As they keep walking to the northern side of the village where the big trees looming in the near distance, the houses behind them were now fading from their vision, they soon entered a dense forest...

Thirty minutes of nonstop walking, they soon pa.s.sed the first shallow river, it's knee-deep high as expected.

Then they resumed walking for another thirty minutes surrounded by coconut trees, wild bushes, wild plants and tall trees growing beside the riverbanks. Aside from the sound of the water rus.h.i.+ng through the river, they can also hear birds chirping up above in the branches of the trees and other strange animal sounds. They pa.s.sed another river crossing the shallow water.

Two hours later they come into the deepest part of the river which the water current was high. The water was creating ripples signaling that if one person will face the water head-on he or she will be carried away by the surging water.

The men looked at each other wanting to solve their dilemma.

Mang Kanor smiled at his companions. "Don't worry kids, we will pa.s.s through this river alive!" he grinned from ear to ear. In the ground, he put down his small backpack and the sack where the two chickens were being kept inside. He tied the rope around his body securely then he gave the other end to Ramon. He walked a few meters ahead and when he found the much shallower area of the river, he waded through the surging water using the wooden stick to steady his balance.

The men were holding their breath upon seeing that Mang Kanor was now waist-deep into the water fighting to keep his balance as the surging water lambasted his body. After a few minutes of fighting the strong current, the old man was able to cross the river in one piece. The men released their breath in huge relief.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Mang Kanor tied the rope's end in the body of the coconut tree looming in the riverbank, he was making sure the rope was tied securely. Then Ramon also tied the other end of the rope on the body of another tree near him, after securing the rope and making sure it won't break, they were now ready to cross the river.

"Only two person at a times kids!" Mang Kanor shouted a the other end.

The group nodded their head.

Romeo and Sandra dropped all their belongings in the ground and starts wading into the water with the right hand holding on to the rope firmly and the other hand gripping the wooden stick. They managed to cross the river safely to Sandra's fear and delight.

"Are you okay, darling?" Romeo asked his wife's flushed face.

"I'm okay just a little bit shaken. That was terrifying and at the same time thrilling," replied Sandra. While they were wading through the strong current she can feel the water pus.h.i.+ng hard on her body as if trying to separate her away from the rope but she remained steadfast and carry on with the help of her wooden stick. Knowing that her husband was behind her it helps calm her nerves and comforted her with the knowledge that he was ready to save her just in case she will accidentally let go of the rope. And she knows that all the three men beside her husband will also jump into the water to save her. She fixed her gaze on the two men holding tightly on the rope across the river.

John and Ramon were now crossing the river successfully.

Ramon and Mang Kanor went back to the other side to retrieve Romeo and Sandra's backpack. Mang Kanor told them that they still need to pa.s.s three more rivers and there might be another deeper parts of the river again to pa.s.s, so they should refrain from changing into dry clothes for the meantime.

Ten minutes later they resumed their walking.

They come to clearing in the middle of the forest and rest for a while.

In the sky above, they can be seen walking in the dense forest again, a few minutes later they saw another body of water.

The fourth river was also waist deep high, and the current was strong just like the 3rd river they just recently pa.s.sed through. So they just execute the same process, tied both ends of the rope to the trees and cross the river successfully.

They resumed their walking.

Two more rivers to cross and they would soon come face to face with the famous soothsayer.

While walking, John feels at peace with the nature surrounding them, the travel was pleasant and soothing. He feels light-headed during the entire journey, he was having fun staying outdoor, feeling the gentle breeze of the wind, seeing the branches swaying along with the invisible wind, he was loving the chirping of the birds up in the trees, he sees green everywhere, the fresh air and bright mild suns.h.i.+ne were filling his senses with a renewed hope, just being exposed to the abundant blessings of mother nature it already wiped a heavy chunk of the torment that he feels in the past torturous months of his life.

He feels alive again and he feels good even just for today.

Ahead of them was another river to cross, the 5th river, as they were approaching the riverbank they notice that the water was calm and when Mang Kanor waded into the water it was only knee-deep high, they were relieved.

One hour of walking again, brought them to the 6th river, the last one to cross. The river was also knee-deep high and they went across the river without any problem.

"Okay kids, we can change now into our dry clothes, because the next one-hour walking will be in drylands. After changing our clothes we will start eating our lunch because it's already lunchtime," Mang Kanor said.

The group scattered to change into their dry clothes.

Soon they gathered into the middle of the clearing on the ground between two big mahogany trees that offered them a temporary shelter against the sun rays.