmallows into his mouth. "Let's go," he says his mouth full and words muffled.

The two boys are quiet as mice as they unzip the tent, open the back gate (oiled yesterday by Jason for this very occasion) and run into the woods, with a blanket and a flashlight.

"So it's like a five minute walk to the clearing," says Craig. "But if we're running it should be quicker."

Jason slows down. "We can walk if you want."

"No, I wanna get there!"

They run the rest of the way to the clearing, in the middle of the creek. Close enough to walk (or run) to, but far away enough so the light pollution of Herkleton won't drown out the stars.

"They're actually meteorites," Jason corrects. "Not shooting stars."

"Whatever," Craig whispers. "They're still cool."

They're laying on the blanket, looking through the skylight of the parted trees. They had been there for only a few minutes when...

"Look!" Craig's finger shoots up to point. "There was one right there!"

"I saw it, I saw it!" Jason shushes Craig as if the stars could have heard him.

Maybe the stars did hear, as the two boys pointed and talked under the meteor shower until the sun came up.