Loved Brondong Online

66. Lost in the Forest (15)

“Stay with whatever happens, even if one of you gets hurt and can't walk.  Never leave a friend even if your intention is to seek help.  If one is injured, try everything you can to go to the river. Wait right there.  Those who are still healthy can keep the sick and find food until help comes.  As long as it survives on the riverbank, there is always the possibility of getting help.”

“We are still good friends,” Lili said.  “One day we will sit around chatting in a small tea shop,” said someone.

“Betul, Lili,” says someone else.  “We'll be out of this forest.  In the city later we make friends again like before.”

“I'll pray for you.”

“Thank you,” said the man.  “Remind them that I have left a note explaining our travel route.”

“There is no need to be that golden,” someone else calms Lili down.  “We plan to surprise you by arriving in town before you get to.”

Kiki's laughter exploded.  “You are indeed a braggart,” he said.

Once their song shakes.

Lili said, “See you in town.  God is with you.  I must be praying for you.  Goodbye to.”

They turned and walked away.  With full confidence Kiki walked in front.  Lilies followed closely, briefly looking back to see them one last time, before being completely silent from view.

One of them broke the silence.  “Come, we still have a lot of work.”

They crossed over to the side and started working.  Someone took off all four splinters on the raft.  Afterwards, using adhesive straps as Kiki taught them, they tied the four into a new, smaller raft.

Someone explained, “This raft serves as a helper raft.  All the equipment we connect here.”

Their small raft fastened firmly in the middle of a large raft with a rope and leather ribbon that Lili had left behind.

“Main raft will accept all new impact.  If something happens, we just cut the rope with the machete so that the helper raft comes off.  We proceed ashore aboard this small raft.”

Sounds reasonable.

Rian, so was the name of the man and Made, so was the name of the other man who accompanied him.

Rian emptied all the backpacks and rearranged their belongings.  Into the two largest backpacks he incorporated large-sized tools, pots and cooking alays, nylon sheets that would later serve as tents, sandals and his pottery clothes, dress-up bananas, and so on, smoked monkey meat.

The smaller backpack, RIan calls it a rescue backpack, wrapped in a waterproof rubber pouch and filled with P3K boxes, maps, two green mosquito wires, raft adhesive straps, flashlights, and so on, matches and lighters.

Their letters and money were stored in waterproof metal boxes.  Rian watched as Made reluctantly pulled out the wallet.  Be careful and without talking he kept the wallet in a metal box.

Eventually they put the rice and beans into a waterproof rubber bag.  Rian tied the mouth of the pouch tightly and coated it with a backpack.  On top of the backpack are tied two large cans that are still sealed so that the backpack remains floating if it falls from the raft.

All of the backpacks were put into nylon sheets that were filled with pieces of wood to float.  After tightly tying the nylon wrap to the helper raft, they were ready to depart.

They combed the campground for the last time.  Nothing is forgotten.  Rian was very thorough.  He flapped the blanket of leaves that became their bedding and scatted the charred remains of the campfire.  None were missed.

Made's stomach trembled excitedly while riding the raft.  Rian stood in the water, pushed the raft firmly, then jumped next to him.

“All must be smooth,” he said convincingly.  “Remember what you said yesterday, your grandmother could do it.  One more thing, stay alert and pay attention to my instructions.”

“You're the captain,” says Made.

Made was eager to believe that Rian knew what he was saying, but at that time Made was quite agitated.  River current double raft.  Rian told Made to replace the pole with a paddle.

“We just need to direct the front of the raft straight,” said Rian.  “Let the current take us.  Today too we can definitely reach the riverbank told Kiki.”

In a short time they entered the first vicious flow area.  You can see jagged rocks sticking out of the river.

The raft hit the rock, lifted from the river.  The wood under their feet was shaking.  The raft fell back into the water and will soon hit the following rocks.  Made did not row at all, but gripped the leather rope as hard as he could.  Rian did a similar thing on the front.  The raft that was thrown from stone to stone finally plunged brought water bubbling and when it fell its position continued to tilt to one side.

“Strong handle, Made, don't let go!”

Made's eyes closed in unison.

Suddenly, they sailed back to the calm water.  When they looked back, they saw the white water they had just passed.

“Hey, we did it!” made shouted with joy.

Rian smiled back while raising one thumb.  Now they realize just how risky this trip is, how minimal they can control the raft.  When dragged by the current so fast, they could not pay any attention to the front of the raft to keep it special.

No, Grandma Made can't be on this trip.  Now that no one is sobbing, Made no longer feels the desire to act like a tough guy.

The next two hours they glided without any difficulty, feeling confident that they would soon arrive at their destination.  The view is so fascinating.  Season-long verdant mountains rise above the reddish cliffs along the coast.

Occasionally they pass through small waterfalls that flow from a height and gushing into the river.  All the time one family of monkeys was jumping from tree to tree accompanying them downstream.

By noon they got into trouble.  One large rock sticking out of the land, the river water that pummeled this rock formed a dangerous vortex.

The river current carried them into the middle of the vortex.  Two hours they tried to get out of it, but it didn't work.  Finally, seeing no other way, Rian swam ashore, climbed a rock while holding a rope tied to the front of the raft, and attempted to pull the raft from the navel.

Twice Rian slipped, fell into the water and then hit the current, but quickly mastered the situation.  On the third try the rope in his hand broke off, once again splashing into the river, but this time did not appear as fast as before.

Made lives alone in a raft that swirls around.  Made stomach heartburn by fear.  What if Rian drowns?  How will Made fare later?  Made sat down while extending his neck, desperately trying to catch his figure.  When he saw his straw hat drifting downstream, his body froze.

Rian returned fifteen minutes later.  Blood flowed from the deep wound on his knee.

“The underwater crusher here is strong once,” he said.  “I thought I was going to drown.  I was out of breath, fortunately the current dragged me to the surface so I could get on land.”

“How's your leg?”“Oh, I didn't even realize my knee was hurt.  I think I hit a rock.  Damn it, my straw hat is gone.”

Instead of trying to remove the raft from the navel of the current, they eventually moored the raft to the edge of the river.  How relieved his feet could return to trace the solid ground.

Next they tried another tactic, pulling the raft upstream, jumping on it, paddling with all their might to get out of the vortex and back into the middle of the river.  Their efforts yielded results on the third experiment.

After cheering happily, Rian said wisely, “Maybe there is no harm to the banks and camped on the riverbank that Kiki showed on the map.  It must be more fun if we start walking tomorrow.”

“I think you're right,” welcome Rian.

The reddish cliffs cut off the banks of the river so that the river seemed to suddenly have no edge at all.

“This is definitely the place,” firmly Rian.  “Ready.  The island can be seen at any time.  Once the island is visible, start rowing left as hard as you can.  If there is a serious problem, we jump and swim to land.  This area looks like the beginning of the canyon.”

They are both tense and alert. The current is getting stronger.  Where is the island, right?

Near the river bank to their right was a huge rock.  They were quickly dragged there.  On the left, the river bank declined sharply although it is difficult to know the extent of its decline.  River water poured down with a rumbling sound.  May they pass on the right side of the rock, between the rock and the river.

“Ke right, to the right!  Stronger, faster!”

Made desperately put all his energy into paddling the oars.  Made close your eyes.  They hit the rock on the right with a violent impact.

“You okay, Made?”

Just like Made, Rian was in the river gripping the raft rope.  The water flowed swiftly past them from both sides, but the raft was unmoved as it stuck in the sand, one side leaning against the rock forming a sixty degree angle from the river.  The force of the water charged towards the rock.