The Way Through the Woods
Fast-forward to the present at the Xylódis park. I stared at Ijan, then at the empty patch he called the entrance to the Empódian forest, and thought that he had officially lost it. I then asked, “Ijan, I don’t think there is anything over there. I think you should sit down; you did drive continuously for three hours.” But Ijan just pulled me and charged towards the patch as I screamed, thinking he would kill us both, but we just passed through the metallic fence and the thorny shrubs without a scratch and entered the Empódian forest. We both crashed into some leaves on the forest floor. Ijan got up and dusted some leaves from his shoulder and asked me, “So, how should we cross this forest?” “Right about that…” I responded while getting up and smashed one of my potions on the ground, and it lit up in the pitch darkness of the forest. “My grandmother made a special path to Balad-alqamar with Lux soil, which lights up with this potion” Ijan just looked down in wonder; well, at least he could say cool or something, but no infamous Ijanian silence.
We both continued to follow the Lux soil path. The woods were humid and dark aside from the illuminated path; one could not separate day or night in there. We walked for a long time as I occasionally asked if we were there yet, and Ijan would say that he did not know, as this was his first time conscious in these woods. I did not understand what he meant by conscious, but who cares. At one point my legs were so sore that I asked him if we could take a brake and Ijan just nodded. So, we stopped and set up camp. Ijan told me to wait back as he searched supplies. He shone a torch and headed into the woods. He took his bag with him, left a light and torch, and entered the woods.
I advanced into the obscurity of the woodlands. I procured a couple of baccae (berries), fruits and thymes. I then had to discover something for dinner. I attempted to contemplate what dinner could be produced from the things one could find in the forest. Salads? No, I scorn those, they are too insipid. That seems to be my only option, for the other is to hunt for the meal, which I do not take pleasure in committing in something like that. However, a salad would not be sufficient for dinner, for we have to trade a great deal in this voyage, thus, we need something filling. Regardless I procured some vegetables. These vegetables were scarce over here, for there is a lack of sunlight. Thus, the majority of these crops were minuscule and appeared to be deficient in any vital nourishment. Thus, I thought of anything else; however, the only other sufficing option was to hunt for food. Thus, I produced my revolver from my coat pocket and discovered a group of Cervidae engaged in herbivory. I inspired a deep inhalation. My hand trembled for I feared being a murderer; however, if we were to survive the extremities of these woodlands, we must consume something hardy. Thus, I pierced one of those stags with my ammunition with great precision, for I had performed this in numerous instances a decade ago; however, I left it, for I despise bloodshed. Now I have murdered a stag; I am such a scandalous hypocrite. While the remainder scampered away, I produced the dagger from my girdle, skinned the stag, put it in the satchel and advanced to the campsite, retracing the trail of moon-silver precipitate I left. I knew for a fact that Evanthia had no problem consuming meat however what would she think of me if I did so? She is aware of my voluntary vegetarianism; she will render me a hypocrite.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Back at the campsite, I was reading a book as Ijan came back wearing a traumatised expression. I looked up at him and asked him as he set up a fire with such precision as he did that many times before, “Hey, Ijan was wrong, and what’s for dinner?” “Please don’t question me.” He replied as he set the lighter on the leaves, making them curl up in flames. How rude; he could at least give me a direct answer. As he was done, he served us some dinner. It was some veggies, a berry bowl and something that looked and tasted familiar, but I can’t quite point out what it was. But I found it extremely delicious, and as I asked him what it was, he just deflected the question. Weird but not rare. However, I really liked it and asked for more while Ijan ate up his small portion and packed up the ingredients. Then he set up the tent, and he in which he looked foreign in it. I lay in it reading my book while Ijan sat out with the handgun in his dress pant pocket, later lying on a sleeping bag staring at the leaves on the trees.
Eight hours later, as no one knows if it is night or day, I woke up. As I got out of the tent, seeing in the light of the Lux soil that Ijan was sleeping in his extra-long sleeping bag. I sat on the log near the campfire, which had blown out a long time ago. After sometime I tried to wake him up, but he was so deep in sleep he did not notice me waking him up. So, I screamed in his ear, “Ijan wake up.” Then he shot up, hand trembling, and punched me square in the face. I screamed has he pulled out an ice and pressed it against my cheek as he muttered apologies. He looked flustered and terrified, while I felt rage, but that rage did not last long, as he is not a violent person. I knew it was a mistake. So, as he was done cooling my face, I said nothing.
So, after that, Ijan drowsily made breakfast, which was some fruit salad and made some of last night’s dinner and packed up for lunch. After breakfast he packed up the tent, put out the fire, and then we headed back on their way. After five hours of walking, water breaks, and are we there yet we sat down on a log for lunch. Ijan reheated the food and served and once again I loved it while Ijan felt sick.
Subsequently to surviving another hypocritical meal, we proceeded in our wearisome voyage thought the void of the woodlands. In the duration of our tread though the woodlands, globules of liquid dihydrogen-oxide (water) descended from the nimbus-stratus or cumulous-nimbus above, evidence precipitation which resulted in the vicinity becoming more tropical. I felt extremely uncomfortable; I felt asphyxiated in this oppressive atmosphere. On top of that, other than the Lux loam trial, there is a void; I was oblivious the time or the proceedings around us. I was weary and sleep deprived. There was a sole secured trail, and the remainder consisted of an unsecured void, and on top of that, the humidity, the absence of whatever comes in contact with my integument that I was treading on, and the environment felt humid and oscillated between a state of extreme heat and cold.
It would be about three hours into our voyage when suddenly the Lux loam trial ended. My eyes widened; I got flustered. I felt as if my costae (ribs) were enclosing my pulmones (lungs). Our only lifeline in this void ended. I started flailing my hands, a customary reaction of mine in circumstances like this. I’d mutter to myself, “I must effect my escape at this very instant.” I could not comprehend anything coherent Evanthia held. I then scampered around aimlessly, which was not customary, while Evanthia trailed behind me. As she did so, both of us misplaced ourselves. At this instant, we were in a mutual state of panic. As we frantically searched for a way back, we treaded on nothing physical, just a group of folia apparelling a hole as a segment of the lithosphere through which we fell.