Hours of Songs

Chapter 2: Location

“This is Maica," says Lim.

The lake glistens. Sunlight shines through the moving water. It is windy. After drinking, people stare at the sparkly moving water that reflects the sun. Then, they bask under the morning sun, while letting the wind blow on them.

In front of me, Lim basks under the sun and lets the breeze cool him off. We have a clear view of the lake.

One thing I am certain of is that when you are trapped against your will in some unknown mountain, you try to leave. In my opinion, being trapped is in and of itself not positive. If what wanted us here had positive intentions, our consent would have been asked for.

I stare at Lim. The bright red pimples on both cheeks sway at the movements of his face. There needs to be an ascertainment of whether or not he has ulterior motives for talking to me.

He might have no sense of danger or is the danger to me, himself. He says that there is no way out of here. And just like everyone else, they seem to not want to scramble out of here. The question is, why am I here? Who brought me here? And, what do they want me here for?

“In our geography," continues Lim, “This is nowhere to be found on the map. I plan to go to an Ivy League university. Trust me, I am pretty good at geography."

As he waits for my response, he clasps his hands on his bulging belly.

“You think this is normal, Lim? Being in an unknown place, outside of normal geography?" I have to look slightly down at the teenager. My eyes squint as I wait for an answer.

He looks up and makes several saliva sounds before answering. “Well, Pierre, no one has gotten out of here to contribute to this place to the atlas. I also don't know how to get back here if we leave. Then, there is no proof that this place exists."

“Okay, I got it," I decide to stop the conversation abruptly.

After walking for a few moments with Lim around the pasture, I decided to inquire about the area surrounding us–the forest made up of many types of trees. However, mostly casuarina trees.

“No. We can't go there," he stops me from moving forward.

Now, we are getting somewhere. This is his first opposition.

I look at his hand that blocks my way. “And why not, Lim?"

Lim shifts from left to right in his blue jeans and a white t-shirt. “There's just no way out and it's pretty comfortable here."

“Pretty comfortable has nothing to do with not striving to leave," I declare.

As Lim and I converse, I begin to notice that his eyeballs are not too visible. All this while I was focused on our surroundings. However, there is something physically and mentally wrong with the people.

I need to get him talking. “Do you not think that we are kidn*pped?"

He does not answer. It might be a gooish layer over his eyeballs making its left to right darts look translucent.

Alright, I might be talking to an accomplice.

“Who is the president and government?" I ask, placing my hands to the side since I am not moving forward to enter the forest.

Lim gives a panicked look. “I do not want you to think that I am in the wrong. Pierre, from what I know, everyone just gets up and when we're thirsty, we drink the lake water. That's it. I have been surviving on berries too." Then, both hands point at the raspberries growing by the tent quite far from here. “I think that there are other types of food around."

We can talk about the food later. We need to gather more allies to escape this mountain.

Lim and I move closer to the tent and stand on the green pasture between the slope that heads down the lake and the area where the bed of people are sleeping. Some people are huddled together in conversation, while the rest are scattered on the ground, sleeping. I think Lim and I are one of the youngest ones here.

A man with a disgruntled look walks past us and heads down the lake. I think he just woke up. He meets my eye and immediately I feel an icy sensation within me. This man has not shaved in a long time and both his cream baggy shirt and pants look crumpled and dirty. I would say he is in his forties. Unlike Lim, he is not approachable.

“Who have you talked to here?" I turn to look at Lim.

Lim notices my discomfort at the grumpy man who walked past us. He stares at the man's grey hair as he walks down the slope to head to the lake.

Lim takes a deep breath. “So many people are much older than us here. I do not know who they are. I just followed the crowd, Pierre."

“Alright, do you want to get outta here?" I inquire.

“I have no friends here, but everything you need for survival is here. The academic competition back home is so tough. Staying here seems like paradise."

Looking over at the boy who comes from the same city and has the same hair color, I think we can pair up together to escape.

“You said that you are prone to be in Ivy League. I assume that competition should not be stressful for you," I say to him.

“That's if I am accurate about myself," Lim replies sadly.

Time is ticking before we might be in immediate danger. It is still morning. I do not want to wait for another hour to leave this restrictive pasture area. All I know is that Citiland could be easier to head back to than I thought.

I need to make sure that this teen knows that this predicament is abnormal and therefore, we need to find out who or what brought us here and at least have the option to leave.

“Lim, what if this is k********g?" I ask again.

“Oh yeah," Lim nods, sniffs, and blinks a few times. “Okay, you're right, maybe we should find a way out of here."

“Yes! Or at least have the option to leave. Once we ascertain that everything is okay, and this is not some trap, we can choose to stay here if this place is much better than where we all individually came from!" I try convincing him even more. I think it's working.

“Yeah, let's do that," Lim's eyes light up with motivation. However, he let out a sigh. I know this means that he has to do more physical activities.

“First, we need to navigate this mountain apart from the area where everyone is gathered," I demand.

Lim just stares in agony. He already looked tired from just the thought of moving about.

“Where else can we find water, food, and perhaps, people?" I lead.

“This area is pretty big and I haven't ventured out alone," Lim gestures towards the area down the slope towards the lake, the sleeping individuals, and the impenetrable plants serving as a divider between what seems like a dark forest and the sleeping individuals.

I could tell from his tone that he was ready for adventure despite the physical activity. It was a choice between life and death.

“Have you peeked towards the forest?" I point towards the dark area behind the trees.

“Not yet."

“Okay we can start by heading towards the forest," I need another option to quench my thirst.

I point towards an area far off the slope where the plants form the only opening here to the forest. I think it is deliberate.

“Okay," agrees Lim. He has nothing to lose. He also looks like he has more energy somehow.

Both Lim's and my shoes brush against the pasture, past some sleeping people, past the spot where I woke up and arrived at the area between the forest and the sleeping people.

Like magic, we arrived in Maica dressed in predetermined clothing fit for mountain activity. It is easier to move around dressed like this.

There is a sign in block letters scratched into a plank of wood, nailed to another plank that has been pierced into the ground, by the exit to the forest:

“Stay where you are."

The warning sign has been plopped here for a long time now. Lim and I involuntarily tremble. I pocket my hands in the blue jeans that come with pockets. Lim clenches his fist to calm his nerves.

Sounds of someone threateningly clearing his throat causes us to turn. A tall middle-aged guard with a greying beard silently appears behind us. He towers over us with his hostile stare.