The sunlight fell on Alphi, and she breathed a sigh of relief. That forest had too many uncertainties; for her, it was more terrifying than the cave. She looked at the sky, grateful to be out. Then she took the right path in search of the big pineapple tree.
Alphi noticed that a considerable amount of time had passed. It was like time moved faster in the other part of the forest. It would be dark soon, and she knew she had to hurry. This side of the forest might be vibrant and bright, but she didn't want to find out what it would look like at night.
As she walked, she bumped into an old woman.
"I'm sorry," Alphi said.
The old woman turned around slowly. "Oh, don't worry, dear. In any case, I should be sorry for you. What a life you've had," she said, looking directly at Alphi.
"Excuse me?" Alphi responded. The woman's gaze was strong; it felt as if she was looking into Alphi's soul.
"The road ahead of you is a difficult one. You must make the right choices, for the fate of both worlds is in your hands," the woman said.
Alphi was startled. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice shaking.
But the old woman simply hummed as she walked away. Then she suddenly looked back at Alphi and said, "Be careful, oh you daughter of Eric."
Alphi was stunned. "How do you know who I am?"
Then suddenly, a huge wind blew at her. Lots of leaves blinded her sight, and before she could look again, the old woman was gone.
Alphi looked around in search of the old woman, but it was pointless.
Who was that? What did she mean by "the fate of both worlds is in my hands?" Most importantly, how does she know me?
Alphi was unhappy with the fact that there was someone who knew who she was, as it might put her in danger. I have to find that old woman.
Besides, where was she heading to inside this forest? She felt a little anxious, but she had no time to spare—finding the secret hideout was her top priority at the moment, and she had to do so before nightfall.
Alphi was starting to doubt the existence of the secret hideout. She had walked for such a long time, yet she hadn't even encountered any pineapple trees. She was getting annoyed with the situation.
Maybe I would have found it if I had taken this path from the beginning.
She walked for some time before finally arriving at a part of the forest that was filled with pineapple trees. She was quite relieved—at least the pineapple tree existed.
But now the problem was which pineapple tree she was looking for.
She searched around for any sign of the secret hideout, but there were too many pineapple trees. She decided to make her way to the tallest pineapple tree. Maybe if I can climb it, I'll get a full view and speed things up, she thought.
The tallest tree wasn't hard to find—it stood out among the others. It was at the center of all the pineapple trees.
Even though she could see the tree, it still took her some time to get there.
Alphi finally arrived at the tree. It was bigger up close than it had looked from afar. She looked like an insect next to it. The tree was strong and a bit old; it was obvious it had endured a lot of harsh weather.Now the hard part—climbing the tree. The tree was probably about twelve feet tall. The thought of climbing such a tall tree was discouraging.
Well, she didn't have much of a choice, and she had to hurry because the night was fast approaching.
Alphi had some experience with tree climbing since she was mostly left at home to fend for herself. She would climb trees in search of fruits to satisfy her hunger. With time, she became good at it.
She climbed fast but cautiously; her grip was like that of a gorilla. She moved swiftly from branch to branch, and after a long time, she finally made it to the top.
Her eyes quickly caught sight of a small house. It was surrounded by leaves and made of hardwood. The roof was covered with leaves and hay. It had a huge door for the entrance and two windows by the side.
The house looked like it was a part of the tree itself—a well-hidden secret hideout.
Alphi stepped in, her hands sore from climbing. It was already night when she arrived.
The hideout was cold and airy as gentle wind blew in and out of the windows. It had the scent of alcohol and wet leaves. It was quite dark, but the moonlight reflected inside, adding a kind of mysterious beauty to the place.
She found a small lamp and a matchbox and lit it. It was brighter than she had expected, considering the size of the lamp.
There wasn't much in the place—just one old sofa, a small table, and a side of the hideout that looked like a kitchen.
In it, there was a shelf with bottles of alcohol arranged on it, a small kitchen table with a cabinet beneath it, and another shelf with some plates, cups and finally, a small bathroom.
It wasn't all that dusty—it was just very messy.
So this is where Dad came every day, huh? That explains where he got his never-ending alcohol. But how the hell does he climb that tree every day?
Alphi was tired and drained. Her hands still hurt from tree climbing.
The night was calm and quiet. The view of the moon from the hideout was incredible.
There was something about the place that just seemed to calm her down. Even though she was alone, she didn't feel lonely—it felt as if the hideout comforted her.
I guess this place isn't bad, she said to herself, as she lay on the sofa , ready for a good night's rest.