Thomas observed Adam, listened to him, and repeated to himself, Adam has practical sense. He’s an excellent guide.
While they were on their way to the stream to wash their faces and drink, Adam spied an old peasant sheepskin cloak in the distance. He went over and picked it up. The coat was old and worn, but it was still in one piece.
“It’s a miracle,” Adam called out.
“Finding an old cloak is a miracle?” Thomas wondered.
“There’s no other word for it,” said Adam. “In any case, somebody is thinking about us.”
“Do you mean that God is thinking about us?”
“I guess so,” said Adam, stunning Thomas even more.
That night rain fell. But Adam and Thomas didn’t get wet. The raindrops rolled off the coat they had found.
“We’re lucky,” said Thomas.
Adam wanted to say, It isn’t a matter of luck, but he wasn’t sure whether it was right to say that.
Toward the end of the night they heard the footsteps of someone running away, but there were no shots. “We can’t keep hiding this way, when people are in danger,” said Adam. “We’ll have to go down and help.”
“How can we help?” asked Thomas.
“We can prepare a thermos bottle of water, iodine, and some fruit. If we see someone trip and fall, we can go down and help him.”
This time Thomas wasn’t put off by the new task. He said, “Studying is important, but helping people in trouble is more important.”
Adam listened carefully to the sentence thatThomas spoke, and he knew: Thomas was trying with all his might. In a little while he’d overcome his fear.
Chapter 13
The surprises came one after the other. They kept on exploring the forest and found a small pool full of water plants. “This is where the frogs we hear at night live,” said Adam excitedly.
Adam was happy every time they discovered something. Thomas was still reserved. Still fearful. In the depth of his heart he was still thinking about his parents and his house, and when he didn’t think about them, dreams came at night and showed them to him.
Nevertheless Thomas wasn’t the same Thomas whom Adam had first met in the forest. He was still fearful. But he climbed the tree without help. Also, when he climbed down from the tree, he did it more steadily.
They ate raspberries and blueberries as well as an apple or two, but that good fruit wasn’t filling. Hunger made them dizzy. They sat next to the stream, and from time to time they’d drink some water.
Are we going to die of hunger? Thomas’s eyes asked.
Adam looked at him with friendship and said, “The forest has a lot more gifts to make us happy. Gradually we’ll discover them. If we’re alert and diligent, we’ll find them. Just a few days ago we found a cloak to protect us.”
But what will happen in the meantime, until we find the gifts? Thomas’s eyes asked once again.
“Thomas, we have to get used to the food of the forest. True, it’s different from the food we had at home, it’s not easy to get used to new food, but we’ll do it.”
“You’re a boy who believes,” Thomas surprised Adam. “You don’t get discouraged easily. I keep asking myself: Why am I here? Why have I been punished? That’s probably wrong of me.”
“You can correct mistakes. If we don’t think about the past, but if we think about what we have to do, our mood will improve.”
Thomas listened carefully to Adam’s words and asked, “Who did you learn that practical way of thinking from?”
“From Mom and Dad. I also love to hear my grandparents. They always tell me useful things. When I’m sad, Grandma tells me: ‘Things to make you happy will come your way. You mustn’t be too sad. You have to accept what’s good and what’s not so good, because everything comes from God.’”
Thomas meant to ask how we can know that everything comes from God, but hunger made him tired, and he fell asleep.
That night Thomas awoke from a bad dream and sat up, stunned.
“What’s the matter, Thomas?” Adam asked gently. “I had a bad dream, and it’s hard for me to shake it off.”
“What did you see? Tell me.” “I’m hesitant to tell you.”
“Was it a clear dream, or a mixed-up one?” “It was a clear dream, but painful.”
“Tell me. You’ll feel better.”
“I dreamed I was in school, during recess. Suddenly the children stood up and told me I was going to be punished. ‘Why? What harm did I do?’ I asked, and my body was trembling. Everybody fixed me with their eyes and said, ‘We’re tired of you. Your constant excellence not only makes us angry, it’s unbearable.’ ‘I’m prepared to give up the excellence,’ I told them. ‘You already promised that once,’ the main bully said. ‘We don’t believe you anymore.’ ‘What can I do to make you believe me?’ ‘We decided to whip you. Lie down on that chair.’ ‘If you want to hit me, hit me, but I won’t lie on that chair.’ Hearing my words, they all burst out in hard laughter and slipped their leather belts from their pants. They whipped me hard, and it was painful. It’s a good thing I woke up.”
“Thomas, you had a very bad dream,” said Adam, “but you resisted like a hero.”
“I was trembling,” Thomas admitted.
“In that situation, one against many, anyone, not just a boy, would have trembled. It’s important to say that you resisted like a hero and didn’t give in. Bravo. After a dream like that you deserve a good breakfast.”
When he heard Adam’s words, Thomas’s eyes filled with tears.
Chapter 14
After eating raspberries and blueberries, they went out to explore the forest. Hunger was weakening them. After a short walk, they stopped and sat down. Thomas sank into reverie.
“A penny for your thoughts, Thomas,” said Adam. “I was thinking about the dream I had. It won’t let go of me.”
“Thomas, in that dream you were a guy who didn’t give in. Sure, you got whipped, but you didn’t surrender. You can be proud of yourself.”
While they were walking, dizzy with hunger, before their eyes, between the trees, lay a meadow with a cow and a calf. The cow didn’t seem to be used to strangers, and she was surprised. But the calf wasn’t frightened. It looked at them with eyes full of wonder. The meadow was fenced in. After looking at it from all sides, Adam entered, patted the cow and the calf, and, without delay, started to milk the cow. He caught the milk in his cupped hand and drank. Right away he invited Thomas to join him in drinking. They drank the fresh milk sip by sip. If they had had a cup or bowl, they could have milked some more. But they were happy with what the morning had given them and withdrew into the forest.
“There’s nothing like fresh milk,” said Adam.
“I forgot. I have a thermos bottle in my pack. Let’s bring it and fill it with milk,” said Thomas.
They didn’t hurry back. They looked around to see whether there were any suspicious creatures, and only after making certain there was no danger, they returned to their tree. Thomas climbed up to the nest and brought down the thermos bottle. They hurried back to the meadow.
Adam milked the cow and filled the thermos bottle. If they hadn’t been afraid of the owner of the cow and the calf, they would have stayed and petted the dear creatures they had found.
They went back to the tree, climbed up, and sipped the milk. With every sip, they felt the fresh milk slaking their thirst and satisfying their hunger. Without noticing, they fell asleep.