***** Vol.2 Chap.54 A close call *****
After several hours of walking and the compound having faded into the background, May-Ling’s anxiety finally subsided. There was a crack of sunlight over the horizon, illuminating the silhouette of the mountain ranges in front of her. It was enigmatic, as if pointing her to the goal. The faint light also allowed her to see a little more clearly where she was going, making progress a little faster and easier.
She picked up the pace.
The morning air was fresh and refreshing. Soon she was skipping and hopping like a little child. She remembered when she was six years old. She was young enough to be on her own, but not old enough to help seriously in her parent’s clinic. Her parents would send her out to run errands delivering prescriptions and picking up supplies. On Sunday, her parents would take care of various housekeeping chores for the clinic while she would be free to roam around the countryside. She was a good and obedient child and her parents trusted her.
One of her favorite play areas was the temple that was halfway up the hill. The temple was close to the clinic and her parents knew the monks there. She herself also loved to go to the temple and the monks would have a special treat for her. Sometimes she would help in the temple, while other times, she would just frolic around the meadow on the temple ground, skipping, hopping, cart wheeling around the meadow, and just having a good time.
Right now, she seemed to have the same sensation of freedom, of happiness again. She began to skip and hop, though she noticed she could not skip as far and hop as high anymore. But the more she headed towards the village, the more she felt happy, purposeful, and fulfilled. She almost started singing, but thought she better restrained herself from doing so. But she caught herself humming her favorite tunes.
“Who is there?” A rough voice came from behind a grove of trees.
May-Ling froze in her tracks. Then, instinctively, she sidestepped behind a tree and waited.
“Who is there?”
The voice came much closer. She literally stopped her breathing and held herself motionless.
“Who is out there?”
The voice seemed to come from a little farther to her left.
She timidly peered out of the tree and caught the outline of a big burly man walking away from her. That must be one of the guards patrolling the back part of the compound. She waited till she could not see the patrol anymore, then quietly she continued her walk.
Stolen story; please report.
This time, she walked briskly with all her five senses fully engaged and sensitized to her environment. Just to be sure that she was not followed, she would turn her head now and then to see if anyone was there. It was not until the sun broke through the treetops and she had neither heard nor met anyone else for quite a while that she allow herself to relax again. Even so, she was still on full alert, ready to react should anything happen.
After two more hours of hiking, she had scaled the ridge. In front of her, the valley lay below. The day was already in full swing, and she could see farms and houses down in the valley. It was still quite a way off, but she was glad that the directions she got from Jar-Li were correct. Delighted, she took a break and had some of the bread that Jar-Li gave her.
After a little rest, though still tired, she wanted to push on, seeing that the goal was almost within reach. But somehow there was a slight hesitation within her. There was just a tiny feeling for her to stop and wait. She did not know what this little feeling was all about.
The answer came soon enough as she started down the hill.
In less than ten steps, her ears first picked up the shoveling noise of several men walking on a trail. Then an alarm in her subconsciousness rang as her nose picked up a scent. It was a familiar disgusting smell. Instinctively, she ducked and crawled on all fours, looking for a thick bush or undergrowth to hide.
Since she was not on the trail and the men were walking along the trail, she never saw the men. But just hearing them and smelling them was already too close for her. She remembered Jar-Li’s words, Stay off the main trail. Had she been following the main trail she would surely have been found and executed on the spot. Jar-Li knew the men and what they would do. Again, he had saved her and saved the day.
She was not sure what she should do. If she came out from hiding, the men may find her on the way back. As she thought about the situation, she took the opportunity to take a brief nap and rest as much as possible to conserve her energy. She would remain in hiding until the men returned. Then, with whatever light was left, she would try to make her way to the village.
Satisfied with her decision, she curled up underneath some heavy undergrowth and slept soundly.
It was late afternoon when she woke up. At first, she was slightly disoriented, but after a minute, she realized she was hiding from the men. She finished the rest of the bread and water that Jar-Li gave her. Then she sat and waited. She knew the men would pass by here soon.
Sure enough, she did not have to wait long. Her ears picked up the steps of the men returning. The steps were heavy and slow. Then her nose was overwhelmed by the sweaty smell. It was worse than the smell in the morning and was quite overbearing. She took a deep breath and then stayed as motionless as possible.
The men passed. Judging from the foul stench, they could not be very far from where she was hiding. Since she did not know how many men there were, she remained hidden for quite a while longer, just to be sure that there were no stragglers falling behind. She could not risk getting caught again.
When she could no longer smell them or hear them, she carefully came out from hiding. Stealthily, she looked around and made sure that she could not see the men. She figured that if she could not see the men, the men could not see her as well. When she was sure that the coast was clear, she made her way down the hill. She walked quickly avoiding the trail the entire time. Just for added protection, she favored walking underneath trees so that she could remain hidden if anyone was looking for her from the hilltop.
It was getting dark, but in the distance, she could see some distant lights. She figured the lights must come from the village. Using the lights as a guide, she prodded on.