Amy chased her twin through the woods, holding up the video camera as best as she could. Up ahead, Andy laughed, ducking under a tree branch. They carried a video camera too, clutching it tighter as they ran around a stack of boulders. Amy caught up to them, breathing heavily. “Are we done running?” she asked in between her breaths. She closed her camera, and set it down on the ground.
“Almost,” Andy said. “We need to get to Boulder Meadow before it’s too late.”
“Too late for what?”
Andy glanced up at the orange and blue sky. The sun’s rays bounced off the large trunks as it sank below the distant forest. Grinning, Andy turned toward their twin.
“It’s almost magic hour,” they said.
“What’s that mean again?” Amy asked.
“You’ll find out once we get there,” Andy said with a wink. They led Amy through the forest, bursting into what the campers called Boulder Meadow.
A large pile of boulders greeted them, stacked up high, yet unmovable. It was the camper’s personal mountain and playground. As Amy and Andy walked toward the big stack, a few other campers raced past the twins, playing a big game of tag and hide n’ go seek. Others climbed up onto the pile of boulders, hiding inside the little caves, sticking out their hands in the nature made windows. The campers called out to their friends below them, before jumping down or crawling further up the pile.
Andy peered at the very top of the boulder stack. No one was at the top. Andy closed their camera, putting it away inside their bag. “Ready to climb?” they asked.
“We need to climb up there?” Amy stared at the large pile of rocks. She pointed at the top, and turned back to her twin. “I don’t think I can do that.”
“Yes, you can!” Andy said. “Remember the goal you told me before we left for camp?”
Amy nodded slowly.
Andy grinned. “One day you and I are going to be famous travel bloggers. We have to face our fears, no matter what happens. Got it?”
Amy nodded again. She put her own camera away, and traded them out for a headband one. “We’re going to need this camera then,” she said, handing the other to Andy.
Together, the twins put them on, making sure both were secure and turned on. Andy checked their watch and looked up at the sky one more time. They moved to the boulders, and started their climb. Amy followed her twin, putting one foot behind the other, quietly telling herself to not look down. She kept her eyes on Andy and the boulder around her. She slipped a few times, but Andy was always there to catch her before she could fall again. “Don’t worry,” Andy said. “I’ve got you.”
The twins continued their climb, passing a few other campers in hiding places from the ones below. With one more push, Andy and Amy made it to the top. They were almost the same height as the smallest trees in the woods, just above the old rope bridges that swung in the breeze. Amy closed her eyes tightly, afraid to look down. But Andy tapped her on the shoulder. “Open your eyes,” they said quietly. “Magic hour’s about to start!”
Amy slowly opened her eyes.
The sun sank below the mountains in the distance, leaving its golden light to stretch across the forest. The long shadows of the trees reached for the camp, growing longer and longer as the sun fell. The lake glistened with the gold light, rippling with white water as boats and swimmers cut through the dark blue path. Birds soared through the sky, calling out to one another. Even the clouds, far away from the sun, were like fire in the golden blue sky. The tree lines stuck out creating a small silhouette frame like the ones Amy had done back at her school. Below them, the sun’s golden rays poked through the trees, creating a stream of light that illuminated the little gnats that flew in swarms at the campers. The insects and some dust from the trees created a dazzling display of sparkling sun drops.
The twins sat there for a long time, neither one talking. The cameras rolled, capturing the moment, although both Andy and Amy knew they would never forget this moment.
The sun finally disappeared behind the mountains, leaving nothing but the orange and purple sky. “So,” Andy asked, looking at Amy with a big smile. “What did you think?”
“It was magical,” Amy whispered.
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