"I don't think I"m brave enough to go anywhere outside this earth," said one of the nuns. "Too dangerous," said another. "But fantastic," chirped another.
"Why don't you take the next few days quietly," said Head Nun. "You can go again to the river which you like so much ... oh oh, I shouldn't have said that ...."
I looked at Head Nun and grinned. "Yes, I would like to go back to the river and be amidst nature once again!"
"Head Nun, I'll come with him and make sure he stays out of trouble," said Ning.
I didn't mind Ning accompanying me, so early the next morning, both of us started off for the river. This time I decided to go upstream instead of downstream like my last visit. It was certainly good to be among the beautiful tall trees and green ferns and be fanned by the cool, soft breeze. Ning said he felt rejuvenated and after walking a while, we decided to take a rest under one of the trees. Ning promptly fell asleep while I chewed on some berries we had found. It was beautifully quiet and serene and I couldn't ask for anything more.
After resting, we decided to walk further upstream. Soon we came across a small wooden shack in the middle of some trees. The door was open and being naturally curious, we peeped inside. We saw an old man sitting by the window and gazing out as though waiting for someone He turned round and said, "Welcome! Do make yourselves comfortable. Unfortunately I do not have anything to offer you to eat or drink."
"It's alright, sir," said Ning. "We're just passing through and saw that the door was open ..."
"Yes," said the old man. "I am a woodcutter but I have not been able to do any work because my son, who helps me, is missing. He has not returned since he left to cut some wood more than a week ago."
"Don't worry," I said. "I'm sure he'll be back soon."
The old man shook his head. "It's not like him to go off just like that. He is a good boy and he has been taking care of me since his mother died a few years ago. I fear something has happened to him. Can you help me find him?" pleaded the old man, tears welling up in his faded eyes.
Ning and I looked at each other. "What do you think, Ning?" I whispered. "We must help him!"
Ning opened his mouth to say something - I knew he was going to tell me to mind my own business - but closed it when he saw that the old man was now sobbing uncontrollably. It was impossible not to feel pity for him and I was surprised when Ning, the more stonehearted of us two, said, "We will try to help you, sir."
"You will?" he replied, his face lighting up. "Oh thank you and may the good Lord bless you! Look, I've got an old photo of him, it will help you identify him." He fished out from his pocket an old torn photo and gave it to us with shaking hands. He tried to get up but stumbled and to our horror, fell to the floor.
"Look, Da, I think I had better stay here and take care of him. It looks like he hasn't eaten for days," said Ning, as we gave him some water to drink and tried to make him comfortable.
"Alright, Ning." The sun was already high in the sky when I set off and it was very hot. I plodded on not really knowing where to go. The old man had been quite vague as to where his son could have gone. Trees, trees and more trees ....I was getting thirsty and decided to stop by the river to drink.
All of a sudden, I thought I heard something. As I stood still and listened, the sound became clearer and it was like cries for help. And it was coming from the river some distance up. I ran along the river bank and saw to my amazement that the cries were coming from a giant frog in the middle of the river. When I looked closer, I saw that it wasn't totally a frog - it had a human torso and the head of a frog! It was the most frightening and revolting thing I had ever seen ...
"Please help me!" it cried again and again.
I stood there stunned, wondering whether my eyes were deceiving me. But there it was, and it was pleading for help!
"Oh my God," I said to myself as it starting swimming towards me.
(To be continued)
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