Current Events > Crunchy Knees

(+) Yeah! (+)

Wet feet.

I could feel a damp patch under my feet.

In the darkness of the woods, I could feel the mist all around us.

But it wasn't coming from the sky.

It was coming from me.

This damp patch didn't have much of an odor to it, but it wasn't an animal's breath.

This was me.

Wet and miserable.

And I knew something was crawling up my body from my feet.

I stopped.

We all stopped.

I looked around.

I didn't have to turn on the flashlight to see we were in a swampy place.

The ground was covered with tall thick bushes and thick low-growing bushes. The undergrowth was thick and filled with tall grass. It didn't have a lot of light. It looked like something out of the Twilight Zone. But it had plenty of hiding places.

I looked at the others.

Everyone had stopped. They looked scared. As I looked at them, my mouth went dry. My heart began to beat faster. My breathing grew shallower. I couldn't figure out how to move, but I knew I had to.

We had to go back.

This was a swamp, not a nice neighborhood.

My eyes glanced off of our faces. I knew there was no one watching us.

The smell of the swamp was getting stronger.

My body started to tremble.

I moved forward.

"Come on," I said. "Let's keep moving."

I turned to the right, following a faint trail.

As I followed the trail, I tried to stop my shaking and my heart from beating too fast.

I took a deep breath.

And then I took a step.

I took another step.

My legs were moving me forward.

I took a few more steps.

I looked back over my shoulder.

I took a few more steps.

"This is not good."

---

I have crunchy knees. Ever since I passed 40 years old.

---

---

dolomedes posted...

what crawled up your body tho

is something I never thought I'd find a way to love

but if you know me, you know

I've grown accustomed to falling off my feet

but I'm beginning to think maybe the thrill is in the ride

because when I was feeling down

and didn't want to give this

another shot, it seemed like you were there

to tell me what to do

and when I thought about what I wanted to do and realized

that I just might

I realized

I was just a little girl looking for the key

that's always been in my pocket

I don't remember when I found it

but I could've kept searching

but I knew what I wanted

and I knew you would be here

saying the same thing

and when I saw you, I was gonna hold your hand and make a wish

and it seems like it's not enough

---