End of Summer

The summer heat is beginning to fade. I’m in the mountains, but not in a isolated forest—this house sits on a hillside within the city.

I’ve just finished a shower and poured a glass of chilled Riesling. My body still feels warm, but the cool air from the AC is refreshing. The damp strands of my hair brush against my nape, sending a chill through my skin.

Outside, the last traces of orange from the sunset have disappeared, leaving a deep blue sky. A view of pine trees stretches before me, their shadowed green so dark it’s almost black. A faint crescent moon hangs above.

There was beauty in not knowing. Without knowing how others saw me or what it meant in the world. I was young and naïve.