STRANDED

23

The aim was Theodore but the victim became the beast.

Whatever seemed to happened was very lucky,  for all. Fortunately, we discovered something that proved to be reliefing.

Lavender had splashed the water on the beast. It was then,  when we found that the beast fears water.
It cowardly hesitated and jumped up on his feet, waving his head to get off water of his face.  At the very first, all of it seemed normal- Unknowingly some water hit him so he pulled away. But it wasn't what it seemed. I straightened as I noticed some white drops leaching out from different spots on his face, seemingly the spots where water had hit him.
"He's bleeding?" I murmmered as the thought raised in my brain.

Tom jumped up and walked some steps near the hideak who was seemingly uncertain about what had just happened to him.

"Poor little thing! You afraid of water huh? " Tom made a pity face to the beast and said in a low voice.

"Is he?" Theodore questioned, oblivious about what had just happened.

Tom flied his words from his ears and called out to me. "Get me some water Jazlyn. "
I was driven out of the imagination and got conscious. Then I processed the information received and then reacted.  "Why? " I asked him, even though I knew the answer.

He had been acting cool and more like a hero and because my question spoiled the heroic scene, he yelled,  frustrated,  rolling his eyes and twisting his body. "Just do it, dumb. "
That hurt my ego so I yelled back. "Not your PA man! Get it yourself. "
He realised it soon and stomped to the pond, ignoring everything. Grabbing some water in his palm,  he went over to the beast again. Meanwhile we all stayed still to admire what Tom wanted to show us.

He carefully carried the water to the beast and spilled on him with a great force. I was once again shocked to his response. He shook his head and moaned with pain which seemed to give him burns.

'It did really burn him.' I concluded after seeing him respond like a coward. The beast was backing up now.

Theodore had now resumed his mind. I saw him follow Tom's steps. So did Lavender and I,  while Shelly quietly observed from a distance.

The beast feared every drop of water and started tracing his way away.
I splashed the last one and saw him run in the distant dense.

We all cheered happily at his retreat.  It was a feeling of victory with sentiment of pride. Shelly seemed the most excited to leave that place.  Maybe because it was too beautiful and boring.
But the struggle did not end here.  We were out of that little place,  and not the suffocating island.

--
"You aren't sure bout the way, are you? " Theodore suspected Tom as he made his way pass me to him.
"Ofcourse I am not! " Tom replied. His answer wasn't what we had expected. So we looked up to him weirdly.
"My memory's not that sharp. It has been an hour for us being there. The nooks of that place are almost same to confuse anyone. " He added.

"So why are you leading us?" Theodore fired another with a piercing voice.
"Who said that I am leading?" It didn't took him any time to answer. "I am just walking ahead of all of you. " He grinned.

Theodore rolled his eyes and pushed him back to Lavender who was walking behind him.
"Now I lead." He said, deepening his voice at 'I'.

"Whoever! I don't mind. "

"Hey I know these woods." Lavender screamed, twisting the topic.

"Yes. That way." Shelly pointed.

We followed the directions that Lavender and Shelly thought were known.

The path seemed to get a less denser like before, indicating that we were heading in the right direction. I wasn't sure where we were going actually. We had been to the pond to fetch water for Mr. Green, and did too. But nobody discussed the destination. So I pointed out. "We are heading for Mr. Green, aren't we?"

Theodore gave me a side glance while Tom chuckled.

"What??"

"You are not sure?" Tom asked.

"Both of you are behaving like cave men. Can you just not answer her straight?"
Lavender yelled.

"I know about cave men. " The little girl finally opened. "They live in forests and eat fruits."

I laughed out loud as my mind related it to Tom and Theodore whom Lavender described as cave men.
"Eat fruits and... Forests.. " I laughed again.

Both the men tried to ignore the humiliation while Shelly kept giving out what she knew about cave men.

Half of the later way, my stomach and cheeks kept aching. I tried controlling but it wasn't soon.

After long ten minutes had passed, when my nerves had finally resumed to normal, I heard a familiar call.

"Jazlyn? Is that you? "

I paused for a moment to detect if what I had heard was really true. My ears had located the direction of the sound. So I twisted my torso slowly to my right, and I swear, that was the most relaxing moment of the whole threatening journey.