View from the top

a 99 word story for Carrot Ranch weekly challenge, hosted by Charli Mills.

View from the top

“It doesn’t get better than this,” he says, pulling me close. I feel the heat of him. The valley below is a green tangle, the distant ridge shadow-rippled.

“Glorious,” I reply.

Returning to camp, he smiles encouragement.

“I knew you’d love it,” he says.

We pack up before dark, stowing the gear into zippered bags. His back is sweat-sheened, his body taut as he works. In gathering dusk, nightjars call. Mating songs.

My skin is aflame with insect bites, bruised and blistered.

I take a long, last look, drink him in, then pull the final zipper shut.

***

The prompt for this story:

In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about zippers. What are the zippers for? What challenges do they present to the story? Go where the prompt leads!