Eliza walked through the park, sunlight dappling through the leaves above. A gentle breeze rustled the branches, and she inhaled deeply, savoring the crisp autumn air. Her steps felt lighter than usual, the world suffused with a golden glow. She felt a lightness, a… a buoyancy within her.
She met David at their usual spot by the fountain, the stone worn smooth by time and weather. "Remember that camping trip, David?" she began, her voice brimming with a quiet joy. "The one where we got completely lost? I still can't believe we survived on those berries."
David stretched, his face crinkling in a familiar smile. “Oh, right, the berries. Actually, I thought *you* were going to die on that trip, Eliza. But, no, we were never lost. We stayed in the cabin, and you ran off into the woods to chase a deer. I looked for you for 2 hours, and I still don't know why you weren't scared."
Eliza's smile faltered. The memory, so vivid in her mind, shifted and twisted. The fear, the hunger, the triumphant return with a handful of half-eaten berries. All real. "But the bears, David? And the rain?"
David shrugged. "We didn’t see any bears. It did rain, sure, and you ended up sleeping on the couch. You were totally fine, just a little drunk."