Chapter 007: Making Distilled Water
806 Words
“Mmm…” Curled in my arms, Su Ya listened to my pounding heart, too shy to lift her head. This was the first time she had been held like a princess by a man. His strong masculine scent filled her nostrils, making her heart race.
Finally reaching the bonfire, I quickly set Su Ya down. Without even taking a breath, I turned to look back. On the dark, distant beach, there were only some scattered footprints. It seemed the beast was afraid of fire.
Relieved that the danger had passed, my legs gave way and I collapsed onto the beach, gasping for air.
Su Ya looked at me and, seeing how exhausted I was, quietly stood up and added more wood to the bonfire. The flames grew stronger, painting her pretty face a rosy hue.
Thirsty, so thirsty! I swallowed hard, my throat parched. We had to find a water source tomorrow. If we didn't, we might escape the beast only to die of thirst. A person can survive seven days without food, living off their body fat, but three days without water… there was no hope.
I quickly started another bonfire nearby, both as a backup and to increase the light, deterring the beast from returning.
Su Ya was also extremely thirsty. She barely spoke. We watched as the sky darkened and the surroundings were plunged into blackness.
I wondered where my sister-in-law was. How could a frail woman survive in such a dark night…
Lost in thought, I began to feel drowsy. Su Ya was already asleep beside the fire. I walked over and lay down, slowly drifting off…
*****
Half-asleep, I was overcome with thirst. It felt like I hadn’t had any water all day. Every breath felt like it was stealing the little moisture left in my body. My throat was so tight that I could hear a rasping sound with each breath. It was agonizing.
I was terrified of dying, terrified of Su Ya dying.
Dying of thirst…
…
*****
The sun rose as usual from the eastern sea, shining on everything that dared to look directly at it.
I licked my dry, cracked lips and slowly sat up. Su Ya was still lying on the beach with her back to me. I was worried about her, but when I tried to speak, my throat was too dry to make a sound. I was afraid that if I forced it, my throat would split open.
I hurried over and shook her, but she didn’t react. Panicked, I quickly turned her over. Su Ya’s brow was furrowed, her cracked lips tightly pressed together. Her face was almost transparently pale. She was breathing shallowly.
I looked around frantically, trying to figure out what to do, when I saw the white smoke rising from the extinguished bonfire.
Suddenly, I remembered reading in a novel about a way to make distilled water. It required clean, thick cotton cloth to absorb the moisture produced by the steam from heated seawater.
Back then, I had even entertained the absurd idea of using my sister-in-law's cotton clothes hanging outside to try it.
That’s it! Use cotton clothing to absorb the moisture and make distilled water!
Now, who had cotton clothing?
I looked at Su Ya lying unconscious on the ground. My face lit up.
“Su Ya! Wake up! Can I borrow your clothes to make distilled water?”
I hoped I could wake her so she could take them off herself. After all, I wasn't so shameless as to take advantage of a beautiful woman while she was unconscious.
But it was clear Su Ya was completely out of it. Otherwise, she would have woken up by now. I started to panic, afraid that the dehydrated Su Ya would get worse and die without water.
Alright, I would try my best not to touch her. I was a gentleman and would never take advantage of someone.
Looking at the unconscious Su Ya, my heart pounded nervously, but my head, lacking water, couldn't produce a single drop of sweat.
Uh… Su Ya was so thirsty she had fainted. She probably wouldn't blame me. I was just trying to make fresh water to keep her alive.
Yes, that's what I'll do.
With that decided, I continued, even faster than before.
I took hold of both her hands at the same time.
Using too little force, I couldn’t lift her clothing. Too much force, and I would hurt her. I tried to be as gentle as possible, but the fabric was quite elastic, and it lifted without much resistance.
Then I pulled with my left hand to the right and my right hand to the left.
Just as I was about to succeed, I breathed a sigh of relief, but then Su Ya’s body suddenly slipped down a bit…
- Writer
