I wade into the river until the water is close to my hips before allowing the rest of my body to sink in. It's cool and fresh and revitalizing and so, I dip my head under the surface. There, under the water, the current strokes my cheek as it tries its best to comfort me.
I bob there for a moment or two, remembering the fishes and hoping that one day we will see them again soon. A moment later Donna joins me. She reaches out her hands under the water and I smile as we play a sort of 'ring-around-the-rosy' before both of us need to re-surface for air.
There's a small group of us here, near the river's bank. It's our turn to collect some of the licorice vine and so we've taken advantage of this lapse of an immediate threat to enjoy a swim.
On the precipice of destruction, joy can be found.
It's strange.
The sun is much harsher now than it was before. And so, we all take turns scrubbing our clothes in the water; knowing that they will dry on the hot rocks in no time.
"It's very Garden of Eden," I tell Donna who nods in agreement. Here we are, broken, tattered and emotionally defeated -- becoming astutely aware of our vulnerabilities, and having no choice but to embrace our nakedness in every aspect.
"Who bit the apple?" She says. The corner of her lips curl into a smile as she laughs at her own joke.
"Ah," I sigh as I lean back on some moss that I use to cushion my elbows as I watch the water evaporate from my skin.
Just who did bite the apple -- this time?
It's a question that we'll never know the answer to.
A short while later our clothes dry and we put them on, feeling slightly refreshed and optimistic. The mutants have yet to leave the edge of the forest and so our plan to rest and recharge is working.
None of us try to think about the sacrifices that are happening as we take this time to regain our strength. We can't. But, somehow, as each one passes they too enter into our collective consciousness. There's an astute sadness that passes over all of us every so often, and so -- each time, I do my best to raise my hand and thank them for their service.
And I hope, as we start to head back towards camp, that they will not have died in vain. That we will be strong enough to win our next battle. And that something good can happen when you leave the Garden of Eden and venture out into the unknown.
