Chapter 4

The storm in the forest lasted two full days, only interrupted by brief intervals in which the campers emerged from their tents to collect mushrooms, berries and edible roots while hunting small rodents and mammals with Xiang´s small crossbow, and birds with an improvised sling with a rope, which required innumerable trials to be effective. They also took advantage of those moments to gather firewood not soaked by rainwater.

The atmosphere of the third day appeared diaphanous and fresh air invited to walk after forty-eight hours of forced stillness. As they had decided not to go out alone to avoid getting lost, the four entered the forest together, and had to make their way through the tangle of the undergrowth formed by a great diversity of bushes and lianas. They perceived that the slope was rising insensitively and in a moment the membranes of their ears made them notice that they were already at a considerable height. The air was more pristine and long filaments of a lichen sometimes called “old man's beard” showed its purity, since it is a vegetable formed by a fungus and algae, very sensitive to impurities in the air. Other notable plants began to appear on the road, including carnations from the air and other epiphytes, vegetables that perch on tree trunks that they only use as a support since they do not obtain nutrients or water from them, which come from the air and what falls on these plants. Some spectacular examples of bromeliads, American species of epiphytes with deep tank-shaped flowers in which water and various nutrients fall, forming internal habitats within the flower in which insects, vertebrates and even frogs grow and live on these inputs. Flocks of monkeys could be glimpsed among the frond of the trees like shadows that moved from branch to branch but without being clearly seen at any time, this extreme mobility undoubtedly being part of their defense strategies.

After an hour's march they began to hear a background noise, something like a continuous bass, so they ruled out another storm front.

“I think it's the sound of a running river.” Said Jean Luc. ” Only that the grove prevents us from seeing it.”

After a few minutes, Meiling left the group and ran downward, while the others called insistently for her to wait for them. Xiang felt a fright when he saw his sister disappear among the vegetation and ran after her in the middle of the tangle. When he saw her, fear turned to amazement. The girl was standing on the edge of a deep precipice from which Xiang could only see the ravine on the opposite side that fell vertically.

Approaching cautiously so as not to alarm Meiling and cause an unexpected movement that could make her fall in the abyss, he approached the very edge of the cliff where his sister was standing. When he reached it he took her by the arm so as to make sure that she would not fall down the deep reef; once he did so he forced her to back away a couple of steps away from the edge and then he breathed easier. The young man looked at the girl in the face and realized that she was as hypnotized by the scene she had seen in front of her which created a dangerous lack of control of her will over her actions.

Looking down the cliff Xiang felt the same strange fascination that had gripped his sister before, but he could overcome it.

In the middle of two deep reefs cut almost vertically, a mighty river circulated at great depth through a valley that seemed cut with a knife, and that was undoubtedly the result of the action of the water for millennia on the rock whose layers could be clearly seen. The ravines were rocky and yet numerous conifers of the same type as those that populated the plain above grew on their slopes. The set was a fantastic demonstration of the erosive power of the rainwater and thaws produced at high altitude in the upper part of the region. The river water was a wonderful light blue color and swirled as it encountered stumbling blocks in its path.

Xiang was finally able to drag Meiling out of the area that had such a profound and dangerous psychic influence on her and after a few steps they found Aylen and Jean Luc who had been looking for them everywhere and were quite upset.

“All right. It is time for us to go back to our camp while there is still natural light.” Said the woman. “We do not want to get lost in the jungle in the dark. In our tents we will find food and protection against the cold outside in our sleeping bags.”

On the long journey back they passed through the area full of epiphytic plants and bromeliads. Again Meiling turned away from the others, under the watchful gaze of her brother, and brought her face close to a large flower of a type of brightly colored bromeliads. Deep down, a large number of organisms swam in the water captured by the flower in the air and preserved by its waterproof petals.

"It's a whole world of plants and animals moving in there." Said the girl.

“Yes. And I do not rule out that it is a carnivorous plant, which uses its bright colors to attract prey that it then digests.” Clarified. Jean Luc.

"I don't want to think about that." Replied Meiling.

“Well, it may be true. The jungle does not give anything away. Its laws are ruthless.”

When they finally reached the forest glade where their tents stood, it was already getting dark. From afar they saw the disorder that reigned in the vicinity of the place.

“Someone was in the camp rummaging our things.” Cried desperately Aylen.

“I don't think it was anyone. More likely they were rodents or some type of mammal in search of food. Had we some food left?” Asked Xiang.

“No, what little we had we have taken with us to eat on the way.”

“Well, then everything is limited to put in order the scattered things. We will do it tomorrow in daylight.”

“This calls our attention to a point that we must resolve.” Jean Luc added. “What will we do with the meat of the prey that we can hunt from here on?”

“I have seen that in certain expeditions they are hung food from tree branches using ropes.”

“We should do something like that if we don't want to share the food we get so hard with the forest animals.”

Conrad received the radio call and recognized the voice of the Park Ranger chief.

“Hello, tell me Kovacs, what's new?”

“Today we restart the search by land and by air since the cover of low clouds is gone. Do you have news on your side?”

“We will do the same. The four rescue groups are preparing to leave right now. The mother of the Argentine girl Aylen is already with us and wants to participate in the search. The parents of the Chinese boys are flying from Beijing to Buenos Aires.

“All right. Since we have few resources to cover a very large area, it is important that we synchronize our efforts to avoid duplication. For my part, I have to control a national Park of more than 70,000 hectares with a handful of men and women. I am going to send you a grid to define which zones each group covers.”

“Okay.”