"To a good place," he answered ambiguously. 'What an obscure creature!' I grumbled to myself. I couldn't say 'no', I was just imagining that if I didn't follow him and I was left here, what could I do? I would be lost—of course. It was because I didn't know my way home.
Shashin stopped just as we reached the mouth of a very large cave. "We buy oil here?" I didn't think this was where the oil peddler lived. The big cave could not be entered, unless by taking a small canoe, because the bottom of the river was narrow and rocky with the water partly frozen.
"If we fall in there, we can become ice cubes in instantly," I said as I dipped my hand in the icy cold river water, and it was so cold it made me my skin feel sore
He ignored my words, asked me to get into the canoe, and again I just followed him. He rowed slowly, following the current of the river.
