RUMINATION

“Where are they?” I wondered aloud, rasping in a breathe. We have been running through the small dwellings of the tribal people, the small hut like structures were built with wood, bamboo and thatch, they were carelessly covered by a rugged bamboo door. They had hand lamps and snares. How did they get hold of all these?

“They have gathered near the waterfalls” he said and suddenly stopped to pick something up from the ground, before I could ask what it was he started to run again, clutching one of my wrist. The light from the tribal’s lamp did not reach this part of the forest. It was pitch black ahead. The moonlight could hardly penetrate the cluster of trees to reach the ground.

“Do you thi…think we must run by…the…the river bank?” I asked in between my wheeze.

“That’ll be the way, they would choose to look for us” he stopped on his tracks and pulled me to a halt, his hand never loosened its grip on mine. I unwind my hands from his and placed them on my knees and panted f