Into the Forbidden Place

19. Rain

They woke up to rain. The water poured down from the leaves of the trees as if they were not in a forest but lying beneath a waterfall. They huddled under what seemed to be a seemingly more enormous tree and waited for it to end; what else could they do?

So it rained. And it rained heavily. Moreover, it was still dark, barely dawn. They sat in an awful place, in awful weather, and an even more awful mood. Not even the fact that the robot was with them and they found food in its bag cheered them up. They placed the flask under the open sky to collect rainwater.

Otis still stared into the world with the same expression.

"You know, I don't understand many things, but I have to tell you," Tim broke the silence, "that I'm grateful you're here with me. I've made many mistakes, but I can count on you, and that means a lot..."

"Oh, come on, Tim, that's nothing. Don't beat yourself up; you just did your duty," Ikara waved it off.

Tim squirmed uncomfortably.

"No, Ikara. The truth is, I came in here after you because I wanted to find the girl, Mara. She completely took my mind off things. And I didn't want to be a gatekeeper; I just wanted to please Judith, whom I thought was my mother. I'm a fraud, but you welcomed me so kindly as if I belonged among you," Tim said.

"Oh, come on, what are you doing? What's the point of this self-reproach now? Does it even matter how it was? Let's focus on what's happening now!" Lenny replied.

Tim buried his face in his hands and continued, "My place would be in my garden. That's what I understand best. Since I left there, only worse things have been happening to me."

Lenny patted his back in a friendly manner. He didn't know what else to say.

Thick black clouds covered the sky like heavy blankets, and the sound of raindrops became louder as they fell on the leaves of the trees. There was no sign that the bad weather would calm down. A fresh, damp scent filled the forest, that peculiar, heavy scent that was a mixture of vegetation and the earth. The burning smell also mingled with the scent of rain, lending a strange, indescribable atmosphere to the forest.

Suddenly, the sound of the wind became more substantial, the leaves of the vast tree parted, and much more rain poured onto our protagonists.

"We need to find some better shelter; we can't just sit here waiting to get soaked to the bone!" Ikara suggested.

"True, but what about Otis?" asked Lenny.

Ikara shrugged, essentially ignoring the question. She lifted the robot's bag and slung it over her shoulder. She marched into the thick forest without looking back to see if the boys were following. Lenny trailed behind, and when Tim saw that he had no other choice, he also struggled to his feet, tightening his cloak and following the others.

The journey was not easy. Wet branches slapped against their faces, and their shoes became heavy with mud sticking to their soles. But Ikara kept going as if driven by some invisible force. Tim was relieved that he didn't have to think about anything except pressing forward with clenched teeth, trying not to lose sight of Lenny.

Their march seemed endless, and their clothes were completely soaked through by the time the forest began to thin out. They no longer had to worry about branches slapping back at them, and the bushes and tall grasses disappeared. The rain also started to let up.

But they felt utterly exhausted and had no idea where they might be.

Ikara only stopped when they had left the trees behind and reached the river bank. On the other side lay a desert-like area, and the rain, as if cut off, seemed not to exist there. Everything was dry.

But they didn't have time to wonder because, as quickly as she could, Ikara plunged into the water and began swimming across.

They followed; what else could they do? They were tired of the constant rain. The cold river water didn't even bother them anymore.

On the other side, Ikara removed her wet clothes and spread them on a giant cactus.

"I'll go behind the cactus to hide and dry out all the clothes. But first, I'll distribute the food in the bag," Ikara said as she pulled out dried meats.

The boys began to remove their clothes and hang them out to dry. They ate and sunbathed. How much more pleasant it was than in the pouring rain. And although it was still pouring on the other side of the river, where they had come from, they didn't even wonder about it anymore.

"Do you think we'll find the way home?" asked Lenny.

"Well, let's follow Ikara for now, she's our leader." Tim smiled.

"I hear you!" replied Ikara. "And I definitely won't be any leader! I don't want to end up like Judith!

The warm breeze pleasantly tickled their skin, while the monotonous tapping of the rain from the other side of the bank played a strange contrast.

They ate while their hair dried in minutes. It didn't take more than half an hour, and the sun was already burning their skin. They got dressed and were ready to move on.

Tim didn't feel like starting. Something still bothered him; he felt restless, a strange suspicion, but he didn't want to upset the others. He decided not to decide anything and follow the others; whatever they suggested, he would accept.

He no longer trusted his decisions; he only had terrible experiences with deciding on something.