The voices were getting louder as she approached in the dark. She tried to figure exactly where they were coming from. Was it the park, the oval or the pavilion? If it was the pavilion that was fine. They wouldn't see her approach the park in the dark. Wearing all black approaching quietly she didn't want them knowing she was there. Not yet anyway, not until she figured out more about them. Getting closer she confirmed they were at the pavilion and did not see her as she walked over to the park.
Sitting on the swing first then moving to the slide when her head started to feel topsy turvy, she could hear the voices better there. She was trying to pick the accents, the nationality of the people. Hoping they weren't some nationality or race that objected to girls walking around at night. That could spell trouble for her. They were guys and they were laughing and having a good time. There was coughing which told her they were smoking.
She was feeling adventurous, reminiscing of her younger years and the times she used to walk around at night. She did it often then. Nowadays it was rare for her to walk around at night time. What had changed? Life. The business of it. The tiredness that came with the business. And the notion that she shouldn't be walking around at night time by herself. It hadn't been safe in her younger years either however she'd been more rebellious then.
Getting off the slide she decided to head into the wetland's walkways at the back of the park. Moving stealthily they did not see her cross the park and disappear into the brush. The sound of her thongs crunching on gravel seemed loud to her, yet she could hear the guys still laughing and talking, having no idea she was there. The path she followed would take her around the wetlands and she would pop out near the pavilion. If she felt brave enough. In the dark everything was different shades of grey with black patches. Everything was still visible as though a soft light shone from above yet when she looked up the moon was no where to be seen. Hiding behind clouds perhaps.
Closer to the pavilion the gravel path ended at a wooden suspension bridge over the lake. Walking across the bridge meant no brush or trees to hide behind and not a great deal of shadow. Yet no-one noticed her cross the bridge, quietly, slowly. Stopping now and again to make sure the tone of conversation hadn't changed, making sure they were still unaware of her presence. The pavilion was now just meters away to her right. She crouched down behind some tall grasses by the waters edge and listened to them talking.
Now she could hear they spoke English and they didn't sound of any race that might attack her if they new she was there. Some cultures were like that, she feared; not liking girls being out alone in the dark. Trying to pick the accent by what she heard and the race by the shapes of their silhouettes as they moved around the pavilion. Asian judging by the short prickly hair. One of them stood on the path just meters away from her. If he headed towards the water he'd see her and give away her presence. Up close she could hear they were just larrikining around, talking, laughing, smoking. A punch of people having a good time.
At this point she decided she would just get up and walk past them. To her surprise when she did this, approached, walked through the group of guys, though she spotted one blond girl in a light hoodie, through the pavilion and out onto the oval, they all carried on as if nothing had happened. They hadn't even noticed the stranger walk right by them. She chuckled to herself and walked left away from the pavilion and the park.
Spontaneously she decided she'd turn around and walk right back over to them. It could go a number of ways. She hoped they were as friendly as they seemed. Now upon them she hopped right up to a group of them and said hi.
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