He throws his head back, falls back on the stone and gives a contagious laugh. His crafty brown eyes sparkle in my direction. I jump to my feet in indignation.
«I’m joking, calm down. We’ll start with the left one, of course.»
It’s really incredibly difficult to be angry with him. Alex’s humor helps me cope with difficulties and turns everything that happens into a game. Rather, it reminds me that this IS a game, and I am here of my own free will… Suddenly something catches my eye.
«Alex, take a closer look at the waterfall. On the right side, closer to the boulder. See? The water falls there differently than in all other places. As if it meets a flat, unnatural obstacle… as if a stream of water from a tap were breaking against a metal sheet. Do you see this spray?»
Before he can answer, I am already rolling up my trousers.
We are not aware of the depth of the lake, so we jump on the stones sticking out of it, and without much difficulty reach the waterfall. To the right, behind a stream of water, there is a small metal platform built into the rock, on which a small red Antakarana symbol is barely visible. I was right! Looking closely, we find a niche, and in it the coveted white box. Getting very wet and not without effort, we take it out and hurry to the shore in order to quickly familiarize ourselves with the contents. It turns out to be a rounded vial, similar to the first, with an orange liquid and a note:
«Your best friend and the base of life
That world can’t live without;
But still, in its destructive might
It can destroy you to the ground».
Alex turns the note thoughtfully in his hands:
«In this riddle, the opposition is somewhat different.»
«Yes,» I agree with him, «this lake gave us new strength, healing, maybe even life. But a tsunami could ruin thousands of lives. Just recall its consequences in South-East Asia in 2004 or in Japan in 2011. Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes that destroy entire cities. These are natural forces that a person cannot influence on.»
«It seems that we are still dealing with the theme of the conflict between man and nature… Lavina, all is not lost with you when it comes to finding objects. I’m impressed!» Alex praises me.
«You noticed that all the finds were located in iconic places: a tall tree that can be seen from any hill in the area, a waterfall with a lake of fresh water… Hopefully the others also paid attention to this and found something,» I hastily mutter, to hide how flattered I am by his compliment.
«Maestro said that we are professionals. Let’s see. We won’t die of hunger and thirst in any case. I’ve seen banana and coconut palms around our camp, and there are probably edible plants and animals in the forests. It’s a shame we don’t have any tools. However, the lack of food will greatly complicate our five star stay.»
«I propose to move on. And stop staring at my feet. Trust me, they’re tasteless and very skinny.»
Having cheered up from the find and having drunk plenty of water, we decide to turn back to the Platform.
The sun is rapidly approaching the horizon, the heat subsides and is replaced first by the saving, and then by the uncomfortable coolness.
«How much time do we have?» I ask Alex anxiously. The fear of getting lost and staying overnight in the jungle spurs me on and gives me a new burst of strength in the legs.
«Probably no more than two hours. We should be on the Platform by six. Otherwise, there is every chance to spend the night in the company of cute animals.» He tries to hide his worry, but does not really succeed. To distract myself somehow, I ask:
«What do you think we might have in common with each other and these people?»
«Passion for adventure? Love for nature? Common acquaintances? One thing I know for sure: now it is fear, hunger and a desire to strangle Maestro and his entire team.» Alex does not turn around and picks up the pace a little more. Now we don’t even have time to look at our feet.
After a little thought, I decide to share my idea with him:
«Have you had any deep mental trauma in your life, for example, the loss of a loved one, divorce of parents, financial fiasco…?»
«You mean besides our joint shameful loss in an online game?»
«Alex, I’m serious! Maybe a similar tragedy in the past unites us all? At the age of five, I lost my older sister. She died in a terrible accident. The school bus was returning from a tour of the places of military glory in Volgograd, when the driver of the truck fell asleep, lost control and went into a ditch. The bus driver did not have time to react and crashed at full speed into the tail of the truck. Then five children died. One of them was Julia. I don’t remember much about that terrible tragedy, and I dimly imagine the outline of her face. Twenty years have passed and I have almost forgotten everything. But my parents have to live with it every day.»
«This is terrible. I sympathize with you and your parents. True. But I don’t think I fit into this scheme myself. My parents have lived together for many years and still love each other. The brother and sister are doing well too. A terribly decent and boring family. Let’s be honest, 95% of people on earth had to go through the loss of a loved one or a difficult parting, witness death or suffer childhood trauma. I don’t think this can be our answer, too many inhabitants of the planet fit such a description.»
Alex is right. But something is still gnawing at me from the inside. Something, what I am not yet able to find a name and give shape for.
I watch anxiously as the sun touches the edge of the horizon, turning bright orange. There is not even a hint of our camp around. The jungle sounds are suddenly louder and more intense. It’s getting really creepy. Pleasing to the eye, rich green tones of lush vegetation transform into ominous dark outlines. The lianas turned out to be long paws with tenacious claws that grab and try to drag me into the depths of the dangerous and unpredictable jungle.
«Alex, are you sure we haven’t lost our way? We still haven’t passed that tall tree, although we should have already been there…»
«Right, tree! Lavina, you are a genius! Now I will climb higher and see where it is. Our tree should be different from the rest. If I’m lucky, I might even be able to see the Platform.»
Alex picks the highest tree in sight and climbs it. And I watch in dismay as the sun disappears quickly. A few more minutes, and everything around will plunge into the absolute darkness. Maybe there is no point in looking for a way back, but spend the remaining time to organize a night shelter? And the moment the twilight gets really thick, I see a glow. Of course! Our camp is the only illuminated place in the area!
«Alex!» I shout. «The light!»
He immediately understands what I mean and jumps from a rather dangerous height. We are rushing towards a barely discernible glow, now and then bumping into some kind of plant barriers. I pray to myself that the next vine does not turn out to be a rattlesnake. Another twenty minutes pass, and in the pitch darkness, terrified to death, we finally jump out of the thickets into a poorly lit clearing.
All players have already gathered at a massive table. They turn around at our steps. BeBe is the first who takes off, runs up and throws herself on my neck:
«Thank God, you are all right! We were going crazy with worry!»
She lets go of me and hugs Alex, continuing to mutter something and sob periodically. My eyes meet Alex’s confused gaze.
«And when did we become such close friends, why are they worried about us?» you can read a mute question on his face.
I am