Nathan often wished he had at least one person to talk to; one person he could trust to tell everything. He wished he had someone to share the burden of what was happening to him and what he knew but then he would remember Leah. She had no one to talk to; no one she could trust because no one believed her.
“Hey!” called out a familiar voice.
Quickly, Nathan stood up straight and turned around just in time to see Stephen Malick crossing Lawrence Road. “Somebody’s early,” he smirked.
Nathan was so deep in thought that he was caught off guard by Malick’s remark. They both stood in silence and then Malick ran his hand backwards threw his hair. “Okay?” he laughed.
“Okay, what?” asked Nathan.
Malick shook his head and then proceeded down the path. “Nothing, sir,” he laughed again.
“Okay,” Nathan sighed following behind him. “Whatever.”
The trail leading to Lake Charleston was still a little moist from the previous night’s rainfall. Nathan was glad that he was wearing his hiking boots instead of his tennis shoes. Last time he wore his tennis shoes to the lake, they got so dirty filling the wood bin that he’d considered throwing them away. Regardless of the reason for being out there, Nathan enjoyed being outside and in the forest.
Malick continued to walk ahead of him and would occasionally turn around and laugh. “What?” asked Nathan.
“Nothing,” he snickered.
He frowned. I am not in the mood for this today. Next time, I’ll just volunteer to start the fires alone.
Malick laughed again, this time turning to shake his head at him.
“All right,” grumbled Nathan. “What the heck is it?”
Malick stopped walking down the trail and turned around to face him. They had stopped at the fork in the trail that led to the Northern Cahokia Tribal Museum and the cliffs overlooking Lake Charleston. He grinned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Nathan could feel his ears turning red. “What? Why the heck do you keep laughing and looking at me?”
Malick laughed heartily.
“Okay,” said Nathan, angrily and proceeded to storm past him.
Malick smiled and grabbed him by the shoulder; stopping him from continuing down the path. “All right, All right,” he said. “You really need to lighten up.”
Nathan turned around to face him. “Lighten up?” he asked, angrily. “You want me to – lighten up?” His thoughts began to ramble in his head. This guy has no clue what I am dealing with.
Malick smiled wide. “Yes,” he said. “Have some fun for a change and don’t be so serious.”
Nathan shook his head angrily. “Yes,” he said. “Have fun and be cool like Stephen Malick. No need to worry about anything because I don’t have a care in the world.”
Malick responded with a laugh and Nathan’s ears and face grew hotter and hotter. He gritted his teeth.
“Okay, okay,” Malick said, grabbing him by the arm again. “Calm down for a second. I apologize for poking fun at you.”
Nathan took a deep breath. “What do you want?”
Malick smiled. “It’s obvious that aside from your normal brooding self that something is bothering you.”
Nathan’s jaw fell open. “Brooding?” he protested. “I don’t brood – I’m overly sarcastic maybe, but never brooding.”
“Okay, okay, fair enough,” Malick chuckled. “Can we at least agree that something is definitely bothering you?”
Nathan sighed again. “Where are we going with this?” he asked.
Malick’s smile faded away. He had a concerned look on his face. “I’ve noticed over the past two weeks you’ve gotten quieter and quieter,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“Not that I am complaining,” Malick said. “But there has definitely been a retreat in the remarks and cynicism from your peanut gallery.
Nathan was surprised and tried to hide his smile. “And?” he asked, while trying to keep his poker face.
“And,” continued Malick. “You are definitely worrying about something – definitely over-analyzing more than usual.”
Nathan looked intently at Malick and blinked his eyes. He’s right, he thought. He definitely was worried about something and probably was acting a little different, but who wouldn’t be different considering everything that was happening to him. More than anything, he was surprised that Stephen Malick, of all people, had even noticed.
Malick waved his hand and gestured his head in the direction of the trail leading away from Lake Charleston. “Come on,” he said.
Nathan was confused. “Come on what?”
“Come on and follow me,” he said.
“Follow you? We don’t have time for this. Besides, the last time I checked Argus was expecting us.”
“Come on,” Malick whined. “We have time.”
Nathan checked the time on his cell phone. “Barely,” he said.
Malick smiled and nudged him up the trail.
The trail to the Northern Cahokia Tribal Museum was narrow. The museum was located near the base of the cliffs, so the trail led upward. Nathan wasn’t as familiar with this part of the trail. He was a lot more familiar with the one that led from Lawrence Road to Lake Charleston. He followed close behind Malick and thought about Leah again and then about Lafonda. He cringed when the black-hooded figure with the silver sword popped up in his head again. Up ahead, the trees surrounding the trail were thinning out and he saw the museum’s black paved parking lot.
Once out of the forest, Nathan attempted to scrape the mud from the bottom of his shoes. He had been to the museum many times before on school field trips, but couldn’t remember ever using the connecting trail from the northern entrance to Lake Charleston to get there. Most people accessed the museum parking lot from Lawrence road.
He watched as Malick paced happily towards the museum. LaDonda had given a large contribution for the construction of the museum years ago and Nathan thought that explained why the outside resembled a downsized version of the Devaro mansion. The two-story building, although small, housed many rare Cahokia Indian artifacts and information collected about the Northern Cahokia tribe that had once populated the area.
“What are we doing here again?” he asked.
Malick’s eyes were wide and his arms stretched open. “Look at that view!” he shouted. “You can really see how amazing the cliffs are; now that we are closer. I can’t wait till we’re on top.”
Nathan’s mouth fell open. “The top?” he blurted, while staring across the parking lot to the connecting trail. “You said nothing about tracking all the way up to the top.” Come to think of it, he thought. He didn’t say anything to begin with, why am I following him anyway?
“Come on,” smiled Malick.
Nathan checked his cell phone again. “We don’t have time!”
Malick glanced over his shoulder and smiled one last time before disappearing into the forest.
The trees rustled and a light breeze of air rushed through, cooling Nathan’s face. Being that it was evening, the museum was closed and the parking lot was completely empty. Nathan checked the time on his cell again and considered heading back without Malick. “We have stuff to do!” he protested to himself. He stared at the entrance to the cliffs and another breeze rushed over him.
“Those breezes feel more amazing from the top!” shouted Malick from the forest.
Nathan glanced up to the top of the cliffs. “Ugh,” he moaned. “I know I will regret this, but – I’m coming!”
The trail leading from the parking lot up to the cliffs was much wider and wood chipped, so the path was a lot less muddy. Nathan thought this was probably because the museum gave guided tours to the top and to the surrounding Cahokia Caves.
Malick continued briskly along the trail and occasionally turned around to smile. Nathan didn’t mind the distance and after a few minutes could see something yellow blowing in the wind ahead of him. When he got closer, he saw tha
t two trees next to the entrance to the trail that led downward to the caves behind the cliffs had yellow ribbons tied around them. In the ground, blocking the entrance to the trail, were two metal poles; one on each side, with a thick, rusty metal chain running the length between them.
In the middle of the chain hung a red and white lettered sign that read:
Closed
Please Do Not Disturb
Archeological Investigation in Progress until August
Trespassers will be Prosecuted by Law
Nathan looked down the path between the two yellow-ribboned trees and then glanced upward to see if Malick had noticed he had stopped. “So, this is where Jonathan spends all of his time,” he laughed.
Nathan had only visited the caves during school field trips to the museum when he was younger. He didn’t remember much about them, just that they were located down the trail and behind the cliffs. Now that he was older, he had no desire to come this far into the forest or to visit the top of the cliffs. He would rather avoid the hike altogether and just hangout by the lake.
Nathan read the sign again and then stood on the tips of his toes to see farther down the trail. “I don’t see anything exciting. Especially not anything deserving of a Do Not Disturb sign.” He returned to standing flat on his feet. “Jonathan did say all the hoopla was about the new cave symbols.”
“Hey!” said Malick, approaching from behind. “Are you going to stare at that sign all day?
Nathan jumped. “Dude,” he shouted. “You startled me!”
“Sorry – I didn’t mean to,” chuckled Malick, while pointing at the sign. He gawked at it and laughed. “I’m sure that’ll keep out the college students.” He gestured with his head and pointed his thumb in the direction of the cliffs. “Are you coming or what?” he asked. “I’m sure you’ll find nothing exciting over there.”
Soon, the trail to the top of the cliffs became a straight path upward and the trees on both sides of the trail began to thin out. Nathan followed Malick out of the forest and stood at the top of the cliffs. A gentle breeze of cool air greeted them as the evening sun set behind them. Nathan looked down at the beach and fire pits below and noticed the beach created a half-circle around the lake. In front of him, beyond the beach and the large hill, he could see the roof of the Hiking and Camping Center. Beyond that, all he could see were the tops of the many trees that seemed to stretch out towards the horizon. Eager, he stood on the tips of his toes; trying to catch a glimpse of the Cahokia Falls that he was sure was nestled somewhere off in that direction. A gentle breeze nudged him again. On his right, beyond the trees, was Lawrence Hall; its skyline only revealing a partial view of the IUCF campus.
“Is that the Cahokia museum?” asked Malick, standing close to the cliff’s edge.
Slowly, Nathan inched towards him. “Yup,” he uttered, while hesitantly peering over. “That’s it.” He raised his eyebrows and then quickly took a few steps back. “And – you might not want to be so close to the edge.”
Malick turned around only to find Nathan grinning while pointing to the red and white Danger Cliff Edge sign. Malick shook his head and then pretended to prepare to jump off the cliff.
“Ha-ha,” sighed Nathan. “Funny.”
Malick grinned. “Hey,” he said. “Is that Argus down there?” He ran his hand through his hair as he squinted. “Why does he keep pacing like that?”
Quickly, Nathan stepped beside him. “Argus?” he asked, while carefully peering over. He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. “He’s probably pacing because he is waiting on us!”
Malick took a deep breath and looked up at the sky before placing a hand on Nathan’s shoulder. “Oh, relax,” he said. “It will be fine – just enjoy the view.”
Nathan took a quick look at the darkening blue sky and glanced at his cell phone again before placing it back into his pocket. “But we are…”
“Enjoy the view, already!” interrupted Malick with a sigh.
Nathan gave Malick a glaring look and huffed. He took a deep breath and tried hard not to think about Argus, closing his eyes for a moment before slowly looking out into the evening sky again. The trees were calm; only disturbed occasionally by the summer breeze. The lights on campus and from Lawrence Hall were becoming more visible as the sky grew darker. Below, a golden light appeared and upon close inspection, he could see that it was a street lamp revealing the black asphalt to the Cahokia museum parking lot. “The view is nice,” said Nathan with a shrug. “But we are late and should go.”
Malick shook his head and looked down at his feet before turning around to walk away.
Nathan sighed. “Now what?” he said.
A gust of wind swept over the cliffs displacing strands of Malick’s hair. Abruptly, Malick stopped and turned around to face him.
Nathan had a surprised look on his face. He thought it must be serious since Malick hadn’t bothered to fix his hair.
“Just nice?” asked Malick. A deep crease formed on his forehead. “The view is amazing; not just nice!”
Nathan diverted his eyes away from him and focused on the entrance to the forest behind them. He couldn’t believe Malick was making such a big deal about the view. “Okay, okay,” he said. “The view is amazing.” He took a few steps towards the entrance to the forest. “Can we go now?”
The wrinkle on Malick’s forehead deepened. “Sure,” he groaned. “I don’t know why I bothered to help you anyway.”
“Help me?” cried Nathan. He had a confused look on his face. “How are you helping me?”
“You’re never in the moment,” complained Malick. “You worry too much!”
Nathan’s ears burned red. “What?”
Malick paused and drew a deep breath. His eyes connected with Nathan’s and the wrinkles on his forehead relaxed. “You don’t realize how great the view is because you don’t let life happen,” he said. “You should be living in the now; not the past, nor the future.”
Nathan shook his head and huffed. “Look,” he said. “You don’t know anything about my life and I don’t need any help from you, especially.”
Malick raised his eyebrows again bringing the creases in his forehead back to life. “And what do you mean by that?” he asked.
Nathan sighed. “Look,” he said. “I don’t expect someone like you to understand anything about being me.”
Malick glared. “And – what exactly do you mean by that?”
Nathan huffed. “No offense, but how could you?” he asked. “You have never been poor in your life. You have no clue what it means to be me. Maybe you can float through life with no care in the world, but I don’t have that luxury. I am just the poor brown kid living behind the Devaro mansion.”
“That is where you are wrong!” explained Malick. “That may be your past or current situation, but it doesn’t have to be your future.” He pointed towards the ground. “You should be living for today,” he said. “Living in this moment – because what you do today is your tomorrow.”
“I am living in the moment – Dr. Phil!” Nathan retorted. “And in this moment we are late and Argus is waiting on us.”
Malick nodded and the creases in his forehead were gone now. “Okay,” he said.
Nathan and Malick walked back in silence. The sun had set, so it was dark now and the trees made the forest even darker. The wind picked up and occasionally howled through the trees; providing them with frequent nudges down the trail. Nathan knew they were about halfway to the Cahokia museum parking lot after catching a glimpse of the yellow ribbons floating in the wind.
He folded his arms across his chest and looked down, trying to form a little walking distance from Malick. So, what was the point for coming all the way up here? he thought. Did he really think he was helping me to relax and to not worry so much?
Nathan glanced up at him and then allowed his gaze to wander into the forest. About one thing Malick had been right. His thoughts were definitely occupied lately.
Nathan knew
exactly what he was worried about. He was really concerned about the dream he had about Grimm Cemetery, particularly the part about the faceless hooded figures and the strange woman in white hurting Leah and his friends. But what was he supposed to say to Malick? More than anything he wanted to tell someone. But Malick?
He glanced back at him again. But why not Malick? Despite his failed attempt to cheer Nathan up, he had been the only one besides Lafonda to notice or care enough to say something to him about his change in behavior. But what would Nathan say anyway – to him or anybody.
Nathan thought about how the conversation would go in his mind. Yeah – uh – I think I am having dreams about the future and I am pretty sure I dreamt this girl Leah being attacked the night she was admitted to the hospital. And now I think Lafonda may die – and – I have blue flames that come out of my hands. He chuckled. Oh, and if I haven’t lost you yet – and – you don’t think I’m crazy – I kinda communicated with this dog the other day. I saw it running in the forest and – I think it saved my life.
It sounded ridiculous. Nevertheless, he figured he would at least say something to Malick after they entered the trail back to the lake. “So,” he said, breaking the silence. “Do you think we’ll have enough time to set the fires before the others show up?”
Malick looked over his shoulder and grinned. “Oh,” he said. “Are you talking to me?”
Nathan smiled. “Ha-ha,” he said. “Very funny.”
Malick grinned again. “Trust me. We’ll make it.”
“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” replied Nathan.
Nathan and Malick stepped out of the forest and onto the beach of Lake Charleston. The cool breeze that was felt atop of the cliffs still accompanied them and continued to provide a welcome relief. Nathan didn’t stare as he normally did on first sight of the water. “Where is Argus?” he said with a touch of panic. “We have to get these fires going.”
“Relax,” said Malick. “We still have time. I’m sure Argus just went back up to the Hiking and Camping Center.”
The Legend of the Firewalker Page 15