Chapter 6. Among bushes and rocks.
Next day I was knocking on the door. Tiffany got up and after her morning routine reached the loading space for her brand new bow and a pack of arrows. She set up the target about thirty yards ahead in front of her. With a smile of satisfaction she fired the first shots...The smile went away. Tiffany's face got long. The girl put on another smile and tried again. More shots and more failures greeted her. What did you expect, silly. You haven't held a bow for years. You have lost it. Go, look for it. One hundred a day should be sufficient to get back to the skill. Master failed more times than the apprentice tried. Last ten arrows caused a real pain to Tiffany's hands. It was midday when she gave up.
Tomorrow is also a day. What was it? That smell? Sniff, sniff. What the hell is it? Tiffany looked around trying to spot someone but there was no one there apart from her. No way... It can't be me... Actually, it can. I have to find a creek, or a springwell, or anything with water. She packed some clothes and began to explore the map on her tablet. There was something with water about two miles from the camp and Tiffany decided to go there as soon as the midday scorching passed. The creek was supposed to be on the edge of the desert toward the rocky hills on the east.
At a point of the journey Tiffany looked back toward the RV and couldn't see it. How on earth will I find my way back? She thought while trying to memorise some landmarks and marking her way with some stones. Within one hour Tiffany reached the place where the landscape began to change. There were more green bushes and small trees, also grass. Dry and dead at first, then more and more green by every hundred yards. From that place to the line of first rocks it was about a quarter of a mile. The creek was no wider than three feet and no deeper then one and a half. A smile of victory has enlightened a girl's face. She dropped her stuff and got to the water as if she hadn't seen it for at least a week. The creek was clear and much colder than the desert. Tiffany took off her clothes and sank in the cold water splashing it around like a young otter.
She enjoyed the bath for the next half of an hour. She recalled how it is to have running water and how she didn't even spare a thought to the pipes and the people maintaining them. Then, with much less pleasure she washed her clothes and hung them on the bushes and small trees around. One hour, it should dry out within one hour. Let's explore the place in the meantime. Tiffany began to closely watch the place by the creek when she realised that there must be a lot of animals coming here to rehydrate. Big ones and smaller ones. Actually, whoever lived in the desert had to visit the creek now and then. Some could be a threat, some just a passerby. Tiffany couldn't recall any bigger animals then Rita which was her ...friend or whoever. So she decided that she is safe from big ones. She even pictured herself telling someone "Rita, the puma sends her regards and asks you politely to back off." And whoever it was, it backed off with a low bow. Tiffany smiled to her heart. As for smaller creatures, there were the rattlesnakes and that was a reason to be concerned. It is unlikely that they were afraid of anybody and would be scared off by anyone, even Rita. The girl concluded that it is better to be careful with snakes then to deal with their anger. Tiffany examined the banks of the creek and found a few footprints leading from the desert to the water. Some looked like dogs or big cats, some as grass eaters. And some... humans.
Suddenly she realised that she might not be alone, even at that very moment. The prints were maybe one day old. Someone may live here too. Or travel, which would be strange. Or maybe someone visits this place from time to time. Who? What for?... Coyotes. Bloody hell, there might be the coyotes. Not nice doglike animals but humans, people and drug traffickers. Tiffany squeezed her fists in powerless anger. I just left the city to be free off all that dirt. And here I come again. Why? Tiffany turned around, scared and scanned the bushes. She saw nobody but she couldn't rest assured. Anger and disappointment filled her heart. The branches on her right moved. Again, there was nobody there but the branch was still wobbling. Tiffany put her shoes on and grabbed a thick branch from the ground. Then she ran toward the bushes. She found nothing. Once again with her peripheral vision, she noticed a movement in another place. She turned around and ran there scared and madly angry.
