28 - FISHING

 28 - FISHING

 

- Grace, shall we stop?

- Girl, are you tired already?!

- And you do not? We've been on horseback since the sun came up... the poor thing needs a rest...

- Girl, you cry too much...

"Are you going to tell me you're not tired yet..."

Grace chuckled. Of course, she was tired too, and she knew the animals needed a break. But it was very good to see Maria out of breath, asking to take a break. Grace descended from her mount, and Maria did the same. Maria stretched all over, elongating her body. Grace also did the same. They released their mounts, taking off the harness and leaving them at ease... I mean... they left the animals tethered to a rope. Perhaps they would decide to go away and leave them alone in that wilderness where they found themselves...

The place chosen by the two for their stop was a good one. A limpid and crystalline river flowed a few meters from where they were. And the vegetation was low, leaving a good field of vision. The dense forest was about five hundred meters away... Graça took off her boots, massaged the soles of her feet and walked down to the riverbank. She rolled up her pant legs to her knees and put her feet in the water. She closed her eyes and enjoyed every second that the sunlight bathed her face, while the waters bathed her tired feet...

Maria took a pot of water from the river to prepare coffee and something to chew on, since her stomach had been rumbling for a while... She looked at her saddlebags and took some cornmeal and a piece of bacon smoked (these days people would say bacon...) and tried to make a turn, adding some vegetables he found on the plain. Soon the smell of food began to waft through the place and Graça seemed to wake up from her lethargic state... she came to her friend, already with the plate in one hand and the mug in the other....

- You're hungry, right?

- What can I do? Your food smells so good...

- Okay, but at night you'll be the one to cook...

- You won't like it... I don't cook as well as you...

- We could try to catch a game... what do you think?

- Well, in the worst case scenario, it will serve to train your aim...

- This is the idea...

- We really need to practice...

- But what are we going to hunt around here? I haven't even seen a possum running around this big world...

- Well, we can go to that woods... I'm sure there must be some marmosets there...

- Eat monkey? I am not...

- Hey, why not? It's a hunt like any other...

- Look, I changed my mind about training shooting... let's try to catch a fish... this river is very fishy...

- Okay... and what are we going to fish with?

- How about a hammock? It's just us making a... material we have...

- Us, who? I have nothing...

- You didn't even bring a sleeping cloth?

- It has the skin, which belonged to my late father...

- Yes but...

- Maria, I only brought about four changes of clothes... we can't carry a lot of stuff on horseback...

- But didn't you bring a needle, creature?

- I do not and you?

Maria shows her friend a bag from which she took some needles, sewing thread and ... a fabric ...

- I can't say you're not farsighted... but where are the scissors?

Maria reached into the bag again and brought out a pair of scissors...

- And you're going to tell me you're going to spend all afternoon sewing?

- Is there another way to make a net for fishing?

- How about we go hunting? Suddenly, we found a howler monkey...

- Poor monkeys... what do you have against them?

- Nothing... but a little roasted animal like that is delicious, that's...

- I'll pass, thank you... I'm going to make my net and fish, I earn more...

And without paying attention to her friend's conversation, Maria concentrated on making a net that, according to her, would be used to catch some fish... after a couple of hours her work was ready and she went to test it in the waters.... He was lucky, because right from the start he managed to catch three good-sized fish...

- You can forget about the monkeys... tonight we have grilled fish to eat...

Grace shrugged. In fact, she was just teasing her friend. She also didn't have the heart to kill a monkey, let alone eat one. But she had fun, seeing the disgusted face her friend made when she said she was going to kill one of those little animals to eat...

The afternoon was coming. A cool, gentle breeze was blowing through the foliage, making a pleasant, relaxing sound. The two girls were lying on the grass enjoying the peace that nature provided. They didn't know where to start the search, so they weren't in any hurry to get anywhere. They were making the most of their rest, as they were aware that hard days would lie ahead... therefore, what harm was there in resting and dreaming of a better future? Yes, they were both relaxed... too relaxed, actually. They forgot the advice that Zacarias had given them before they left... never let your guard down. And it could cost them their lives.