The Refuge

Chapter 31

Alone, we can do so little. Together we can do so much. — Helen Keller

                           

A pale and weakened sun caressed Paloma as she ran into the cool shadow of the woods. The dark green foliage of El bosque curativo enveloped her as she raced further in. The pounding of her feet on the grassy ground rang in her ears.    

I suggest you all should spend the next few days in your beloved forest.  Because in exactly a week, you can kiss it goodbye forever.

Her pace picked up as the words of Sebastian Aleric flooded her mind. Tears blurred her vision and she tripped over a protruding trunk. 

A groan escaped her lips as she felt a sting on her left knee and a throb on her right palm. She blinked away the tears and her sight became clear. Her eyes took in the situation. She was sprawled on the floor beside the huge trunk of a fallen tree. Her eyes flickered to her knee and a cut with blood trickling out glared at her. 

Bile rose to her throat and she swallowed a lump. Paloma might be an expert at cleaning the blood of others but she couldn't tolerate the sight of her own blood.  

The day just keeps getting worse. She thought with a scowl. 

After getting a check on her urges, she ripped a strip of cloth from the seams of her skirt and bound It around her bleeding knee. She checked for more injuries and was glad there was no other serious injury except for some minimal scratches on her palm and elbow. 

With a groan, she struggled to her feet and winced as a pain slit through the lower part of her left leg.  She bit her cheek to withhold a shout. Her heartbeats raced and she took steady breaths. Finally, the pain subsided much to Paloma's relief.  

She hobbled forward and her legs shook. Her hand grasped the body of a nearby tree to keep herself from falling. 

The wise thing to do is return home, said a small voice. 

No!  I can't face them.  

The sorrowful faces of Paloma's parents and siblings flashed before her eyes and gave a renewed energy to continue her journey no matter the circumstances. 

I can't face them without getting a solution.

 Her resolution heightened and she limped past more fallen trees and maneuvered through thorny plants and protruding branches. Tears gathered in her eyes as herbal plants and trees came into view.  She plucked a leaf from a tulip tree and rolled it between her fingers. 

A few steps later, she stalled and rubbed her uninjured hand on the rough surface of a birch tree.  The thought of not being able to touch, smell and use the herbs to heal people made her heart constrict. She blinked back tears and looked heavenward. 

Lord, you have to do something. We can't lose this forest. 

Tears rushed forward as she recounted her various trips to the forest to pick herbs, climb the trees with her siblings, and most of all, to think and meditate.  

Finally, she found herself on a familiar path—a path that led to her safe haven. A place where she could cry without worrying about anything also. 

The soothing burbling sound of the lake filled her senses as she drew closer. She broke through the denseness of the forest and into an open clearing. The brightness of the area was a contrast to the dimness of the cluster of evergreen trees.  

Grass the color of moss-covered the large expanse of land and wildflowers of different kinds dotted the edges.  The red bell-shaped flowers of the foxglove plant and the white petals adorning the oxeye daisy brightened the atmosphere.