Ashes of Fruit

The sweet aroma of bubbling berries filled the air and it felt like home, but the chilling breeze of the forest reminded everyone where they were.

“They say you can speak to the dead out here.” London said to Bri and Sean.

The sun had set as they sat around their campsite. They were sitting around a fire they built from whatever they knew would burn. London, Bri, and Sean had been friends since High School. Their friendship had been drifting since they all left for college. London decided they should visit each other and do something fun once a year. Everyone would have a chance to host. It was London’s turn to host first. She had just moved to California and was excited to show her friends where she lived. She got them a hotel, but she chose to do camping as the main weekend activity. It wasn’t a choice the group would usually go for, but they were up for the new experience.

“The dead?” Sean said. “You already have us in the woods and now you want to talk to spirits?” Sean rolled his eyes and sipped from his mug. “That’s crazy, but, I guess I don’t have a choice,” He held his hot cocoa, which may have been more rum than cocoa. He looked up at the stars. The tall redwoods looked black in the night, making the sky look more blue than he had ever seen it. He wrapped his hands around his mug and looked to London to hear what she had to say.

“Put the cup down Sean.” London said.

Sean refused.

“To be clear,” London added, with her pointer fingers held up, “they don’t just come on their own,” she looked at each of her friends. She had their attention.

“So ghosts are coming to join us?” Bri said as she tightened her coat.

“They might.” London giggled and she leaned forward to the fire.

There was a howl in the distance. In that moment, she realized that she was beginning to believe what she was saying for the first time. This was just a story that she heard. She thought it would just be fun.

She reached out to grab a mug that sat against the fire that they built. In it was a stew of berries she picked in the forest. It had been sitting by the fire, bubbling the entire time. From behind her, she pulled out a bunch of twigs.

“These berries are connected to the spirits of the forest.” She held the mug out in front of her to show her friends.

“If you want to talk to ghosts, be my guest,” Bri reached for the last square of chocolate they had laid by the fire to add to the s’more she was assembling. “I’m cool with the game, but just know, I’m out of here as soon as it gets weird.”

“You never care about anything,” London didn’t look at Bri. She sat the mug of berries in front of her. “And where are you going to go?” She asked. “We got here together. We are going to leave together.” London held the bunch of twigs and snapped it in her hands.

“It’s getting late.” Sean said. “If we are going to play this game, let’s do it.”

London Held her position with the twigs in hand. “We all must agree to let the spirits into our circle. Then we burn the leaves and twigs from the bush the berries grew from into the fire. And finally, we drink the berries.” London waited a moment as they were silent. “Do we agree?’

“I agree,” Sean said, “Nothing is going to happen.”

“Sure,” Bri bit into her s’more. “If that’s what we are doing.”

London tossed the twigs and leaves into the fire. She picked up the mug of berries and held it out to Sean. Sean was left holding his cocoa mug and the berries at the same time. He watched the berries swirl in the mug. He felt his mind drift. His eyes squinted as he tried to remember the faces he was seeing in front of him. He sipped his drink. He saw a reflection in his cup that he didn’t recognize. He closed his eyes and shook his own reflection back into his view.

“Maybe I should go first.” London said.

“You think I don’t know how to drink some berries?”

“I’m sure you do,” London reached over to Sean and grabbed both mugs from him. “It was my idea. I should start.” She sat his cocoa on the ground between the two of them. She then leaned to her other side, closer to Bri.

Bri caught the aroma from the mug of berries as London scooted closer to her around the fire. It smelled sweet. “What?” She said. Her head turned, looking for someone she heard. She put a finger to her lips to feel the tingle of curiosity that took over her body. “What are we doing?” She asked as she sat up straight.

London took a deep breath and looked to the stars. She poured the drink into her mouth as the others watched. She took the mug from her lips and kept her eyes up to the sky.

Everyone was still.

London began to squirm. Her shoulders jerked as her eyes darted in all directions.

“I didn’t want us to take this shortcut,” London’s body spoke. “The turn felt so sudden.”

Sean and Bri sat up and leaned toward her. “London, what are you talking about?” Sean asked. He put his cup down for the first time that night.

“You said to trust you, you were a ‘Professional’,” Tears began to fall from London’s eyes. “And you,” her eyes came back to her friends She looked to Bri. “You just would not put your seatbelt on. No matter how many times I said it,” London rested her chin in her hands. “We could have made it.”

“We have been here the whole time. What are you saying?” Bri zipped her jacket. The wind seemed to pick up and bring a chill into the woods. “Help her. Do something Sean.”

Sean unglued his lips from his mug. “London, we’re here. Are you—.”

London’s widened eyes pierced Sean's gaze as if she were looking through him. She put a hand over her heart. “I thought I could grab the wheel and save us. But I only made the swerving worse.”

Bri started to grab her things. “This isn’t funny London.”

“The door wouldn’t open as you pulled the handle, and you couldn’t get out and save yourself.” London switched her focus to Bri. “It was raining and the road got slick. We went left to right, and I closed my eyes. I knew we wouldn’t make it, but I hoped.”

It started to drizzle, and the rain quickly picked up. The sound of the drops hitting the fire they sat around caught the groups attention. Soon the light from the flame began to flicker until it was put out by the rain.

London began to blink as if she had just woken up. Bri and Sean could tell that she was not there for the last few minutes. They both covered themselves in their coats.

“When did it start to rain?” London hunched her shoulders and looked at her friends the same way she did before she grabbed the mug of berries..

They stood and grabbed a blanket that was by the fire. They put it around London’s Shoulders.

“It’s dark, and raining, but I think we should get back on the road.” Bri said rubbing London’s back.

Sean gave her a nod of agreement. “Yeah, good idea. Let’s get out of the rain.”