I step off the trail for one second.
I slip into a ravine I can't escape.
Then I realize I'm hunted.
I hear them above me.
Voices.
Footsteps.
Waiting for my ankle to give out.
I'm not helpless.
I'm terrified.
Then he finds me.
Quiet.
Steady.
Dangerously calm.
A park ranger who looks at me like I matter.
Who doesn't smile but makes me feel safe.
He tells me to trust him.
My head doesn't listen.
My heart wants to.
My feet do.
Surviving the mountain should be the hard part.
Walking away from him might be impossible.