Plot Twist

man who watches the sunset.

Campsite 58. 59, 60, 61. Turn the corner - 62. And then, Campsite 63, finally.

A small, red one-man tent and a truck are the only two things in the campsite, and I can't see Elle anywhere. There's some food scattered on the table, and a tiny squirrel darts around, hoping to sneak some into the woods.

"Elle?"

First silence, then an excited "Yeah?" comes from inside the red tent.

"It's me, Elias -"

"I know," she pokes her head out of the tent. "Silly. Who else would visit me?" She grins, and returns to whatever she's doing.

"Can I help?" I ask, laughing and walking into the campsite. I feel awkward, like I'm crossing some sort of boundary and now I've got to be careful, careful...

"Nope, but when we head down you can help carry some stuff," she looks out at me. "Is that okay?"

"Of course! I'd feel bad if I didn't help with something!"

She pulls out a couple of things from the tent - things that I have no idea what their names are. I can see the camera around her neck, like always, but other than that, I'm lost.

Leaning them against the table, she sighs and begins to clear off the food, sorting into bags and coolers. "Can't leave this out or else the bears'll get it," she explains.

"There was a little squirrel scoping it out before," I tell her.

She shakes her head, laughing. "Those guys are terrible! They're everywhere," she says, just a little too loudly, and I can see at least two squirrels in the surrounding forest squeak and scramble away.

She unlocks the truck. "Shall we head out?"

"Where?" I ask as she puts the bags and coolers inside the truck carefully.

"To the beach, obviously - I mean, how else are you going to get a clear shot of the stars?" She laughs. "It's okay, you're new at this. I'll teach you. Tripod," she points, motioning for me to pick it up. "Let's go. Got your stuff?"

"What stuff?" She seems surprised at my remark, like she can't imagine not having stuff to bring around. "I don't have much stuff. I've got my laptop and sleeping bag though, if that's what you mean."

"That is what I mean," she shakes her head, smiling.

It's a quiet walk to the beach, with her leading the way even though I know the park well. The quietness of it all envelops us, with the tiny sounds of the forest all around. The silence between us isn't awkward, though, and I'm grateful to be able to enjoy the serene moment.

"Here," she tells me, pointing down to the same stretch of beach where I'd been sleeping for the past few days.

"I think you forget that I'm the one who lives around here," I tease.

I can see the blush spreading across her face, even though she hides it well.

"I've been setting up here for the last two nights, but tonight I think we'll go up on the hill so I can get those two mountains in the background instead, okay? Elias?"

I'm not listening.

I've seen it so, so many times before, but this is different. It's the moment just before sunset, where the trees are illuminated in a wash of gold and the last rays of sun sparkle over the mountains.

"The golden hour," she whispers.

We wait for one another to break the silence, and I can feel that both of us are afraid to disturb the minute of serenity.

Finally, she says, "Quick, I want to get a shot of the sun setting," and we begin to set up on top of the hill. She unfolds the tripod gently and fixes the camera on top, screwing on a different lens. I can see her frowning down at it, messing with the settings and adjusting the view. And then she's happy, and we sit and watch in peace.