Chapter Thirteen: The Crocodile And The old owl
We left the lake Wondering back into the woods.
Taking careful steps, I held Ovie in order for him not to fall. He looked extremely tired after being tied to a tree. We took a lonely path. As we walked through the path, sudden darkness could be seen in the sky though I was sure it was just 4 in the evening
Ovie took a glance at his watch only to see it was just 3:45, but the darkness that could be seen in the sky was quite unusual.
"It's getting dark,we better get back to the bus" Ovie said "Don't you think?" Ovie asked.
"Yeah, you are right" I said though not without showing that I was hiding something.
"Are you hiding anything from me?" Ovie asked.
"No, not at all" I said with a faked smile.
Though, I didn't want him to know I had killed all of Praise's men. As for my classmates, the principal and the driver who had ran into different directions when I had no idea about how they are fairing.
"You may precisely, know the way back to the bus. I'm I right?" Ovie asked again.
"Yes, I know the way back to the bus" I said.
We walked down the lonely path,then I took the path that led out of the woods. As we walked down, out of the forest I could see the bus standing were it was, though burnt.
Ovie walked over to the bus while I stood few feet away from it. Ovie took his time to access the bus before turning back to me to give a questioning look.
"What really happened here?" He asked me.
"Just like I said, there was a shootout here when the police arrested the situation. The bus got burnt while our classmates including the principal and the driver were transferred into another vehicle that took them back to Aiden city" I lied. Wow! I'm really getting good at lying.
Ovie sighed.
"Why didn't you follow them?" He asked again.
"I didn't want to leave you in the forest with three goons"
I said defending myself.
"So that means we are in the middle of nowhere" he said,his face could be seen with total uncertainty.
"Looks like so" I said as I took his arm.
Dragging him back,we headed back into the woods. As we journeyed back into the woods, silence kept our company. Ovie kept quiet as a lot of things ran through his mind. Darkness increased as it fell in the forest. Deep suspicious darkness covered the forest as night came closer.
"I still don't quite understand" Ovie uttered out of his thoughts.
I looked at him to access what he was trying to make out.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"What are we going to do now that we are lost?"
I looked at his face, caressing his cheeks as I gave him a smile. He smiled as I caressed his cheeks, he rested his back on a tree.
"For the night, I think we would find somewhere safe to sleep" I said with my eyes searching for the response in his eyes.
"At least, sleeping around won't be that bad" Ovie whispered.
His voice was somewhat crooked. I moved away from him trying to find a comfortable place under a tree to settle down. The whole surrounding was covered with trees and bushes. The whole area wasn't safe enough for someone to sleep. I turned to look at Ovie who was resting under a tree. I walked up to him.
"We can't sleep here" I said immediately I got to him.
Ovie looked at me as he raised an eyebrow.
"So where do we sleep?" He asked.
I pondered on that question for a moment. I looked at the ground, somehow unable to answer that question. I thought maybe,if we found somewhere to sleep for the night,we would both start our journey back to Aiden city on foot. I didn't really know where we are, but I guess maybe we are in Umuguor territory.
Umuguor community which is a large community is in between Benin city and Aiden city. Maybe we are in the forest of Umuguor community.
"Maybe, we could go back to the lake. We could at least find a safe place to sleep for the night" Ovie spoke out, bringing me out of my thoughts.
Actually, that was a good idea. I liked it, but what if we spent the night at the lake and a crocodile attacks. No! The lake is not safe. It looked like Ovie had read my thoughts, so he said
"Don't worry about crocodiles. The lake is safe and I'm sure of it" he assured me.
With that settled,we headed back to the lake. Somehow, I was getting used to the forest and I knew how to find my way through the woods. Though the forest covered a wide expanse of land
We got to the lake safe, without any wide animals attacking us. Ovie found a nice place for which we would sleep that night. The place was under a tree that seems to be very old. The tree had awesome roots that served as a comfortable bed for someone to sleep.
"We better get to sleep so that we would wake up very early tomorrow. So that we can go back to Aiden city" Ovie advised.
In no time Ovie was sleeping soundly.
†††††
Ovie was a lot cute when sleeping. I couldn't help but pepper his face with soft kisses, so that he wouldn't wake up. If I had the opportunity, I would have fallen in love with Ovie more than Seven times. I lay my head on his chest and balanced myself in order to be comfortable.
Sleep wasn't forth coming. I tried sleeping but it was as if, sleep avoided me. For about three (3) hours, I tried sleeping but to no avail.
I opened my eyes sharply, raising my head from Ovie's chest. I cleaned my eyes two times as I sat up. I cuddled my legs in order to feel warmth, cause it was pretty cold.
Suddenly, I could feel the ground shaking. It was like a giant or a dinosaur was passing through the forest. I looked forward at the water, only to see a giant crocodile. This crocodile was a lot more large and bigger than a normal crocodile.
Fear took over me, since I was afraid for Ovie's safey. Even though I could escape from the crocodile, Ovie wouldn't be able to escape. The crocodile was a lot stronger than I thought, cause as it moved closer, the ground underneath shook violently.
But to my surprise, the crocodile saw me and sleeping Ovie and didn't do anything to us. It didn't make any attempt to attack us. Instead,it moved over to both me and Ovie. He moved to the back of the huge tree,lay at it's roots and slept off.
I was a lot surprised and fear missed with the feeling of anxiety. I lay on Ovie's chest, quietly in order not to wake the crocodile up. So I thought.
I kept pondering on why the crocodile didn't attack me and Ovie. Or was it that the crocodile was blind. On second thought, the crocodile could see perfectly well. I slept off not long after, but not without making sure both me and Ovie were safe, with a large crocodile at our back.
The morning sunlight, greeted me when I woke up. Ovie was staring at me, he smiled when I opened my eyes.
"How are you?" He asked when I sat up.
"I'm fine"
Last night's events slowly started creeping into my memory. I stood up with horror written on my face. The crocodile was all I could remember last night. I walked with careful steps to the back of the tree and to my shock, the crocodile wasn't there.
"Is anything the problem?" Ovie asked seeing my tensed mood and also seeing the way I hurried up to the back of the tree.
I didn't answer him. Instead I looked around in search of the crocodile, but I couldn't find it.
"Naagin, I ask again. Is anything the problem?" Ovie asked,this time getting up from where he was sitting.
"Did you see any crocodile when you woke up?" I asked him.
"Yes I saw one though it didn't do anything to me. Actually it's quite friendly" Ovie said,his face beaming with smiles.
I breathed a sigh of relief, thank God Ovie isn't hurt.
"Don't worry I'm safe and we better start going" Ovie said sensing my thoughts.
"Yes you are right,we have to go back to Aiden city" I said.
We left the surrounding of the lake, moving back into the woods. As we walked back, leaving the forest,we talked and chatted even laughed at jokes. It was such an amazing time with Ovie. Until!
$$$$$$$
We passed through the foot path that led back to the road. I could vividly see the bus with my eye seeing ability, supernaturally.
Suddenly,an owl flew out of a tree branch. It was the biggest owl that I had ever seen in the whole wide world. It was taller than me and Ovie,so big and huge. I couldn't understand the kind of impossible things that was happening in this forest.
"Pay no heed, to the thoughts of going back home. An old lady awaits you at the top of a hill. Living in a hut." The owl said.
Ovie gave the owl a questioning look.
"Oh, young one. You are not the one I am talking to. I am talking to the one beside you" the owl said, sending cold into my spine.
With that the owl raises it's head and flew into the sky.
Immediately the owl flew away,a bear jumped out of nowhere and attacked us. Confusion laced in our faces as we ran .