The deep forest embraces us with its darkness. The night is clear but the moon is not in the sky to light our path. Our torches could guide us but something in the forest eats up the light. It was by luck that Carim found a clearing with runes around the perimeter.
“What is this?” I asked as I pulled the horses to a halt.
“A fairy circle. We’ll be safe here.”
I unloaded our necessities while Carim collected broken branches to make a bonfire. This is our routine ever since we left Proudspire. I didn’t have a chance to camp in the woods back in my previous world. It’s tiring but it’s honest work.
Carim roasted the jerky over the fire and we quenched our thirst with water washed with gin. I didn’t know I’d see it with my eyes or taste it with my tongue. I read that they add gin to barrels of water to keep it disinfected. I asked Carim to confirm my suspicions, and he said that it prevents the water from getting spoiled. He doesn’t know why water spoils so I lectured him about bacteria and other microorganisms.
“So these little animals are crawling in my skin right now?”
“Yes. If you don’t clean yourself, they’ll multiply and make you stink.”
“I thought the smell comes from the sweat.”
“It does. The organisms eat the proteins in your sweat and release the molecules responsible for the smell.”
“Pratins? Mole Cules? What are these words.”
I spent the time eating and washing our dishes with a lesson about basic scientific terms making up the world. I talked until we’re way comfortable in our bedrolls.
“Everything you said sounds absurd but at the same time, I know you’re telling the truth.”
“I used to think that it’s stupid as well but I believed it when I grew older.” There was a time that I hated science. My fourth-grade teacher wasn’t good at teaching and that made me hate the subject. By the fifth grade, my world turned upside down when we got a teacher passionate about everything about science. In time, I grew to adore and eventually love the subject. I carried this interest until my death and now in this new world.
“You know, I never realized this but the stars look beautiful tonight.”
The sky above is a sea of darkness dotted by millions upon millions of starlight twinkling in every corner of my eye. Nebulae and galaxies converged, forming unknown yet elegant constellation in the sky. There are stars in my previous world but not as vivid as this one. If I get the chance, I could stare at this magnificent canvas for all eternity and never get bored with it. But all things have an end and I met mine with sleep.
The night is cold and the ground is even colder. Yet I met my warmth not in the leather covering me but by the sincere hug of my friend. We wrapped our bodies together and shared the warmth emanating from our bodies. He wasn’t awake but I am. I hugged him tighter and buried my head under his chin.
“J- Jon?” Carim grumbled.
“Carim! I -uh…” I said with redness swelling in my cheeks.
“You’re so red,” he chuckled. He pulled me closer than before and gave me a tight squeeze before returning to sleep. I guess he liked it when I hugged him. With closed eyes and smiling lips, I slept in the embrace of his warm meaty arms.