Sitting away from his friends, Christen sat staring up into the evening sky looking at the twinkling stars as if they were going to answer all of his questions. He pondered the aspirations of this marbled place they called home. He wondered what goal everyone had in common. From the people in China to the United States of America, he speculated if it was possible to have a goal in common with our worst enemy. “Is it love? No, can’t be. Is it peace? Well, maybe.” Christen mumbled to himself. Only one word stood out with bright flashing neon colors: power. Everyone, everywhere, wants power. Every person wants a higher position, ranking, or title. Not only for pride and “bragging rights,” but for that feeling of superiority, that feeling you think will last forever; pure, unadulterated power.

He turned towards his friends, Nicky and Brenna, and smiled a grin that had not been seen since the mishap. He could not help it, their faces lightened his heart and made him feel happy. He could hear their giggles all the way from on top of the grassy hill. Their giggles made him curious. “What could possibly be so funny to make a person laugh at a time like this?” he thought to himself. His inquisitive mind drove him to stand up and walk over to his slap happy friends for the first time since they have been stranded. He stood up slowly and felt the strain in his lower back and legs from sitting for so long. “Hey guys!” he said with a crackle in his voice. When these words slipped out of his mouth, the fire started fading, slowly becoming dimmer and dimmer.

“Hey! Are you feeling better?” Brenna said with worry in her eyes.

“Um, yeah, I’m feeling a little better, but I was wondering, what made you laugh, you know, at a time like this? A time when we feel so alone. Or maybe my question really is how can you laugh? How can you laugh when everything is so depressing?” Christen looked down at the fire now struggling to stay lit. Everyone stayed quite as if they were going to be punished if they spoke. Five minutes passed until Brenna looked up and stared straight into Christen’s eyes like a hawk watching its prey.

“What do you mean alone and depressing? We are in this beautiful place; together! No one is alone here! We have each other and that is never going to change. You know that, right?” At first Christen did not move a muscle, but after a while the stares grew so intense that he had to do something. So he looked up and gave a little nod. This seemed to please Brenna so she continued on. “Good! And as long as we are stuck in this place we will not be using words like depressing, understood? We will have fun and enjoy ourselves until help is here because we are friends and friends try to bring each other up no matter what circumstances arise. Okay?” Once again silences settled among the group like a blanket falling on a sleeping child. Now it was Nicky’s time to speak. She was not very outgoing or loud, but when she had something to say, it was worth listening to.

“Brenna’s right. We do need to lighten up and have a good time. We need to enjoy ourselves, for we are not going home tonight or tomorrow, but I promise you we will go home. Remember what our parents told us? They said if we find ourselves lost while out camping, stay in one place because they will come and find us. So while we are waiting for them to find us, we might as well make it a time to remember with a smile. Let’s not allow the days to pass without a happy thought or laugh. Most of all we all need to know we are all here for one another. We must have trust; an unbreakable trust between each and every one of us.” Nicky sat back down to catch her breath. Her panting was louder than the fires crackles. Everyone laughed until they too were gasping for air. That laughing attack made them realize how tired they really were and they all agreed to go to sleep under the starlit night, next to the fire’s radiance and heat.

Everyone had the same terrifying dream running through their head: bright, vivid colors splashed on the insides of their eyelids. Screams and cries echoed in their minds. Chaos broke out everywhere they looked; blurry images of trees and bushes, shadows kneeling and reaching for them. It was happening all over again, the same screams, the same visions, and the same terror in everyone’s eyes. The heart pounding came back, as if the heart was trying to find a way out of the compact cavity in the chest, almost like it was trying to fly away from this pandemonium; trying to find a way out. Everything flooded their minds; once again, they were lost.

The panic coursed through their bloodstreams, forcing them to wake up with a startled jump. They were all surprised to see each other awake. “You would not believe how realistic my dream was! It was like I was there again, in the middle of the unfamiliar forest, lost.” Brenna said still panicked from the lively dream.

“That’s curious, so did I!” Christen and Nicky said in unison. This bequeathed all three of them with a feeling, a feeling of unity, camaraderie and undying power. With this new found feeling, they discovered the strength to overcome all fears and obstacles. This feeling stirred something in Christen’s mind. Maybe power is not a bad thing to have in common with everyone. Maybe, when used correctly, it is good, undying, and true.
Maybe power is friendship; a never ending bond.