Chapter 6

The wind was blowing softly, moving the tall grass. Once out of the Carnivorous Forest, now in front of me was a plain with very tall grass, even taller than me. I don't remember the grass here being so tall the last time I passed. The environment is changing. So far from the landscapes seen before, only the Carnivorous Forest I see it now, although much more changed. When I was 14 and saw the Carnivorous Forest for the first time, it was much smaller and didn't have that many carnivorous plants. But it seems that everything is constantly changing and such changes are not normal.

The sun shone on the damp earth. It had rained the day before and the plants were still laden with rainwater. I still had wet clothes from when I fell into the river. I was sitting on the mole car, letting the sun warm me. Milly was sitting next to me and saying nothing. Now I could tell his features. He had shoulder-length blond hair, large blue eyes, a few freckles, fairly white skin, and his front teeth were a little crooked. She was wearing a red dress, which was as wet as my clothes. She was innocent and silent. She had a special sweetness, and her trembling seemed to say that she would become a very beautiful woman. She sat down on the grass. Her face did not express any particular emotion. Maybe just grief.

-How did you end up being swallowed by that plant? , I asked.

-We're looking for my mother.

-Your mother? What happened to her?

- It disappeared.

He answered briefly and with some hesitation. Something happened but he didn't want to tell me. The way his mother told me he was gone made it clear that he was lying. But I didn't say anything. I didn't want to press her. I wanted to make her feel safe.

-Can you tell me how old?

- 11

-You're big already. Tell me, do you have a place to go? Or rather, do you want to get to a certain place?

-I have nowhere to go, and I don't want to get anywhere.

-What would you say if you came with me? I will take care of you and I will try to find a safe place for you. What do you say?

-Seriously? I can come with you? she asked in astonishment

-Of course. I can't leave you here alone. It's too dangerous.

The expression on her face changes. A smile appeared on her face and she seemed satisfied. Now I was her only support, the only one she could count on. I couldn't leave her here. A child like her has no chance of surviving in a world like this.

After sitting on the soft grass for about an hour, the clothes had dried on us. I took some fruit and some water from the supplies I had made at that tree plantation, and ate with Milly.

-How are the fruits?

-Very sweet and juicy. I've never tasted fruit like that before.

Now her face radiated joy, but still something in the way she behaved made me still think she was hiding something. I was convinced he would tell me in time, when he would trust me. Although I was curious to know her story, I did not insist on this.

After eating the fruit and drinking the water, I looked ahead. In front of me was a field on which grew a tall grass, up to 2 meters. "It would be far too difficult to move through this grass. It's best to get into the ground, "I said to myself. I had done so. After spending the night there that night, early in the morning when the dew hadn't even shaken, Milly and I got into the mole car. I sat in the driver's chair, where old Evrik once sat, and Milly sat in the seat next to me, which was a little smaller and I was sitting in when the old man was alive. The first rays of sunshine began to pass through the small windows of very resistant glass, which were in front of the control panel that put the car into operation. Not even the wounded could pierce or break this bottle. Once the mole car started, I put the front bulldozer into operation and went into the ground. On the control panel I had a dial that helped me and told me if I was going in the right direction, how deep I was, what obstacles I faced. Without this dial I would not have been able to move underground. The mole car has an echolocation system, and once underground, it continuously sends sound waves. Just as bats move in flight, so does the mole under the ground. All I can say is that old Evrik was a genius. Too bad he's not here. He would have loved to meet Milly. The old man loved children very much, and whenever he had the opportunity he played with them. I think that this and the continuous work on creating inventions helped him maintain a good physical shape.

Once in the ground, I did not go out until I passed the plain with tall grass. When I came out of the ground, the cold, fresh air revived me. When Milly came out, she marveled at the sight in front of her. In front of us was a huge lake. The reeds, reeds and rushes grew on the edge of the lake, forming a living wall, formed only of water plants. Squeezed by ducks and frogs, they shattered the tranquility of the landscape. The sun reflected in the clear water, giving it a special glow. There were also a few swans floating on the lake, raising their wings and hitting the water with them, and then the swan's movements became faster and began to rise into the sky. Milly and I witnessed their graceful flight, and a strange feeling crept into our hearts. I would have stayed in this place forever if I had not been so curious to find out the secrets of this world. Sometimes I hate the fact that I'm so curious, because often this curiosity of mine puts me in complicated situations. For example, when we were nine years old, we stopped in a region with many rocks, and there was a mountain nearby. Old Evrik fell asleep, and as I could not sleep, I began to play among the huge rocks, on which grew plant muscles and on which lay all sorts of hanging plants. As I was walking through the white rocks, covered with vegetation, I came across a cave. The old man often told me to avoid entering the caves, but the curiosity to find out what the cave was hiding made me enter it. It was quite bright in the cave, due to the phosphorescent rocks located in different places. Only the sound of the drops hitting the stones in the cave was heard. Nothing else could be heard. As I advanced into the cave, I came across some crystals that shone in the dark. These were embedded in the cave walls. I approached a wall and snatched one of the crystals. The surface of the crystal was smooth, uneven, with a bluish sheen. But I didn't stop here. I kept sinking into the darkness of the cave, for after passing the crystals embedded in the wall, no other source of light appeared. The crystal I had snatched earlier was already serving as my light source. I was moving quite hard and suddenly a strange sound was heard, resembling footprints. I was looking around, but I couldn't see anything. When I stepped forward I came face to face with a huge spider. It was the size of a molehill, and its back was inlaid with crystals, like the one I held in my hand, but which shone and darkened at the spider's will. When I came face to face with him, the crystals on his back began to shine one by one, and he made a deafening sound, and instinctively I put my hands to my ears. I had stumbled on the spot. I looked into the spider's numerous eyes and didn't even dare blink. I regained my senses, and slowly began to take small steps, as I was with my back. The spider made that deafening sound come to me once more, and I broke it on the run, with the monster on my trail. I ran as fast as I could, and I didn't even look back. I was afraid that if I turned my head, he told me. I could feel the threatening presence of the spider behind me, which due to its huge size was not moving as fast. I had hardly managed to get out of the cave, and when I had done so, the spider stopped at the edge of the cave. It seemed that the sunlight was not good for her and she avoided it. I had escaped, and although I was on the verge of becoming that spider's food, I had at least chosen a crystal.

As I said, sometimes I hate being so curious, and there have been many situations like the one above. But still, curiosity is part of me. That's what it means to me, and although I say that I sometimes hate being so curious, the truth is that I don't really hate it that much. After all, thirst and the need to satisfy my curiosities make my life thrilling and interesting.