Goodbye

The roads were crowded the day after Thanksgiving, but now it was late at night and traffic had waned with the sun. Under the stars, our lonely car soared over country roads while we sought a last trip into the darkness.

It was my last chance to walk the old trails. Once again, I had been called to travel West; this time I would not return so soon.

Where we left the car, a great river flowed, smooth mercury beneath the moon, its poisoned whispers filled the night, pushing us on. Fallen leaves crunched under our feet and crisp November air found its way in our coats; a stinging chill that recalled changing leaves, winters in the Northeast; so many adventures over the years.

We made our way to a dark portal in the cliffs. Here, the darkness grew strong and seemed to come alive, a benevolent shadow creature pulled from another time and place, offering to show us the way. Compliant, we crawled on hands and knees, deep into the void, asking to see the secrets one more time.

Photo: M.P.H.

Much later that night we returned to the surface. For the last time I looked into the darkness of the cave; with some regret, I finally turned my back to the shadows and crawled up through the small portal, struggling for the sky and stars. As I pulled myself free of the blackness into the cold night, the last page of this chapter closed. Leaving behind the weight of my past, I took the first step towards a new world of adventure waiting in the scorched deserts of the West. . .