Everything became a huge challenge for me, especially after what happened a week ago. Like for instance, when I climb the stairs, my legs would ache and I'll be out of breath. My movements became closer as I am constantly catching up with my family and my friends, Ferdinand. Standing for too long was even worse as I constantly lost my balance and fell. This became more apparent when Scouts mission became a huge challenge for me. Despite that, I still want to remain in the Scouts as that's part of who I am.
One day, during our Scouts gathering, Mr Smith, the head of the Scouts, planned to take us to the forest and teach us about how to scavenge food in the wild, as part of our Camper Activity Badge. Gazing upon my Scouts sash, I counted all the badges I earned during my Scouts years, which was only 7 badges. I sighed. If I skipped this activity, I'll never be able to get that Camper's Activity Badge, I pondered. This is an opportunity I cannot miss. Besides, I think scavenging food in the wild will be a piece of useful knowledge for me in the future.
"Bugsy," Ferdinand muttered my name, sitting beside me. "Are you going to tomorrow?"
I nodded. "Of course, Ferdinand," I replied. "I need my Camper Activity Badge. It really means a lot to me."
He sighed. "But you just lost two of your toes, Bugsy."
"Like that's going to stop me.” I chuckled. "Besides, it's kinda boring at home."
He grabbed my arms and glanced at me. "If I were you, I would skip this one and rest at home," he expressed his worries. "It's too risky, Bugsy. What if you fall and break your bones?"
I gave a small laugh. "You worry too much, Ferdinand."
He didn't look pleased, but he kept quiet the whole day in school. Not a word came out of his mouth, even when we held hands on the way back home.
Flashlight, check. Swiss Army knife, check. Compass, check. Map, check. Looks like I got everything I need for my trip tomorrow. I heard a knock outside my room. "Bugsy, can I have a word with you?"
It was Aunt Inara. "Yes auntie, you can talk to me," I answered. She came in and sat on my bed, her eyelids drooping.
“Are you sure you want to go on this trip tomorrow, Bugsy?" she asked. "You could just call Mr Smith and tell him you're resting tomorrow."
I shook my head. "No auntie, I want to go tomorrow," I made my stand. "It's really important for me to earn the Camper's Activity Badge."
"I know it is, Bugsy, but you just lost your toes," she insisted. "What if you fall down and can’t get up or worse?"
"Auntie, I need this Camper's Activity Badge," I argued. "I pitched tents, started campfires, lead my friends during hiking, filtered river water into drinking water, only not to get this badge?" Aunt Inara sighed. "Looks like I can't convince you anymore."
She walked away from my room as I continued packing. The next day, we entered the forest, tailing Mr Smith behind. We stopped in front of a huge tree and bent down, picking up a mushroom and showed us. "Who can tell me whether this is edible?"
One of the Scouts, Lisa, raised her hands. “It's poisonous, Mr Smith," she answered.
"That's right, Lisa," he smiled. "And can you explained why is it poisonous?"
"Because it has white spots and it’s colourful," explained Lisa. "Edible mushrooms are colourless."
"That's right," he acknowledged. "To find something edible, you must avoid vibrant coloured plants. Sure, they are nice to look at but eating those babies could lead to stomach ache and vomiting, which then leads you to death."
Hearing his words, I jotted them down in my notebook. We then ventured deeper in the woods when he signalled us to stop in front of some shrubs with deep green colour. "Archie," he called out. "Could you tell me whether this plant is edible?"
Archie cleared his throat and gave me a wink. I winced in disgust. "Well, I'm a hundred per cent confident that plant is edible."
Mr Smith smirked as he took out a Swiss Army knife and sliced the stems of the plant, revealing drops of white sap. "Looks can be deceiving, Archie," he said. "And one bite could lead you to die in a most disgraceful way."
I gasped, dropping my notebook and pen. "In order to gain knowledge, you mustn't be afraid to go deeper, even if it scares you," Mr Smith advised. 570Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gvVhSqSp2
I kneeled to pick up my notebook and pen, only for Archie to take it and offer his hand. "Need a hand?"
I held his hand and managed to stand up, and dusted myself. "Thank you.” I took my notebook and pen. He gleamed and scratched behind his head.
“Looks like I was outsmarted again," he admitted.
“Maybe you should think with your brains next time, if you have one," I snarked back.
He groaned as we moved on to another plant. "Bugsy," he called me. "What if you found grubs inside a fruit?"
My eyelids went up as I placed my first two fingers on my chin. "Then the fruit is poisonous," I answered. "But we can eat grubs though. They're high in protein."
"Very good, Bugsy," praised Mr Smith. "I know it sounds disgusting to eat grubs, but if you aren't confident about which plants to eat, then you'll have to boil those grubs."
Ferdinand and I bumped our fists together. "Was there any doubt?" I asked him.
“Maybe.” He gave me a light punch on my shoulders.
As I trailed behind my fellow Scouts and Mr Smith, I heard a soft whisper behind me. "Come, child."
I turned around and saw nothing but trees and bushes. It was just the wind, I told myself. I continued walking, only to hear it again.
"Come, child."
A soft singing voice filled my ears, enticing me to follow it. Obediently, I strayed from my fellow Scouts as I followed the singing voice throughout the forest. As the songs became louder, I saw a tree with nothing but naked branches and a fruit hanging at the edge. I stared at my reflection on the fruit and plucked it from the tree.
Should I eat it? I questioned, feeling its smooth skin on my fingertips.
Then, I saw something slithering from the tree. With olive green scales and amethyst eyes, a snake-like creature greeted me. "Daughter of Eve, try this fruit you're holding."
I glanced at the snake. "No thank you," I declined. "I already had breakfast a few hours ago."
It grinned at me as it coiled around my shoulders. "I insist, Daughter of Eve," it said, in a hushed tone. "You could gain knowledge."
My lips widened into a smile. "What kind of knowledge?"
"All kinds, Daughter of Eve. The one that shouldn't be known."
Is she giving me forbidden knowledge? Look, I'm sketchy about this snake but if I gained knowledge from this fruit, maybe I could get all the answers to solve all the problems in this town, or more. Without hesitating, I took a bite of the fruit. Its sweet, refreshing juice quenched my thirst as I closed both my eyes.
I was about to take another bite when I smelled smoke in the air. The surrounding trees were consumed in flames. Drenched in my own sweat, I threw the fruit away as I dashed through the burning forest, covering my nose and mouth. What's going on? How did this happen?
As I ran, I tripped on a log, causing me to tumble along the hilly tracks and land in a ditch. I yelped in pain as I tried to get up, but I couldn't feel my legs. The wounds were stinging through my skin as I tried to crawl back up.
"Bugsy," I heard someone calling me. It was Ferdinand, who managed to spot me from above. Mr Smith was standing next to him. He took out a rope and tossed it above me. 570Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRfd6kLs1G
"Try to grab the rope, so we can pull you up, Bugsy," he ordered. I held the end of the rope and in a few minutes, every Scout member and Mr Smith pulled the ropes, carrying me in mid-air. As I reached the surface, I latched onto Mr Smith's hand and dragged me on the leafy ground.
I wrapped my arms around Ferdinand's shoulders as he lifted me off the ground, and held both my legs. "You should get further medical treatment from the doctor," he babbled. He rushed outside the forest with Mr Smith and the Scouts following him from behind. My eyes were on him as we reached a nearby hospital.
He placed me in a wheelchair and the nurse took me to the ward, leaving Ferdinand and the rest alone in the waiting lounge. Hours went by as the nurse covered both my legs with cement, and wrapped them with a bandage. Aunt Inara arrived at the hospital, her mouth fell open. "Oh my baby," she cried. "What happened?"
"I lost my balance and fell," I uttered. She stroked my cheek and pecked me on the forehead. Then, Ferdinand entered and shook hands with Aunt Inara.
“Are you alright, Bugsy?" he asked.
I nodded and gazed at my auntie. “You were right, aunty," I croaked. "I shouldn't have gone on this trip. I'm so sorry."
I hugged Aunt Inara as my tears welled up. "What's done is done, Bugsy," she stated. "The main thing is that you learned t something today."
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