Meanwhile, the urge to pee had increased. But she still could not quite believe that what she was seeing was real. Maybe it was just a dream, a damn realistic one. She did not want to risk wetting the bed, so she decided to hold it. At least for the moment. Yet, deep inside, she knew that she was not dreaming.

   It was hot. And terribly humid.

   “Ok, so.” She decided it was time to start thinking. “If I have a headache and I don’t remember anything, maybe I fell, I hit my head and I lost my memories.” She was speaking aloud to give consistency to her reasoning. That supposition seemed more than plausible, indeed she wanted to cling to it with all her might. “And if I find myself in pajamas... maybe I walked in my sleep, I stumbled, fell and here we are: memories vanished!” Right, this was what must have happened.

   Her rather awkward monologue was suddenly interrupted by a rustle followed by a thud. Something had fallen near her feet. It was a fruit with a green and shiny skin. The shape was that of a pear. But...

   She looked up. From the top of the tree beneath which, until a few moments ago, she had been thinking aloud, a monkey was staring at her with eyes full of – she hoped – curiosity.

   It was small, with a light-brown coat, a long tail twisted to a branch and a small head. On its forehead there was a triangle of orange fur that gave it a rather unsettling look. It had an intelligent expression (perhaps a little too intelligent): its eyes were full of an almost spectral whitish light. Its small paws with long, thin fingers were clutching some fruit, some of them like the one that had fallen to her feet.

   The girl stepped back unconsciously, still staring as if hypnotized at those bright eyes that seemed to reproach her for something.

   Should she be afraid of it? She didn’t know. And she didn’t feel like experiencing the consequences of an affirmative answer. She had to leave.

   But where to?

   She took a few steps in a random direction, climbing over bushes and leaning against the trunks of trees. It was enough to get away from the creepy eyes of that little animal. But she stopped shortly after.

   “First, let’s put the pieces of this puzzle together,” she said with a voice that was both anxious and firm. “So. Where was I?” It was hard to focus.

   But she had to. “Oh yes. I woke up with a terrible headache and I’m in my pajamas, so I must have walked in my sleep, fallen and hit my head. But I couldn’t go too far, so the place where I spent the night must be nearby.”

   She looked around. All she could see was a prosperous flora that stretched endlessly. Another thing that was endless: mosquitoes. Those bastards could bite her even through her clothes. She had to get away from that infested area, and quickly. But how could she return to the camp?

   The camp?

   All of a sudden, she understood. Or, better, she thought she understood.

   “What if I were a famous researcher or something like that? Maybe I study plants, animals or whatever. Someone must be looking for me. Well, maybe not really famous, but someone must be definitely looking for me.”

   She decided to shout, but first she had to get rid of that heaviness in her lower abdomen. So, she dropped her pants, crouched down and let the warm flow run freely in the grass.

   “Is there anyone?” Her voice trembled a little. She decided to try again, this time louder. “If you’re looking for me, I'm here! Is there anyone?”

   Then she realized that this way she could also attract unwelcome predators. But what was she supposed to be afraid of? Lions? Wolfs? Bears? God, she could not remember anything. Not even that lions lived in savannahs and not in jungles?

   Well, after all, she was aware that she didn’t know much about animals, plants, climates, and so on. At least she remembered that. So what kind of researcher was she? Or maybe she was not a researcher at all. Maybe she was just the assistant of a researcher. Maybe a famous, charming and rich researcher. Or maybe...

   A man showed up from behind some shrub a few meters from her. Athletic body tight T-shirt dark hair a bit long and oh God he had a gun! A gun that was pointed in her direction.

   “I'm here! Thank God, you found me!” she shouted, slowly getting closer to that who could be – or better should be – her researcher.

   And rescuer.