Project: Socialize (Chapters 198-Continued) [Hiatus]

212. Nighttime Stroll

The day went by quite quickly as we allowed ourselves to relax surrounded by the wilderness. After eating and such, we cleaned the used bowls using the water faucets from the pavilion, and after that, we went hiking. It's technically just us roaming around near our campsite, but that's still technically the correct term for what we did.

On our walk, we saw the beautiful Spring season bloom. There were flowers blooming on the side of the dirt trail that we took, and nearby in the trees, the birds chirped on. With the vegetation were plenty of insects, but luckily, Alvelyn had prepared insect repellent, so those pesky insects were not a bother anymore. From the bushes nearby, we heard the sound of rustling, and occasionally, we would catch glimpses of the wildlife as they avoided us and went about on their business. It is an experience that one does not get to experience in the concrete jungle of the city.

As the night embraced the world, it slowly suffocated the noise and vitality in us. The energy drained from us during the day's hike led to us all feeling quite sluggish at night, and after cooking and enjoying a simple beef stew dinner, we sat by the campfire to kill sometime before going to sleep and ending the day. What we opted to do was simply just sit around and chat. Not sing a song or anything like that. It's rather quite stupid to sing a song when sitting around a campfire. The crackling fire is perfect for one to stare into and lose themselves in. It's just so absorbing and thought-provoking that it would often inspire simple conversations with a deep connotation. Words spoken around a campfire would often carry a heavier meaning.

What we spoke about was merely simple banter. I didn't speak up much and neither did Alvelyn. It would appear that both of us were not in the mood for conversing, but rather we wanted to simply gaze into the fire. Because of this, neither of us were able to listen in on what the others were talking about as our minds were simply captivated and absorbed by the crackling flame as it performed it's dance of life before us as it slowly withered and approached death.

When it came time to sleep, we prematurely murdered the flame, suffocating it and cutting off it's lifeline. Then, after showering in the separate shower shacks for the boys and girls, and after brushing our teeth in the restrooms, we returned to our assigned tents and prepared to settle in for the night.

"I really hope there's enough space to sleep comfortably," Zaksus said with a worried look on his face as we laid out the sleeping bags.

"If you wouldn't be so damn tall," Noah elbowed Zaksus in a joking manner.

"It's not just me," Zaksus quickly fired back. "All of you are a bit taller than average as well."

"But you're way above average," Noah concluded, successfully shutting up Zaksus as the four of us continued to lay out the sleeping bags.

"This should be good," Loyd said as he looked around while sitting with his knees crossed.

"This'll have to work," Noah sighed. "Still a bit more cramped than I would've liked it."

"Not everything will go in your favor," Zaksus said as he entered his sleeping bag and zipped himself up. "It's quite warm."

I yawned as time continued to flow deeper into the night, and yet we were only starting to prepare for slumber. However, after having just struggled with laying out the sleeping bags and listening in on the short banter between Noah and Zaksus, that killed my drowsiness. In order for me to regain that desire, I  decided that I would leave the tent and take a short walk and enjoy the mountain breezes to give my mind some serenity.

"Where you going?" Loyd asked when he saw me unzipping the tent and exiting.

"A short walk," I answered truthfully. "Don't wait for me."