Remembering
It's hard to believe they've changed that much. At times Todd doesn't think they've grown up at all really, life has just moved too fast.
True there are plenty of lines bracketing Knox's laughing eyes and Meek's red mops is slowly being consumed by an army of grey hairs. It's even true that maybe (just maybe) Pitt's has gained weight to his lanky form; but after they do the compulsory 'How-are-you-what's-your-life-been-doing?' spiel Todd feels they could be back at Hellton; sneaking out at night and arguing over Latin or Trig or (here he still winces) Chemistry.
He gazes at them all now, gathering around the campfire as it casts a protective cocoon against the looming darkness. An occasional shadow breaks into the light here and there but the golden shield stays strong and Todd feels rather than see's the warmth of the crackling flames sear his face and hands.
To his right Meeks and Pitt's chuckle over some scientific concept that he knows he will never understand – he's still as oblivious to techno jargon now as he was about their so-called 'science project' decades ago.
On the left Knox attempts to shove Nawanda into the fire in response to some comment and Todd can't help but grin as he almost topples in himself. You can depend on some things forever.
They're all here, as promised. Sometimes they've had meetings mere weeks apart, while there were other times months went by with no contact at all. But at least once a year they gather in the woods and drift in a tide of memories, supported by the driftwood of old friendship.
It's ironic really, Todd thinks. That it was the crushing events of Neil's death and Keating's forced resignation that ensured they were bound together for the rest of life. Blood and tears and loss had been woven into the threads of their friendship that to break that apart would have hurt more than any of them would admit.
Todd stands quietly, simultaneously shaking away and falling into images of the past. Silence falls effortlessly as the four faces sober and turn towards him. He places his cup on the pine needled ground and balances the heavy book open, glancing at the italic script they prepare to recite.
I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately.
I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life.
To put to rout all that was not life and not, when I had come to die, discover that I had not lived.
But they don't need to look at the pages to remember the words.