“Okay, I think we should start this from the beginning,” I reply, straightening my posture on the cot so I could stare at him head-on, “why would you think that I’m after your forest? I’m not affiliated with the logging industry in any way. In fact, I’m here as a manager for the hotel that is being built in the mountains. I’m the son of a businessman who specializes in the hotel sector as well. We don’t deal with logging.”“Well, then, why are you buying the timber yard?” questions the man, “you’ve been lurking around the place ever since you stepped to town, and you’ve even conversed privately with both Paul Duncan as well as the logging company. I saw you sympathize with them myself after we burned the timber yard down.”“Oh, so that’s your doing, huh,” I exclaim, “I also assume that you’ve been behind the vandalism as well?”“Yes, we were,” says the man.“Are you responsible for trashing our place too? What about Owl’s Creek? You totally vandalized their construction site and a lot

Slowly but surely, we manage to tell each other our own stories. And at the end of the conversation, night had fallen, and the ‘eco-conservationists’ have started to believe me.But that is only the tip of the iceberg.“So, you call yourselves ‘eco-conservationists,’” I ask, emphasizing the sentiment behind the term with finger quotes, “what does that mean exactly?”“We protect the forest,” says the Chief, his tone and expression clearly indicating that I’m kind of crazy for even asking that.“Yeah, I gathered that, but what is it that you exactly do? Do you have a certain organization? Do you have campaigns? Donation rallies for your cause? How do you get sponsors to help you all in this noble venture of yours?”Again, the group looks at me, bewildered.“Organization?” utters the girl who talked weirdly, “campaigns? What is it that you’re saying? I recognize them as words, yet the meaning is lost on me.”“Sponsors?” asks Geller, “never heard of them.”“Then how on earth do you find t

It did take me some negotiations, but finally, I struck a deal with the eco-conservationists. I would think it would make my dad proud of my conduct in this whole affair if I was being a bit more egotistical. I mean, I would say I did a damn good diplomatic job saving myself from staying kidnapped.Even if I had to go on and promise these weird bunch of tree-huggers something downright ludicrous.I really need to learn impulse control when it comes to sentimentality.But when the next morning comes, the group of eco-conservationists bid me goodbye, and we take to the forest. I’m freed from my restraints after some apologetic glances are sent my way, and I rub my ankle perhaps a tad accusingly. I get some breakfast, and if they hadn’t kidnapped me, I’d have felt guilty for eating them out of their house when the people didn’t even have jobs, according to them that is. I did not know where they got the money for the groceries if they didn’t have jobs or even sponsors but wisely decided

“We need to get home tomorrow,” I tell Coraline as soon as we get some privacy, that is after we set everything straight before retreating to the cabin. I actually find myself missing the cabin although it had only been two days, appreciating its homeyness and familiarity especially compared to a certain other cabin I found myself in the recent times. It’s a shame we have to leave it though.I’m going to miss sharing a living space with someone if I’m being honest, more than the cabin. Coraline and I were really good roommates if I dare say so myself, we somehow fit in without giving each other trouble. I consider that quite a feat, given how many bad experiences about roommates I’ve heard of in the university, even if the said roommates were girls. I’m going to miss the easy routine we had going for us, the banter and the companionship of sharing a bathroom and kitchen, the way we both found ourselves being in sync with each other, so we didn’t get in the other’s way while trying to

Oliver takes me to a side before we could part ways.“Look, I’m not even pretending to know what’s going on in that brain of yours,” he starts to gripe, and I raise my hand in a silencing motion.“Look, Oliver,” I tell him, not wanting to fight with the man again, not when I was just about ship out of here. I might not come back here for a long time from now, and I may not meet Oliver again. I did not want to leave here on bad terms. “I know that you don’t have much faith in me, but this is not a decision I’m taking lightly. You have to trust me when I say that even though you don’t, I know what I’m doing. Believe it or not, I’m not an idiot. I’ve had an extensive education in business, and I’m utilizing it for the betterment of my father’s company, which would one day be my own company if my father has his way. And guess what, no more than six months ago, I would’ve loathed it. But now, I don’t. I’m actually looking forward to it. And these things, these foolhardy schemes as you put