LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

Chapter Four: Journey Towards the Unknown Light

In the early morning, when everyone woke up, Lena and Noor told their companions about the mysterious light, so they decided to investigate what they saw the previous night. Noor led her companions to the location where she saw the light and tried to remember the direction it appeared in. After that, they roamed everywhere but found nothing. Noor wanted to delve deeper into the forest, but Alex refused because they did not know the forest well and did not know what they might find if they went deeper. So they returned to the cave and decided to stay only near the area they knew, and they prepared the cave to make it a good shelter. As for the search for the light, Alex decided that they would wait for the night to see it all and determine its location accurately.

That night, the companions gathered and all headed to the river carrying torches for lighting, and they waited for the light to appear, but nothing showed up. Half the night passed as they waited, but to no avail, so they returned to their cave. Days passed in this state, and the light did not appear again, so Jack began to doubt the matter and thought that the girls had only imagined it.

Jack said, “Are you sure you saw a light in the forest? Don’t you think it was just an illusion?”

Lena replied, “Are you stupid? Do you think we both imagined the same thing?”

Jack yelled, “I am not stupid, but you are the ones saying illogical things, and we have not found anything.”

Alex said, “Stop arguing. We do not know what that light is, but for now, we will leave this matter and explore the rest of the island.”

Noor said, “Are you really going to leave the matter of the light just like that?”

Alex said, “We have no other choice since the light hasn’t appeared again, but there may be another chance in the future to find it.”

Lena said, “That’s very unfortunate because I wanted to know the source of what we saw.”

Noor said, “Yes, it’s really unfortunate, and I’m certain that what we witnessed was real, and I was very curious to discover its nature.”

Alex: “I believe that what you saw is real, but we cannot search the forest randomly.”

After Alex decided to give up searching for the source of the mysterious light, the friends decided to settle near the cave where life was comfortable. The nearby forest was fertile with delicious fruits, and the nearby river provided fresh water. However, the spirit of adventure sometimes drove them to explore the areas surrounding the forest.

One day, Jack brought up the topic of hunting with Alex, pointing out that they could not rely on fruits alone to survive. Alex agreed with this view, and they used their survival skills to build a rabbit trap. They gathered branches, leaves, and ropes, and after some effort, they managed to form a tight trap. They placed the trap in a strategic location not far from the cave, but they faced a challenge; they did not have a suitable bait. They were forced to use ordinary plants that the rabbits fed on, two days passed since they made the trap but it was unsuccessful in catching anything.

Jack said thoughtfully, “Maybe the bait wasn’t enough to attract the rabbits.”

Alex replied, “Most likely. We need to find something that interests them more. Maybe something with a strong smell that attracts them.”

After the conversation with Alex, Jack set off into the forest determined to find a better bait for the rabbits. He wandered for hours among the trees and dense bushes, but without finding what he was looking for. Therefore, Jack decided to return to the cave, and on his way, he passed by the place where the trap was set.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a rabbit struggling to free itself from the trap. Jack rushed towards it happily, and while he was trying to catch it, the rabbit scratched him with its sharp claws, causing a sharp pain in his hand. In the moment of intense pain, Jack let go of the rabbit, which began to jump wildly, trying to escape while still tied to the string.

While Jack was in pain from his wound, he suddenly heard growling sounds approaching. He turned to find himself surrounded by hungry wolves. Without thinking, he jumped to the nearest tree and climbed it quickly. The wolves, which had been lurking near the trap, pounced on the rabbit and devoured it in moments. Then they remained circling the tree, looking for a way to reach Jack, who stayed there, hanging, watching them with his heart pounding strongly.

After a long time without Jack’s return, Alex grew increasingly worried. He began searching for his friend, and soon the sounds of ferocious wolves pierced his ears, realizing that something bad had happened to Jack. He shouted at the top of his voice, “Jack! Where are you?” After moments, Jack’s voice came from afar, warning him not to come closer. Jack explained to Alex the predicament he was in, so Alex hurried back to the cave, carrying the worrying news to Noor and Lena. Without hesitation, the three grabbed torches and rushed to the scene.

They arrived at the trap where Jack was trapped. Alex advanced first, waving his torch and shouting to scare off the wolves. Noor and Lena hesitated at first, terrified of the aggressive wolves that were baring their teeth and growling. But with Alex’s courage, they gathered their strength and advanced, screaming and shaking their torches until the wolves gradually began to retreat. Finally, fear overtook them, and they fled. Jack came down from the tree, expressing his deep gratitude to his friends who saved him.

Alex asked Jack how he got into this predicament, and Jack recounted how, while checking the trap that caught a rabbit, he was surprised by wolves attacking him. He told them with regret that they had lost their catch and that they now needed to set a new trap.

Alex said, “It seems that wandering in the forest is dangerous, so we need weapons.”

Noor asked, “And where will we find weapons?”

Alex replied, “We must go back and search our sunken ship; it has all our equipment.”

Noor said, “Are you really going back to the sea? Have you forgotten that there were sea creatures that almost killed us?”

Alex said, “I will make sharp spears from wood, and we also have daggers.”

Jack said, “I think we will find those octopuses and will have to fight them again.”

Lena said, “Don’t forget to bring my microscope with you. It sank with the ship.”

Jack said, “The microscope is not important. Let’s forget about it for now.”

Lena replied, “No, this is extremely important. I am a researcher and I want to conduct a study on the wildlife of this island.”

Jack said, “You’re really annoying.”

Noor said, “Can’t you ever stop arguing?”

Alex said, “Stop it, guys, this is serious. We’ll head to the beach tomorrow.”