Pocco appears out of thin air, followed by a cloud of white dust.


    “Meow, meoow, meow, meooooow!”


    He tries to tell us something as he scurries around us. His fur seems thicker, very clean and healthy, yet he appears semi-transparent, reminding us that there is no physical body present.


    “Pocco!”


    Astrid shouts with tears in her eyes. She extends her palm, completely forgetting Mike, and pets the fluffy cat. Pocco scurries around Mike’s head, and Mike can barely keep up, spinning in place. Pocco’s fluffy tail passes through Mike''s head on the last circle.


    I don’t expect anything from the ghostly cat, but he greets me too. Apparently, he is more than sentient and remembers what happened back there. It wasn’t a dream or hallucination. The ghostly animal saved Mike and Astrid and clearly knows I didn’t make it.


    He circles around me, leaving flickering dust on my shoulders like a halo.


    Suddenly, he sits on my shoulder and purrs in my face. His head intersects with mine as he gently nuzzles his little nose against my cheek. Then he bows to me, and it somehow feels like an apology. Maybe I’m imagining things, but it does have that vibe.


    Then, in a flash, he speeds toward the meadow we came from a moment ago.


    Mike hugs Astrid as she cries.


    “Pocco,” she whispers through her tears.


    Mere seconds later, he’s back. In a blur of motion, he stops mid-air close to us. The cloud of glowing particles that followed him bursts into a swirling cloud as he halts abruptly.


    Despite his ghostly appearance, he has some impact on the air, and his white powdery dust lingers.


    As he comes closer to Astrid, her tears begin to dry. Pocco scratches her hand firmly and precisely about ten times, almost as if he’s trying to communicate.


    She goes for another pat, and he presses his head against her hands and purrs.


    *Poof*


    And he’s gone, leaving only a few white dust particles drifting in the wind.


    *Snap* *Snap* *Snap*


    Nothing happens.


    “Sigh,” she lowers her gaze.


    “You can try later. This wasn’t a one-time thing. I believe it will work again,” Mike comforts her.


    “Just a guess, but apparently you have the ability to summon him, by snapping your fingers,” I note.


    “Brutal! Is this my blood?” Mike leans closer to examine and sniff me curiously while I talk.


    “So, you’re missing a toe? Am I right?”


    “Yep.”


    “What if it goes further?”


    “What do you mean?”


    “Hands, arms, legs... Remember the guy who vaporized you?” I try to be rational.


    “You know, I did some calculations, and we can function without toes, maybe even fingers. Even without a dominant arm. That means we can die about 10 to 17 times. After that, we could go up to 28 before being completely immobile.”


    “Take it with a grain of salt, of course; it''s just speculation. We don’t know if it goes by the joints or the whole limbs afterward.” I speculate.


    “He''s right. We’re immortal, but with penalties,” Astrid adds. Mike apparently doesn’t like it. He nods, but I can see in his eyes that he’s bothered whenever Astrid even slightly expresses any appreciation toward me. Nothing good can come out of this.


    “The dusk is just an hour away, and my throat feels like I’m biting a dry towel,” I complain.


    “Don’t even say that out loud. I feel uncomfortable just imagining it,” frowns Astrid.


    “The stream is this way.” She points northwest from the fire bowl. At least that’s what I call it. If the nutria field is east and the hole we crawled from on the first day is west...


    <hr>


    We walk carefully and a bit slowly due to exhaustion for a few dozen minutes. The forest grows darker and more foreboding. Despite being with others, I feel a bit frightened. I can’t imagine being here all alone.


    The trees are crooked and deformed, giving off a bad vibe.


    “No way, this again?! I swear I’ve seen this stick already!” Mike starts to get angry.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.“You think we’re walking in circles?” I ask. “What about the sound of the water?”


    Astrid stops and spins around. “I don’t know; this is so strange. I can’t tell which direction it’s coming from anymore.”


    She starts to show signs of desperation.


    “I have a bad feeling about this. It’s getting dark way too soon. My suggestion is that we go in one direction as straight as possible for a few minutes and mark our way.”


    “If we try four different directions, at least one of them has to lead us out or bring us back to where we started. There’s no way all of them would keep us trapped here,” I propose.


    <hr>


    It wasn''t long before we hit the jackpot.


    “Yes! Yes! It’s the water!” The sudden noise becomes clear and distinct. Mike sprints toward it and kneels right by the river.


    I plunge in and try to clean myself and my clothes as thoroughly and quickly as possible. After the taste and sniff test I start gulping the water like a hippo. I almost overfill myself, nearly making me puke.


    Astrid washes her hair thoroughly, melting away the dried monkey dung and Mike''s blood.


    I wonder what must be running through her head now.


    Completely soaked and wet, I quickly despise the idea of sleeping here. Not only does this area make me feel so uneasy, especially in the dark, but the cold breeze while being soaked and physically exhausted will lead to the inevitable flu. I hate getting sick when I’m cozy in my bed at home. Not to mention being tucked in a pack of leaves like a rat, all wet, cold and afraid.


    The cold water easily washes the blood from our clothes and my hair. After refilling our bottles, we agree on a quick return before it’s completely dark.


    “At least we know some directions. Going up or down the stream is off the table, just like crossing it,” I reason, trying to ease the tension as darkness falls faster than expected, making it clear we won''t reach our destination before it''s pitch black. We stick together and jog.


    Almost complete darkness is broken only by occasional patches of moonlight as fast-moving clouds sweep across the sky. The shadows make the trees and bushes look even more menacing, but we push on.


    <hr>


    A heartwarming feeling spreads through me as I spot the yellow dot in the distance—the eternal firepit. We stand close to it, facing outward to dry our clothes as quickly as possible. Mike, who didn’t need to soak himself, stands nearby, chatting closely with Astrid.


    I fumble through the pile of leaves I slept in the previous night, making sure there are no uninvited guests like hedgehogs or mice. Finding it clear, I tuck myself in comfortably, enjoying the slight heat from the fire as I try to summarize my day. It ended up well enough—still a bit hungry, but thirst is a far worse feeling. Clean, warm, and safe—that’s what matters most to me now.


    <hr>


    The night passes in what feels like the blink of an eye. I must have had some mixed, enticing dreams because I wake up with a slightly worried expression. But as soon as I sit up and support myself with my hands, everything fades away. The bright, sunny day combined with a fresh morning breeze works wonders on my mood.


    “Guys, are you awake?” I ask, half-whispering as I turn to the couple.


    “Yeah,” Mike answers.


    “I feel like that night was just one long second, yet I’m full of energy.”


    “Morning, Mark. Same here,” Astrid says, glancing at Mike, who nods in agreement.


    I take a deep breath in and out before jumping to my feet. Grabbing my bottle, I nearly chug the entire thing.


    “What’s the plan for today?” I ask eagerly, holding up my half-empty bottle as a hint that we need a refill.


    “Food and water. And we shouldn’t waste any time,” Mike agrees with me.


    “I want to believe that the dark, haunting forest will feel less unsettling now that it’s morning,” suggests Astrid, her eyes glowing with eagerness.


    “I’ve waited all night for this,” she adds with anticipation.


    *Finger snap*


    *Poof*


    Pocco appears instantly in a cloud of dust, floating in midair and locking eyes with Astrid. Her face lights up with joy as she realizes it worked. Leaning closer, she scratches him behind the ears.


    “Water, Pocco. We need the quickest route to water, please.”


    Pocco immediately turns and starts running up in the air. It almost looks like he’s climbing invisible stairs. He goes above the tree canopies, and we lose track of him.


    “He understood!” Astrid cheers, clapping and jumping a bit in excitement.


    *Whoosh*


    Pocco reappears, striding from the dark forest, but more likely coming from the southwest rather than the direction we went yesterday. He stops a few steps in front of us, his tail straight up. He turns around and gazes in the direction he came from.


    *Meow*


    *Puff*


    Then he disappears, leaving behind semi-transparent particles.


    <hr>


    We walk through the thick forest filled with bushes for a few minutes, following the direction Pocco was looking at.


    “You hear that? It’s our river!,” Astrid says, stopping for a moment and cupping her hand around her ear.


    The way is a bit rougher than the one we took yesterday, with thick thorny bushes and nettles. Yet the water is here much sooner than expected.


    Finally, in better light, I immerse myself in the beauty of a narrow, crystal-clear river filled with pebbles. The path we came from is easily the best illuminated, as the trees are less dense, but the bushes fill the extra space. On the other side of the stream lies the darkest forest I’ve seen so far. The tree canopies are so thick that they prevent any light from entering. Crooked trees look as unwelcoming as they possibly can.


    Mike jumps right into the water, making a splash and burying his face in. I go for the refill.


    Astrid stands motionless in the water, her bare feet submerged as she gazes into the distance and darkness. She doesn’t look like she’s relaxing.


    “Come on, Astrid. Aren’t you thirsty?” Mike teases her.


    I sharpen my focus and peer into the darkness where she’s staring.


    *A massive chill runs down my spine.*