I must have eventually fallen asleep, because my next memories fell in the morning. Rolling over onto my side, I murmured a prayer as I opened my eyes. There was a faint noise of guitar music playing from one of the nearby cabins. I rose from bed, managing not to bump my head. Striding out onto the porch, I spotted John. He appeared like an angel, barefoot. John waved, as I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the morning sun, feeling a little dizzy. I eventually headed back inside and got dressed. The morning was perfect, slow and lazy, then at lunchtime, we sat around under the awning, chowing into sandwiches and reading our books. Upon returning from Toukley, I sat up in bed in the spare bedroom downstairs at Greg and Natalie’s. While Friday night dinner was being cooked, I found myself slipping down the pillows, exhausted, only being kept awake in the knowledge that I would get to eat relatively soon. After that, I reckoned that I wouldn’t be long off to sleep. It had been a lovely, but draining, trip. I could hear Natalie approaching along the hallway before I spotted her in the doorway. She smiled at me, almost sadly.
“You look tired, darling,” Natalie observed.
I still did manage to sit up just a little bit. The pillows were behind my back.
Abbey Sim is a candidate for Honours in Communications at the University of Technology Sydney. She lives on the lands of the Dharug people in Sydney, Australia. Having started Huldah Media in 2021, Abbey desires to explore themes of hope, love and longing through her storytelling. She is the author of 'Shadow' and 'From the Wild'.