Next morning at 8 o'clock I had made it to my destination. Our trip was very relaxing. I dozed off and would have missed my stop if not for the conductor waking me up. The train station is roughly 40 kilometres from my home, so I must now wait for a ride.
Dad called me late last night to let me know that Gramps would have someone meet me at the train station. What should I do now till help arrives? Rhian must be on his resort; now, let's see his stories. Let's check Instagram for the most recent post.
"Not bad, but a lot of what he posts on Instagram are just him and his girlfriend striking odd but ubiquitous poses," he said.
While I was in the middle of posting a mean review of Rhian's work. A LARGE, STRONG MAN came up to me. There's a palpably hostile vibe in the room when he's there.
"Hey, do you go by Ark? " He asked me in a voice so loud and ominous I almost felt afraid.
'That was a terrifying way to ask someone's name!' I almost said that, but I stopped myself.
How are you feeling, sir? Is anything wrong?'' I gave a simple answer without going into further detail.
Simply respond to the inquiry. Say it out loud: "Are you Ark?
"You are really stubborn old man, but I will also not back down until you tell me what you want."
"Tell me what you want, then I will tell you; my mother had told me not to talk to strangers."
You will not bend to reason, you obstinate little jerk. Okay, I'll explain my presence here. A good friend of mine asked me to transport his grandson to and from the airport. Ark is a boy who is probably about the same height as yours.
So this is the guy Grandpa sent, huh. I guess it's safe to reveal to him my identity, but first, let's confirm he is telling the truth or not.'
''You say pick up someone, then you must have his picture or something like his call number in your phone; why not use that?''
You are absolutely right, but the only picture I have of him is when he was five. This is the most up-to-date photo my friend has of the boy, and he claims to have forgotten the boy's phone number because he still uses a landline.
He showed me the picture he had on his phone, and then yup, it's me, definitely me, no doubt that brat-looking boy in the photo was me when I was 5 years old.
'Come on gramps how can you make this blunder; is this really the latest picture of me you have and not only that, who uses an old telephone that does not record history? When I get back to my house, I should show him my most recent photos and give him my phone book.
You're in luck, sir; my name is Ark; I am the one in this picture and the person you're looking for. "Well, that does sound like something grandpa would do."
Yes, you must be Ark. You do look like the boy in the picture, but that hardly makes you Ark. Is there evidence to back up your claim that you and this person are one and the same? Is there evidence to back up your claims? yes, you did ask me to "prove to myself that I am telling the truth."
With a sneering grin on his face, Oldman made this statement. How could he say that when he knew I could produce the train ticket or my driver's licence? It was simple payback for an earlier wrong. He was just trying to make me mad so he could laugh at me. In the future, I need to be wary of this person because he could cause me trouble.
We got into his SUV and I showed him the evidence on my phone. It was a vehicle tailor-made for safari adventures in the wilderness. Unexpected as it may have been, this elderly man's SUV choice is perfectly in keeping with his character.
It was about a three-hour trip back to our apartment. Apparently, you don't see the point in spending three hours on a forty kilometre journey. The ride was the worst I've ever had because the road was terrifying, and a roller coaster would have been a much better alternative. For the majority of the trip, the car was travelling at breakneck speeds. I was physically and mentally ill throughout the journey, but I managed to get where I was going.
Back at their house, I was the first to greet my grandparents before grandpa began chatting with his friend, who had brought me home. They must be talking about my experience with the old man.
My grandmother was also concerned about my whereabouts since I left, so I filled her in on the details. As I explained things to them, I felt a little repelled as they laughed at most of what I said, but then I remembered how incredible my journey had been up to this point and I laughed along with them.
Two days have passed, and I am, miraculously, holding together better than I anticipated. Internet outages and bug infestations are annoying, but I can live with them. Most of my time is spent assisting grandpa with his farm work and other village responsibilities.
Not once did I lose sight of my ultimate goal, which was to locate the ancient temple. I was able to piece together hints about its existence from conversations in the village, but no one can tell me who made it, why it was made, or which deity it was used to honour five thousand years ago.
What I want to say is that I am so thrilled by the prospect of solving all of these mysteries. Let's skulk around while everyone's asleep tonight and get some things done.
Okay, power bank, water bottle, map of the area around the village, compass, and backpack. My backpack, I believe, contains all necessary items. There is no need to worry about what might happen to me now because I am ready for anything. How about the current time?
It is currently 8:56 PM, according to my watch. Everyone in the house falls asleep for at least an hour.
What should I do with the remaining hour? It's the perfect time to watch anime, so it's a good thing I downloaded the entire series while riding the train and enjoying reliable wifi.
THREE hours passed. Because I was preoccupied with an anime, I failed to remember about my mission until just before I was to leave for it, when it would have been most convenient.
It's safe to assume that nobody in the village witnessed my departure from the house, so "few" is good news. I only need to watch out for the dogs. There's no denying that they make excellent foes for covert operations. Always at the most inopportune moments, they start barking.
I was strolling serenely on the outskirts of town, studying the map in my hand.
My guess is that the way to the temple is close by. The sight of the road ahead of me gave me the willies. The path was eerily quiet and gloomy, like something out of a horror film.
'Seriously! Absolutely silent. I shouldn't have come here without first checking the route in the morning. Indeed, I am an idiot. Being as I have no desire to perish or be whisked away. The most prudent thing for me to do right now is to return home.
My life is more important than the discovery of a temple whose existence is unknown, so I headed back home. It's not like I'm fleeing the scene or giving up on the mission altogether; I intend to return to it once conditions on the road ahead have improved. Yes, that's called a tactical withdrawal by the pros.
I'm exhausted from the day's efforts, so let's call it a night and head home. You should definitely drop by, but tomorrow morning is ideal.
As I turned around, I heard a voice; I quickly identified the speaker. The best words to describe my predicament emerged from my mouth after I saw that creature.
The phrase "I AM SCREWED NOW" comes to mind.