It is a sea of deep green that they are in. The gigantic insects here are humming in a creepy melody as if they are rendering a song that welcomes them to hell. The hanging moss tickles both Isaac’s and Tommy’s cheeks. The sound of rustling leaves is whispering into their ears. A smell of hesitation hovers in the air. Clutching their fists tightly, they move forward to the unknown.
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“Hey, Tommy, what shall we do now? My stomach is rumbling now and I don’t think I can hold on for that long,” Isaac says, “perhaps we should go look for some food?”
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“Ah sure, lemme do my job then,” it says as it starts to sniff around the surroundings, sensing any scent of food to feast upon.
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“Wait oh wait, I smell a river nearby. It’s just less than 10 meters away from where we are now,” says Tommy, swaying his tail from one side to another,” let’s race there!”
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“Wait up, Tommy. Aw man, you know I suck at sports!”
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Isaac is still panting when Tommy has already soaked himself in the turquoise-blue stream.
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“Come down here, Isaac. I am sure that you will be addicted to it once you get a try!” Tommy barks in delight.
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“Alright then. Here I come in one, two,”
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“Helppppppppppppp! Would anyone just help me? I am…drown…drowning,” shriek echoes.
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Tracking along the voice, they find a porcupine struggling in the water. It is aiming for the dripping branches which could save it from drowning. But clearly, it’s nothing when it comes to combating the churning flow.
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“Save me please, I will surely be compensating you with the thing I treasure most if you could kindly lend me a helping hand,” the porcupine begs in fear.
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Isaac attempts to lay hold of it but the spikes on its back are poking him so badly that he doesn’t even dare any more of his thew.
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“Take this,” Tommy says as he hands over a thick branch that is feasible to lift the porcupine.
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“Thank you guys, I am Jenny, and here you are the magic red handkerchief. It’s an heirloom passed down from my great-grandfather. Put it on and you will gain immense strength when you run into a fight,” it searches through its spikes and bestows it on Isaac, “we shall meet soon!”
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“So…what should we do with this thing now? It only gives us one handkerchief”, Isaac asks.
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“Perhaps you take it then, I don’t need to dress up in anything after all,” Tommy answers.
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“Oh wait, maybe we can share it,” Isaac says as he tears the handkerchief into two, “here you go.”
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Tommy bites on a corner of the cloth, struggling to put it on. Seeing his unbearable clumsiness, Isaac bursts into laughter.
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“ Haha, look at you, you gawky thing. Let me help you,” he says as he wraps his arms around Tommy’s neck with the handkerchief, “here you go, a knot is perfectly tied!”
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Tommy bounces to the rushing stream. In the wobbling reflection of its own, it sights a smart pup in snazziness.
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“Isaac, I’m not bragging but it looks really cool on me. The one tied on your wrist seems pretty nice too!” Tommy exclaims.
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“Thanks, dude. Sharing the same thing with you makes me feel like we are one. Hey Tommy, lemme ask you a question. Would you ever leave me alone? What I am trying to say is that, will you ever abandon me? “He turns to Tommy.
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“ Oh Isaac, don’t you remember that we are a family? By saying a family means that we will never leave each other behind, despite hardship.”
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“You promise that we will forever be companying each other? I mean in any circumstance,” Isaac is still interrogating Tommy.
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“Yes boy, and from now on, you, Isaac Thomson and I, Tommy Boomer, are sworn buddies of each other. By the way, ‘Boomer’ is just a name which my childhood buddy used to call me, so, no surprise,” it glares deeply into Isaac’s soul.
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“Sorry Tommy, I didn’t mean to suspect you, I’m just…”
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“It’s alright, buddy, and there’s one more thing which is more crucial now. We gotta leave this forest as soon as possible. It may look like an innocuous safe haven upon first glance, but it haunts and daunts many,” Tommy whispers.
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“But…”
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“There’s no buts.”
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“The sky is dimming now and Tommy, the colour of your eyes are turning into red,”
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“ Just forget it. Then, let’s change our plan. We stay here for just one night and we will be setting off before the sun rises from the horizon. Any objections?”
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“No, not at all,” Isaac responds.
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“Great, let’s prepare for tonight then. You will be responsible for fishing and I’ll look for some oak branches over there, which is estimated to be 250 meters from here. Scream at the top of your lungs when you need help, got it?” Tommy propounds.
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Isaac nods.
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“See you again when the moon climbs to the middle of the starry sky. Isaac,”
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“Sure, Tommy. I’ve got to get going. Fish will be hard to clutch when the fiery ball of light vanishes. See you!”
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Facing each other with their backs, they split into two, each kicking off his own mission.
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