A Fire In The Woods

"Who was that woman you were talking to?" Missy asked when I returned to our table.

"Leia..." I said, still dazed by the encounter.

"Leia, who's Leia?"

Her voice lingered for a bit before I realized what she was asking. My mind came back from the void.

"Nevermind that now, let's go Missy!" I shouted, begging to digress.

"We're all carrying out own weight from now on, so eat what you can carry!" I exclaimed. My sudden uplift in mood couldn't be hacked. But Missy, still reeling from the pains of her very full stomach, couldn't care less. It didn't matter though, because I was happy. Happier than I'd ever been. We needed to get to the end of the line as soon as possible, and I felt like we couldn't get there fast enough.

Despite Missy's condition, we still couldn't stay. Our little stopover had been good, but I insisted we had to camp somewhere else for the night. That's how we ended up in the woods.

Missy's arms were wrapped around my shoulder as I struggled to support both her weight and mine. I had broken my earlier vow. It was inevitable... Missy was painfully slow walking by herself. We came to a stop a short while later so my arms could rest. As we were collapsed on the bare dirt path, I looked up and suddenly noticed a light in the distance not far ahead of us. It appeared to come from an unstable source that moved with warm yellow and orange tones, presumably a fire. I tapped Missy and told her to get up.

"We can rest right ahead," I said.

She shook her head.

"Don't be silly," she said, "They could be dangerous. Nan told me about how criminals on the run always lurk in the forest. They draw you in at night with a low burning fire, then kill you so you never talk!" she said.

"Well I wish we were spoilt for choice, but I have no idea how to make a fire and you're not exactly up to it, and I can't let us freeze to death!"

She folded her arms in further protest. She couldn't hide it; she was freezing.

"If you're going to be difficult, at least let me be seated by a warm fire while you do it." She gave me a mean stare for my statement.

"Fine. But Nan will hear of this," she said.

"I'm sure she will." Then I helped her up and we began to walk towards the light.

We got to the scene of the fire and there was no one in site. No signs of people who'd left briefly to go get more firewood, no signs that anyone was coming back. And there was something else that caught my attention... I would put it to good use very soon as I predicted Missy would still be one to convince, especially after I concluded the fire belonged to no one and as such, declared it a safe spot to camp for the night.

"How can't you see it? It's a trap! They'll probably come out anytime now," Missy said, frantically scanning the place.

"No one's coming," I smiled, looking at her. I was calm. She looked back at me confused.

"Why?"

I pointed my hand to the ground.

"It's all over the place!" I exclaimed, "How can you not see it?"

"See what?"

"Paw marks—I think it was a tiger, and it must've scared the hell out of whoever lit this fire," I said, laughing.

"That's not funny. What makes you think we'll be safe then, if it's still here somewhere?"

"Because you see, I don't believe there ever was a tiger, a blue tiger to be exact, judging by the blue fur everywhere. There haven't been any for a very long time. They're extinct! But it's pretty easy..." I said.

"What?"

"Molding a gigantic tiger paw print in the mud, scattering a few blue coloured hair strands here and there—people are bound to go wild with their imagination. In all likelihood, I believe it to be the work of a very crafty huntsman who was tired of looters taking what they could find in his animal traps." I proceeded to show her the traps I had seen hidden in the nearby grass, then I proudly went on explaining my discovery. "So, the first person who came along, not so long ago I take it, didn't think for another minute about having his life devoured by a ferocious blue beast. He thought only to run without ever looking back. Good for him I say, and good for us... we have a fire now!"

She gave me an odd stare.

"I thought you didn't know anything about our inferior planet?"

"I choose not to, most times. But I do admit, I do know my way around the dead," I grinned.

"And the man with the traps?"

"They always return in the morning, we'll be gone by then."

My explanation seemed plausible enough, and I think she believed me. She subsequently went silent after that. We both did. After standing awkwardly by the trees for a while, staring at the animal traps she'd missed, I knew she wouldn't last much longer in the cold. She finally came and sat next to me on the only log beside the fire. She was shivering and the sound of her chattering teeth caused such discomfort. I stretched out my cloak and engulfed her in it. She turned to me.

"Thank you," she said.

"How's your stomach?"

"Better. I'll try to control my self next time," she chuckled.

"I bet."

It went silent again.

"So, who was that woman again?" she asked. Her question took me back to the conversation I'd had with Leia.

Despite the amazing time I'd had, it had been so strange. Especially in the end. The outburst of emotions that had interrupted us back there... what had forced Leia to make off in such a hurry and leave me in much suspenseful thought. I thought about what she'd said, and I felt like it had been a warning. Thus, I needed to know what from.

Missy started tugging at my cloak and I was drawn back to her question. I knew I couldn't escape it forever. I decided to tell her everything. She was mystified, as I had expected, but she was quick to jump back and give me her thoughts when I asked her what Leia's strange warning meant.

"I can't really say," she said. "Maybe she's in some sort of trouble. And when you get there, to the land of the eternal, you might have to make a choice."

"Hmm..."

"I can't be sure though," she said.

I turned to her. "Well, whatever it is, I don't think I'll be able to keep my word because... I'll choose her over me anytime."

"Then you're a fool," Missy chuckled.

"Honestly, I am," I smiled.

As we were amid bouts of light laughter, we suddenly heard a slight ruffling sound, like leaves crumbling under a man's boot. It was followed by a shadow that took form over us. We saw the shape of a man on the ground, and slowly turned around, both of us very likely praying that I hadn't got my tiger theory wrong. Fortunately, it was just the waiter who'd served us at the restaurant before. What was he doing here?

"You scared us half to death mister!" Missy said.

"I'm so sorry... I've just come from town with a message." He handed me a parcel. I received it as I kept my eyes on him. I was still weary of how suspiciously he'd come. How had he known that we'd be in that exact spot? And he wasn't panting... We'd left the village considerably a while back, but he stood there like he hadn't just come a distance. And he'd been so quiet!

"The man with a message. Always with a message," I said, referring back to how he'd been the same person who'd delivered Leia's message to see me.

I opened it and read what it said. I looked up at him.

"Who left this message?"

"The woman you were talking to slid it by me as she left. She told me to give it to you only after she was completely out of sight."

I shrugged in disbelief. "Well you took your time, didn't you?"

He bowed his head awkwardly. "I had a lot of work to do—I apologize again." Then he scurried off back the way he came.

"What does it say?" Missy asked.

"It tells us where to find Space."

"Well, great! Let's go!"

I turned to her highly pleased. "My thoughts exactly."