The Father

The air was thick with sorrow as Steve stood by Rosemary's graveside, his voice trembling with emotion. "I will find him, Rose. I will bring him back home," he vowed, his heart breaking with every word.

Around him, mourners whispered among themselves. "Poor man, his son ran away and now his wife is dead. It's so hard for him to survive," they said, their pity only deepening his anguish.

Ronald, Steve's father-in-law, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry, son, but I have to leave now. The leave that the king granted me has come to an end."

Steve nodded, acknowledging his words. "I will leave tomorrow to get Martin back home. He needs to know that his mother is no more."

The next morning, Steve packed his belongings and set out towards the forest, determined to find his son. "I have to look for some kind of footprints to find Martin," he muttered to himself as he began his search. He scoured the ground meticulously, but there were no traces to be found.

Suddenly, a wild bear emerged from the underbrush, charging at Steve with ferocity. He ran as fast as he could, but the bear's claws slashed across his back, leaving a deep, bloody wound. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Steve managed to escape, stumbling into a clearing.

"Aah, it hurts a lot," he groaned, clutching his wound. "I can't bear this pain. I should use some medicine to cure it, but what if Martin is also injured? I should save the medicine for him." He took a cloth from his bag and tied it tightly around his back to stem the bleeding. In his frantic escape, he had left his food bag behind, and now he had no provisions.

As the sun began to set, Steve gathered sticks and used rocks to start a fire. He sat by the flickering flames, whispering a prayer. "Dear God, I will sleep hungry tonight. Please keep my boy safe."

His attention was suddenly caught by a large fire in the middle of the jungle. "Could it be Martin?" he thought, hope surging through him as he ran towards the flames. As he neared, he saw a burning tree and monstrous creatures lurking around it. Fear gripped him, but then he saw children running, and among them, he recognized his son.

"Martin!" Steve shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. "Stop, son! I am here! Martin!" He moved closer, but his eyes fell on a girl trapped under a fallen tree branch. Without hesitation, he lifted her onto his back and carried her to his camp.

The girl was badly injured, and Steve used the precious medicine he had saved for Martin to treat her wounds. Once she was stable, he went in search of water, returning with a banana leaf filled with the precious liquid. He gently sprinkled water on her face, and slowly, her eyes fluttered open.

"Where am I? Kate? Gary?" she asked weakly.

"Hey, kid, don't move. You are seriously wounded and need rest to recover," Steve said gently.

"Where are Kate, Gary, and Martin?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

Steve's heart skipped a beat. "Martin? You know him?"

Before she could answer, the girl fell unconscious again. "Hey, kid, do you know him? Hey, look at me, kid," Steve urged, but she needed rest.

The next morning, the girl woke up and immediately put a blade to Steve's neck. "Hey, wake up! Who are you? Why did you save me, and what are you doing here in this forest?"

Steve raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay, take the knife away. I am Martin's father, and I was looking for him when I found you."

The girl's eyes softened slightly. "You are Martin's father? Okay, what happened to your back? It looks really bad. We need to get you to a doctor."

Steve shook his head. "I have to find Martin. Don't worry about me. Help me find him. I have to take him back home. It was his mother's last wish."

The girl's expression turned sympathetic. "I am sorry for your loss, sir. I will get you to Martin, but we need to see a doctor first."

Steve reluctantly agreed. "Well, if you promise me that Martin will be safe, then I will go to the doctor first."

"Don't worry about Martin. He will be okay. My friends Kate and Gary are with him," she assured him.

Together, they headed to the nearby town to see a doctor. The girl knocked on the door. "Doctor?"

An elderly man opened the door and welcomed them in. "Welcome, dear girl. What is wrong with you? Ah, I see your shoulder and neck are wounded. It's not deep, but it needs to be treated. I will apply some medicine, and you will be good to go."

"Sir, please check on this gentleman over here," she requested.

The doctor turned to Steve. "Okay, so he is the patient. Come, sir, let's see how you are doing. Hmm, your wound is really serious. It's deep and infected. Why did you come so late? I think it was some kind of animal claws."

"Yes, Doctor, it was a bear. I didn't think it would be so serious," Steve admitted.

"It is very serious. We need to treat it right away. Please lie down. I will have to clean out the infection and stitch your back," the doctor instructed.

Steve lay down, wincing in pain. "Please make it quick, doc."

The doctor worked swiftly, cleaning the wound and applying medicine before stitching it up. "All done. You will be good as new."

The girl turned to the doctor. "Doctor, we are going to have a journey through the forest. Would it be okay for him to walk?"

"If it is just walking, then he would have no problem at all. Don't let him run or do any kind of exercise. His body needs some rest to recover," the doctor advised.

The girl looked at Steve with concern. "Sir, I think you should not come along on this journey. You can't stress out your body. It is very dangerous to cross that forest. There are many difficulties in there. You should rest. I will bring your son to you."

Steve's resolve was unshaken. "Don't worry about me. I will find Martin for sure. I am capable of doing anything when it comes to finding my son."

"But sir—" she began.

"I said don't worry, kid. I will be just fine. We should rest now and leave to find Martin in the morning," Steve insisted.

The girl nodded, respecting his determination. They both settled down for the night, knowing that the journey ahead would be fraught with danger, but also with hope. The hope was that Steve would find his son and fulfill his promise to his late wife.