"Wow!" Death looked around the In-Between, which had changed into a huge forest from its usual black abyss. "These trees are gigantic!"
We're now standing in a youth camp in a forest.
It's a particularly large forest, with particularly large trees, with particularly large surface roots that are likely to make your trip. It's a hazard if you ask me. But it is beautiful.
The soil we're standing on is slightly damp from the rain but not precisely muddy. Still, my shoes sank like quicksand, and the mud stuck to my heels.
I knew it.
It was the middle school memory that I tried to bury deep in the depths of my mind. I didn't want to remember this at all. Unfortunately, Death looks like he has taken an interest in it after seeing my earlier reaction.
"This was from our school trip," I explained with a huff.
"Why are you making that face?" Death quirked an eyebrow. "Aren't school trips supposed to be fun?"
"There's a reason why this memory is so far from the others." I let out a heavy breath and rubbed my face with both hands. "You'll see it in a bit."
Our heads swiveled to the side as a school bus arrived. Dozens of kids scrambled to get out, practically shoving each other through the small door in their enthusiasm. Meanwhile, my younger self sat quietly at the back of the bus, wisely waiting for the stampede out.
"Camp Enigma," I whispered to no one in particular when my feet finally touched the ground. "The trees are humongous, wow!"
Death chuckled, amused that we had a similar reaction.
Camp Enigma was this year's camping trip venue, but it didn't look like a camp at all. It had cabins instead of tents, and rumor has it that their interior design was so decent it could pass off as a high-class, rustic-themed apartment.
"Is everyone here?" The teacher called all of the rowdy students' attention. "Gather round!"
The students moved to a space that looked like an outdoor mess hall. The facilitating teacher then discussed the expected programs.
"To recap," the teacher started, "Our school holds a camping trip each year for the final year of your middle school life. It was created to celebrate and support your moving onto high school, doubly serving as an opportunity to bond with your classmates one last time."
"That was their reason," I said to Death. "I didn't care about my classmates. I didn't have any friends. The only reason I bothered attending was because the forest reminded me of Dad."
I didn't need to explain further. Death knew I was referring to my childhood hobby of gardening with my father.
"I'm just surprised your evil grandmother let you join," Death pointed out.
"She almost didn't, actually." I laughed. "I had such a hard time convincing Granma to sign the waiver for this trip. Our teacher had to come to the house to get the permission signed for me."
As if on cue, the forest morphed into our ancestral house's living room, where Granma and I (my younger self) stood face-to-face. As usual, Granma stared at me with disdain.
"Why do you have to go there?!" Granma demanded. "You already have a house and want to sleep in a forest?"
"Please, Granma," I begged. "This only happens once in my middle school life!"
"Cease your yapping this instant!" Granma answered with a growl that I had never heard before. It meant that Granma was on a whole new level of anger. Despite the threat, I decided to push my luck.
"I'll never ask for anything else after this," I practically begged. "Plea–"
"I said no!"
She didn't even let me finish my one-worded plea. Granma grabbed the plate where my food is and flung it at me. It landed straight on my face. Its contents spilled all over my front, staining my clothes. The rest of it landed on the floor.
At that point, her sudden moody outbursts didn't surprise me anymore. It had become our new norm.
"Even so," Death whispered. "It must've hurt every single time."
"It did. But I had no choice. Fighting back would only make it worse."
"Clean this up and go to your room!" Granma shouted.
"But–"
"Now!" Granma said, "I'm not getting any younger here!"
I only pursed my lips and thought of random things that could distract me. I wanted to cry, but I couldn't. And I shouldn't. I don't want her to see that she got the best of me. I just mentally shook my head and cleaned the mess as fast as I could.
The In-Between turned to a forest again, showing a bunch of middle schoolers getting excited in the middle of the wilderness.
"I like how the In-Between serves as a perfect background for storytelling." I looked around my surroundings, impressed.
"Anyway, I informed our teacher the next day, and he was shocked to hear I wasn't going. I'd be the only one missing out, and he thought that something ought to be done about it. That same afternoon, he personally came to the house to talk to Granma. He must have some sort of magic, because Granma eventually relented and signed the permission slip."
"Adults only agree when other adults talk to them." Death shook his head in disbelief. "It never changed throughout the thousands of years of my service."
"How old are you, Death?" I couldn't help but ask since he already mentioned it.
Death winked at me, placing an index finger on his lips.
"Oh my, don't you know that you shouldn't ask a Reaper about their age?"
I rolled my eyes at him.
"Alright, keep your secrets." I crossed my arms and huffed.
"You're on a pop culture spree." Death laughed. "Anyway, let's continue watching already."
I nodded.
"Let's."