Life and other Disasters
9. The forest of never-spoken words

And so they continued their journey. Dandelions, Sunflowers, and ragwort waved in the wind - silent spectators cheering them on.

Finally, the progression they made was visible. If they continued at the same pace, it appeared they would make it to the tower before nightfall. Slowly the landscape changed. Fields that seemed to go on forever were taken over by poplars, sycamores, and birches.

That was if David could keep it all together. Ava kept a close eye on him, for she was sure he was trying to look healthier than he was.

Behind her back he uttered a soft groan several times, his eyes closed, his mouth twisted in pain. But whenever she turned around, he would smile, acting as if everything was okay. His step would quicken, he would even put a little bounce in it. It was his way of saying that there was nothing to see here, just keep moving.

Ava knew that David was in a bad shape, but she refused to fuss over him. She had hated it herself when her mother had treated her like she was a porcelain doll, that would break as soon as she stepped out of her room. There was nothing in the world that would make her treat any other person in the world that same way.

“How long have you stayed in Saul’s Rest?” Ava asked, kicking a pebble away.

David frowned as if she had asked what the meaning of life is.

“I can’t really remember, actually,” he said. “I tried to keep track, but sometimes I wasn’t sure if I already counted the day or not. I gave up after marking fifteen days, but I’m not sure if that’s correct. It might be more, it might be less.”

“So, the inn was just like this road,” Ava said, “they’re both messing with your mind.”

David looked pensive in the distance.

“It’s not that strange you know,” he said finally, “we have to make a choice. We can’t stay here forever.”

“I’m going back to my old life,” Ava said without missing a beat.

David hiccupped, hiccupped again until his hiccups turned into laughter.

“I am serious,” Ava said when David finally calmed down a bit.

“And I’m sure you are, but it doesn’t work like that.” His mouth curved into a sad smile. “You are here for a reason.”

Ava was quiet, searching for a perfect comeback. But all she found were more questions.

“What is this? she said. Their path was blocked by a fence.

The fence was beautiful, but it was macabre at the same time. It looked like a normal cast-iron fence, adorned with little human figures. It was hard to see if they were male or female, but their expressions were clear.

Some of the creatures were weeping, some of them had their hands clutched together as if they begged for mercy and some of them reached out for whatever was waiting behind the gate.

Behind the fence, Ava could see the outstretched greenness of a forest. The beautifully sculpted gateway stood ajar.

David didn’t have to think twice about it and walked right through the gate, but it was different for Ava.

“Is this the right way?” she asked, but David didn’t hear her question.

A chill ran down her spine when she walked through the gate. She didn’t like this for one bit, but she didn’t want to abandon David, who had walked on without any reluctancy.

The world became even quieter. Spruces and birches stood alongside, their leaves and needles muffling every sound. The musty smell of half-rotten leaves and wet earth filled her nose. Soft needles on the floor smothered her footsteps. Silent as a ghost, David had disappeared behind the outstretched branches of trees and vegetation.

“Wait for me!” she yelled and she scared herself with the sound of her voice. Her voice sounded like that time she had hidden in the closet full of old clothes of her grandparents. It had seemed as if the cloth had eaten all the sounds she made.

Afraid that she would lose her travel companion she darted through the forest to catch up with him. David didn’t seem to have missed her, although he looked back now and then, to see if she was still there.

The longer they walked through the forest, the more exotic the flora looked. Lush flowers hang from lianas and sprouted from the ground. Their scent hung heavy in the air. The strange feeling that the plants were observing them, crept in on Ava’s mind. At first, she had recognized trees and flowers, but now she couldn’t name any of them.

Then the vegetation became even more alien. At first, she thought there were balloons floating through the forest. Then she noticed they were the wrong shape, they were too round, more like soap bubbles. The bubbles floated between the branches of the trees. Some were stuck, slowly rocking back and forth on a barely noticeable breeze. The bubbles came in all the colors of the rainbow, and even silver and gold.

She looked at David, who was as surprised as she was. With an open mouth, he stared at the spectacle.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

The voice was loud and clear, but it was neither David’s or Ava’s. Confused they looked around, but there was no one else but the two of them.

A red bubble popped in front of them, and a female voice said: “He’s so hot, but I know he will never notice me.”

Curious Ava’s hand went to a yellow bubble and with the slightest touch, it burst.

“This pie is great,” a voice said.

Several bubbles formed around David’s body, all in some kind of blue. Ava noticed bubbles were forming around her as well.

“What are these things?” she wanted to ask, but the words didn’t form. Instead, bubbles floated out of her mouth and she popped them one by one.

“these”

“What”

“things?”

“are”

The words sounded loud and clear in her own voice. Of course, she had popped the bubbles in the wrong order.

David sent her a silly grin, raised his shoulders. His lips forming words as well. Every time a bubble appeared, he popped one.

“I”

“don’t”

“know.”

As if her hand was led by an outer force, Ava’s hand stretched out to a dark blue bubble that was resting on David’s shoulder.

“I wonder what they offered her to come along,” David’s voice said.

David’s cheeks colored a deep crimson. He tried to avoid Ava’s gaze.

“Offered who?” Ava bubbled.

David waved his hand to tell her to let it go.

But that was a problem. Ava couldn’t let it go and she drew her own conclusions.

She stared at him, not sure what he meant. David turned away from her, his face with a stern expression.

“What do you mean?” Ava bubbled. She had an inkling, but no way she would say it out loud.

She didn’t have to. A large red bubble floated away from her shoulder, bumping into David.

“Does he really think someone paid me to drag his sorry ass along? I could move so much faster if he wasn’t here,” she heard her own voice say.

David’s head flew up as if he was stung by a bee.

Ava felt her cheeks flush, but she didn’t turn her gaze away. It was true, they were moving much slower than she had expected.

David huffed inaudibly, turned around, and was about to walk away from it all when a green bubble formed on Ava’s shoulder. Of course, she popped it, fully aware of what it would say.

“Drama queen.”

David popped the grey bubble floating next to him.

“As if you’re looking so good.” His eyes narrowed, he was bracing himself for a fight. “Junkie.”

Ava’s jaw slowly dropped. A bubble drifted away.

“You thought no one noticed those pupils of yours? They’re as big as dollars.”

The bubbles became darker, and so became the insults.

“Deadweight.”

“Selfish loser.”

“Disaster waiting to happen.”

“Is that all you got?” Ava eventually bubbled when David stayed silent.

If the situation had been different this could have been funny, but standing here with someone who was clearly in a bad shape, who was so close to death, it felt like a waste of time and she already regretted everything she had thought and said.

For a second it looked like David was going to say something, anything, but he turned around and stormed off. The only thing that was left, was one last bubble floating.

There was a lump in Ava’s throat. She never wanted to be too careful around him, but the complete opposite wasn’t necessary either.

“Come back,” she yelled after him. “I didn’t mean that.”

But her words were trapped in bubbles and never heard.

She cupped David’s last bubble in her hands, not sure if she wanted to know what its message was. With a sigh, she did the inevitable.

“Last to arrive at the tower, is a dead man walking.”

Ava rolled her eyes, but her mouth formed a smile. It was time to run.