The Road We Walked

Chapter Four

**Friendship in the wood**

"What brings you out into the woods"?she asked. "I figure you are a stubborn chap" she added. Somehow I got my composure and fired back. " And who are you to ask me all these, moreover what brings you out to this place at such a time?". She smiled in a sweet and gentle way, but in her eyes, I could see some naughtiness. "You have not answered me yet" she said . "And neither have you", I replied. "I think you still don't understand" she said, and then the brightness gave way to utter darkness. I wanted to run, but to where and even when I wanted to scream, I knew I'd only lurk myself further in the face of danger. I sat breathing heavily, with beads of sweat precipitated not by warmth but by fear, on my forehead.

"Hope you have part of your sense back" came her voice a while later few inches from my ear and almost pulling me out of my skin. Immediately, the brightness appeared again out of nowhere.

"So, I ask again Lucas, what brings you out this far" she said, this time with a more serious and piercing look. "I am headed for Nod" was simply my reply.

A little laughter broke the air shortly after. "Nod"? "And what do you hope to see there"? "I have lost my peace here, so I am heading there". "Moreso, the only man who has ever given me genuine attention is no more and my world is all but chaos"

"Chaos?"... she chortled, as she tried to imitate my voice. "And how are you going to get there she asked"?

"I will find my way I said"

"And do you have a way to find", she asked staring at me.

I couldn't answer, but stared back at her and had to divert the talk.

"But who...or what... are you?" I asked unsure of what to say.

In her usual fashion, she brushed off my question, produced a pouch containing what seem to be bread of some sort and what appeared to be milk in a bottle and handed to me. "Have this and ask no further questions, you are depleted and require your energy back".

Reluctantly, I took the package from her, and although my reason protested, my stomach will not give in to reason and before I knew it, I had devoured almost half of what was before me.

The girl before me stood quietly, as she watched, saying nothing and keeping her eyes on me as though I was about to leap into the air the next moment.

After finishing the meal, I thanked her profusely and found my body suddenly heavy with tiredness. I didn't know what latter happened but all I realized was the sweet chorus of the morning birds amidst multitude of other orchestra in the woods, wrestling my consciousness back to life.

I opened my eyes to find this young lady, staring back at me, just as I saw her the last time I was conscious except that this time, the place was brighter with the light of day.

"Welcome back" she said with a smile. "You have a good way of sleeping like a dry log", she added with half a smile. I just smiled back, offering no comment but I was much freer in her presence this time.

"Here, have this". Offering the same package, as she did the night before, I accepted quietly without protesting and devoured the whole content and thanked her generosity. I wondered how she was able to get all these since there was no sign of any house close by. Just as I was about to speak, she said, " Time to hit the road again little man, but be mindful, the road is rough and can be deceitful"...

**A new turn**

The man in me protested, why would someone who is much younger than I am and more so, a girl call me little man. However, I knew better than to protest at this time. When I got up, I felt light with more energy that morning. I felt like I had the strength of the world in me, and that was propelling me to my destination.

"Name is Telma, a descendant of Jenip", she said, you asked me questions earlier, so I think this you should know. "The world is full of questions, but very few answers and the majority of people die without ever finding an answer to the questions they asked" she added.

"I see you want to thread the path of the Nodians little man", she said. A flash of anger streaked across my face, "why do this little thing call me a little man?". Just when I was about to fire back at her, she pulled me violently to her side with a strength which clearly supercedes one of her age. Just at that moment, something whisked passed my ear with a whistling sound. Before I could make out what happened, in a lightning movement Telma launch into the woods to my left, while instinctively, I ducked.

After some time, she surfaced from my left flank, with a little awkward look on her face and all she said to me was, " keep close to me and keep your eyes opened".

Silently, I got up, without asking any questions I followed her. I knew, what she said was an order and although, I felt as a man I should command the respect, the few incidents from the night thought me to behave contrary.

After a while, I broke the silence and asked, "What happened back then?" and her reply left me bemused.

"They know that you are coming", was her reply. "Who, I don't understand what you are saying". Telma, shook her head, looked me in the eyes as one lost to life and without hopes left, she let out a sigh and said "You left in the dark, but here you are returning in a darkness that supersedes when you left"...