First part of NaNoWriMo

It was fall, the leaves had shifted colors, the days were short and the night had creeped back on the long days of summer. The imposing mountains also consuming the little light the sun deigned upon the land. She was from Florida, comfortable with the idea of seeing the curvature of the world as it stretched out on the vast and distant ocean. Of summer year round, warmth and light always there to welcome. Laura had moved west, on the invitation of good school and the hospitality of family.

The mountains seemed to reach upwards desperately reaching for the heavens, seemingly to topple the natural order of earth beneath, and heaven above. They were magnificent, and awesome in their grandeur of her first real look of mountains on the descent of the plane into the valley. It had been a particularly hot August and humid in her small town in Florida, the rain had made everything green. The brown was the next thing she noticed after her mind wandered off the mountains, everything looked dreadful, no trees, dead brush, and little water to feed anything that wished to live.

It was all subtly jarring, but she not without some idea on what to expect, she had been forced by her father to watch John Wayne movies, she had some ideas of the look and feel of the west, at least she wouldn’t be surprised to find a cowboy spitting his chaw on horseback as some tumbleweed went by.

Landing was at first familiar, the smell of overcooked coffee that stains airports, subtle smell of fast food, and stale air greeted her as she got off the plane. Then there was the alienation that started to settle in; she could feel a particular dryness in the air that she wasn’t quite comfortable with. She felt an itch creeping up her back. It was harder to breathe too, not much, but there was that subtle feeling of not getting enough air that didn’t help her frazzled nerves.

She headed out of the corridor and down to the carousel of luggage, expectant of her aunt and uncle to be at the bottom of the escalator, she was an hour late from a few mechanical delays. Maybe they were expecting her outside. Checking her phone she spots the text that just came in from Aunt Marie; Had minor car problems will be there shortly. Others from her flight had already started gathering around the carousel for luggage. Or at least she hoped it was, but it was currently empty. She turned to the young man and the older couple that stood their talking next to her.

"Excuse me, is this the carousel for Flight 339?"

The older women took pity, broke from the conversation,

"It is, should start up momentarily. Is this your first flight alone?"

Nervously she nodded, "This is my first flight, ever actually."

"Aw, my dear, you look like you survived alright. What brings you out this way?"

"School, starting up my first semester this September." Smiling, still nervous.

The carousel started up, loads of bags, suit cases and other sundries start falling out from off the belt.

"Oh? It's my son's first too." The son stops talking with the father, and perks in on the conversation. "He'll be down at the university in Providence. Where are your parents dear?"

"Well, my dad's out of town for work, and my mother has a bout of the flu. I'm also headed down to Providence for school."

The young man interjects, "Hi, I'm Mark. We're from Tallahassee, what's your name? Where are you from?" Extending his hand.

The parents start gathering up their baggage, as she shakes his hand. "I'm Laura, from Hawthorne."

The mother chirps back in, "Laura, did you have anyone waiting for you here? We'd love to give you a ride down to Providence."
She finding her luggage huffing to get the two suitcases from the carousel, with the unsolicited work of Mark who seemed eager to please. "My aunt and uncle says they'll be by shortly. Thanks though."
After grudgingly handing over her number to Mark, they left in short order. After perusing the over priced nick-knacks of the small gift shops she found her way over to the curb and waited, right as the sun started to set out over a few small mountains in the distance. Could mountains be considered small? The thought had never occurred to her.