The Steward – Part 8

Adam makes a discovery

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Adam could see the white butterfly a few metres ahead of him. He was following its lead as it flitted gracefully over the bushes and through the branches. He wished he had wings too. Yet even on foot he was making good progress. The forest was no less dense or dark than it had been. But it was as if the branches and thorns were yielding to his approach rather than hampering and obstructing him like before. Although he was still picking up a few scratches and scrapes along the way, none of it mattered to Adam. He felt purposeful again.

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After about an hour they reached a kind of clearing where the trees were more spaced out. It was almost dark and it seemed sensible to stop here for the night. Adam opened his knapsack and took out his raingear. Maybe he could use it as a groundsheet. As he prepared his bedding Adam thought of the strange man he had met earlier. Who was he exactly? Where had he gone when he disappeared suddenly? Adam felt instinctively that the stranger was real - not an hallucination or a mirage. The flower lying on the ground confirmed that much at least. Should Adam have followed the man’s directions? No, he believed he had made the right choice. But time would tell.

It was quiet and peaceful in this part of the forest. There was not a whisper to be heard. Adam was tired and lay down. When he found a comfortable position for himself he fell quickly into a deep sleep.

When Adam awoke again the world had changed! It was bright and he could see the blue sky through the canopy of trees above. The place was alive with creatures whizzing about here and there. Look! There was a squirrel zipping up a tree. Was that a frog hopping away? And then there was the birdsong all around him. As he rubbed his eyes and took in this lively scene, he remembered he’d had a dream just before he woke up.

In the dream he was back in the same place where he had met the man in the brown overcoat. The man was there again but did not look exactly as Adam remembered. He was standing up for a start and he was a lot older, maybe in his eighties? Yet it was the same person, except his hair was long and grey and his shoulders were stooped. This time Adam was talking and the stranger was listening intently to every word. Adam was telling the man that he would not leave him behind (even though he appeared to have vanished into thin air!). Adam was also saying that the ‘Lady’ would never forget him, given everything the man had done for her. Then Adam woke up.

What could it mean? He still did not know who the man was. And who was the ‘Lady’ he had been speaking about? Although the dream appeared to be significant, Adam had no idea what it meant. What a strange adventure this hike was turning out to be!

As he gazed around the clearing, Adam noticed a large tree lying on the ground. It must have fallen down a long time ago. The tree was covered in mildew and mould and, as far as Adam could judge, was in an advanced state of decay. He wandered over to have a closer look. As he moved his hand over the crumbling bark, his fingers caught in something hard sticking out of the wood. It looked like a piece of metal stuck in the fallen tree. Although the wood was rotting the object was deeply embedded and Adam would need something sharp to prise it loose.

Adam went back to his knapsack and reached inside for the small knife he had tucked away before leaving home. Returning to the tree trunk he dug the blade into the wood around the object until it came out in his hand. It was a bit rusty and seemed to be ancient. What was it? When Adam examined the object’s shape and its pointy tip he thought it was an arrowhead. Perhaps someone had shot it into the tree once and forgot about it afterwards? A wooden shaft must have been attached to the arrowhead but it probably disintegrated years ago. Adam slipped the arrowhead into his pocket and went back to his makeshift camp.

Adam was hungry, but he had eaten the last of his food the night before and now there was nothing left. So much for breakfast! Then he noticed the frog he saw earlier. It was sitting on the ground a couple of metres away belching at him. Each time it belched a little crimson liquid trickled out of its mouth. The source of the liquid was right beside the frog - a bush filled with luscious red berries. Adam realised that the frog had been eating those berries and he seemed to be fine. So Adam began to pop them into his mouth a few at a time. They were delicious. Before long Adam’s lips and chin were red and he was belching repeatedly, just like the frog.

Adam looked around him again. No sign of the white butterfly. He would have to figure out his next move by himself. He could tell the sun’s position in the sky from the shadows cast by the tall trees. It was still early morning and Adam knew the sun rose in the east. He reckoned the butterfly had been leading him eastward and it made sense to keep going in that direction. So off he set. As he continued his journey Adam believed he was being ‘looked after’ somehow. He felt confident he would be able to find his way home, if he stayed on course.

As he moved through the forest he could hear the sounds of birds and insects and a myriad other creatures. But there was also something else, something different. It was a female voice singing what sounded like a lament. It was a song Adam had not heard before and he tried to make out a few of the words.

The heart in my bosom faints

To think of you, my Queen,

My life of life, my saint of saints,

My Dark Rosaleen!

My own Rosaleen!

Then he saw the singer up ahead. She was not very tall but her voice was strong. Her hair was long and dark, but Adam noticed streaks of grey there too. The woman stopped singing and smiled when she saw Adam.

“How do, young fella! What has you out on this gorgeous morning?”

“Hello”, said Adam. “I’m trying to find my way home. I think it’s this way.”

“You look like you’ve had a bit of an adventure.”

Adam realised he must look a mess, what with those scrapes and the berry juice on his face. Then, without warning, he began sobbing uncontrollably. He could not help himself.

The woman dropped the basket she was carrying and rushed over to the boy. She hugged him and spoke softly.

“It’s alright. Nothing to fuss over. Why don’t you come back to the house and I’ll clean you up? It’s not far, just beyond there.” She indicated a ridge through the trees. “Now what’s your name young man?”

“It’s Adam.”

“Pleased to meet you Adam. My name is Magda.”

More in Part 9