SHORT STORY: ‘HIKING IN THE MOUNTAINS’

It was drizzling. My trainers were soaked and my jeans heavy, which—along with the wet ground—
made it harder for my tired feet to keep on moving. There I was—hopeless, worn out and, most
3 importantly, lost. I’m sure that under different circumstances, I would have also worried about my hair
(I did look like a wet rat after all!); yet, honestly, the thought did not even cross my mind then. Who
could see it anyway? There were no mirrors or, to my disgrace, a soul around. It was just nature and I.
6 Who knew how far the closest human being was? How had he convinced me it was a good idea to go
hiking to the top of the mountain?

It had all started with Nate having the brilliant idea of walking to the top of a “not-so-tall” mountain,
9 despite the dark grey clouds in the distance. ‘It is better this way… you won’t get sunburnt, Lizzie. And
it is going to be a wonderful and unique experience, I promise.’ And well, Nate had not lied. It had
turned out to be unique alright. Now, as for wonderful… I definitely didn’t think so, all things considered.

12 Initially, I was right behind him. Then, it started to drizzle, and it didn’t matter at first. In fact, I remember
finding it refreshing on such a warm summer day. But soon, I found out that the drops that accumulated
on the vegetation eventually ended up all on my clothes. Basically, pretty soon, the whole trekking
15 experience stopped being the kind of fun he’d suggested and all I wanted to do was go back to the tent
we had put up just by the SUV. I guess I must have annoyed him with my constant and almost childish
‘I want to turn back’ and ‘I can’t go on any further…’, because he eventually told me to go if I wanted
18 to. He was planning on getting to the top though, with or without me.

I was happy beyond words to be heading back. No more struggling and soon I’d be resting, sheltered
by the tent! (Or so I thought…) Filled with enthusiasm, I started to walk stepping on the trail we’d left
21 behind. I felt so relieved. I was going to be able to escape the torture at last! Well, I’m afraid my joy did
not last long enough. After a short while, when the drizzling developed into more and heavier rain
drops that not only managed to erase the footprints I had to follow but also made the ground muddy
24 and my clothes heavier, and clouds started hiding the landscape that had once been in plain sight, I
remembered he’d asked me if I knew how to go back. ‘Of course,’ I’d replied. How hard could it be
to retrace my steps? A piece of cake! Well, this “piece of cake” had turned out to be something else
27 altogether.

I was getting wetter with every step I managed to take, there was no sight of the tent (in fact, no sight
of anything beyond a two-step distance!), and—last but not least—I was unable to tell which way to go.
30 For all I knew, I could be going in circles. Until when? When would it clear? Would anyone find me?
Would I ever find my way back? I now realised there was no sense in going on, so I decided to stop for
a bit, sitting on one of the many huge rocks in the area.

33 The rock was designed perfectly as a natural bench to keep me from getting wetter and wetter. And I
sat there, resting, trying to put all my thoughts together, looking around. It was no doubt a beautiful
place to be, were I not lost! It was colourful and peaceful. My analytical side took over. I looked around
36 with fresh eyes, making an effort—yet quite unsuccessfully—to see through the clouds. I then tried to
identify the few parts that were visible: some rocks, the river and the vegetation. I attempted to put
those parts together as if they were pieces from a puzzle. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a 1,000-
39 piece puzzle!

I just couldn’t do a thing with those images that looked alike. Every single rock, every part of the river,
and every plant looked like any other… What was I supposed to do? Keep walking? Stay there and wait
42 for the clouds to break?

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 Saying that I wasn’t feeling very optimistic would be just an understatement. Nonetheless, despite my
discouragement, I decided to try one more time. I stood up and started walking again. Anyway, there
3 was shelter ahead too (more rocks… more rocks everywhere!) and maybe this once I was going to
find my way back. So, I stood up and tried to be positive, only to find out I was back to square one: lost
and just getting wetter and more tired.

6 Once more, I found myself a nice rock to sit on without being exposed to the rain, and rest and think.
Of course there wasn’t much more to think about, and I found myself a few metres away from the
previous rock. Who knows if I was now closer to or further from my destination? The view was the
9 same, the hints were the same, and I was just as hopelessly lost as before. Okay, maybe something was
different after all—I was beginning to despair. This time, I really didn’t know what to do. Everything I’d
tried before had turned out to be quite pointless. Why hadn’t I stuck with Nate? At least, I would be
12 going somewhere instead of all by myself, going nowhere and with no one to guide me. And, in case
you are wondering why I didn’t resort to using my mobile to contact Nate, the answer is plain and
simple: there was no signal in the area. It was, after all, the middle of nowhere, remember?

15 I finally admitted there wasn’t really anything I could do; I couldn’t go back with Nate and I couldn’t go
back to the tent either. I was doomed. I just sat yet once again, waiting. The waiting, I believe, only
made things worse. Okay, I wasn’t getting wetter, but I was feeling more and more dispirited every
18 minute. The weather was not improving… and when was it going to? Would Nate find me, by any
chance? Was it safe for me to be out there by myself?

Amid these thoughts, I heard the chirping of a bird. Though at first I didn’t take much heed of it, then I
21 noticed that there was something quite not right about that bird. It wasn’t just that I’d never seen or
heard one like it before (yes, I know... no wonder, since I was a city girl, right?). There was also the fact
that it kept on flying about a metre and a half away, only to return to the very same bush to sing its
24 almost spooky melody.

This bird was not only unusual because it lived in the mountains. What was going on? I looked around
and I didn’t see a single reason for its behaviour. If it was scared, then the sensible thing to do was to fly
27 away. If it was not scared, then why didn’t it stay in one place and why didn’t it stop chirping hysterically?

I know it is insane to remotely think of it, but what did I have to lose? Perhaps my despair led me to
consider that maybe the bird was trying to talk to me. Maybe it wanted to help me and, to do so, all I
30 had to do was follow it. So I got on my feet and went the way it flew. Oddly enough, when I went in
the direction it had pointed to over and over again when flying in circles, it never even attempted to fly
back to the bush, or any other, for the matter. It just kept flying among the clouds that covered the top
33 of the high mountains. And then, something even odder happened. The clouds cleared for a split
second, just long enough for me to spot the tent and the SUV. And soon, the bird disappeared in the
sky, hidden by the clouds that now covered the whole area just like before. But now I knew I was
36 walking in the right direction and the clouds didn’t matter anymore because I knew—for certain—which
way to go.

I can’t help but wonder whether or not that bird that guided me to safety did so by chance. Was it that
39 my standing up scared it and its escape route happened to coincide with mine? Or maybe I had no say
in its choice and it had just got bored with flying back and forth? And was it also natural for the grey sky
to clear just long enough to show me my destination? Or was it actually a supernatural or mystical
42 experience? I guess it is up to you to answer these questions. All I know for sure is that one minute I
was lost and helpless, and the next, I was safe, warm and sheltered inside the tent.

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 PAST TENSE WITH PRESENT AND FUTURE MEANING: SPECIAL CASE

TALKING ABOUT A HYPOTHETICAL PRESENT OR FUTURE SITUATION

Tense: …………………………………..

I wish I had the time to do my homework regularly.

If I lived in a mansion, I would have to hire someone to do the cleaning for me.

M4 – Class 04 – Task 01 – Speaking [Class assignment]

You may choose one or more of the following options:
* Express your opinion on the presence of the supernatural element in ‘Hiking in the
Mountains’.
* Explain the guiding bird.
* Speak about what you like about the story and what you would change about it.
* Share a similar situation you have lived.

M4 – Class 04 – Task 02 [Campus assignment]

Reread the pages ‘Tenses with past meaning’ and ‘Past tense with present and future
meaning’ as well as your notes. What does the Simple Past express in each case?
For example: If I lived to be 100, all my friends would probably be younger than I.
 present and/or future time (hypothetical meaning)
 past time (habit or routine)
 past time (one-time event)

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 COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TENSES: ENGLISH & SPANISH

English version Spanish version

I’ve never been to Japan.

Kevin has gone.

I’ve finished.

I’ve played the guitar for six years.

I’ve been cleaning your room since morning!

I’ve been looking for you everywhere!

I’ll pick you up at 9 o’clock.

I’ll take the black ones, please.

I’ll call you back later.

I’ll let you know.

If I lived by the sea, I’d spend plenty of time on

the beach.
If I were you, I wouldn’t go out tonight. You
have a fever!

M4 – Class 04 – Task 03 [Campus assignment]

How would you say this in English?
For example: Todavía no fui a Nueva Zelanda.
 I haven’t been to New Zealand yet.
 Still never went to New Zealand.
 Yet, I never went to New Zealand.

M4 – Class 04 – Task 04 [Campus assignment]

Read the text about Sasha Pieterse and fill in the blanks using the right tense: Present Simple,
Present Progressive, Past Simple or Present Perfect.

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