Julia dreamt of a boy; his face remained elusive. The scene unfolded in her childhood, a time marked by tears. In the dream, she approached a boy her age, inquiring about his distress. Introducing herself as Julia, she sought his name. However, just as he began to respond, a deep voice interrupted, reminiscent of a grown man calling out. In the dream, the boy's image began to fade, and Julia abruptly awoke.
Opening her eyes slowly, she murmured, "Ahhgghh, where am I?" As she gradually gained awareness, she saw someone near her face and, gets shocked, but calms down. "You," she exclaimed, "you're the boy from before." Then, she remembered the cliff fall. "Where am I, and where are the others?" she inquired.
"Well, I got lost too," he explained. "I was admiring a tree, got left out, and as I was wandering, I found you here lying unconscious." Julia sighed, "You're no better than me. Do you have any idea how to get back to them?"
"I'm in the same boat as you," he said, his face filled with guilt. "For now, let's find a place to rest. It will be dark in an hour or so, and it might get dangerous."
As they walked, they encountered a breathtaking landscape of vibrant plants, exotic birds, and a stunning waterfall. Immersed in the beauty, Julia momentarily forgot their predicament until the boy halted her, "Be careful; don't touch any bright plants here. They could be harmful." Intrigued, she asked how he knew about them. "I have read about it in a book," he said in an awkward tone.
Julia felt a twinge of suspicion but chose not to delve too deeply into it. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth; we're already in a bind; let's not complicate things by casting doubt on someone who's trying to help."
They found a good spot to camp for the night after an hour or so on foot. They had a rest, and after a tea cup of time, the boy said, "We need fire to deter wild beasts as the mountain casts its early nightfall, and the day is drawing to a close." They started collecting dry wood.
After collecting firewood, a thought struck Julia, "We don't have matches or a burner; we don't have any fire source. How will we create a fire?" But the boy just smiled and picked a couple of sticks, fashioned a bow by bending a flexible stick and attaching a vine as a bowstring. Carving a straight, dry stick for the drill and preparing a flat piece of dry wood as the fireboard, he started the process.
Placing the drill in a notch on the fireboard, he applied downward pressure and began sawing the bow back and forth. After what felt like the duration of an incense stick, smoke started to emerge. Carefully, he transferred the resulting ember to a prepared tinder of dry, fine material.
Gently blowing on the ember, a flicker of fire came to life. The entire process, from crafting the bow and arrow to igniting the tinder, unfolded like a dance with nature's elements. "Wow, you really are something," Julia marveled at his ability to start a fire without matches or a burner. She added some sticks to the growing fire. Finally, she had a sense of peace. They finally had fire, and a fire in the mountains in the dark is akin to the "Aegis of Athena." They had a rest, embracing the comforting warmth the fire offered. But soon, an awkward silence settled in as neither of them spoke, the crackling of the fire becoming the only audible companion in the stillness.
Summoning her courage, Julia finally mustered the question, "What's your name?" He hesitated before suggesting, "You can call me whatever you like." Playfully, she settled on "Jojo." In the flickering firelight, he chuckled, with a hint of embarrassment. "I admit, my naming sense might not be the best. It's a bit embarrassing, huh?" Her face flushed with a rosy hue, a shared moment of lightheartedness amid the quietude of the night.