Secret Life of Fox Tail - Chapter 2.The Waterfall and Secret Base

I ruffled through my travel bag and found my sun lotion as I wanted to go out for a walk in the sun, as I will be here for the next two weeks. So hyped up for a walk I was hoping down the hallway in joy and right around the corner I bumped in to John, I turned red with embarrassment of my childish behavior. Both on the floor, he looked at me with surprise and started laughing; I wished I could have crawled in to a hole where no one could see me anymore. John stood up and helped me up wiping away the tears he laughed out, I was pouting all the way to the main entrance of the lodge. He stood firm around his dad, Mr. Browns but looses up as soon as he is nowhere to be found. We became friends immediately with no second chance of thinking whether it’s a good idea or not. Once we were outside, “I will give you tour around the area, so you won’t get lost in the woods and start prancing around like before” he said with a little sarcasm, and laughter. “Please, forget what you saw before” I begged with a little pout. “No way, that’s my prize possession for taking care of you these couple of days. It was entertaining watching you all loose like that, can’t even imagine, it’s so long I haven’t seen that”. “What!” I exclaimed in surprise. “Nothing, don’t worry about that Maria” he said gently. And we started to head in to the wood exploration.

“Do you like bugs?” John asked breaking the silence at last, I turned pale upon been asked like that, he suddenly noticed, “you don’t have to say, it’s written all over your face, it has always been like that “he said in a very low voice. I looked at him, but it was natural anyone not used to bugs will be scared, they might get that a lot in the lodge with other customers I thought. “How about you John?” I asked very quietly. “I live in the woods” he replied back. As we were going up to the mountains, I could see the wonders of the forest that I have never imagined in my life before, various types of trees, bushes, rocks, stones and streams in its own natural selves wondering in the forest. Along the way we talked about how people tend to destroy this natural beauty for their own good reasons. “I will take you to my secret hidden base in the mountains, would you like to see it?” he asked suddenly. “A secret hideout I suppose, not a bad idea.” I replied with a little grin on my face. “Promise me you will not tell my father, if he knew this he would scold me all night along” he pleaded to me. I just kept quiet, smiled and nodded to his request. As we went deeper in to the mountains, through a small gravel road I heard a stream flowing very nearby. “Is that water flowing I hear, John?” I asked. “It is, we are almost here Maria, but I must warn you wild life roam about here, so please be careful if you see the wild” he told me. Finally reaching the destination, it was pure sanctuary in the middle of the forest. A huge waterfall streaming down, as I looked up to its starting point, covered by the blazing sun all I could see was the water falling from the sky, such a beauty I thought. The whole area surrounded by tall trees and rocks are gathered around the stream, although the climate was very hot, near the falls it was cool and breezy with the wind.

“Shall we go to my base” john asked. “I can’t imagine how beautiful this place is, it’s mesmerizing john, it takes my breath away and you can feel this every day, I have no words to express this beauty” I told him without taking a breath. “Shall we” he asked again, I nodded to his request very happily. As we neared the waterfall there were huge rocks standing one on the other, they looked like mighty gods of the waterfall protecting it. Long strips of ivy stretched across those rocks and the sides of the waterfall. They were so nourished by the water not one leaf looked lifeless. They were the proud protectors of this magnificent waterfall I thought across my mind. While admiring this beauty I was totally lost in my though that I have also lost John, coming to my senses I felt really scared. I started looking for him desperately, calling out to him. But not a single word from him, I climbed on to a rock, as its outer shape looked like a small flight of steps, nearing me to the waterfall even more. Desperately wanting to find him I start to call out louder for John, but the sound of the water drowned the sound of my voice. My mind went blank, I felt very scared and sad at the same time, tears start to swelling up my eyes, “I will sit here until John comes looking for me, I will not move” I mumbled to myself, sitting my back against to the ivy, I did not want to squash it so I stood straight, waiting for him. Once I lifted my head what I saw was the flow of the stream created by the waterfall winding its way through the forest the mighty water flowed down, crystal clear water sparkled bright together with the sun. Tears strolled down my cheeks as I was all alone in the mountains lost and no hope of John, my mind whizzed with pain as I wait helplessly.

Suddenly out of nowhere a pair of arms came around me behind the ivy, that made me scream for my life for the first time, they pulled me in to the ivy as I tried struggled to free myself, but it was no use as those arms were stronger than I was. I gave up my fight and let them drag me in to the ivy. Tears strolling with no end I started crying silently. As soon as been pulled in to the ivy, I was hugged from behind by someone but in the dark I could not merely see a thing. “Were you scared without me? It’s alright now I am here” a very assuring voice whispered in my ear. “John?” calming down myself I asked. “Yeah, it’s me, I am so sorry for leaving you alone, please forgive me” he asked very gently. Tears started flowing again with joy of being found and not lost anymore, upon feeling my tears falling john was depressed holding me in his arms he repeatedly begged for me not to cry anymore and he was extremely sorry for what has happened. “Sorry Maria, Sorry Maria” he kept chanting like a spell. Finally relaxing I have forgotten that I am still been hugged by him, I pulled away, “Why did you leave me behind?” I questioned him in a serious tone of voice. “ I didn’t, I thought you were following me this whole time, with the sound of the waterfall and the darkness in here I couldn’t actually hear or see you, but one time I heard a voice crying and calling my name desperately that’s when I realized that I have lost you” he replied very depressed. “You heard me call for you with that sound of the waterfall!?” surprisingly I asked. He nodded back with a painful look in his eyes, strange I thought to myself.

“Welcome to my secret base, Maria” that is when I realized I was inside the cave behind the waterfall. Though I looked around it was totally dark and a huge gush of water falling in front of me. “Don’t even think about it!” John exclaimed as he was reading my mind, “What!?” I asked curiously. “You were just thinking about popping your head through the waterfall, weren’t you, planning to die so soon?” he asked. I had no words to tell him as he read my mind in an instant; I just stared at him with an open mouth. “You want bugs to crawl in there? He started laughing again .I closed my mouth suddenly “How did you know”? I demanded. “Natural instinct” he said slyly. He stood up and went somewhere I couldn’t see, but I can see his figure moving in the dark, so I sat quietly. Suddenly the sun came pouring inside the cave lighting up inside the cave giving me permission to see all around. John has pulled up some wire like string which moved the ivy to a side without damaging them allowing the sun to pour down directly to the cave. It was like an ivy curtain covering inside the cave from danger. “Ivy curtain!?” I asked puzzled. “Something like that” he said laughing. Inside the cave I can see the icicles that have been formed by water crystals they sparkled more than anything with beauty. There were small water pools inside the cave and I was sitting right next to one. As I dipped my hands in to the water it felt so refreshing. Looking more in to details it was exactly like the lounge in Forest Paradise. Seating’s and the front desk arrangements looked exactly the same. “Forest Paradise here!?” I stated.

To be continued...