Читать книгу The Great Mystery - Travis Ph.D. Slone - Страница 6

Eva was about to return home, as she always did, when she heard a voice carried by the wind… much like a whisper.

“Eva,” whispered the wind.

The voice called out to her again from the jungle just beyond her view. However, she could not distinguish its origin.

Eva realized that the remaining daylight was running out fast. She needed to get back to the village before sunset, but curiosity got the best of her.

With nothing to fear, she took a short detour into the trees, just west of the known path. While carefully pushing aside hanging branches and stepping over thick brush, a rustle in the tall grasses up ahead momentarily startled her.

Eva picked up her pace, trying to see what, or who, was moving about. She contemplated whether an older sibling, or a village hunter like her father, might be playing games as they often did. At least that would explain the voice, she thought.

On the other hand, the wind often played games of its own. Perhaps her imagination had gotten the best of her, and she had wondered in search of a small animal looking for food on the forest floor. Either way, she was curious.

In the excitement, she had not taken notice of the suns waning position in the evening sky. She paused to consider her options before deciding to make her way back to the path, and head home.

However, just as Eva began to turn around, the voice spoke yet again. This time there was no mistaking it.

“Eva,” whispered the mysterious voice. The sound crept through the jungle, echoing from every direction.

Suddenly, feeling uneasy for the first time, Eva moved anxiously in the direction of the voice. As she turned, a young boy approached through the bushes. They bumped right into each other, and then quickly backed off in surprise. They curiously inspected one another, but found few things in common. From what she could tell, the boy was about her age, and equally human. The similarities ended there.

His skin was much darker than Eva’s, and his eyes were like light brown marbles. The boy possessed neatly groomed black hair, a luxury of which she had never seen. He dressed very differently from what she was accustomed. On his feet, he wore sandals made of fine leather, and on his body an elaborate robe of many bright colors. The beauty and quality of the boy’s apparel were in stark contrast to the plain white linens of those living in Eva’s tiny village.

Having never met anyone from outside her village, Eva was certain she had never seen the boy before. Yet somehow, he had surely been calling her by name just moments ago. Interested in who the boy was, Eva inquired about three things.

“Who are you?” she asked. “What are you doing here in the woods as the sun sets, and how do you know my name?”

With growing intrigue, their eyes locked on to one another as an unfamiliar feeling descended upon the forest. Eva waited patiently for his reply.

“My name is Amir,” the boy quietly answered. “I have abandoned a familiar sandy path in search of a voice I heard upon the wind just minutes ago.”

Confused by the third question, Amir asked something in return.

“I do not know your name as you assume,” he said. “But why would you ask for mine, when you called to me just moments ago? Your voice was unmistakable.”

Certain she had not called to him like he suggested, Eva's pulse quickened, and a new sensation rushed through her veins. The tiny hairs on her body rose as chills ran down her spine. Having lost her sense of direction during the brief chase, her well-known path was now hidden from sight.

The terrifying grumble of thunder echoed throughout the darkening sky. Eva stared with wide eyes at Amir, trembling with fear. It was the feeling of separation from what she knew; a sensation that was not about to end.

The life giving sun had set, flashing storm clouds had rolled in, bringing with them the familiar scent of rain, and darkness had fallen harshly upon the dense jungle.