11.2.25

A few years ago, S____ and I biked the Ballona Creek trail until we reached the ocean. I must have ridden that green bike I bought in college. S insisted I wear a helmet so I did. I don't know how long we biked but S zipped ahead of me into the darkness along the trail. The trail isn't well lit. So I held my breath while I zipped through the underpasses, hoping I was going fast enough to not be stopped. Some bridges had people sleeping under them. Once in a while I'd call out to see where S was in front of me. She'd ring her bell and I'd pedal faster towards it. Mostly, I felt like I was alone. I could hear the crickets, traffic, the LA river. And silence. Every once in a while I'd pass from the darkness out into a patch of electric light. Then back into darkness. I had the sensation that I was passing through my entire life. When we finally reached Marina Del Rey, I dropped my bike and ran to the end of the pier. I through a rock into the water; all around it rippled a blueish glow. This is what we had come to see - the plankton that lit up the night. That too was a time in my life that felt like an end of the world, but also a beginning.