Beyond once more

   The waiting and planning paid off, and I found myself once again on the not-so-safe meadow and then in the woods, and it was only a matter of time before my path would cross again with Sylvie’s. It's been a long time since I was on my first adventure in the woods, so, which is not at all surprising, considering that it had happened the first time as well, I got lost. This time it was not as interesting as before. The deeper I went into the woods and the more time had passed without a trace of Sylvie, the more I was overwhelmed with thoughts such as "What if she went somewhere else? What if something had happened to her? What if she’s mad at me for not coming back earlier, or if she blames me for destroying the forest as well? What if they lied to me, and they actually found Sylvie and captured her? " and so on. Dark thoughts were swirling around my head, so I didn't pay attention when my steps grew heavier and when I needed more and more strength to push forward. Soon, there were almost no trees around me, and the ground became totally soft and watery. My legs were sinking into the ground more with each new step, and then it hit me - I was stuck in the middle of a swamp! I turned around, but I couldn't figure out which path was safe to use to go back. There was water all around, with a few small hills peeking out here and there. I managed to land on the nearest dry patch of land and away from the mud in which I was stuck. Now I could peacefully regroup my thoughts and figure out what to do. I carefully observed the surroundings and began to work out a plan of where to go. Although the swamp was a creepy place, I was no longer a little girl. I knew I was in no danger as long as I was careful. No matter how suspicious the murky surface of the water may seem, it did not hide any dangerous animals. Predators lurking in our area would not go to places like this, would they? I took a deep breath and concentrated on the next jump. In the beginning, I made good progress, but I could not determine which part of the forest was dry and which led me deeper into the swamp. Everything seemed the same, covered with shrubbery, until you discovered that more water was hiding under the ferns. An additional problem was that there were many plastic bottles and similar waste hidden or semi-hidden in the mud and in the water, but also on the islands, which made my landings relatively unstable and slippery. I was confused by the amount of plastic found in one place. It was almost impossible to find plastic in our city, especially bottles. Everyone used glass or some other material. On several occasions, I had to walk directly through the water to the next island. It was not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous. My feet didn't even touch the bottom; instead, I could feel myself walking on layers of plastic that were crunching under my weight. Just when I thought I had reached the next safe zone, my left leg sank, almost to my knees, into the mud and garbage. I barely managed to keep myself from falling by using my hands, which had resulted in my dress being splashed with muddy water. I struggled for a long time to pull out my leg, which seemed to be stuck in some hole. When I finally succeeded, I saw that my suffering had not come to an end. I freed my leg, but I was left without a shoe. Angrily, I started to push away the bottles, sludge, and who knows what else, but I couldn't find it. Annoyed, I climbed onto the island to which I had originally headed and crashed to the ground, frowning. I was already dirty, it's not like someone would scold me for that. I was tired, wet, and cold. Furthermore, I lost my shoe, but at least my backpack was still safe on my back. Not everything was so black. I forced myself to get up. I have to admit, standing barefoot in wet socks and making gooey sounds by moving my toes freely in the mud wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling, but it wasn't as repulsive as I thought it would be. It occurred to me to take off another shoe in order to fix my balance, but I quickly dismissed the idea since I didn’t know what was hiding in the mud. This way, at least one of my feet was protected from potential injuries. After a few moments of self-encouragement and newly found determination, I tightened my grip on the backpack and turned around to continue. I almost collapsed back into the swamp out of fear, I barely saved myself from falling back into the swamp by catching a nearby branch. A crocodile was lurking in the water right in front of me! Where did the crocodile come from! Before I could do anything, from the branch I was holding on to, Sylvie jumped right up to the crocodile's jaws. The shock of seeing her again quickly replaced the fear, and I yelled at her to run away from there. She tilted her head and looked at me in amusement, then elegantly pushed the log next to her with her paw, which swayed slightly. A log. The scary crocodile, because of which I almost jumped out of my skin, was a log! I have never felt so ashamed in my life. What an embarrassment! My cheeks were burning, and I hid my face with my hands. I hadn't imagined our reunion being like this... The splashing of the water made me look up quickly. Was it possible that Sylvie was leaving me so fast? Maybe she wasn’t as happy to see me? I felt a little embarrassed for thinking that when I saw her emerge from the swamp holding my lost shoe in her mouth. Water and dirt were dripping from her beautiful fur when she approached me to give me back the lost shoe. I couldn't help it anymore, and I hugged her tightly. She stiffened in my arms for a moment, as if unaccustomed to someone else's touch, but quickly relaxed and rested her head on my cheek. I missed her a lot, even though we had only spent one day together before that.

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   The rest of our quest through the swamp was entirely different. Like last time, Sylvie seemed to know some invisible paths. She led the way, and very quickly, breaking through the mud turned into a game. Soon I was able to see the solid ground and the continuation of the forest. The only problem was that a larger piece of water, which seemed deep, blocked us from reaching the shore. Sylvie easily jumped on the fallen trunk that was springing from the water, and then landed on solid ground. I had to admire her grace and self-confidence, even though she was muddy as much as I was. She sat on the shore and told me with her eyes that it was my turn and that I could do the same. I wasn't so sure about that, but her look encouraged me, besides, I couldn't embarrass myself in front of her again. I launched myself forward and, not so gracefully, but just as successfully, found myself on the shore as well. Finally, solid ground was under my feet and everything seemed much easier. We were walking briefly through the woods when I spotted a small lake. I went to it to see if I could take at least a little mud off myself, which was starting to uncomfortably dry on me. Sylvie strongly rebelled against my intentions, and this time I decided to listen to her. Although I was sorry that I had to continue walking dirty, and the lake seemed safe enough, I knew that this was her territory, so I believed in her assessment. Not long after, we broke out into a meadow and to another lake. Apart from the size, I couldn’t notice any difference between this and the previous one, but Sylvie gave me a sign that this was our destination. When she reached the shore, she shook herself like a dog, and all the mud fell off her before she slipped into the clear water. I didn't understand why she hadn’t done it as soon as she came out of the swamp if she could. She must have been uncomfortable walking around so sticky. Then it dawned on me. She showed solidarity with me. My face lit up, and I jumped into the water cheerfully. The day was beautiful and warm. The water was just right for swimming, and we spent most of the afternoon frolicking and sunbathing.