at a glance (eng/libre)

The road has been filled with the faraway silhouettes of cities he knew too much or had heard so much about. The tall skyscrapers of Philadelphia and their reflexions on the blue waters of the Delaware River, the boats drifting in all directions on the Chesapeake Bay in Baltimore, and the proud massive historical buildings of D.C. Bryan had met all these distant shapes with a feeling he could difficultly name or even distinguish. The feeling a child has when his old toy breaks, knowing he'll get a new one. The glee born out of tragedy. Cities sing a call that many hear, and Bryan is amongst those ones who listen to it. But he also hear the sometimes soft, sometimes thunderous countermelody that is the one of the wild. Unforsaken adventures waiting to be behold by his unwary glance. So, despite the humming of his guts whilst passing by the glorious North-American cities bathed in the morning's yellow dawn, the boy stayed still, his check kissed by the dew-covered window of the bus. He had wished upon a star for such a venture, the venture of a lifetime, and finally dawn had broken. He didn't intend to let his eagerness get in the way of this newfound spontaneous journey.

The anonymous roads had led them to an ocean of blue hills, verdant forests and rocks shining like bronze when kissed by the sunrise. Bryan could barely help himself. His legs felt numb because of the last few hours of travelling spent sat down. He got out amongst the first of his bus, stretching his body and soul, mesmerized by the sight of the daylight's lips caressing the earth in front of him, in a tender embrace. He could barely breathe, his breath hold, his lungs numb. When his nose finally inhaled, Bryan smelt the fresh air tickling his nostrils. Even though it wasn't the first time he was astonished by the world most perfect works of art, and even though it wasn't going to be the last time, every time his eyes met such a view, the pumping of his blood accelerated like it was the first time he had ever seen such beauty.

Swiftly, he equipped himself with all the necessary gear he needed to explore the landscape he had just observed. Grabbing some food from the tables the organizers of the trip had brought out, he found a map on a large board, identifying a long path through the woods, a path he couldn't wait to venture. Without goodbyes, he entered the trail.

After about an hour of hiking, he stopped at a glade near a clear river to eat breakfast. Hearing only the whisper of the river's current and the songs of the birds, he felt like everything had just flown away from him. All notions of who he was, is, will be, could be, could have been. All gone with the wind. It was peaceful.

He continued eating breakfast, eager to either pursue the trail or maybe to take a swim in the limpid waters of the river.

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The sounds the river was making were clear, whilst the winds were getting warmer as the sun ran to its zenith. Even though Bryan had just seen a map of the trail he was venturing, he still felt as though he was finding himself in some sort of uncharted grounds. Every tree, every rock seemed to hold a story or to try to share one. Bryan felt so compelled by their mute language, barely remembering the places and the moments he had left behind. He missed the cities, the parties, his friends, but his mesmerized mind could never remember it. Like he had disconnected from that part of him, or at least, for now. All that was left was the road, and of course the stops he and his comrades made along the way. The exits they would take and that would all feel like the first they ever took, except for the last one who was certainly going to feel different… but Bryan didn't want to think about it for now. He wasn't even sure for now that he could imagine what that thought could mean ; the end of the trip.

Whilst losing himself in the nature's music and his wildest thoughts, his face turned to another sound, the voice of a girl. She walked, barefooted, the grass tangled between her toes, her shape copied blurrily by the surface of the flood. She advanced towards him in such a manner, he felt like she just escaped a dream ; it all felt so surreal. Nevertheless, he knew for sure he wasn't part of a dream, explaining why he thought she had just escaped from one ; the way he felt alive could never have been mimicked by the lies of a daydream. Meanwhile, she was the one who seemed out of place. But it didn't matter who she was or where she came from. Wether she was real or not, she was there, now, and it was enough for Bryan.

« Hi. » he answered gently. « Hungry? »

His finger pointed at his bag which was still filled with all sorts of food. He had brought way too much with him, so he did not mind sharing with such a lovely stranger.

« I'm Bryan. You are? » he dared to ask.

His eyes met hers and he studied her a bit, a part of him being intrigued, another part wanting to make sure she did not escape from an asylum or anything. Not that he would have mind, but still, he would have preferred to at least know. But instead, he just continued smiling, with a hint of challenge in his wry smile.

« I was actually going to go for a swim, just saying. » he teased. The water looked a bit cold, but he did not mind, the rivers here looking like warm southern streams compared to the freezing lakes up north he had known growing up.

« Are you with one of the buses? » he remembered to ask. He had not met every participants yet, but he did not mind taking the time to meet each and everyone of them along the journey. For sure, he was pretty sure he had not seen her before. Then again, perhaps she got in whilst the bus left from Ocean City?

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The golden locks of the girl would shine briefly each time she stepped somewhere the sunlight had reached under the umbrella of the leaves. Phil was a beautiful woman, there wasn't any doubt about it. Bryan wondered how such a beauty managed to travel alone, to disappear in the woods like she did. Not everyone was as inoffensive as he was. Especially not so far from civilization. They could scream for days without anyone hearing them there.

She seemed keen to go for a swim, but even if she had not, Bryan struggled to refrain himself from undressing himself and jumping through the fast and rash current. If there was any danger to such a leap, he was way to blind to see it. At a glance, he could not guess if this action was thoughtful or not. In a weird way, his mind had been trained to work with logic and reason all his life, but for an unwary fortuity, it seemed that his head was now swaying according to a different wind, irregular and impulsive. What some called recklessness was to him the simple pumping of his heart and blood.

Phil mentionned the buses, which revealed to him her absence from the travellers' group. He smiled to her, curiously, imagining her trying to fit amongst them. It was indeed a weird journey they were on, certainly hard to put into words.

« We're this group. Travelling across the USA in three buses. We're at our latest exit. »

Unable to contain himself anymore, he got up, passing his t-shirt through his neck and arms, to then just throw it in the uncut grass. He took off his shorts, keeping on his underwear, mostly not to afraid Phil, whom he did not know yet. He had met a lot of girls who had travelled the world and he had learned how hard it could be for them. He preferred not to do anything that could scare her, even though the girl, just out of the woods, seemed very capable.

One huge leap lead him under the clear roof of the river, whose current finally was not as strong as it seemed. But Bryan, him, did feel strong, braving the riptide carefreely. His head rushed out the waters, to catch his breath and shout merrily to Phil.

« Not even that cold, I promise ! »

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