The Hermit's Retreat

Chapter 11

 On Sunday, Xisuma woke up at six thirty, when the alarm on his phone went off. He dressed, and quietly made his way downstairs, where False was frying bacon in a pan. She wore a long sleeve shirt and cargo pants, without the usual makeup. He stepped up to the counter to find a cup of tea waiting for him.

"The sugar's in there." False said, pointing to a cabinet.

The bacon grease popped and she swore under her breath, which made him smile into his teacup.

She pointed at another one of the cabinets and said "Hand me a plate, please."

He did, and she started taking the bacon out of the pan. As she drained the grease she looked at him again.

"How do you like your eggs?" She asked.

Xisuma shrugged, watching as she cracked five eggs and scrambled them in the already hot pan. She picked up the bacon and set it on the table, next to a plate of toast he hadn't seen, then pulled two more plates out of the cabinet and divided the eggs in half.

As Xisuma finished his tea, he couldn't help thinking what it would be like if every morning were like this, just the two of them.

They finished their breakfast in relative quiet, then headed out onto the porch.

"Do you have the keys?" False asked.

"Right here." Xisuma said.

They'd asked TFC if they could borrow his pickup truck since it would handle the gravel roads better than any of the other cars, and he'd said yes.

False held out her hand. "I'll drive."

"You sure?" Xisuma asked.

"Yup."

He handed her the keys, and she climbed into the driver's seat.

When the engine came to life, she turned on the radio. It was playing classic country music, but not the 'crying in your beer' kind. She left it on, and when he looked at her, she just shrugged.They hardly saw any other cars on the road, or parked in the small lot at the trailhead.

"I'll carry the bag." Xisuma volunteered.

He shouldered the pack containing their water and food, and they started the hike. It was sunny, and about 10 degrees. Not long after they'd started walking, they had to stop and take off their jackets.

"It rained a lot the other day," False said, "so the falls should be cool."

Xisuma nodded.

For now the trail was wide enough for them to walk side by side, so that was what they did, although she'd said it would get steeper and narrower later. They passed an older couple coming back down the trail, who confirmed that the falls were indeed spectacular, and wished them well before continuing on. After hiking for a while, the terrain started to get rocker, and they crossed a bridge over a rushing river. They came to a clearing that False told him was about the halfway point. At the edge, there was a massive tree that looked to be at least two meters in diameter.

"We have to hug the tree!" False said excitedly.

She stood on one side, he stood on the other, and they both reached out their arms.

"Stretch, X, our fingers aren't touching yet!" She joked.

Xisuma laughed.

They took a few minutes break, during which False informed him that the second part of the trail was where it got harder. They took the time to rest their legs and drink a bit of water. After about five minutes, he picked up the pack and they started walking once again.

The trail had since narrowed, so Xisuma walked behind False as they made their way along the rocky path. Occasionally they'd come across a downed tree or a particularly large rock, but she handled all of them with a seemingly impossible amount of grace. He stayed close behind her anyways. The last part of the trail was the rockiest and most difficult. Somewhere behind them, they'd switched places, with Xisuma leading. As they got closer and closer, the sound of falling water got louder and louder. Finally he saw the opening in the trees that was the end of the trail, and he was standing at the top of the last small scramble.

Xisuma turned and held out his hand to False, even though he knew she didn't need it, but she took it anyway, and they stepped out into the open. The falls were beautiful, and for a few moments they couldn't do anything but stare as they stepped further out into the sun.

Xisuma realized he was still holding False's hand, and he met her eyes as if to ask, 'Is this okay?' She said nothing, but she also didn't pull away, so he turned back to the falls. He only let go when she told him to take off the backpack. He reluctantly did so, and they sat down on the rock while they ate the food they'd brought. They stayed at the top of the falls for a while after they ate, then drank more water and started down the trail. He felt as if he could have stayed there all day, but they had to go back.

Again, they stopped in the clearing with the big tree for a break, and it was False who broke the silence.

"You know," she said, "I wish we could stay here."

"So do I." He replied.

"Well, then, I suppose we'll have to come back while we're here."

He nodded, and they kept walking. On the way down, they passed a group of three women, one older and two younger.

"Are you going to the top?" False asked.

They said yes, and she gestured vaguely behind her.

"It's awesome today." She said.

They made it back to the car without stopping again, and as they stepped off the trail and back into reality, Xisuma had to fight the urge not to grab her hand, hike back to the falls, and lay on their backs watching the sky until the stars came out. But they had to be back at the house, so he got in the passenger's seat and ignored the twinge of disappointment.

A/N: I don't like doing a lot of these because I know they're a bit annoying, but I just wanted to say thanks to you guys. I woke up this morning to publish this chapter and we had hit a thousand reads, which is mind-blowing to me. I'm not really a numbers person, so I can't imagine what that realistically looks like, but I'm baffled that so many people take the time to look at this thing I've done without really thinking about the number of views it would get. I hope you've enjoyed so far! Peace.