Picture this: Three friends are lying together in a peaceful, undisturbed field at midnight, overlooking the last lights lit within a small Slovakian settlement below. Mystical mountains stand tall in front, their bright white peaks aglow in the moonlight. Behind them, nocturnal creatures stir to life beneath the dark green canopy of the forest. The sky is a tapestry of infinite mystery, with the silhouette of the Milky Way so vivid that it feels as if they are intertwined with the cosmos.
As they lay side by side buzzing with bliss and high on life, they reflect on every experience that has brought them to this very point, cherishing the journey that has led them here so far...
I reminisce about the memories we've created together over the past summer, volunteering at a charming Slavic-style wooden hostel with the High Tatra mountains on our doorstep. I think of the friends I've made, the sounds of laughter ringing in the air, the clinking of countless beers, the tales and stories of our travels, and the sweet taste of freedom and independence. As I gradually slip into a state of blissful non-thought, enveloped in silence and total awareness, I feel completely relaxed, connected to the two souls beside me. I close my eyes, letting the cool grass slip between my fingertips. I feel a hollow emptiness within, yet it's filled with love and elation...
As I float deeper into this stream of consciousness, teetering on the edge of euphoria, my eyes snap open. I am jolted awake by a powerful tremor surging toward me—a force unlike anything I've ever felt or heard. Fear grips me as I freeze in place, unable to move. The ferocious, predatory footsteps reverberate through the solid ground beneath me, rippling like waves in water. Suddenly, Carolyne shouts, “Get back! Go!” Her voice shatters my paralysis, and in an instant, Jack and I spring to our feet, driven by instinct. Adrenaline floods my veins as we both join in a chorus of protective shouts. My heart races with an intensity I’ve never experienced before; the purest form of fear ignites within me. Yet, as my body surges with primal power, I find that I am no longer afraid.
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| The path back down |
He halts, now gripped by fear of us.
The three of us retreat, still roaring together like the wild creatures we are. Realising that our collective cries have driven the threat away, we seize the moment to sprint as fast as we can, as if our lives depend on every step we take.
We finally reach the bottom of the field, standing at the beginning of the path leading to the town we were blissfully overlooking just ten minutes ago. Grounded by the solid concrete of Ždiar, we are left speechless and too exhilarated to stand still. We continue to walk aimlessly, taking turns to glance over our shoulders, half-expecting the grizzly beast to emerge once more. But he is nowhere to be seen, and the grip of fear has finally loosened…
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| The field in Zdiar, the morning after. |
Three friends stroll together along a peaceful, silent road, warmed by the dimming lights of the small, Slovakian mountain town. Late-night dog walkers pass by, casually greeting them, blissfully unaware of the experience they have just encountered. They find a curb to sit on, all three of them momentarily lost for words...
I glance at Jack and then at Carolyne, and we burst into hysterical laughter, trying to process the last ten minutes and the irony of it all. As the last remnants of adrenaline and the chemical cloud ebb away, I struggle to grasp whether what just happened was real. Now, back in the realm of thought, only one thing remains to be said...
"Periods really do attract bears, don’t they?”
I glance at Jack and then at Carolyne, and we burst into hysterical laughter, trying to process the last ten minutes and the irony of it all. As the last remnants of adrenaline and the chemical cloud ebb away, I struggle to grasp whether what just happened was real. Now, back in the realm of thought, only one thing remains to be said...
"Periods really do attract bears, don’t they?”
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