The Road

We went to the sickhouse with Arwa. The road was endless. Arwa and I started chatting along the way. We left the house and started walking on the dirt road.

"Young man, I don't want you to go to the forest known as the forest of the gods, which they told me when I was young. When I was a child, my elders told me many stories about it. The stories I was told were the kind of stories a child shouldn't hear. There is a monster in the forest. Whoever enters the forest or sees the monster can never leave the forest again. It drags anyone who enters the forest to the very depths of the forest and eats them before nightfall. I remind you again, I definitely don't want you to go there," the old woman said thoughtfully.

I said the following, pouting my lips. 

"It's just a story. Couldn't the stories you were told be little white lies to keep you away from the forest? Besides, have you seen the monster with your own eyes?" I said.

"Ah Alek, sometimes I don't know what to say to you. Even though I want to shout at you and get angry, I can't. I don't want anything to happen to you." The old woman said grumpily.

I felt bad for some reason about lying to Arwa. I had seen the monster in the forest, but I wanted to go back to the forest.

"Arwa, I understand your concern. I'll try to take care of myself," I said.

"Young man, taking care of yourself isn't the only thing that can be done. Daneel was a retired soldier. When he comes from the city center, he'll show you how to defend yourself. Besides, you're a young man, you need to learn how to defend yourself. And how will you protect your wife?" The old woman said in a brainwashing tone.

There was some truth to what the old woman said. If I was going to go into the forest, I had to defend myself. If I couldn't go into the forest, how would I learn the language of the cedar trees and what the monster was like?

"Ah, you're right, I want to defend myself. Besides, I'm not ready to get married," I said. My words made the woman laugh for some reason.

"Okay dear, I'll tell Daneel about this when he gets back from town. He'll be happy to teach you," she said.

"Thank you for your help," I said.

"You don't have to be so polite. You're practically family. Besides, my hand hurts, my child. Can you take the basket I'm holding? Oh, my child, have you spent much time with Daneel?" the old woman said, giggling.

I took the basket she was holding.

"I've spent a little time with Daneel," I said innocently.

"It's obvious that you're a piece of wood like him. You need to learn how to treat a woman," she said, her giggles turning into laughter.

I shook my head to drop the subject.

The old woman seemed accustomed to walking. Along the way, the trees, streams, and wild animals fascinated me with their scenery. The air I breathed was refreshing.

We continued our conversation about medicinal plants along the way. As we chatted with Arwa, we exchanged a lot of information with the knowledge of my past world. It made me realize how valuable the information we know daily in modern days actually is. We started to enter an environment where the trees were fewer and the bushes were more. The old deserted environment started to come to life a little. Animals and people started to pick up the sounds of birds, insects and wind. At the end of the road, we headed towards a house that looked like an old, shabby little farmhouse.

"My child, we won't stay at the house we're going to for long. I don't like the owners of the house, especially the man of the house. I wouldn't even want to stay in the same place as him. If I didn't feel sorry for the little girl, I wouldn't come here for her. Luckily for the little girl, her father went to graze the sheep. Come on, my child, let's do our job quickly before her damn father comes," Arwa said.

"Okay, Arwa," I said.

We started to pass through the stone walls. We came to the front of the house. We opened the wooden door and stepped inside.