by AmberNila
He wrapped his bandana around my head, so it covered my nose and the poisonous (!) spores wouldn’t get to my lungs. Then he grabbed my elbow and pushed me to a tree next to the path. He stabbed a knife in its wood, pulled himself up with one arm and held me in the other. “Hold on, place your feet on the tree, take a big step and don’t get in touch with the purple pollen!” I did what he said. As he pulled us up, he got closer to a branch. He swung his arm over there, placed his hand on it and pulled us up. He had more strength than I would have guessed under his loose outfits. He draped me on the tree like a doll. He took my head in his hands and advised urgently: “Only look into my eyes. I am real. Focus on me. Don’t get scared. Anything you think you will see is not real!” I looked at him but got distracted easily as I could spot illuminating lavender blossoms rising right behind him. They were dancing wildly until they turned into a purple creature. They formed a ghost with a wide smile and sharp teeth, red eyes bulging up and coming closer. I freaked and almost lost my balance. Caleb caught me right in time, so I didn’t fall down. “Focus on me!” He said over and over again. But whenever I opened my eyes, I was haunted by all those lights. He stood up, climbed behind me and sat down. He hugged me and told me to take deep breaths in and out. “Close your eyes, I will hold you. You won’t fall.” I knew I could trust him and waited for this nightmare to be over. I didn’t have a feeling how much time had passed. But Caleb let me know when it was safe: “It’s over.” I looked around and the pollen had set. It was still dark, though. “Let’s get down, it will be alright, if you listen exactly to what I say.” I nodded like a little child that messed up big. He helped me down, and I wanted to say ‘thank you’, but I really wanted to avoid a conversation. I didn’t even want to look up. And as I saw his face, I knew why. He looked so pissed, annoyed and shook his head in disbelief.
On the way back he tried to convince me, that he was looking for his coffee plant. If he really thought I would settle for that, he was very wrong.
© AmberNila 2024-06-15