Into the Wild

We marched with triumphant certainty to the chain linked fence's gate. Mark went first, stepping on to the latch and sliding up and over before dropping down to the other side.

“See, it's easy.”

My eyes fell on the No Trespassing sign and all of a sudden I felt less triumphant, less certain, and more like a thief. It was odd because the land beyond the fence didn't belong to anyone. It was just the government's.

Barbara went next. Despite being a little chunky with a massive chest, she was the most athletic of the three of us and went over easier than Mark. Dusting off her hands, she nodded at me through the chain link fence. “You coming?”

Everything except the rattling of the gate seemed muted, like someone had turned the sound down to the world. I cautiously put one hand on the fence and let my fingers curl around the cool metal. All at once, I yanked and stepped and jumped.

I was over, I'd done it. But all I felt was the white prickly grass on this side stabbing through the thin cotton of my socks.