Page 32 of Tiger's Curse
“Kahl-see, now time to depart.”
Ren headed out the door. I bowed back to Phet and then hugged him briefly. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. I really appreciate your hospitality and your kindness.”
He smiled at me warmly and squeezed my hand. I grabbed my bag and backpack, ducked under the doorframe, and followed Ren outside.
Grinning, Phet came to the little door and waved good-bye.
10
a safe haven
well, I guess that it’s back to the jungle for us, eh, Ren?”
He didn’t turn around to acknowledge my comment but kept treading slowly on ahead. I trudged along behind, thinking about all the questions I would ask when he changed back into a man again.
After walking for a couple of hours, we came upon a small lake. I guessed that this was the Suki Lake Phet had been talking about. There were, indeed, many birds here. Ducks, geese, kingfishers, cranes, and sandpipers dotted the water and the sandbanks looking for food. I even spied larger birds, maybe eagles or hawks of some type, circling overhead.
Our arrival disturbed a flock of herons, which took off in a brief frenzied flight and then settled again in the water on the far side of the lake. Little birds darted around everywhere in colors of green, yellow, gray, blue, and black with red chests, but I didn’t see any of Durga’s hatchlings.
Where the trees shaded the water, clusters of lily pads made good places for frogs to perch and rest. They watched us with beady yellow eyes and jumped into the water with a plop as we passed by. I saw more frogs swimming and darting among the other flowering water plants near the lake’s shoreline.
I spoke as much to myself as to Ren, “Do you think there are any alligators or crocodiles in the lake? I know one of those is indigenous to America, but I can never remember which one is which.”
He started walking alongside me, and I wasn’t sure if that meant thereweredangerous reptiles to watch out for or if he just wanted to keep me company. I let him walk between the lake and me just to be on the safe side.
The air was hot, and the jungle drooped, sagging under the heat. The sky was bright, with not one monsoon cloud to provide shade. I was sweating hard. Ren led us through the shade of the trees as much as possible to keep us cool and help make the trip a bit more bearable, but I was still miserable. While skirting the edge of the lake, he kept up a slow and steady pace that I could follow easily. Even so, I could feel blisters forming on my heels. I pulled sunscreen out of the backpack and dabbed it on my face and arms. My compass indicated that we were traveling north.
When Red stopped to drink at a small stream, I discovered that Phet had packed lunch. It was a large green leaf wrapped around a ball of sticky white rice stuffed with spicy meat and vegetables. It was bit too spicy for my taste, but the plain rice helped staunch the heat. Finding two more leaf wraps in the backpack, I tossed them to Ren, who showed off by leaping up and catching them in the air. He, of course, gulped them down whole.
Hiking for about four more hours, we finally broke out of the jungle and onto a small road. I was happy to walk on the smooth pavement—at least until it started burning my soles. I could have sworn that the hot, black tar was melting the rubber on the bottom of my shoes.
Ren stuck his nose in the air, turned right, and marched alongside the road for a half mile or so until we came upon a brand new, metallic green Jeep SUV. It had tinted windows and a black hard top.
Ren stopped next to the Jeep and sat down.
I panted, took a long swig of water, and said, “What? What do you want me to do?”
Ren just stared blankly.
“Is it the car? You want me to getinthe car? Okay, I just hope the owner doesn’t get mad.”
Pulling the door open, I found a note from Mr. Kadam on the driver’s seat.
Miss Kelsey,
Please forgive me. I wanted to tell you the truth.
Here is a map with directions to Ren’s home. I will meet you there.
The key is in the glove box. Don’t forget to drive on the left side of the road.
The trip will take about an hour and a half. I hope you are safe.
Your friend,
Anik Kadam
I picked up the map and placed it on the passenger seat. Opening up the back door, I threw in the bags and pulled out another water bottle for the drive. Ren hopped up into the back and stretched out.
