The Path Ahead
Five college friends go on a hike.
The light cut through the pine trees, falling like pinpricks over a group of hikers. Blanca took a breath in, welcoming the sun beams on a sharply crisp autumn afternoon. A red cap covered her head, providing both sun protection and warmth to her head. She didn’t feel the need to pull back her wavy black hair, as the shoulder length provided warmth for the back of her neck.
Four lively men led the path ahead of her, whom she called her Hobbits. It was not her original idea. In fact, she had not seen the movies prior to transferring to their university. The boys dubbed their apartment “The Shire,” and appointed each other a hobbit character. Blanca simply encouraged their monikers, and in return she gained pseudo-brothers throughout her college career.
This was their final semester. At the start of the year, they made it a tradition to hike the trail every Sunday afternoon. Today was Blanca’s return after a month-long hiatus. An awful break up kept her secluded in her apartment, and every week each Hobbit took a turn inviting her to the hike. Frodo managed to roll the perfect dice and received a reluctant yes.
The quickening sound of crunching leaves pulled Blanca out of her thoughts. Merry and Pippin raced to a nearby creek, with Sam jogging behind them. The running waters reached her ears. Frodo was three steps ahead of her, so she matched his pace to reach the others. Upon arrival, Sam pulled out a sandwich bag of homemade trail mix .
“Who wants a snack? Today’s mix are pistachios, cranberries, white chocolate, and macadamia.”
“I see you went for the fancy stuff!” Merry said with a whistle. He was the tallest of the bunch, towering at six foot three. Blanca once joked that Merry could never really hide from Sauron. That elicited booming laughs and praise from the Hobbits. Since then, she’s felt more confident discussing the franchise.
“This was actually Tia’s suggestion.” Sam warmly said.
“That bakery she loves makes two types of white chocolate cookies - one with cranberry, one with pistachio. I figure why not combine all three, and add another nut for good measure?”
Blanca’s dark eyes sparkled.
“So it sounds like things are going well for you and Tia!”
Sam’s cheeks reddened as if he had caked on too many layers of blush.
“Yeah, I’d say so…”
“I bet Tia will walk across the stage after graduation and towards a ring? Hmmmm?” Pippin clapped Sam’s shoulders, wiggling his bushy eyebrows. He was the shortest of the Hobbits, matching Blanca at five foot five.
“Man, just have some trail mix, will you?” Sam said in a fluster, pouring the mix into Pippin’s trolling hands. Merry tried to salvage the lost pieces from the ground, but Blanca discouraged him from doing so.
“Blanca, your last name means “snow” in Spanish, right?” Pippin said with a cheek stuffed with the mix.
“That’s right.”
“So your full name, Blanca Nieves, literally means ‘Snow White.’”
“We literally had this conversation when we first met.” Blanca pointed out, stifling a laugh.
“Yeah, but in that case we should be, like, the dwarves. Not the Hobbits.”
“You don’t understand,” Merry interjected. “It’s ironic. We’re being hipsters, which is cool.”
The two of them laughed at their own joke. The rest rolled their eyes, but Blanca couldn’t hide her amusement.
“Hey, that’s the first smile you’ve made since we started the hike.” Frodo pointed out with enthusiasm.
She pressed her lips together, and her cheeks went pink.
“It’s a nice afternoon.” She admitted, making eye contact at Frodo.
“Well, I’m glad you’re back…with us. On the hike.” He quickly clarified.
Frodo was the first friend she made shortly after transferring. They met while waiting in line for a soft serve. She got a chocolate-vanilla swirl with gummy bears for toppings, which he teased was an usual combination. He got a vanilla soft serve in a cup, which she replied was remarkably plain. Then he pulled out a packet of dried bacon bits, which was met with a very passionate disgust. She met the rest of the Hobbits, and her future roommate through Frodo.
Merry and Pippin took off their shoes, rolled up their pants, and waded on the edge of the creek. Sam imitated his friends. Blanca took off her hiking shoes and socks, prompting Frodo to raise his eyebrows.
“Blanca Nieves is going to wade in the creek while it’s cold outside? The end must be coming soon!” He smirked.
“Merry and Pippin will drag me in anyway. Might as well be one step ahead!”
With everyone’s shoes and socks lined up by the shore, the five friends waded around the creek. Blanca mimicked romb de jambe, intentionally drawing half circles with her big toe. Merry tried to sneak attack her with a splash, but Frodo blocked his target. After a few minutes of meandering, they all returned to shore. Sam lent her an extra towel he packed to ensure she was all dried off.
“So, what did that email say?” Pippin asked Frodo, but then noticed Blanca’s surprise.
“Oh, yeah. Before we met up, he got an email from the National Guard.”
Frodo looked at Pippin with mild annoyance, but then sighed.
“I’m going to training two weeks after graduation - in Ft. Indiantown.”
Blanca wasn’t even aware that Frodo was interested in enlisting in the military. A pang of guilt struck her heart.
“Well, you’re gonna need to bulk up some before you leave for training.” Merry cheekily replied.
Frodo continued to play soccer in college, so he was reasonably fit. Nevertheless, she did agree with Merry.
“I gotta admit, I’m surprised you’re moving away at all. I remember when I first met you, you said you wanted to stay and help out your dad’s business after graduation.”
“I did, and I still want to do that. But this is…a side quest.”
“Like that final scene of Lord of the Rings, where Frodo sails off with Gandalf.” Blanca drew the comparison.
Merry and Pippin feigned despair over the loss of their friend, which was met with Frodo’s tisk.
“I’m not leaving forever. Just, like, two years. And besides,” Frodo looked at Blanca.
“You’re going on your own adventure…to Colorado?”
The other Hobbits whooped with glee over the news: Blanca was accepted to the University of Colorado for her Masters in Engineering - full scholarship with a stipend.
“H-how did you know?”
She sifted through her memories trying to recall when she told Frodo or any of the Hobbits. Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Frodo glance away in search for his explanation. Sam stepped in.
“We ran into Aurora at the Student Union a while back. I asked how you were doing, and she brought up the good news.”
“So you’re leaving us too?” Merry leaned forward to give Blanca his puppy dog eyes. She stuttered before answering.
“I might be moving out of state, but you can always visit me and the rocky mountains!”
“Yeah, I never thought you’d move somewhere colder than PA. Maybe the Carolinas, or even Florida.” Pippin casually stated, playfully knocking the lid of her cap. She gently swatted his hand.
“Well, I’m just full of surprises!” Blanca declared as she gripped the straps of her backpack like a school child. It was Frodo’s turn to reveal his amusement.
The group continued their path. Sam took the lead, while Merry and Pippin chatted on about Star Wars. Frodo slowed his pace to match Blanca’s.
“I hope you’re proud of getting into CU. Just try and avoid the potheads.” He said, playfully bumping her shoulder with his.
“And I’m proud of you for going into the Guard. Just make sure you bulk up or else they’ll regret their decision.” She bumped him back.
Blanca kept her lighthearted facade until Frodo looked away. She focused on the path beyond the Hobbits, her thoughts wandering elsewhere.
In the end, Blanca parted from the Hobbits asking herself if denying a moment of selfish vulnerability was worth the “should I haves” ahead of her.
Thank you for reading! I wrote this while with a fever and body aches, yet I managed to write +1300 WORDS? Insane!
This was inspired by ’s Flash Fiction Friday for Feb. 28th, using the following prompts:
light fell like pinpricks
“You don’t understand”
The type of character who is lying about something.
I feel the need to explain the character names of Blanca and the Hobbits. These Hobbits are loosely based off of dear college friends of mine, who really did christen their rental home as “The Shire,” and really did assign each other a Hobbit.
I tried to keep the illusion of Blanca interacting with “the Hobbits” by avoiding having the characters call each other by their real names. I’ve yet to meet someone actually named Blanca Nieves, but given that both are fairly common first and last names, it’s not impossible!