The Wood : Part 4

Continued from The Wood : Part 1, The Wood : Part 2 and The Wood : Part 3

   So I rose and began to walk slowly. It rose, too. I thought that it was going to pounce and I waited for the worst to happen, breaking in cold sweat. But it didn't, so I made a move, and the next, and the next, and the tiger followed me closely. Finally I felt at ease when it didn't harm me. I even tried to pat its head. When it didn't bite my hand or reacted aggresively, I knew that I've got a companion in the isolated forest.

   My stomach felt sucked in. By then I knew that I was really starving. Just then i caught sight of a cottage. My heart leaped with joy and I was smiling from ear to ear. "Come on!" I said to Stryber the tiger. Yes, that's the name I gave him. It bounded along the path beside me as I sped towards the cottage. When we reached the gate, I suddenly didn't know what to do. And I found out that the road ended there instead of a bend as I had predicted. Although I called out a few times, no one answered. I was convinced that I should go into the house because there was nowhere else for me to go.

   I pushed the creaking gate. It was not locked. Why didn't the owner oil the hinge? It sounded terribly creepy. Going up to knock on the door, I stayed near Stryber all the time. No one opened the door. I twisted the knob. It was not locked too. I debated with myself whether to go in or not. What's the worst that can happen? After all Stryber was with me. It will kind of be like Goldilocks and the three bears, won't it, only I didn't have golden locks. Oh well, who cares?

   When I got in, I was astounded. The furniture were covered with white cloths and everything was so dusty. It's clear that no one had lived in the house for quite some time. "Let's stay here, Stryber. At least for now." Stryber just watched as I pulled off the covering on the furniture and coughed when dust filled the air. I had to go out of the house for a while until the dust settled. I discovered where the kitchen was and that there was only one bedroom. The toilet was near the kitchen, on the northeast corner. It's an old-fashioned house, but there's a fridge and an old stove. I found the broom and as I swept away the dust, my stomach suddenly growled with hunger. I had forgotten how hungry I was in my excitement of exploring the house. I hurried to the kitchen and found where the cutlery and cooking utensils were in the kitchen cupboard. But where could I get the food? The thought hit me so suddenly. I looked out of the kitchen window, hoping to spot any edible plant or fruit. To my delight, I saw that there were many kinds of it growing all over in the garden. No wonder, since there's nobody to take care of them. Except, maybe, magic? I opened the kitchen door that led into the backyard. It was quite large. I brought with me a basket to put in all the vegetables. Stryber followed behind as I plucked, picked and dug potatoes, carrots, beans, radishes, toamtoes, cabbages...before long my basket was full and I went to have two more picking trips. I put all of them in the fridge. Stryber sniffed at the basket. 'What a cat!' I smiled to myself. Then I remembered. He must eat meat! Where am I going to find it? Salt, spices...oh...I sat on the chair with resignation. I turned to Stryber. "Stryber, can you bear eating vegetables just like that everyday? Are you going to hunt for your own food or do I have to prepare it for you? Hey, I'm not your food, right?" He just looked at me with inquiring eyes. I just hoped that he didn't suddenly decided to have me for dinner!

- To be continued -