Chapter 2: Fish on the Grill

Anne forgot about her tiredness and sat up quickly to look. A drop of water fell from the cave's roof onto Anne's cheek, making her come to her senses.

"Where is this? What brings me here?" Anne wondered as she walked, but no one around her responded.

Anne stepped out of the cave, her gaze fixed on the dense forest in front of her. The sunlight tries to squeeze through each leaf, resulting in glistening sunlight. Anne remained in the pit with the mute boy before falling asleep. When I woke up, the boy next to me was nowhere to be found.

Anne stood perplexed, her gaze fixed on the blank space in front of her. Why haven't your parents come here sooner? Did they become disoriented? Anne wants to find her parents, but she doesn't know how.

Anne was startled to hear a rustle from a nearby bush as if something was approaching. Anne was wary, clutching a branch in her hand for protection. She warned that the jungle was dangerous. Anne must exercise extreme caution in the forest because animals prey on children.

Wait a minute, and this figure looks familiar.

Anne realized it was the mute boy as he approached her. "Hi, where are you going?" Anne cheerfully waved her hands.

The boy didn't say anything, just raised his hand to carry the fish, still wagging its tail in front of Anne. The girl jumped in surprise.

"What for me?"

The boy nodded, tossed the fish on the ground, and walked away. "But I only know how to grill fish, not how to cook fish," Anne responded quickly.

The boy paused. After a while, he picked up the fish again and walked in the direction he was just in. I'm probably going to the river to cook fish. Anne followed close behind.

Anne ran to the riverbank and raised her hand to take water.

"That's cool."

When the boy noticed Anne drinking water, he carried the fish to the river bank near her and began butchering it. He turned around and handed the fish to Anne while she was still happily playing in the water.

Anne looked at the fish and said, "..."

The outside is spotless, but the fish's belly has yet to be opened. She will cut open the mother fish's belly, wash it from the inside out, and then process it each time she cooks it. Anne looked at the boy in front of her, thinking he did not know what fish meat was, so she said nothing and took the fish. Anne dashed around gathering firewood, erecting a kitchen as her mother instructed, and then placing the fish in it.

"But there's no fire, so what now?"

Dad used a small red lighter to help Anne light the fire, but what if there wasn't one? Anne was taken aback as the boy used two stones to grind each other, each spark erupting with a frightening crackling sound. However, it quickly burned again.

Anne jumped up and down, clapping her hands and exclaiming, "Excellent!" 

 "Can you teach me how to light a fire?"

The boy nodded, his ears were slightly red, but Anne couldn't see because she was too busy learning to grind two stones together like the boy. She didn't sharpen the fire until her hands were exhausted. "Don't study any longer. It's too difficult," Anne sulked as she slammed the stone down. Let me grill some fish for you!"

There is a fire, and Anne is sitting on it, spinning the fish. Mom shows Anne how to grill fish, but this requires a lot of seasoning, which she doesn't have. Anne hadn't eaten in a long time, so having grilled fish for dinner was very satisfying. The little girl happily grilled fish, and the boy beside her smiled.

The fragrant smell of grilled fish made Anne even more hungry; she waited for the fish to cool before sharing it with him, saying, "There are no spices here, so let's eat for a while."

The boy was perplexed, stood still for a few seconds, and reached for his hand. He held the freshly grilled fish in his hand, dumbfounded, then turned to look at Anne, who was eating, until he was delighted. Something was growing in his heart.

The boy returned to the cave after finishing his meal. Anne looked around at the dense trees, sometimes hearing insects calling, and was afraid to follow him back.

"Did you get me out of the hole?" Anne inquired hesitantly.

Okay, the boy is still not responding. Anne kept saying to herself:

"How did I find this?"" Why did you bring me here? ""I'd like to track down my parents."

The boy didn't respond, instead going to a green-leafed rock in the cave's corner and lying down as if he was about to sleep. "Can you take me to find my parents?" Anne asked quickly. The boy's breathing echoed evenly in the silent cave a moment later. The boy had dozed off.

Anne lowered her head, consciously walking to where she had awoken and was about to lie down. I'll have to wait for him to wake up and take me out of the forest before I look for my parents. Anne nodded and promptly fell asleep.

Anne was startled awake after a long sleep by a nearby roar. It sounds like a wolf! Anne quickly looked around for a familiar figure, but none could be found. Where has he gone this time?

Anne rose to her feet, ready to track him down. Someone entered the cave door around this time. Only the flickering fire in the cave reflected that small figure because it was too dark. Anne strained her eyes to see if it was him.

"Where are you going?"

Anne, forgetting that the boy was deaf, inquired impatiently. He appears to have been injured again. Anne dilated her pupils. He doesn't seem much older than she is, so why is he so badly hurt?

He limped back to his spot and sat down as the howling of wolves in the woods faded. Anne stepped to the side, checking her vision.

"It hurts too much!" There was a wound still bleeding, but he made no sound. Anne assists him in halting the bleeding and treating the injury. He fell asleep again after the damage was bandaged, leaving Anne alone by the fire to ponder how to locate her parents.