“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he said, after a brief silence, and took her head in his hands.

   She started to cry, as if she had waited for that moment to let the tension flow in frantic, hot tears. Robust arms wrapped her immediately and she closed her eyes, placing her chin on his shoulder and letting it move to the rhythm of her sobs.

   She was done with pretending that she was strong. It was time to admit that she was nothing more than a pathetic whiner. Those trees had the unexpected power of exposing weaknesses instead of concealing them.

   After calming down a little, she backed out slowly of that sort of pitiful hug and looked the man (now even more charming than before) in the eyes. Maybe he was her rescuer indeed.

   She wiped the tears with the back of her left hand and sniffled.

   “Thanks …” She just realized she could barely hold his gaze. She continued, before the man opened his mouth: “I know it may sound weird – actually it is weird – but ... you are the only person I know, for now, and ... I would like you to be honest with me because I’m going to be honest with you.”

   “Of course, but I just wanted …”

   “No matter what. Let’s make this deal.”

   He nodded slowly. Then, looking away, he added: “The snake was poisonous, I’m almost sure, unless it was an exception. You can tell it from the wound. Two holes mean two fangs through which the snake injects the poison. The bite of non-poisonous snakes leaves saw-toothed marks on the skin. And then the swelling ... The color ... and the triangular head ... All these are features of poisonous snakes.”

   She ran her hand over her bandaged wrist. It was slightly swollen, but not more than it was some minutes before. The pain was fading, but the tingling was still there, annoying her.

   “However, the quantity and type of poison play an important role. It can be deadly for mice and other small animals, but harmless to humans.”

   “How long does it take?”

   “What?”

   “The poison. How long does it take to kick in?”

   “Well, it depends on the type of poison, I guess. I only know that if you’re nervous, it gets into the bloodstream more quickly and this could speed things up. But if you’re feeling fine after what … happened, well, I guess you’re out of the woods.”

   He stopped and gazed at her, amused by the paradox of his own words. “Well, ok, not really, but you need to know that if the venom were deadly, it would have made its way to the heart quite quickly and it would have killed you. Now you don’t have to worry anymore. But we must be very careful. And pay attention to what’s moving around us. Each step we take. We must not be caught off guard.”

   There was something solemn in his voice. As he had already made that speech before. Well, hats off, he was really convincing, and it seemed he knew what he was doing, but ... easier said than done! In a place like that, everything would have caught her off guard. Besides, she didn’t even remember what the opposite felt like.

   “Tell me about Kate,” she said suddenly, with a voice she could barely recognize.

   It was Kate, that mysterious girl, who brought her down to earth. She was bitten by a snake, her companion in misfortune was collapsing at her feet, and then she heard those words. So disconnected, yet so meaningful. A meaning that had shaken her deeply. Those words were the voice of awareness. The awareness which had broken off that dreamy feeling, that persisted even after waking up, that made her go on for adventure’s sake. That made everything look like a game. A dangerous but intriguing game.

   She finally and permanently woke up when she heard that name. Kate. Maybe it was hers. Or maybe it had nothing to do with her. But that man knew something and his knowledge ripped through the fog that was blurring her senses. It hadn’t been the snake’s bite that shook off her mental dullness. Not another unusual thing happened in an unusual place, in an unusual situation. It was that splash of awareness instead, so ordinary and trivial. A name. The reminiscence of a former normality. Only this. And it ripped through that fog pretty well.

   “Kate is ... I don’t know,” he answered, clearly trying to recall that vague memory. His eyes were looking upwards, his lips were clenched in a dejected expression.

   “What did you feel in those moments? You were holding your chest. It looked like you were having a heart attack.”

   He slid his gaze back to her. “When ... When I heard that you were in danger ... that – you know – a snake bit you, I panicked. I was aware about what was happening around me, but I couldn’t react. I was a prisoner in my own body. And I felt a sort of regret ... Well, I can't explain...”

   “I understand you. Please, go on.”

   “I felt like I had to save you, but I couldn’t move. I was aware, but unable to do anything. Until the pain completely overwhelmed me. My chest started to hurt and the pain quickly moved to my left arm. And I had the feeling that I had already felt like this before. I can’t remember if I was thinking that it was a heart attack ... But it wasn’t important. The only thing I was worried about in those moments was ... Kate. I don’t know who she is, but I don’t think it’s you.”

   “I agree. This name doesn’t sound familiar to me. I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong…”

   “No. I think it’s someone else. When I think of Kate, thick dark hair comes to my mind. I may be wrong, but I have the feeling that Kate is someone who doesn’t look like you at all.”

   He paused, a blank stare appeared on his face. The silence was immediately replaced by the buzz of who knew what insects and the croak of who knew what frogs. That damned forest was never quiet – of that she was sure.

   “I think I can deduce,” he continued, “that she is important to me. It’s what I feel. Yet I also feel somehow negative about her. As if this person, Kate, was the reason of my pain.”

   “I'm sure you’ll remember more.”

   “Actually, now I think I know what my name is. It popped in my mind once I remembered about Kate.” He got up slowly and headed for the fruit tree.

   “Really?” The girl was staring at him astonished, while he was coming back to her with two green fruits in his hands.

   “Yes. I think my name is Derek. And when you’ll remember yours, we can finally introduce to each other properly.” He handed her a fruit and smiled.

   That smile managed to make all the clouds that had so greedily gathered in the blue of his eyes dissipate. Now they were shining bright and clean as the sky after a storm.

   Maybe the man who was standing in front of her was her rescuer after all.

   Her rescuer, Derek.