Destination Eden
Page 26
Chapter 26
While Eti orientated himself and headed towards Guzelsu, Janet tried to find him. She did not want to go anywhere near either the monastery, or where she believed the Garden of Eden to be, in case Jasmine and her cohorts were there. She sought higher ground from where she might be able to see some movement. It did not take her long to become completely lost and disorientated. She ended up being unable to see the smoke and ash rising from the volcano. At some stage she lost her bag. Here, and there, she found sources of water and old abandoned houses, or camps of various types, from which she was able to obtain some tins of beans and meat. Three days after having seen Eti run away, she thought she could hear helicopters or aeroplanes. None came near her. The ash dust had settled down by then and she had managed to re-orientate herself. She guessed that she was somewhere South-South-East of Mt Suphan. She was now again able to see a plume of smoke rising from it, and from the height she was, she could see what appeared to be an expanse of water. She took that to be Lake Nazik, from what she could remember of the maps she had studied before foolishly leaving the monastery. She was somewhere slightly north of a straight line from Mt Suphan through Lake Nazik.
Exhausted physically, and mentally, Janet sat down with her back against a tree. Leaves formed a lush nice comfortable cover over the ground. Branches hung down forming a tent like covering. The ash had not been able to penetrate the leaves so she was dust and ash free. The peace and quiet did nothing for Janet. She did not hear the birdcalls. Her body was racked with sobs. Despair weighed her down. She could not see the colour of life. All she could see was black. Her hands shook and she plucked at her clothes and hit herself. She shook as if she were freezing cold. Tears poured down her face and mucus dripped from her nose. She slumped sideways onto the carpet of leaves and beat the ground with her fists. She jumped to her feet and looked wildly about for something with which to harm herself.
Deep within her, she knew that none of what she was doing was helping, but she was unable to exercise any control over herself. She slumped to the ground again and banged her head repeatedly on it but was unable to achieve the oblivion she craved. She sat up and tore at her hair.
She screamed at the top of her voice; "What am I going to do. Please help me some one. Please help me. Please help me!"
Her voice faded out to a whisper.
"God," she whispered. "God please help me. I've reached the end. I can do no more. I don't know who I am anymore. Please send some one to find me."
Janet drifted into unconsciousness. From time to time, she would regain consciousness briefly before again lapsing back into it. In her mind she was back in her childhood and then at Teacher's Training College. Next, she would be with a friend or her Mum and Dad. Something in her mind told her she was delirious, but that thought drifted away again. It was cold where she was, but just out of her reach, there was warmth. If only she could reach it. There was light there as well. Light and warmth. Janet got to her knees and crawled towards the light. Oh, it was so beautiful. It was indeed warm. Oh, it was so beautiful. There were flowers, birds, and trees. The warmth seeped into her bones and peace invaded her mind. She sat beside a stream. The water was bubbling and gurgling. She dipped her hands into the stream and drank from it. It was the most refreshing drink, she felt, she had ever tasted. She bathed her face and lay back down on the bank. Everything was so peaceful and she drifted into sleep.
THE VALLEY