A Lost Soul In The Fire

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It has been a month of planning and we are finally here. We planned to visit that cafe at the top of the mountain which is the trending attraction nowadays. Since it is on the top of the mountain, it involves a little bit of hiking which may take an hour or so before we could get there. It's stressful at work these days, so my friends and I went for a change of pace with a little bit of refreshment. We saw a lot of reviews on the internet that the scenery from above where the Cafe lies is absolutely stunning. The reviews are all positive and a lot are saying that it is worth the trip.

Early in the morning, at 5 am, we went to the terminal wherein we hired a van to give us a ride to the foot of that mountain. It was a long journey of about an hour. When we get there, the sun is already rising. We hurried because it would be hotter if we stayed for long at the bottom.

A few minutes after non-stop hiking, I felt that nature was calling. I told them that I have to pee and they told me to go to the back of a large tree at the distance.

"Just go, we'll wait for you here," Jeff told me as he took my backpack from my shoulders.

"Thanks. Just a minute," I ran to that tree as I said it. After I'm done with my business, I go back to where they are. Yet when I returned, I'm stunned to see them nowhere and the footpath was empty.

I searched my eyes around the area to check where they were but I couldn't find them. They couldn't possibly play a prank on me, right? They know very well that I'm not good with hiking. What will I do in the middle of the wild, surrounded by lofty trees? I'm praying that there won't be any wild animals here to come and attack me.

Our destination is going up since the Cafe is at the peak of this mountain. I just keep on walking upwards following the narrow path. The slope of the mountain was so steep that it made my knees weary after a few minutes. I don't know how many minutes have passed since I didn't have my phone with me. They said that it would take us more than an hour to get there but summing it all up, since we started at the mountain's foot, it's probably already an hour.

But… It looks like I'm still in the middle of the forest. Am I lost now?

The thought itself can freak me out but I'm trying to keep myself calm. I'm panting and so thirsty but my backpack where I have my water isn't with me. I saw a rock beside the path and I decided to rest for a while. I sit on it while catching my breath and wiping my sweat with my hand.

I saw an old woman coming and she was walking hurriedly upwards. When she was walking past me, I called out to her.

"Excuse me, Ma'am. Can you help me? Can I ask which path leads to the cafe at the top of the mountain?"

She didn't even turn her head to look at me but just continued walking upwards. She totally ignored me as she doubled her steps leaving me behind. Then, I was thinking maybe she just didn't hear me and she was also going up there, too. I followed her path but I was more shocked that she can walk faster than me with her old age. In the end, I lost sight of her when she took a turn in the distance.

I just continued walking until I reached a hut in the distance. This hut wouldn't possibly be the cafe judging from what it looks like, and the picture on the internet is totally different. The door and the windows are wide open and it looks like there is no sign of someone living there since there are a lot of dried leaves inside. I can't explain that feeling but something is pushing me to go inside. Before I knew it, I was already standing in front of a framed picture on the wall. I found it familiar, then realized that it is the old woman that I met earlier.

A fire blasted surrounding the picture and it rapidly burned the wall. I trembled at the sight and was too stunned to take a step. The fire reached the roof and surrounded the whole house. Mustering all the courage I still have, I ran to the door and continued running outside without knowing where to go.

"Hey, Anne! There you are! Where have you been?" As I saw him and the others in the distance, and heard his voice, I ran faster and lost my balance, then fell in front of him. With him helping me to stand, I took a deep breath.

"Fire! Jeff, there's a fire! The hut is on fire!" I told him panicking.

"Where?" He asked.

"There!" I turned around and pointed to the hut but there was no fire in it. Only blackened woods which is evidence that there was a fire long ago. Dried leaves covered the floor of its ruins and there is no ashes, no portrait, and no embers.

"Oh, that Hut. It was my grandmother's. It was an unfortunate event. She might have forgotten that she was cooking something in the kitchen and left it, then went to sleep. She died there in the fire. It was late before we knew it," said the man who stopped with us, shaking his head while regretfully looking at the Hut's direction.