Chapter Six
GULLIES USUALLY GO straight, he kept thinking as he saw her start to round the bend. When she disappeared, he hurried until he reached the gully and then took careful strides towards the bend.
He exhaled in relief when he saw her still walking in the distance.
The sides of the gully seemed to go higher and higher with each step. When he saw another bend ahead, he realized that the once wide spaces on both his sides had narrowed down, and the sides of the gully now stood a few inches above his head.
Carefully treading so as not to make any noise, especially that there was a thin line of water streaming in the opposite direction, Julio got out of the second bend.
Then his heart sank.
In plain sight were two side paths a few feet from each other, both marked by the obvious space carved through the soil and rock that made the sides of the gully. The main path he was on stretched on farther. And the woman was no longer in sight!
His heart picked up its pace. He could not lose her this far.
Not even thinking of the sounds his feet were making, Julio quickly dashed to the first side path and saw that it turned. He went through it to take a look if she had gone there.
She didn't. The first path went straight and she was nowhere to be seen.
Naturally, Julio headed for the second path. His hopes went up -- though he did not see the woman yet, the path was full of turns and bends. It was as if there was a turn or a curve every six or seven steps. So she just might be lost in one of those bends, and if he only made good time, he would be able to catch up with her.
As he navigated the new path, the sides had become double his height. The space had become narrower and would only accommodate two people walking abreast. He also noted that the trees that made a canopy on the pathway had quickly become denser, and their leaves were now almost sealing the entire path.
There were only a few spots where light came in, more than enough to see his way. But it has remarkably become darker.
But for some reason, this actually made the entire place look beautiful.
The unique sound of the forest-as if the rustling leaves proved they were alive-and chirps of birds made him feel he was not entirely alone, but in a good way. Even the air seemed to have its own sound, soothing and friendly. The forest always made him feel welcomed. But a mix of both excitement and apprehension came over him as he saw that the path was already coming to an opening that marked the end of this turn.
He could see that there were lines of trees in that area and that gave him more spring in his step. When he reached the end of the path, he felt dizzy and disoriented.
But it only lasted for a few seconds.
And then frustration crept in.
He was in an area littered with an assortment of trees. He tried to guess where he was in the woods if he had been standing infront of the mountain. He could be in its right side now-and he has never reached this far before inside the woods. Trees and vegetation here were thick and seemed to have more life than anywhere else.
He looked to the left and then the right -- there was no sign of the woman.
The density of plant life made it hard for him to determine which way she had gone. He was not a hunter like Eulalia or Marko, so he relied on the vegetation to give him clues. He looked for something out of the ordinary in a lush, mostly untouched forest like this. A sign of disturbance in the natural plant life would help him a lot.
But there were none. There was not even a sign of a commonly used path!
Julio walked forward. Not even caring if he made a loud noise, he trampled the greenery beneath him and headed forward like a man driven by purpose. Low hanging branches and a few fallen trees slowed him down. He kept reminding himself to look up every so often. With the leaves forming a thick blanket on the forest's roof, it seemed hard to tell if the sun was at its peak or if it was setting. He knew he would have to go back the same way he came, so he took care not to deviate too much from his straight approach.
How much time had passed, he had no idea.
What Julio knew the moment he stepped out of the forest and into a wide clearing was that he had never seen a place so simple and yet so beautiful in all his life.
The clearing, almost half the size of the center of his village, was surrounded on all sides by trees, rounding off all corners. The green grass smelled the way grass smelled in mornings.
But when he looked down, his shadow was slightly cast to the side -- a few minutes to an hour after midday.
He squinted as a curious sight in the huge clearing met his eyes.
In the center of it was what appeared to be a hut, small by the usual standard, with perfectly round sides. It was intriguing because from afar, it did not look like it had a door. Some sides were boarded up and the roof was made of what appeared to be wooden slats. It had the look of considerable age, yet it didn't have the feel of age.
Standing in the middle of the clearing, the little hut looked like a strong and defiant place, perfect for the travel weary.
It was intriguing, and Julio was weary, so he headed for the hut.
When he reached it, he was surprised to find that it was not actually a hut but a well! Its round sides were of moss-covered stone and the wooden construction on top of it was indeed made of aged wood.
The distance between any opposite two points was easily a yard by his observation. The wood that topped the moss-covered stone including four posts felt cold to the touch and when he knocked on it, it felt like stone. There was a small pail tied at both sides by a length of rope that was hanging from what was once the branch of a tree that was acting as one of the four posts of the well.
Julio looked down and immediately got a feel of how deep the well went. Although the sun was just a few degrees off, the surface of the water could not be seen. The thought of how cold the water was suddenly made Julio realize that he was thirsty.
Taking the small pail off of where it was hanging from, Julio released it from his grip and let it fall down the well. It was a good three seconds before he heard the pail splash on the water below.
Almost simultaneously, the cluster of trees that surrounded the clearing burst out with activity. A flock of house sparrows broke off from their shade in the trees, flying with frenzy towards the opposite side.
It was bizarre, he thought with a frown. Birds did not behave like that for no reason. He was sure there was no rustling among the tree branches, no sound of squabbling among the flock just before they took off.
Unless there was a snake in the trees where the birds came from that attacked and therefore, terrorized the entire flock into flight.
He shrugged and turned his attention to the well. The small pail had already hit the water so he let some of the rope slack to let the pail tilt to its side. For a moment, the little wooden pail seemed to be at ease in the water, so he alternated between pulling the rope up, giving it a little swing, and then letting it splash down on the water again to force it to tilt. He knew it would fall to its side eventually.
Every time the pail hit the water, he was reminded of how deep the well went. In the silent clearing where not even the rustling of trees could be heard, the sound that came up the well seemed to magnify, like it had a presence to it, like it bounced off many times before finally making its ascent. Julio thought about it but discarded it as absurd.
The rope became taut. He hoisted the pail up with no great effort. The pail, brimming to capacity, spilled some of its contents back into the well as it climbed up the height of the well.
Each sound that the drops made seemed to grow louder as the pail went higher.
Julio finally got a hold of the pail and he took a big sip off the pail. Some of the water ran down his upturned chin and made its way down his throat. Mid-drink, Julio realized how full and almost sweet the water tasted.
He felt re-energized. Cool breeze gently blew on him, relaxing him more. And it seemed to be coming fro
m the ground.
As soon as he thought that, he thought, too, That's strange.
But he was not imagining it.