As Daniel turned to leave the riverbank, suddenly, the loud splashing of water startled him as if someone had fallen in it. In an instant, he realized Emily had fallen into the flowing river.
“Emily!!!” Daniel exclaimed with a panicked cry, seeing the scene.
“Help!” Emily struggled to stay afloat on the river, trying to scream in desperation. The flowing water made it difficult for her to maintain her balance.
Without hesitation, Daniel, who was now in Emily’s body, jumped into the river. Although he found it difficult to adapt to Emily’s body, he still swam quickly towards Emily, who was struggling to stay afloat. Daniel tried to reach Emily and grabbed her hand.
In a tense and uncertain moment, Daniel reached Emily. He held her close, trying to keep them both on the surface of the water. With a persistent struggle, they made it to the safer bank of the river.
“Emily, wake up! Emily!” Daniel tried to call out and patted the cheek of Emily who was still unconscious. He felt a deep panic, looking for signs of life from Emily.
Without hesitation, Daniel immediately applied pressure to Emily’s chest to expel the trapped water.
“Emily!” Daniel shouted, trying to rouse Emily.
However, Emily still did not wake up. Finally, Daniel gave Emily an artificial breath. He covered Emily’s nose with his hand and gave her mouth-to-mouth breaths carefully.
After several rounds of artificial respiration, Emily finally expelled water from her mouth and coughed. Her labored breathing tried to restore her normal rhythm.
Slowly, Emily’s eyes opened, and she faintly saw a familiar figure looking anxiously at her. The face that she had only seen when she looked in the mirror, now she could see her own face clearly because her and Daniel’s souls had swapped. That face looked pale and worried.
“Mr. Daniel?” hissed Emily in a weak voice, trying to gather the strength to speak.
“Are you okay?” asked Daniel in a worried tone.
Emily nodded weakly in response, still feeling the weakness engulfing her body.
“Do you want to die here? Why are you so careless? You should have been more careful,” Daniel said in a slightly raised tone as he ruffled her hair in frustration.
“Sorry, sir,” Emily said.
Both of their clothes became soaked. The situation he had to go through now annoyed him. Their swapped souls, being trapped in the forest, and Emily’s carelessness made him even more upset. Frustration and confusion made his emotions reach a breaking point.
“Damn it! Why do I have to experience this kind of nonsense?” Daniel clenched his fists in frustration.
However, an unexpected miracle happened to both of them. Emily suddenly felt a strange sensation flowing through her body. Her previously strong and coarse fingers now became supple and smooth, while her long hair that was previously cut short grew back quickly.
“Sir, this…” Emily could not hide her amazement and disbelief when she saw the changes in her body. Their previously separated souls had now reunited with her and Daniel.
“Our bodies have returned, sir,” Emily said with sparkling eyes, feeling happy and relieved.
However, astonishment also struck Daniel as he looked at his body that had returned to its original state. He couldn’t help but be curious and ask, “How is this possible?”
Daniel was still dumbfounded, trying to digest everything that had happened. Their happiness of being back in their original form only lasted for a moment as Daniel soon realized that they had to get moving and find a way out of the forest.
“We have little time. We need to find a nearby house to get help before nightfall,” Daniel explained in a firm tone.
Emily nodded in agreement, understanding how important it was to find help as quickly as possible. Despite their wet clothes, the two of them began a brisk pace through the forest. Their eyes kept scanning the surroundings, looking for signs of human presence. The sound of leaves rustling and the wind whistling became the background that accompanied their steps.
Emily felt chilled by the bone-chilling wind. She hugged her body tightly, trying to reduce the chills. However, she still tried to stay strong and continue the journey.
Daniel looked at Emily, who was shivering and her lips were getting paler. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, sir,” Emily replied in a weak voice.
“We’d better find a place to shelter for the night. We can’t continue traveling under these circumstances,” Daniel explained firmly, deciding to protect Emily.
“B-but, sir,” Emily tried hard to speak her mind, but Daniel cut her off immediately.
“How can we go on with you in this condition?” Daniel’s voice raised slightly, making Emily gasp in surprise.
Daniel used his fingers to massage his furrowed mid-brow. He tried to calm himself down for a moment before continuing in a softer tone. “We will continue our journey tomorrow,” he said, trying to make Emily understand this difficult situation.
The two of them started looking for a place that could provide shelter for them tonight. While looking for shelter, they gathered some twigs and dry wood. After searching carefully, they found a suitable place among the roots of a large tree. They used the roots as a natural roof that could protect them from the rain. The place was close to the river they found earlier.
The forest grew darker as time passed, and a thick fog crept in between the trees. Strange sounds drifted through the trees, creating an atmosphere that felt even more eerie. Daniel and Emily sat by the campfire they had built, letting the flames play a little dance among the towering trees around them. The night air was cold, chilling to the bone.
Daniel tried to organize the firewood to keep the fire burning, trying to create a little warmth in the middle of the cold night. Emily’s condition forced them to stay overnight in the forest, making it impossible for them to continue their journey. Emily sat near Daniel, her eyes glowing with sadness.
“I’m sorry, sir, because of me, we can’t continue our journey,” Emily said in a soft voice, full of regret.
“Are you feeling a little warm?” asked Daniel, hoping for a slight change in Emily’s condition.
Emily nodded her head slowly in response to Daniel’s question. She felt surprised when Daniel suddenly took her hand gently into his palm. Their hands touched each other, creating a warm and tender contact.
Daniel rubbed Emily’s hand with a gentle movement. Every touch from Daniel provided warmth, easing the chill that engulfed Emily’s body. Emily’s gaze fell on Daniel’s usually cold and indifferent face, but that night it was so warm and caring.
“You should have been more careful. How can someone be so careless? Are you feeling a little better?” asked Daniel while continuing to rub Emily’s hand.
Not hearing Emily’s answer, Daniel looked up and saw Emily looking at him. The two of them locked gazes, making Emily’s heart beat so fast that she immediately removed her hand from Daniel’s.
“I’m feeling a little better, sir,” Emily replied, trying to catch her breath with the tension that was engulfing her at the moment.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” Emily said with an awkward smile.
“We’ll continue our journey tomorrow. You’d better get some sleep first,” said Daniel.
“What about you?” asked Emily.
“Don’t think about me. I’ll look after the fire and make sure our surroundings are safe for tonight,” Daniel replied.
“Will we be able to get out of this forest tomorrow, sir?” asked Emily, her eyes starting to tear up.
“Rest your mind and don’t think about it,” Daniel said.
Emily nodded, feeling a deep exhaustion seep into every fiber of her muscles. Emily lay down on a bed of twigs and dry leaves they had collected earlier. She looked at Daniel, who was still arranging the firewood to keep the fire burning.
It turns out he’s not as bad as I thought
Finally, Emily slowly closed her eyes and snored. Hearing Emily’s snoring made Daniel sigh heavily.
“Can I sleep tonight in this condition?” Daniel muttered in an annoyed tone.
***
The next morning, the sunlight slowly swept across the forest, illuminating the forest with a warm glow. Emily and Daniel slept on dry twigs and leaves. Suddenly, someone’s footsteps approached. “Khun tham arai nai paa nee? (What are you doing in this forest?)” Someone’s voice in fluent Thai infiltrated the ears of Daniel and Emily, who were still asleep.