Chương 11: Mr. Fedor: The Talking Ant

#Akunomori - Cave of Old Man Saleh

The appearance of the wolves and old man Saleh was very mysterious, but the little guy was a bit too young to feel the mystery. Now, he was happy to see someone by his side in this fearsome jungle.

He slept for a long time. When he woke up, it was still just the same as the time he went to sleep—dark inside the cave. He sat up and blinked his eyes.

The firewood turned into ashes. He could only see some smoking coals radiating heat. The smoke from the fire might have been cleared through some kind of ventilation, but that did not matter to him. He was alright, had a good sleep, and now he was hungry.

"Mr. Saleh....?" There was no reply. Mizuno got a bit scared. Everything so far had been shrouded in mystery. "Are you here, sir?" He didn't want to be alone again! "Hello! Anyone there?" No one answered. He looked around the cave. Was it still daytime? Or was it night? The darkness was compelling.

The cave was empty. The kid felt a bit scared at first. He walked slowly toward the entrance, hugging the cave wall. Near the entrance, there was a well with a stone boundary. There was a wooden bucket and a bowl.

"Ah, I need to clean myself. Did I sleep long? It is still daytime! Or did I sleep the whole day yesterday and wake up today?"

The boy looked at the bucket. The bucket was small and had a rope tied to its handle. He grabbed the rope and sent the small bucket down the well to get some water.

He squatted down near the bucket, used the bowl to scoop water, cleaned his face, gargled with water to rinse the inside of his mouth, cleaned his teeth with his finger, cleaned his arms from elbows to fingertips, massaged his head and cleaned the insides of his ears, and then washed his feet.

This was very weird, even to the young lad. The way he cleaned himself was really detailed. How did he remember all these? He dried his face and hands with the hem of his dress and looked around curiously. Near the entrance, there was a big, flat stone. He went and sat there like the good kid he was and simply waited for Mr. Saleh.

The time in Akunomori was very slow. It moved like the slowest snail in the world, but Mizuno did not mind. He could hear the murmuring sound of tree leaves, the singing of various birds, and the trills of various insects.

Light and shadow danced on the ground with the wind. The sights, sounds, and colors of the jungle mesmerized him. He swung his legs up and down in various rhythms as he sat quietly on the rock.

He had all the time in his hands and nothing to do but play! He remembered nothing; thus, he had no hurry or tension! Mr. Saleh told him not to worry too much about something he had lost.

"If I can't remember, then I can just make new memories!" His childlike curiosity and playfulness took over. He looked around to play with something. Then he noticed something strange—very obvious!

There were ants moving in a single file on the rock he was sitting on. They were marching in great discipline. "One two three four... one two three four..." a voice was commanding over the line, as if the ants were doing their physical training classes! "How interesting!"

"Wait...what...voice?" With a sudden realization, Mizuno was confused. Did he hear wrong, or was he daydreaming? Voice of ants? He laughed at the thought. "Hahaha, I must've been hearing things in this forest! It's impossible, right? I can hear the ants. No...no way! Hahaha...! I must've been mistaken!"

A big, red ant came forward. He stopped near Mizuno's right hand. "Heh....heyyyy!" Suddenly, a very faint voice! Mizuno looked around curiously. He was looking for the owner of the voice. "Did someone call? Where...?"

He did not notice the ant near him.

"Here! Here, boy!"

Mizuno followed the voice but did not see anyone.

"Oh! What a pain! Hey... here! Down here! Look right next to your right hand!"

Mizuno looked down.

"What! This is an ant! But I definitely heard a voice!" Mizuno got down from the rock and kneeled to move his face closer to the ant. His nose was too close to the ant.

There was something in its hands, and the ant was using it as a stick. As Mizuno's nose got closer, he poked Mizuno's nose with his stick. It was hilarious, and Mizuno had an innocent surprise on his face.

"Waaaa...an ant talking!"

"Yes! It is an ANT-talking boy! It's a pain right from the beginning of the day."

"How can you talk? It's strange!"

"What's so strange about it? You're even stranger considering that you can understand my voice! Now, put me on your shoulder!"

Mizuno placed the ant on his shoulder. He was still trying to fathom the gravity of the situation.

Was it really normal to hear an ant's voice? Well, maybe it was normal because he did not remember his past. Maybe hearing the voices of ants was normal for him!

"But how is it possible? Please tell me!"

"How'd I know why you can understand my voice? Anyway, Mr. Saleh told me to train you. You need to earn your keep here in the jungle, boy! No one will cook for you. If you can't find food, you die."

"Yes, sir! Wait, you know Mr. Saleh?"

"Who doesn't know Mr. Saleh here? Now get a move on, lazy boy!"

"But should I move alone?"

"Why'd you be alone? I'm sitting right on your shoulder!"

"Okay! But should I really move with a strange ant who talks?"

The ant looked at him and kept looking at him with a poker face. A few seconds went by. Then she looked away and said, "Well, boy! Don't feel bored! Mr. Saleh will be away for a week. He is away for some personal business of his. I'll be babysitting you on his behalf."

"And listen!" he said as he looked at him. It can be the other way around, right? Because you can understand my language. So, what is the problem?"

"I mean, well, it's okay! Mr. Saleh told me to make new memories, as I can't remember my past!"

"Right! That's the spirit, boy! Discovery, new things, new memories—lovely! Isn't it? Now let's go! March forward...soldier!" The ant pointed in the jungle's direction.

Mizuno was having a strange, fun adventure. He took a broken branch, too, and pointed in the same direction. "Yes! Mr. Ant, let's go! One two, one two!"

Mizuno walked into the jungle. He was very high-spirited. He did not understand what was going on, but he did not care. He was loving every bit of this enterprise.

"By the way, I'm Mizuno! What can I call you, sir?"

"Call me, Mr. Fedor."

"Mr. Feodor!"

"It is Fedor! Boy!"

"Yes, Mr. Fredor!"

"Ah! You are making fun of my name, boy? You know who I am?"

"Yes, Mr. Fredrik!"

The ant poked Mizuno's earlobes and said, "Boy! How rude of you to talk to a senior this way!"

Mizuno smiled and said, "Hahaha! But you are smaller than I am!"

"How funny, boy! You may look bigger, but you know nothing about the jungle. Besides, I may be smaller, but I am much older than you!"

"Eh! How so?"

"Old man Saleh is my friend. We are the same age. Got it?"

"Wow! It's really strange indeed!" said a thoughtful Mizuno. "Anyway! Mr. Fedor! Please, forgive me! You are the second person I have seen after opening my eyes in this jungle. I feel really happy."

"I heard!"

"Yes, sir!"

"That's right! Why waste time on something you have lost? Create new ones! Have fun, boy!"

Mizuno playfully walked, ran, and jumped around the forest, carefree. He was enjoying his little adventure so much!

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