Nil: The Lost Brother

Golden Skull

She had slept for a full six hours. She thought it was enough time. During her university years, even two or three hours of sleep felt like incredible periods of rest on some days. She had never been able to sleep until evening like those who could sleep all the way through their lives. She got up from her bed without waiting for the alarm to go off. Interestingly, she felt very energetic. When she got out of the shower, it was close to nine o'clock. She hurried up to get ready. After preparing her bag, she checked the time and decided to go downstairs and wait. They had decided to go with Yusuf's car. Luckily, Yusuf was not late at all; in fact, he arrived a couple of minutes early. She opened the door of the car that slowed down in front of the apartment and sat in the front passenger seat, saying, "Good morning."

"Good morning. Seems like we're full of energy today."

"Yes, I had a good sleep."

"Great. I have a feeling we'll need it."

These words made Nil think. She couldn't really anticipate the path she had set foot on. The sea beside the highway carried the sunlight on the waves as it stretched out. As the morning coolness began to give way to the summer heat, Nil had a comfortable journey with the breeze coming through her slightly opened window. Although she was deeply saddened by Mustafa's disappearance, she believed with all her heart that she would find something on this adventure-filled journey. She secretly felt that this journey was healing her mind. She was angry at herself for expecting something bad to happen for her to embark on this journey. She could have dedicated herself to something before. After all, the world was filled with injustice, and there were countless people in need of help. She could have come up with many excuses as to why she hadn't taken action until now, and the majority of society would probably agree with those excuses. But what would that change? Would the majority's belief make something right? In any situation, she would know deep down what was truly right. That's why she needed to stop deceiving herself and confront the truth. Peace could only be achieved in this way. The day she could be completely honest with herself, with all the right and wrong, would truly be the day she found peace. Living according to the standards agreed upon by everyone meant earning society's approval, and to meet those standards, she would have to give up her human values. Family life, school life, work life, they all passed by conforming to what was deemed "right" without drawing too much attention, and she had been too weak to resist that pressure, which is why she hadn't set out on this journey until now. But now, the fear of losing someone she cherished had opened her eyes, and she was walking without caring about what others thought. If this venture ended with a happy ending, she would not only save Mustafa but also save herself.

When they arrived in Seferihisar and started moving towards the site of the fire, Nil involuntarily began to feel excited. They could drive on the narrow paths until a certain point. When they got out of the car and saw the area cordoned off with safety tape, Nil quickened her pace with a tinge of sadness. There was no one around. She lifted the tape with her hand and entered the burnt forest. It pained her to see the charred trees, life sucked out of the remnants of the forest in the pitch-black area.

"Where exactly did the fire start, I wonder?"

"I have no idea, but we can follow the tracks a bit."

"Found it. We need to go to the center of the area."

"Why? Couldn't it have spread from one end to the other?"

"I don't think so. There was almost no wind that night. It should have spread in a circular pattern."

"Sounds logical. Let's go then."

They continued walking towards the center of the fire area. Nil was walking and observing her surroundings, and she came across an interesting sight. To make sure, she quickened her steps and approached what she saw.