Hours of Songs

Chapter 5: The Bread and the Butter

Casuarina trees are scattered around in the forest and memory is needed to navigate. I begin to contemplate the need to leave breadcrumbs for Lim and me to make our way back to the pasture. This is if we would ever come back to the pasture. No one has belongings here.

We make our way further deep into the dark forest that receives the daylight from the small open space caused by the formation of trees. The tiny light that seeps into this forest is what Lim Tow and I were relying on to find refuge.

The torch that I assembled and lit shone too dimly and we decided to get rid of it mid-way. Although the fire's cackle was quick before it blew out again, it was long enough for us to have an idea of what to expect within the clustered trees.

As I engrave a tick within my eye level into our fifth treebark, Lim starts to pant hard. The tick is about Lim's forehead height. He complains that there have not been any murders. I decided to take his comments with a grain of salt. After all, he drank the lake water happily before my eyes just moments ago.

Both of us inhale the smell of fumes from the far-off tent. Lim Tow chokes again. Had we chosen to remain in the pasture's zone, we would be inhaling even more poison.

“This is agony," yelps Lim, who refuses to continue running. He is unable to breathe with ease. “I think I'm choking, Pierre."

“Look on the bright side," I encourage. “We are the farthest away from the fumes due to our bravery to head to the forest."

Lim jolts upright from his depressed look of inhaling poison. He is suddenly reminded that we are disobeying Officer Joe's orders.

The rebel in him ignites.

Sensing possible resistance from Lim, I add, “We need to head to safe ground. Who knows what type of fire this is and how dangerous it might pose to our health."

Agreeing, Lim and I begin walking further into the forest. From the casuarina tree that marks a tick, all we need to do is walk to the tree across that tree that is closely aligned with two other trees.

These three trees are exclusive to the other trees. The tree that we would be walking to is the one on the most left. Therefore, it can be easily spotted and remembered. This tree would then give us a viewpoint of a tree that has the biggest bark within that area.

After walking to that tree with a big bark, the opening of the path that leads to the pasture can be easily spotted.

“I think it's important that you give me an explanation as to what happened back there in the tent," Lim says suddenly. “It was your wooden cup that suddenly flew to President Bear's rug."

Lim is not trusting.

“Is the fire my doing? Is that even humanly possible?" I ask.

Lim shrugs.

My eyes are daggers trying to pierce his confidence into my next statement.

“A cup in this place where we both were magically transported into against our will, turned into a bolt of fire the size of my fist, against anyone's will, and darted towards President Bear's carpet."

Lim looks confused.

“I need to sit down, Pierre. I can't think straight."

“You're tired?" I ask. “Sure, we can have a short break, but not for too long, we don't want trouble before we've gotten far enough to make it worth it to get in trouble."

“You're right," Lim realizes that we could get into trouble for doing nothing. “For a while." Lim negotiates.

Lim chooses a thick root that stretches from a nearby tree to sit on.

I watch him sit uncomfortably.

My stomach growls. I have not eaten or drank any water since my arrival. It should be nearing lunchtime now. While Lim rests, I decide to explore the nearby vicinity.

“Lim!" I call back to him.

No answer. I turn to stare at him who looks uncomfortable on the root. Something is poking his thigh from underneath. This means that standing up is more painful.

“Yeah?" Lim looks up and calls back.

“What's the food like here?" I call back to him as I walk towards that big tree where I plan to place another tick mark. I can remember how to get to the first tree marked with a tick from this viewpoint.

“I've been a vegetarian since I arrived."

“Well, I haven't had any nourishment ever since I got here," I explain, hungry.

“You're making me hungry," Lim painfully stands up from the root. He stretches.

“How about we look for food? I heard some birds chirping around the forest. Maybe there's an easy game to catch," I say.

Lim consents and leaves the resting area where I waited for him to sit for about fifteen minutes.

As we walked further deeper into the forest, I started to engrave five more trees with a tick. We have seven trees marked with a tick now. This amount of marked trees is worrisome. We have not found anything helpful, and have only been marking trees that we both need to remember and be on guard against any possible predators. We might be tracked because of the ticks.

However, they might not understand our codes. We made it like a puzzle. I learned it from my professor. It is survival in war.

After walking not too far from the seventh tree, Lim spots a white cave covered in moss.

As tired as we are, I need to decipher whether or not the area is isolated. Although it looks isolated, we were trained not to rely on visual aids. There might be a trap inside the cave.

A nod of assurance marks the mutual consensus of entering into the unlit and what is seemingly an abandoned cave in an area of the forest that is seemingly undisclosed to the rest of Maica. The immediate area of the cave mouth has no invitation to entry and the dust being blown there by the wind indicates vacancy.

We slowly make our way into the darkness. I hear a twig c***k and take a deep breath.