CHAPTER 3

The edge of a rather unpleasant-looking forest, some would even say scary, given the absence of any human endeavour, in the form of posts, signposts, even a simple and notorious path, reminding of the presence of living and most importantly intelligent beings.

There was only the sound of the wind and the echoes of the wilderness, hence the apprehension. Alas, there was no self-discovery now, and with this conviction he promised to investigate the changes in himself as soon as possible. 

He needed to understand the reasons why he was in this place, because if he had been kidnapped or something else had happened, there must be a good reason for it, and of course the people behind it. And if there were people, there were questions and demands, but he didn't notice such things in his surroundings. It was as if he had been forgotten in this strange place, or he was being experimented on, like in those TV shows where a city dweller is thrown out into the wilderness and his behavior is monitored.

All of this he wanted to find out as soon as possible so he could get out of these places, in order to move on with the list of primary tasks.

Not knowing whereabouts prompts primal fears, among which the fear of death from hunger or thirst effortlessly finds its place, for the young man found nothing with him but simple denim trousers and an ordinary white home shirt without sleeves.

The greatest sadness lay in being barefoot, even without socks, but again it was not uncomfortable, which also confirmed the lack of irritability to the cold. The pockets, similarly, were not reassuring with hints of help, due to the absence of both a wallet and what is more vital nowadays - a mobile device.

The only thing that pleased him was what he saw after careful observation of his surroundings, as well as the presence of the breeze, which was not a frequent guest in the heavily vegetated environment.

All this time the young man was not in the thick of the forest, but on the very edge of it, for it was only less than ten metres to go beyond the unknown. The vanishing need to wander aimlessly through the forest was the only escape, for it was more dangerous to try to find the way in the absence of visibility than in the midst of spacious fields that cut through the horizon.

Isaia had already made peace with all the possibilities and even the most negative consequences of the current situation, thus overlooking the oddity of his behaviour, that he rejoiced at the small trifle of being in the plains instead of worrying about something more pressing.

The forest is known for being a menace to any inexperienced adventurer, and even such a supporter of the city's hustle and bustle had heard of Mother Nature's bad reputation in matters of survival of the unprepared. 

Isaia was not one to give into the power of panic too quickly. Adversity and growing up in an orphanage had taught him to rely on himself, and even in the most critical of situations, he didn't let fear take control.

On the contrary, he is the kind of person who has a strange outlook on life and at the same time has an absolute and unshakeable certainty that if he behaves like a coward now - running around, screaming and begging for help, complaining to who knows who, then later, every memory of this action will make him respect himself less and less, to the point where he will need to break every mirror in existence, just to not see the reflection of his pathetic self anymore.

- Why do I have a feeling that this is not the wilderness of Montevideo's vicinity, and where would we get such forests and landscapes? If I were somewhere in Eurasia, then it would be okay, November suits the weather conditions there, but again, the trees and vegetation are clearly not native, and you would only find such things in countries like Russia or Canada. - Isaia, being a resident of South America, was more or less aware of the climatic and landscape conditions of his country.

Even adding to the equation the rarity of his outings outside the city, the lad felt a clear contrast between the warm climate of his native land, and the current mayhem around him, in the form of colder weather, other representatives of the plant world and the absence of mosquitoes, which are a predatory squadron of hunters at this time of day, bringing the habit of all human beings to seek refuge from the annoying entities of the insect world.

There was little sense of the weather itself, but the visible signs of cold allowed for conclusions to be drawn. He couldn't be sure, but either adrenaline or some other unknown factor made the young man switch on all possible thinking resources to search for answers. 

The all-too-familiar adrenaline rushed in without warning, and there was a very reasonable and logical explanation for it - with each passing second, the day was giving up its rights and a noticeable blackness was descending to the ground. The feeling of anxiety that arose inside, the panic as a fearsome and unknown beast was launching its claws into the consciousness of the young man. People who was in the unknown and unprepared could cause themselves far more harm than the evil intentions and actions of those around them.

Deciding that standing still would not help his cause Isaia headed towards the fields, deciding it was the most prudent thing to do given the circumstances. He foolishly wanted to shout a couple of times to make sure there were no people around, but quickly gave up, thinking that his situation was too dubious and that the pristine forest was too spooky and irritatingly untouched by humans.

At such moments he wanted to spit on all the nonsense with ecology and environmental protection, to bulldoze all the vegetation and wildlife together, to set up here so familiar and native urban moods, which, although not without their dangers and threats, but still much more pleasant to deal with than to become a prey of wild animals, or not getting to civilization to stay here to rot without food and drink.

Besides, he figured that if someone was watching him, if he went out into the open, they would have to follow him, and so would give away their whereabouts. It was too foolish to look for signs of human presence in such a strange forest.

Fortunately, for the moment there was neither thirst nor hunger, thus obviating the necessity of a hasty search for provisions. Alas, there was no one experienced at hand to advise Isaia of the deceptiveness of sensations in the wilderness, where it is necessary to procure the necessaries of life in advance. The sensations of hunger and thirst are very deceptive, acting as natural enemies, confusing and misleading the unsophisticated.