Episode 1

ARTICA LOBOS

The day was particularly cold, but for ARTICA it was a mere breeze. It seemed she was made to withstand the cold. Her long white hair reached the middle of her thighs. With an exquisite figure, she was sixteen years old. She looked at the landscape from the top of a tree and spotted a helicopter approaching in the distance. It had been a long time since she came to live with the old woman who had saved her from the storm, allowing her to stay. The water had closed the roads, so she learned to hunt and defend herself from animals. She REMEMBERED as she watched the helicopter approach.

I remember it like it was yesterday. I would wake up early to my mother's call, as she would be late for class. It wouldn't be just any day; it was the last day of the field trip. Next year, I would be going to secondary school. I happily got up, greeting my mother and father with a kiss. My little brother was staining his shirt with breakfast, and my mother was complaining that it was getting late to leave. Everything seemed normal, just another day, nothing out of the ordinary. I went outside, taking a breath and filling my lungs. There was a fresh scent, like wet earth.

"IT'S GOING TO RAIN." My mother assured.

"DON'T SAY THAT, TODAY IS THE FIELD TRIP." I chirped dejectedly.

"THE FORECAST SAYS IT WILL BE SUNNY ALL DAY." My father assured, looking at his phone.

"I DON'T WANT TO GO." My little brother, who is in the five-year-old class, complained.

"I DO WANT TO GO TO YOUR CLASS... THEY PLAY... THEY PAINT... THEY EVEN GIVE OUT CANDY... INSTEAD, I HAVE TO DEAL WITH FRACTIONS." I complained, as mathematics was a torment for me.

"ALRIGHT, CHILDREN... GET IN." Our mother said, looking at the sky and twisting her mouth as if she didn't like the feeling in the air. She didn't need an app to tell her if it was going to rain or not; she had a special ability that allowed her to know exactly what would happen with the weather.

They dropped us off at our school. I accompanied little Polo to his classroom, who, upon seeing his teacher, forgot all about me. I walked to my classroom, where my friend Paty had saved my seat.

"HELLO BLANCA (It's the nickname she gave me because my hair is white and my eyes are blue to gray depending on my mood)."

"CALL ME ARTICA." I said with annoyance.

"FOR ME, YOU'LL ALWAYS BE BLANCA... IT SUITS YOU. She teased me."

I came out albino, so I always wear long-sleeved shirts and jeans, or whatever covers my body, as well as a cap and special glasses that I use to go out in the sun. My brother didn't come out like me; he's lucky he can enjoy the sun. In my case, I have to hide myself; I can't expose myself too much, or my skin looks like scales if I don't protect myself.

"STUDENTS, YOUR ATTENTION (Our teacher tells us)... YOU MUST CHOOSE A SEAT PARTNER... AND NOT SEPARATE FROM THE GROUP... THE FIELD TRIP WILL BE IN THE NATURAL RESERVE... YOU KNOW THE SAFETY MEASURES... YOU WERE GIVEN THE LIST LAST WEEK... IF EVERYONE HAS THEIR PERMISSION SLIPS... TAKE YOUR THINGS AND WE'LL GET ON THE BUS. The teacher concludes."

"HURRAY... BRAVO." The boys cheered.

"PATY, DON'T SEPARATE FROM ME. I warned my friend, who was mesmerized looking at the cute boy in the class."

"TODAY I DECIDED TO TELL HIM I LIKE HIM. She assured me, biting her pencil."

"YOU'RE CRAZY... IF YOUR FATHER FINDS OUT, HE'LL GROUND YOU FOR A MONTH. I reminded her of what her father had said."

"YOU SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU'VE NEVER LIKED ANYONE." Paty said, which is true, but as strange as it may seem, I never felt that anyone was for me.

We took our backpacks, which weighed a ton as we carried our supplies, heading towards the bus. Paty asked me to sit towards the aisle to be next to Marcos, who was sitting in the other seat with his friend Luis, and I sat by the window. I didn't mind; I could enjoy the breeze blowing through the window. We arrived at the natural reserve after a four-hour trip. A guide showed us the cabin for the girls and another for the boys. With us was our teacher "Sonia" and with the boys, the physical education teacher "Gabriel." I had a strange feeling that I ignored, focusing on having fun with my classmates.

"VERY WELL... PREPARE YOUR BACKPACKS... WE WILL START THE TOUR WITH THE GUIDE. Our teacher Sonia announced."

"GOOD MORNING... AS THERE ARE THIRTY STUDENTS BETWEEN GIRLS AND BOYS... WE WILL DIVIDE INTO TWO GROUPS... THE FIRST WILL TAKE THE EXCURSION TO THE NORTH OF THE RESERVE AND THE SECOND WITH MY PARTNER, WILL DO IT TO THE SOUTH. The guide announced. Paty and I took each other's arms to walk together. I put a lot of sunscreen on my face and hands, which was what I had exposed."

"YUCK BLANCA... THAT SUNSCREEN IS STRONG. Paty complains."

"I KNOW... BUT I HAVE NO CHOICE... OR ELSE... MY SKIN WILL FALL OFF. I commented, and she made a face of disgust."

We walked a stretch, listening to the guide's stories about each species we saw. For some strange reason, when I approached the area where the pumas were, they began to get restless. Their roar stunned the group. They moved nervously and seemed to want to jump over the fence that kept them away from the path where we were passing. The same with the monkeys; as I approached, they moved away nervously, climbing to the top of the trees they had nearby.

"THE ANIMALS DON'T LIKE YOU. Paty joked, seeing that I couldn't take any pictures of them."

I smell a strong, particular scent that attracts me, and I walk in that direction without thinking. I see an enormous black dog in a cage staring at me. I smile, feeling that it doesn't move away, so I take my camera, take off my glasses to take the picture more comfortably, and see that it sits up, looking at me steadily, its black hair puffing up on its back. I give it a smile and take a picture of it.

"THANK YOU... YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDN'T MOVE AWAY. I commented to the animal aloud."

"GIRL... YOU SHOULDN'T APPROACH LIKE THAT. The guide says, calling my attention."IT'S A VERY DANGEROUS ANIMAL. He says, pointing to the warning sign.

In the blink of an eye, a strong wind appeared.

"GO BACK!. The guide shouts, gathering everyone to return."

The wind blew my hat right into the big dog's enclosure. I tried to reach it with a stick, but I couldn't. The wind began to kick up dust, making it difficult to see. I couldn't see the group and where they went. I saw that the big dog pointed with his head to its refuge. I hesitated for a moment, but the storm began to approach. The raindrops could be heard from afar. I didn't think twice and went into the black dog's enclosure.

"DON'T EAT ME... OR YOU'LL GET SICK. I threatened him and went into that kind of burrow. The animal stood in front of me, covering me from the gusts. I don't know how much time passed, but the storm outside was strong. Loud thunder and wind lashed. I fell asleep. For some strange reason, the animal's warmth cradled me, and its scent didn't bother me. When the storm ended and everything was silent, the animal stood up, letting me out. I could see that one of its paws was injured, so as a thank you, I thought of healing it."

"IF YOU DON'T MIND... I'LL HEAL YOUR PAW... DON'T MOVE... I'LL POUR WATER ON IT." I said, spilling the liquid from my bottle on its right front paw. The animal seemed to understand me and left it still so I could heal it. "AND THIS CREAM WILL PREVENT YOU FROM GETTING INFECTED... I ALWAYS HAVE IT... MY SKIN IS DELICATE. I commented, I don't know why I'm talking to him, as if he understood me. Then I got up, looking at the landscape. There were fallen trees, and the giant dog's enclosure was without the fence; it seems the wind was strong."AND NOW WHERE ARE THE CABINS?. I complain in a sob, not knowing where to go.

The dog bumps me as if calling my attention, so I look at it, and it gestures with its head for me to follow it, or that's what I understand, so I walk behind it. Along the way, I invited it to have some of my sandwich and my bottle of water until I see a little house in the middle of the field, surrounded by trees and very beautiful flowers. Again, it makes a body gesture, pointing to the little house.

"AH... YOU WANT ME TO CALL... I'M SCARED... I DON'T KNOW WHO LIVES THERE. I comment, and it presses its body against me, pushing me to the door. I hesitate to knock, but in the end, I do."

"WHO IS IT?. The voice of an old woman is heard."

"I'M ARTICA... I GOT LOST... CAN YOU HELP ME." I said, and an older woman opens the door, small in stature, with short gray hair and a dress that covered her ankles, who opens her eyes wide when she sees me. "EXCUSE ME FOR BOTHERING YOU... I CAME ON A FIELD TRIP WITH MY CLASS... BUT THE STORM STARTED... AND I GOT LOST... CAN YOU HELP ME?. I reiterate."

"OH... THAT'S A PITY... YOU ARE... YOU ARE. She was trying to put together a sentence, so I hurried to answer."

"YES... I'M ALBINO... I WAS BORN LIKE THIS." I replied, guessing what she wanted to ask me.

"YES OF COURSE... AND YOUR FRIEND. She asks me, looking towards the big dog, but it had already moved away."

"HE GUIDED ME HERE." I replied. I feel nervous and scared, but the old woman's gaze calms me down somehow.

"YOU HAVE A GIFT WITH ANIMALS. The old woman tells me."COME IN... YOU MUST BE HUNGRY... TO BE HONEST... I DON'T RECEIVE MANY VISITORS... EVERY MONTH THE PEOPLE FROM THE RESERVE LEAVE ME PROVISIONS...BUT NONE STAY FOR LONG. She tells me.

"Why is that?", she seems friendly". I think.

"DON'T YOU HAVE FAMILY?. I ask curiously."

"I HAD... BUT THEY ARE NO LONGER HERE... EVERYONE MADE THEIR OWN LIFE. She tells me, and then we hear that the weather is turning dark and stormy again."THIS WILL TAKE A WHILE... AT LEAST YOU'RE UNDER A ROOF... IT'S NOT VERY BIG... BUT YOU WON'T BE COLD HERE. She says.

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH... AND AGAIN, EXCUSE ME FOR BOTHERING YOU... AS SOON AS I AM WITH MY FAMILY... THEY WILL COMPENSATE YOU FOR YOUR TROUBLE. I reply."

"DON'T WORRY CUB... I DON'T MIND THE COMPANY. The old woman tells me."

"Cub?... I'm not a dog". I think.

I check my backpack and find the chocolate I was supposed to give to Polo, and I hit myself on the forehead.

"MOM IS GOING TO SCOLD ME... I DIDN'T GIVE POLO HIS CHOCOLATE. I say aloud."

"WHO IS POLO?. The old woman asks, placing a cup of tea in front of me on the table."

"MY YOUNGER BROTHER... HE IS FIVE YEARS OLD... I DON'T EAT... MOM SAYS I'M ALLERGIC... THE TRUTH IS I DON'T REMEMBER EATING AT ANY TIME. I tell her thoughtfully."

"HOW OLD ARE YOU?. She asks, sitting on a small log bench and drinking tea from a small aluminum jug."

"Eleven" I hesitated nervously.

"YOU DON'T SEEM SURE. She says, looking at me steadily with those almond-colored eyes like the lanterns that light up the square."

"IT'S JUST THAT I TURNED RECENTLY AND I FIND IT HARD TO GET USED TO. I tell her. Outside, the wind lashes against the trees, making them lean, and the water is pouring down. I look out the window worried."

"DON'T WORRY... THIS AREA IS HIGH... THE WATER FROM THE STREAM DOESN'T REACH IT. She comments, sipping her tea calmly."

"DO YOU MEAN IT CAN FLOOD?. I ask her worried."

"EVERYTHING CAN HAPPEN ... I WASN'T COUNTING ON YOUR VISIT AND HERE YOU ARE ... I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD RAIN SO MUCH... BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM TO END. The old woman comments calmly."

"I WON'T BE ABLE TO LEAVE LIKE THIS... MY PARENTS MUST BE WORRIED. I tell her sadly."

"YOU'LL SEE THEM... THEY'LL PREFER YOU TO BE SAFE. She says confidently."

"YOU'RE RIGHT. I sigh heavily, and sleep overcomes me, so I yawn loudly without wanting to."

"YOU'RE TIRED... YOU CAN LIE DOWN THERE. She says, pointing to her bed, which I see has a straw base and a blanket on top of it."

"THANK YOU . I reply, and as soon as I get close, I fall asleep."

I had a strange dream as if I were surrounded by wolves, and they were bowing before me. Then I felt that some light blue eyes were staring at me steadily, a gaze as deep as the sea, like the infinite sky. I woke up and saw the old woman by the light of the fire she had in her chimney, sewing against a rug spread out on a square base.

"IT'S NIGHT ALREADY. I commented, sitting up."

"YES... AND THE RAIN CONTINUES. She replies."

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?. I ask, approaching curiously."

"I'M WEAVING... A BLANKET... IT WILL BE COLD SOON. She says, and I see how she passes a stick between the threads. I sigh heavily, and she turns to look at me."YOU'RE SAD... YOU MISS YOUR FAMILY... YOU SHOULDN'T FEEL LIKE THAT... YOU'LL SEE THEM... WE JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT TO STOP RAINING. She says, encouraging me, to which I nod, but I feel my heart crushed by sadness.

A lot of time passed since then. We saw the water cross, washing away everything in its path, about fifty meters from the little house. I got used to the old woman, whose name is Cielo, by the way. I held out hope that they would come to my rescue, but time passed. The woman I affectionately call grandmother ran out of strength, so I took care of her. I learned a lot from her, such as how to heal with natural remedies, weave my clothes, and especially how to hunt to feed ourselves. Seeing the helicopter, I wave to it, and I see that they spot me, so they approach.

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