Stubbornness

The first thing I did was chastise her for being afraid.
Nothing to fear out here, I had said, though I knew
I assured myself more than I did her- to prove my
point I ventured into the black stalks a few steps deeper
than I had anticipated. I had a point to prove, after all,
and waited a moment longer than my shivering limbs
had hoped. As I returned to where we had been standing,
I found her pink hat and nothing more. I knew she must be
playing a prank, and shouted into the void- she must think
she's so clever running off and perching in some tree for
me to worry about her- years later, I wonder how she insists
on furthering her point, even after the authorities continued
my search for a full 72 hours and scotch-taped her pictures
to the ghost windows of the local post office.