Abandoned

Abandoned (Part Two - Chapter 23)

CHAPTER 23: Elephant Mountain - The Next Day ...... (Your review here)

"Blake, quiet—do you see her?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid if we just stand up we'll scare the daylights out of her. Look, let's just be still and see which way she goes. Whatever she's got there, that basket doesn't look like it can hold anymore. She's probably heading back to the village."

As soon as the woman was well out of sight, Sutton and Blake came out from their hiding place, quickly spotting a well-worn trail heading in the exact direction the villager had taken.

The Trail/photo:Jason Wehmhoener

Sutton looked at Blake. "All right, this is what we are going to do. Since we don't have any weapons and we're not here to hurt anybody, I think our best bet is to walk straight-up that trail with our heads high and when we come to the village, walk right in."

"You know, Major, that's exactly what the early mountain men would do when they found an Indian village and the Indians really respected them for that and treated them like honored guests. So you're right—that's what we should do, too."

As the two men slowly made their way down the trail, Blake's attention was drawn to the immediate beauty that surrounded him. "Look over there, Major. What a beautiful waterfall. And check out how someone has made that little rock pond underneath it."

"Yes, it certainly is. You know, no wonder their ancestors were able to build Angkor Wat. Let's stop for a second, I want to get a drink. Hey Blake! Smell that?"

"Yeah, I do. The village must be near."

Again, Blake and Sutton began walking. The trail then became more defined, turning gently to the right.

Blake spoke. "I must say that this is rather intense—I mean, the two of us just walking into their village unannounced. There it is."

"Come on, we can do this. I don't think we have anything to be afraid of. But let's take off our sunglasses. Judy mentioned this to me last night. Let's look as normal as possible. And she also said to smile a lot."

Adjusting their appearance, the first villagers spotted the two strangers approaching. Then other villagers began to notice. Soon the whole village was in an uproar; dozens of children, bare foot and brown, pushed forward to see—some of their mothers grabbing their arms to keep them back.

Seeing this, Blake couldn't help but notice the children's fearlessness. That was a common thread that seemed to characterize children everywhere. Blake had experienced this before when teaching rappelling. His younger students slid fearlessly down the ropes like little monkeys while his adult students had to be re-assured, time and time again. Blake had always wondered why aging makes us more cautious, instead of the other way round.

As far as walking into the village, that was now impossible. The villagers stood blocking the way—not out of defiance but rather just their sheer numbers and enormous curiosity.

Sutton and Blake just stood there looking at the children. Even though Judy had told them to smile, naturally they were unable to do anything else, but smile. Who could resist such adorable little faces—as were all the beautiful Khmer children they had seen since arriving in Cambodia. A brave little girl inched her way forward; her sweet smile touching Sutton's heart. Her little brother stood clutching her dress.

Momentarily, the crowd quieted down. But when Blake reached out to pat the girl on the head, a small boy off to his left looked very hesitant, not sure what to think of these strange looking men.

Not Quite Sure/photo: Allessandro Vannucci

Sutton smiled as the villagers surrounded them. Several of the men appeared to have weapons by their sides. Looking straight ahead, Sutton then spoke. "Do any of you speak English?"