I believe
Aug. 26, 2012

I believe. I believe in dragons. I have seen the sun cast their shadows against mountains that reach the heavens. No birds could be that big.
I believe in angels. They are British and Spanish. They have walked up the mountain and whisper on their way down. “Water ahead.” “Five minutes more.”. I believe in devils. They drive cars too fast, on roads to narrow, pushing you close to an edge that drops off into the depths of hell. I believe.
I believe in Marcos, who works with computers in Germany. His hometown of Leon lies ahead. He only has two weeks to walk but will return next year. We walked together for two kilometers until I faltered. He rushed ahead, because he lacked a reservation.
I believe in the German couple who walked with me for most of the last four kilometers, who stopped me from taking the wrong path once. I returned the favor later. We would trade off sitting on the few flat rocks we could find, afraid of being too greedy with rest. We spoke in broken French and gestures and numbers. We shared the joy of seeing Refuge Orisson and walking those final steps to end our first day on the Camino. I believe.


