A Night In The Graveyard

"Sell it to me." Carissa laughed at Sawyer's preposterous suggestion. It was another foggy summer morning and the two were lazily leaning against the grand oak tree overlooking the empty gardens below.

"C'mon you can't tell me you're not even the slightest bit intrigued by the notion of spending the night in the graveyard," Sawyer was starting to chuckle, seeing Carissa trying to keep her composure as she could sense his bombardment of absurd reasons were about to spew out, "Look, there's going to be a full moon tonight, you can-"

"Full moon, huh? Are you trying to lure me out of my cozy, and y'know, safe bedroom for a ritual of some sort?"

"Well, it's clear that somebody doesn't keep track of the moon phases," Sawyer said in a joking disapproving tone, playfully wagging his finger at her, "Look, if I were to do a ritual on you, why would I tell you about the celestial placements of the planets and moon and all when I could easily deceive an absolute amateur like yourself-" Carissa slapped him on his arm to quit being ridiculous which only egged him on more.

"I mean, really, Care, I've already used your blood in my last ritual, so it's not virgin anymore. You're pretty much useless to me now." He gave a dopey shrug and looked almost pitifully on her.

"I love how you haven't even mentioned the use of a tent yet, S. It's a done deal." Carissa said sarcastically as Sawyer still hadn't changed his idiotic expression. With that remark, he snapped out of it.

"That's what I like to hear! I'll be by at 14:00 sharp!" He said, running down the hill before she could change her mind.

"We're meeting at 2 PM? What's the point of using military time if you're not going to use it right? I don't think this'll reflect well when you want to serve this great nation!" Carissa yelled down at him, already knowing he had an impish grin plastered on his face as he ignored her, despite him being turned away and quite literally running away from her like a child. She just knew him too well.

"Ok fine, 8 PM." He hollered back, accidentally trampling some daffodils.

What on earth had she gotten herself into.

***

The dreaded hour had struck and Carissa had been preparing herself. She had packed full camping gear, including but not limited to; a lightly used tent, two more than slightly worn down foldable chairs and one sleeping bag. She wanted to get another one for Sawyer, but her little brother Matt had gone out for a cottage weekend with some of his school friends, so Sawyer would just have to deal. Carissa already knew that he wouldn't bring anything actually useful like a sleeping bag, as he always wanted to get the 'authentic' experience with any new adventurous pursuit, which in this case meant sleeping with only a thin layer of tent floor separating him from the rock-hard ground.

She got his 'arrived' text and gathered her things, attempting to descend the stairs gracefully despite the gnawing pain in her back caused by her hunchback posture, trying to keep all of her items from falling.

She sighed with relief as she reached the bottom, and opened her door, exasperated, to see Sawyer in her driveway perched on his bike waiting for her, oblivious to her presence.

"Little help here?" she called to him, motioning to the bundle of gear strewn by her door.

"Oh, yeah," he replied, coming over to grab the tent and one of the chairs, slinging their straps across his shoulder. He noticed the single sleeping bag.

"What, no sleeping bag for me?" he said in surprise.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I just never bring anything because I always assume that you'll take care of it."

Carissa gave him a look of disbelief, as she couldn't believe his ludicrous thought process.

"While we're complaining about things, S, where's your car?" she asked, looking blankly at his two-year-old bike, which would have been sufficient for him when he was three inches shorter and didn't have a driver's license.

"Oh c'mon Care, what idiots drive to a graveyard? It's not even spooky that way."

"Yeah, what's spookier than being hit by a car while you're riding your bike to a graveyard because you don't have any headlights?"

"Not a lot of things." Sawyer said with a half-smirk.

"Alright, I guess I'll take my bike from like seventh grade. Hope I didn't grow too much."

"You don't have to worry about that."

"Shut up."

"Don't count on it."

***

Twelve minutes later, the exhausted duo had reached their destination. The ride had been pretty smooth except for the surprisingly steep hill that led to the graveyard's rusted iron gates. Sawyer was making an impression of a zombie choking him through the gates, his arms flailing in mock terror. Carissa thought he looked stupid more than anything else and was walking around the gates to find an accessible entrance since the main entrance was locked.

"Hey pinhead, there's a dugout under the gates here. We can crawl through it."

Sawyer swatted away the invisible zombie's hands around his neck before jogging toward her.

He motioned to it, "Ladies first."

"You're cute."

"Why, thank you Care."

"This was your idea, S." Carissa reminded him. She still felt uneasy about spending the night in a cemetery, especially as the sky's once cloudy demeanour was becoming more stormy in appearance.

"I guess chivalry is dead."

He rolled up his sleeves, and began crawling under the gate, the cold iron pressing against his head as he squirmed through. Carissa followed shortly after.

"Well, what now?" she asked after they had brushed the loose dirt that clung to their clothes.

"Now we set up camp." he said confidently, picking up a nearby long, hefty branch and using it as a walking stick to guide him through the grounds.

Carissa reluctantly followed, hoping more than anything that this clear violation wouldn't cause otherworldly spirits to be angered with her.

***

After they had set up camp on an empty patch of grass in a far corner of the graveyard, Sawyer was eager to explore more, taking the sleeping bag cover with him. Carissa had no idea what he was trying to collect but she thought it best not to ask questions. She decided that she would share the sleeping bag with Sawyer - meaning they would have no blanket - meaning they would freeze their asses off.

At least she wouldn't hear him complain about the unforgiving, hard floor in the morning.

It was starting to get dark when she realized that they wouldn't be able to make a fire. The only source of light Carissa had brought was the fluorescent lantern that zapped bugs, but even that had a fickle battery. Sighing, she unzipped the tent and scanned the grounds for Sawyer. She saw him in the far distance appearing to be reading a tombstone.

"Who're we reading about?" she asked, slowing down her steps once she reached Sawyer's side.

"Little girl. Seven years old. Shit, man."

They shared a moment of silence as they gazed on the small, marble tombstone, its surface coated with a fine layer of dirt. Carissa grazed away the coating on her name and stepped back to dust off her hands.

She let out a sad sigh. "Barely even lived yet."

Sawyer leaned down to grab a cluster of dandelions nearby and placed them on top of the cool stone without a word.

"What could've been," he said sorrowfully, almost as a question.

He grabbed the sleeping bag cover at his feet and they moved on.

***

They walked slowly to peer at the gravestones around them, a solemn silence weighing down on their shoulders, almost acting as the guilt of being able to stroll amongst these grounds and read about these stranger's lives, who they would never truly know anything about except for the duration of their stay.

Tired and introspective, they sat side by side against a weathered family crypt, Carissa's arms propped up on the edge with her hands absentmindedly brushing against the textured ivory stone while Sawyer was rifling through his makeshift bag.

"So, what have you been collecting, scavenger?"

"Oh, just the essentials," he said grabbing a fistful of moss out of the cover.

"How is that essential exactly?" Carissa asked, looking skeptically at the withering moss.

"I'm making my own luxurious mattress. I picked it off of the tombstones, so now visitors can see their names and I can sleep comfortably tonight. Win-win." Sawyer said, assessing if he had enough to make a comfortable bed.

"Guess I can keep the sleeping bag to myself. I was planning to share it with you, but you seem to have the essentials," she said with a faint smile. Sawyer gave her a funny look, surprised by her generosity. The moment had passed when a single droplet of rain splashed on Carissa's nose, and in the next few seconds, a heavy downpour of rain pelted them as they ran back to their tent on the opposite side of the graveyard.

By the time they had frantically unzipped the tent and ushered inside, they were both soaking wet. Carissa switched on the fluorescent lantern and set the buzzing light by the door of their shelter.

"I didn't think I'd have to pack towels for this kind of trip," she groaned as she moved to wring her hair in the corner of the tent, naturally leaving a puddle.

"This is our only place of dry refuge from that freak weather out there and you have compromised it," Sawyer chuckled, "Nice going, Care."

Carissa rolled her eyes and wiped her hands on her jeans, leaving wet handprints.

"Yeah, well, it's better than my wet hair whipping you in my sleep," she replied, whacking him in the face with her damp hair.

"Oh, you did not just do that," he laughed darkly, shaking his head and obnoxiously spraying water all over her like a dog.

"Sawyer!" she yelled, pushing his head away, despite him continuing to shake his head like a maniac, almost falling over from how dizzy he was.

"Serves you right," she smirked, pushing him so that he toppled over onto the sleeping bag. In a swift move, he grabbed her by the arm as he fell so that their faces were now merely inches apart.

She caught her breath, paralyzed from shock for a few seconds before recognizing the position they were in. She slowly pushed herself off of him.

"Wait," he blurted, his hand gently reaching for her arm, "Can I kiss you?"

Carissa was taken off guard. She had always seen Sawyer as a friend, but the look he was giving her was making her heart flutter.

"Yes."

He timidly placed his hand on her cheek, brushing it with his thumb for a moment. He was seeming to lose his courage, and she could tell he was overthinking it and their friendship. Carissa pulled him in, softly grazing his lips and lightly combing her hand through his hair before going in for it. She could hear his relief as he softly exhaled, his hand travelling to the back of her neck as he kissed her sweetly. Carissa could feel his grin and she savoured it, trying to suppress her own smile but failing. After a few minutes, they both pulled away, and she laid down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"So how long have you been dreaming of that?" Sawyer said, looking at her while nudging her on the shoulder playfully, "Because it's been two years for me," he breathed, staring at the ceiling now.

"Two years? Why didn't you say anything?" she asked in disbelief, slightly laughing as she moved a piece of hair obstructing his eyes.

"We just have such a good thing going on... and I never wanted to lose that by making you uncomfortable if you didn't feel the same. The risk wasn't worth losing you." Sawyer murmured, his arm now wrapped around her shoulder, his fingers tracing her lightly.

The rain had hushed amid this confession, leaving only a small pitter-patter of droplets to be heard from overhanging trees.

"Guess you won't be needing that moss bed anymore," Carissa chuckled, getting up to toss the bag of wet moss out of the tent. Sawyer snapped back into his mischievous self, raising his eyebrows in delight at this implication.

"Hey, don't get any ideas," Carissa said, swatting him on the shoulder which only made him beam more.

"Wouldn't be able to anyway, it's hollow up here," he laughed, tapping his forehead.

"It better be."

***

 As the early morning sun rose to shine on the graveyard and its residents, Carissa and Sawyer were fast asleep intertwined. And although the quiet field was deep in slumber - as it had always been - two souls would have the chance to wake up again.