Sulphorised

It was spring in Florence/Italy of 1994.
My friend Julia and I had arranged to meet up for a night out with some
of her friends.
We first went to a brilliant concert which featured various Reggae
artists.
Afterwards we went to somebody's house to smoke a spliff.
The guy who lived there suggested to drive out to a hot sulpherised
river right in the middle of nowhere, about 20 minutes outside of
Florence.
It must have been after midnight but nobody was feeling tired.
He pulled out towels for everybody and soon after we were on our
way.
It was pitch dark and I had no clue as to where we were going.
We got lost several times and had to do complete U-turns.
I thought this was it we'll never arrive.
Eventually we pulled on to this small sandy road which led us directly
in front of a broad river bed.
It was a clear night with the moonlight reflecting on the water sparing
enough light for us to move around and see this beautiful place.
There was steam rising from the water surface. In some corners even
more heat went up in a huge cloud of smoke.
It must have been true. The river was letting off a lot of natural heat
caused by a chemical reaction which produced Sulphur. The water was
boiling and simmering away in particular spots.
It was like a river that had come alive and was incessantly releasing
its energy into the air.
We all undressed quickly. The outside temperatures must have sunk to
about 15 degrees Celsius, I was freezing.
In the river there already were a few people as this was a popular
however insider spot.
I crawled downhill and entered the water. It was incredible!
The water was as hot as a bathtub that you would snuggle up in during
the cold winter months. The transparency of immaculately clean water
which reflected the moonlight stuck to my memory. The ground had melted
into a grey and brown hard matter.
I totally submerged myself into the water except for my head. A foul
and salty smell lay in the air. It resembled the smell of foul eggs,
however the sensation of it was so natural that it did not bother me
much.
In front of us was an old bridge which lay deserted, erect over what
once must have been a large river.
Above us reigned countless stars and a full moon in the clear darkblue
sky.
I had to keep dipping my head under the water to keep it warm because
the outside temperatures were pretty low now.
We must have stayed in the water for two hours or so enjoying the heat
and relaxing.
The skin on my fingers was completely wrinkled.
I began to feel the tiredness after a long and incredible night.
We were given a lift back to the guys' house were Julia had left her
car. We were just about to drive towards the hill that led to my house
when suddenly the motor stopped. Damn there was no more fuel left in
the tank.
Outside it was still dark, and the little gas stations won't open
before 6:30 p.m., another one and a half hours away.
We got out of the car and walked to one of the early morning cafes that
served coffee and fresh brioche. Delicious.
Meanwhile night turned to light, as the sun came up, suggesting for
another hot early summer day.
I got home by seven, looked into the bathroom mirror and realised that
my face was red and all my silver jewellery had turned black in the
water.
I took a long shower and had about two hours left before I had to be
back at school.
I was absolutely shattered by the time the first lesson started.
Julia and I looked at each other like two old accomplices, through
tired eyes.