Prompt
I run outside and find the sky has turned green.
Botner
Not a good sign. I call my mom, who is in town, and she says she’ll come get
me. I grab my waders and run for the truck, just as a huge thunderclap
sounds and the sky begins pouring rain. My phone dies after two tries. It is
super annoying because I am outside with no coverage, but I can’t tell my
mom that because she’s not answering her phone. I go to leave the house, and
as I open the door, it occurs to me that I do not have a hat. The moment I
leave, the sky clears up, and it is a gorgeous day. I spend the day
wandering around town, shooting the scenery. In the evening, I camp on one
of my favorite places on the lake. I have to walk about a mile to get to my
campsite, and I run into a nice guy who is also setting up his tent. We talk
for a bit, then he says, “I’ve got a campsite right across the street. Are
you hungry?” I get to camp and make my dinner. I’m lying on the ground
trying to figure out what to do for my tomorrow when a couple of guys appear
out of nowhere. They take me on a two mile hike, then we sit around a
campfire and they share their beers with me. It was a pretty sweet
experience, even though I couldn't understand a word they were saying. I
wake up bright and early, and it is sunny and gorgeous. I have decided that
after finishing this section, I will be going home and taking some time off.
After a day of riding, I hit the road, and it is amazing. I’ve come a long
way in the past week, and I’m feeling strong and confident. My plan is to
climb the entire thirteen miles of a paved highway to meet my first Expert
level rest stop, and then drop down to town and restock, which will get me a
little bit closer to the summit. This is a difficult section, but my body is
feeling good and I’m getting plenty of rest. As I ride, I fall into a
rhythm. I push a little bit, and then I ease up a bit. I don’t need to save
my legs for the big climbs. I know from experience that I can handle
anything from the present moment, and it is much less stressful that way. I
finish the day and it is amazing. I’ve caught up to Tim, and we ride
together through the night, chatting about climbing, life, motorcycles,
everything. It feels so good to share this experience with someone else. It
helps break up the monotony, but I don’t have to be the one to carry the
conversation. We ride together through the night and camp at the second
highest rest stop. It is freezing cold. We...
Conclusion
...look up at the sky, and find that it has now turned purple. It is no
longer a gorgeous day, and I realize how much I dislike Tim. It’s nice to
have someone else around sometimes, when I don’t have anyone else, but as
I’m watching the orangish clouds roll overhead, I realize that I can do
better than this. Without saying a word, I stand up, take off all of my
clothes, and ride out of the campsite. I imagine Tim watching me go with
total apathy, but only because he does nothing to stop me from going. It
feels amazing, being out here, knowing how close I am to frostbite or death.
My life is pretty boring, and you have to find ways to push yourself to your
limits, or you’ll never amount to anything. The harder I pedal, the warmer I
get, proving to me that I can do just about anything if I ignore the risks,
and press on. I’m wrong, though. As the sky falls into a deep red, and the
sun melts away, I look down at my blue fingers and toes. I was dying the
whole time, but it’s not like I could have stopped it. The sun continues to
disappear, taking everyone on the planet with it.
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