Changing Impressions

"I...I won't let go of your hand..." muttered Soledad as she tried to pull Nicky's hand away.
The sound of thunder was heard, raindrops began to fall. Meanwhile, these two boys are still trapped in a tug-of-war scene that hasn't ended yet.

"Hey, just let go of my hand!" said Nicky.

“Wh…why?”

"You'd better go home immediately and tell my family that I'm trapped in this hole," he said.

"What are you talking about? how could I…”

"You won't be able to lift me up, besides, I also don't have the strength to walk out of this forest. That's why you better..."

"Noisy !" Soledad shouted, Nicky who heard it immediately fell silent.
"Why are you screaming?"

"Why ? You really are a very stupid rich young master, aren't you? if I leave, then you will be in danger. Moreover, it has started to rain, I don't know what scary things might happen in this place at night!"

"But...but, you also can't possibly..."

"Never mind, you better just keep quiet, soon...soon you'll be out of this hole!" said Soledad who was still trying desperately to help Nicky get out of a fairly deep hole.

After a long struggle and spending almost 15 minutes to get Nicky out, Soledad finally succeeded. But, that doesn't mean their situation is safe. The rain, which was still just a trickle, is now getting heavier.

“Thank…thank you…”

"Save your thanks until we go home. We better get out of here now!" Soledad gathered her strength to stand up, having finished catching her breath. Meanwhile, Nicky was just stuck in place and didn't know what to do.

"Can you stand up?" Soledad asked.

"I don't know, my leg really hurts,"

“Let me see your injured leg, show it to me!” Soledad wanted to confirm how serious the wound on Nicky's leg was.

Nicky showed his left leg under his trousers, there were quite serious cuts and bruises on his knee.

"Very painful !" said Nicky while holding back his tears.

"You're a man, don't cry like that!"

"Can't men feel pain?"

“You crybaby!”

"Whatever, the important thing is that I want to go home, Hua...Mama, I'm scared!"

Nicky sobbed, he couldn't control his feelings and let his spoiled attitude show in front of the person he hated the most.

"Shut up, how embarrassing of you!"

"Mama...Papa...help me..." he cried louder. Soledad is confused about how to calm this spoiled and timid boy.

“Twoarrr….” The sound of lightning struck loudly. Nicky's crying stopped suddenly, Soledad, who was initially quite calm, started to panic.

The rain was getting heavier, Soledad helped Nicky walk and find a safe shelter. Of course, there was no place that could be said to be safe in the middle of a forest like this. 

Soledad sees a cave and takes Nicky to shelter in the cave until the rain stops and they can go home or until their family realizes they are missing.

"It's so dark in here!" Nicky said, he doesn't really like dark places.
“Don't complain, or do you want to stay outside and get caught in the rain? Yes, even though we're actually already soaking wet,"

"Is this place safe?"

"I don't know, I've never been here before."

"What if there were snakes or wild animals?" Nicky started to think wildly about the possibility of wild or venomous animals that could threaten his life.

"If there is, what else can we do?"

"Aren't you afraid?"

"Of course I'm afraid, if suddenly there is a tiger or snake I will run even if I have to go through the rain,"

"Can you really run while carrying me?"

“Who said I would take you? Of course I'll go save myself!"

"Wow, you're so outrageous, is that how you treat your friends? really disloyal friend,"

"Since when have you been my friend? Are we really friends?"

"What ?"

Even though Nicky felt offended by Soledad's statement, on the one hand he could understand that from the start they were like dogs and cats who could not be together. But still, her little heart felt sad somehow.

"Kruuuyukk..." the sound of Soledad's stomach was heard amidst the loud sound of the rain.

"Oh, I'm hungry..." he said while holding his rumbling stomach.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

“Yeah, after school I went straight to the river. So, I didn't have time to go home and eat at home."

Nicky looked at Soledad, he felt guilty. Nicky thought, if he hadn't come to this place to bother Soledad, maybe Soledad would have gone home by now and eaten the food her mother cooked.

Nicky tried to remember and felt his trouser pocket. Earlier he had brought a bar of chocolate that his father had brought from England as a souvenir for him which he planned to eat while playing with Dalton, his dog. However, his evil intentions actually got him into trouble.

"If you want, just eat this, but it looks like it's already a bit wet!" said Nicky while handing him a chocolate bar that was still wrapped.

"What's that ?"

"Chocolate, just eat this!"

"Chocolate ? Isn't that expensive?"

"I don't know, you've never eaten chocolate?"

"I've eaten chocolate candy that Opa Robert gives me every Christmas Eve, but I've never eaten real chocolate,"

"Yes, just take it, you can eat it. Just think of this as a thank you for helping me."

***