Having examined the bamboo house's structure, Mateo already had a plan in mind. Clara had her own ideas, but facing a group of males, she hesitated to speak up, following Mateo like a young wife. Mateo first shared his thoughts with Clara, surprising her. Mateo's plan turned out to be better and more comprehensive than her own.
"All right, let's go with your plan! What's the next step?" Clara asked.
Mateo, feeling affirmed by Clara, was eager to get started. He said to her, "You and Gloria go do your tasks! You'll see the progress when you come back tonight."
"Sure, sure..." Clara nodded in agreement. "Mateo, I'm heading out now."
Since everyone present was male, the females would be venturing into the forest in the afternoon to search for food. With a basket on her back, Clara joined Gloria and the others as they entered the forest.
Clara wanted to visit the lake to the west, hoping to catch some fish.
Gloria advised Clara against going, but the more she was dissuaded, the more determined Clara became. She insisted on going, not believing there were man-eating fish. After some persuasion, Gloria reluctantly agreed to accompany her. Heading west, they exited the forest, and Clara was greeted by the sight of a vast lake, like a crystal gem in the jungle—truly beautiful!
After spending so much time here, why hadn't she discovered this place earlier? The lake was surrounded by lush trees and weeping willows. Approaching, Clara pushed through the foliage and saw a multitude of fish in the lake.
This is a shallow water area and the lake is huge! At a glance, it is surrounded by mountains on three sides, the lake is sparkling, and there are clumps of reeds. I wonder if lotus blooms in the lake in summer, so that I can make a boat and go boating with Mateo.
Clara crouched beside the willow trees at the edge of the lake, peering into the water. There were plenty of fish—perfect for catching and making a delicious soup!
"Gloria!" Clara turned around to find Gloria standing right behind her, startling her. Her grip slipped, and she almost fell into the lake. Gloria, equally startled, quickly grabbed her, urging her to move away.
"Wait! Gloria, there are fish in this lake. Let's catch some! Fish soup is so tasty," Clara suggested.
Clara took off the basket, tied it with a rope, and threw it into the lake. Based on her estimate, there were a lot of fish in the lake. With one scoop, she could probably catch at least a dozen.
Unfortunately, the terrain here was elevated, and they didn't know which side was lower, allowing direct access to the water.
Although Gloria was scared, when it came to food, her mouth watered at the thought. Holding onto Clara's waist and grabbing a tree trunk, she anxiously asked, "Did you catch anything?"
"Come on! Gloria, grab the rope and pull it up!" Gloria grabbed the rope and pulled. As the basket surfaced, several fish leaped out of it.
Once pulled ashore, they had indeed caught more than a dozen fish, varying in size. Some were over ten centimeters long, and there were also quite a few small shrimps. Gloria and the others had never eaten anything from the water, so they crouched behind Clara.
"Clara! These things might run away. Can we eat them?" Gloria asked hesitantly.
"We can! And they're delicious! Let's catch more. We'll grill them for dinner. Tonight, everyone worked hard to help fix our house, so we should treat them well," Clara said.
Gloria began to feel a bit excited and joined Clara in using the basket to scoop up more. At this time of the year, there were plenty of shrimps in the river. In June and July, there will be lobsters in the reed swamps. Lobsters will make your mouth water just thinking about them.
The lake was teeming with fish. If they had a boat, they could go to the center of the lake to fish. If Clara's guess was correct, there must be big fish in the middle—a very large kind. As Clara gazed at the sparkling lake, a huge dark shadow suddenly appeared on the water's surface, reflecting the sunlight.
Gloria also noticed and shouted, "It's a man-eating water monster! Clara, run!"
Curious, Clara was taken aback by Gloria's scream. The basket in her hand sank into the water, and losing balance, she tumbled into the lake.
Luckily, it was near the shore, and the water wasn't deep. Clara managed to stand up after a few splashes. Hearing the splash, Gloria rushed over. Seeing Clara in the lake, Gloria panicked and, without much thought, jumped in to rescue her. Just as Clara stood up, Gloria accidentally bumped into her, sending them both back into the water.
It turned out the lake was not deep at all. The two embraced each other and burst into laughter. "Clara! You scared me to death."
"I told you it's fine! Come on, let's get out of here," Clara said, letting Gloria climb out first. However, halfway up, Gloria suddenly froze and started trembling all over. "Clara! That shadow is coming towards us."
Following Gloria's pointed direction, Clara also saw the massive shadow slowly moving towards them. Clara couldn't believe in man-eating fish, a creature typically found in the sea, not in freshwater lakes. However, the sheer size of the shadow frightened her. Pushing Gloria, she urged, "Gloria, hurry up!"
Terrified, Gloria's legs gave way. She clung to the branches, attempting to climb, but halfway through, she fell back down. Clara, pushing from behind, noticed the approaching shadow. It seemed something was entwined around her foot, slippery to the touch. "Ah!" Clara screamed—it was a snake!
"Quick, climb up!" Suddenly, a hand reached out, pulling Gloria and Clara up. Gloria cried uncontrollably, and Clara was equally shocked. Looking back at the receding shadow in the lake, it was indeed a snake—a giant one!
Disgusted, Clara wondered if creatures like snakes were the supposed man-eaters. "Alright, Gloria, stop crying. Why did you bring us to the west side? If I hadn't come looking for someone here, you might have been in trouble."
Clara finally came back to her senses. She had just saved him and Gloria. It's Jimmy, she hasn't seen him for several days, and he was the one who saved her last time. Clara was a little embarrassed. She nodded and thanked Jimmy: "Thank you for saving us."
"You two shouldn't come here again. There's a water spirit in this lake that eats people. A few years ago, it consumed some young beasts playing nearby and several wolf tribe cubs. You're new here, so remember this," warned Jimmy.
While Gloria didn't find it alarming when she mentioned it, hearing it from Jimmy made Clara feel genuinely frightened. A water spirit? Why did she feel like it was a giant python? The more she thought about it, the more terrified she became. She resolved never to return to this place.
Seeing Clara visibly scared, Jimmy patted her shoulder and said, "Luckily, nothing happened this time. You should learn how to move in the water. If I hadn't been here, I might not have been able to save you."
Clara smiled at Jimmy, finding him gentle, especially when he smiled, revealing dimples. His brown eyes resembled a lake in the sunset—warm, reminiscent of her kind cousin from a previous life.
After consoling Gloria, Clara stood up to collect the fish. However, as soon as her feet touched the ground, her legs felt numb, and the skin was sore to the touch. Looking down, she noticed blisters forming.
Jimmy noticed too and was surprised. "What happened?"
This place had been entangled with that water spirit. Could she be poisoned? Gloria was also panicking, not knowing what to do. Clara started to worry. What if her legs rotted away?
If there were scars on her legs, it would be unsightly. No, she didn't want that. She touched the affected area, and her fingers tingled. It was indeed poisonous. She decided to hurry back, take a photo with her notebook, and analyze the situation.
Jimmy carried Clara, and Gloria followed with the basket on her back. When they arrived home, Mateo saw Clara being carried back by Jimmy. Initially surprised, he then became somewhat angry upon learning about Clara's injury. Taking Clara from Jimmy, he carried her into the house.
Once inside, Mateo examined Clara's legs. The fair skin was covered in red blisters, a disturbing sight. "Cla! How did this happen?"
Clara shook her head. Many male beast who had been helping outside rushed over. Clara felt a bit embarrassed, adjusting her animal hide skirt. Mateo covered Clara with a blanket and told the others, "You all go back to your tasks."
Concerned about Clara, Gloria lingered by the door, reluctant to leave. Rowan pulled her out and asked about the situation.