Fiction
by
Jesse Maskell

Falls Festival, Victoria, December 2016

 

Falls 2016, second night, late arvo/twilight. The group is lit after a massive first night and cruisy second day. We’re all down at main stage, the festival’s gearing up, tomorrow night Tame will bring in the New Year; Alb Giulia Oli Robbie Dec Miya getting back from a campsite sesh pretty sloshed, Joey Michael Steph Trickey Bonnie Marz from the bar, others from sitting up on the hill, now everyone’s here for GL working their way through three thousand laughing chatting pretty heads in between-day-and-night anticipation and the house DJ knows, Fleetwood Mac’s Everywhere cuts across the hum in soft pink & gold sunset. The best moments are supposed to be ahead but this is it. In five hours I’ll be head-in-an-ocean Chemical Brothers play Wide Open 40 minutes into their set and I’ll look around for Karti, Caitos, through the dim flashing crowd seeing iconic hero friends in moments, there’s Dec and Giulia in each others’ arms, it’s okay everyone’s here, I’ll be crying I feel so close to everyone but I never feel close enough, because the ecstasy is overwhelming and in the heights I don’t know what to do with myself, where to go next. It’s okay everyone’s here, I go to Reuben my brother, put my hand on his chest, take his hand, I kiss him on the cheekbone, and when I look back at him he’s crying. A year ago Art NYE, a year beyond, razor synths and heady bass throbbing through me in Wide Open my life before and after spins out inside me now.

© Jesse Maskell.

 

Jesse is a film-maker, editor, camera assistant, music lover, writer and reader.