UNFORTUNATE YET GRATEFUL

“Maggie!?” I shrieked at the top of my lungs and dragged my legs through the forest floor as fast as I can. Ethan was right behind me. I stopped suddenly, it sounded like she was somewhere here.

“Maggie?” I called out again.

“Ana!” her voice exclaimed right above me? My head snapped up to find her hanging upside down with a rope fastened around one of her ankles.

“Maggie!” I exclaimed. I trailed the rope she was hanging down from, with my eyes. It was tied at one of the lower branches of the nearby tree…wound up in several circles. Thank goodness we can get her down. Ethan must have realized the same, he reached for the branch at the same time that I did. He slowly rewound the rope from the branch and lowered her down.

“Be careful!” I yelled, and stood right beneath her, to catch her in case she falls. He seemed to manage it easily. Once she was within my reach I put my arms around her and clutched her tightly, till her feet touched the ground.

“Ow” she yelped once she put some weight on her feet.

“I think I twisted my ankle” she was panting hard. I helped her down and removed her right shoe and sock. I placed my fingertips on her ankle and tried to feel the bones.

“Ah” she shrieked when I tried to move her ankle. It’s definitely sprained. “Can you try getting up?” she struggled to get up and shook her head giving up.

“Let me carry her” Ethan said. I nodded. He swiftly scooped her into his arms and treaded through the forest, with me trailing behind them. I was looked at my feet making its way through the disastrous forest floor. I should have accompanied her. I shouldn’t have let her go alone, how stupid can I get? Why everything around us are getting so complicated? Why does it have to be Maggie all the time? She has suffered a great deal already. It should have been me, after all, it was me who proposed this plan. Ankle sprain, usually takes two to three weeks to heal. Ethan can’t carry her each and every day. We have to figure something out. How are we going to go on further? Would we even make it? These questions clawed my mind. Ethan suddenly halted on his track, I ran straight into him, “Sorry” I muttered and looked up to see that Ethan was frozen on his track. I peeped around his hand anxiously.

“Wait a sec, I’m I looking at a tree house right now? Can you guys see it? Or have I gone mad?" Maggie asked gaping at the tree house.

“It is a tree house, though it looks abandoned” Ethan was observing the tree house closely.

The tree house was built about thirteen or fourteen above the ground level. It was sturdily built in bamboo, and palm leaves, it almost looked like a garden shed. Something about this place makes me uneasy, I feel like we are getting closer to something, that all these events are leading us into something dreadful. Ethan gently placed Maggie down on the ground and tested the lower rung of the ladder leading up to the tree house.

“We probably should stay the night here, and decide the rest tomorrow” he said looking at us. He is right, we can’t take Maggie in this condition. It will make us weak. She won’t be able to run at any sign of danger and we would never be able run for our lives abandoning her.

“Ana, you climb up first, I will support half of Maggie’s weight and clamber up right behind you and once she reaches the top rung, you must pull her up, okay?” he asked looking at me. I nodded, heading towards the ladder.

“Wait!” Ethan cried before I could grab the ladder. “I’ll run a quick check” he said.

“It appears as though it had been deserted for years now Ethan and no animal can climb up to that height, except for the monkeys of course” I patronized.

“I’ll be back within seconds” he said unconvinced, climbing up the ladder. I looked at Maggie, she shrugged. He was down soon.

“Now you can go” he said relieved. I quickly ascended the ladder and looked down at them once I was on the surface. Ethan half-lifted her with his hand around her waist and placed her on the second rung while he stood on the first, so that they could avoid putting more weight on the single rung. He repeated the same until she was on the top most rung. Ethan lifted her like she was nothing. He is much stronger than he looks. I frowned, when the picture of him supporting both of our weights on the bridge flashed unwelcomed on my mind. I shook my head to clear it and pulled Maggie up onto the landing.

The tree house was neatly spaced with three windows on three sides. It was so dirty, with cobwebs and dust sediments engulfing each and every inch of its surface. I looked up, to the see that, the roof was still firmly holding up. There were several water bottles stacked up on one side and a small handmade wooden bench on the other. A limited space was reserved for the latrine that seems to drain in an underground pit. The latrine area was concealed with a rug which looks like it might crumble any minute now. It definitely is some kind of hide out or something, built to keep the wild animals and poisonous snakes at bay. The strange thing about life is, when there is a series of unfortunate events, when nothing workouts as you desired and everything seems to be in chaos and appears as if nothing will ever be right again, the universe or the nature will always provide us with an indemnity…a redress, the way we get to safe guard Maggie, in this Tree House despite the terrible turn of events we were forced to endure. And, at that moment, we can’t be anything but grateful. Yes, I am grateful despite how seriously screwed up we are, I’m grateful. I sighed.

“Homey!” Maggie exclaimed looking around and relieved at its habitable nature.

“We can have a good night’s sleep” I added.

“Let’s clean it up” Ethan said all business. We spent next few hours cleaning the place and making up our bed. I can’t get rid of the notion that we are missing something vital. Ethan and I, were exhausted, climbing up and down the ladder time and again. We urged Maggie to rest on the bench while we took the ground beside her. She did not require the sleeping pill this time. She was exhausted enough to sleep as soon as her eyes closed. I looked at her worriedly.

“You love her” Ethan stated sitting right beside me. It dint sound like a question but I nodded anyway.

“She is one of my best friends” I shrugged.

“She won’t be able to walk with that ankle” Ethan's eyes crinkled in concern.

“Yes, she has to stay here” I said. “One of us has to stay with her while the other heads for the beach and finds the cabin” I said blandly, looking at him. I'm sure, he thinks he is the one who is going to venture alone into the forest. I would never allow him to do that. This tree house was safe enough for Maggie to rest. It might take two weeks for her ankle to heal. Ethan must stay here with her, so that, even if something happens to me, on my way, they would be able to get to the civilization once Maggie gets better. It was me who started this, it should be me. I know it.

“Yes, you are right” Ethan said startling me. I was perplexed that somehow he could read my plans. I averted my eyes before I give myself away.

“We should stock this place with enough supplies before that” he said.

“Yeah, it could possibly take a day or two” I said lying down. He emptied his backpack on the floor and slid it under my head, looking into my eyes…just the way he did that day. How long was it? I closed my eyes trying to steady my breath and curled into a ball.

“Thank you, Ethan” He tucked my hair, which had fallen onto my face, behind my ear. A shiver ran through me and my heart sped up drastically. I resisted the urge to open my eyes, I don’t want to feel this way. I felt him stretching flat on the floor beside me.

“It’s not your fault” he said suddenly. My eyes flashed open, he was lying a feet or two away from me pillowing his head on his right arm. He was looking up at the roof. “It’s not your fault that Maggie twisted her ankle, none of these are your fault” he said and turned to look at me. I scowled at him. Why does he have to try so hard to make me feel any better, when that's not gonna happen?

“Of course, it is Ethan! You do realize that if Mr. Snitch’s perception about the predators is wrong, it might be the same with the cabin too, right?” I asked him in a low voice.

“Yes, I do Ana, venturing into the forest was our only liable choice. It was either move forward or die of thirst, even if we couldn’t find the cabin, we could make a huge fire on the beach, which would definitely grab their attention” he said. He really has spared it, a great deal of thought. He was still looking at me, the dancing fire lit his face. “Don’t blame yourself Ana” he said… breathless? I don’t know what to say to that, or if I could ever speak anything at all, if he continues to look at me like that. I noticed for the first time that he was breathing hard, he was much closer to me than he ever was. May be his heart was leaping too. May be the days spent in the forest have made me crazy enough to even think about it… Probably I was dreaming.

“Sleep well, Ana” he said breathless refusing to release me from his captivating gaze. I forced my eyes shut and hugged the jacket closer to my body, feeling so safe and slowly drifted…