After waking up the next morning and having breakfast, it was announced that everyone was going into town. We walked around town, seeing the sights and buying souvenirs, until later in the day when we all headed back to the house. Upon arriving at the house we each went our separate ways to rest, until eventually Isabella approached me timidly, her hand beneath her sleeve covering her mouth. She was wearing a loose green sweater and a skirt.
"Hey, Jake?" She asked.
"Yeah what's up?"
"Um...do you like birds?" She inquired, looking up at me shyly but with a determined glint in her eyes.
I was a little taken aback.
"Uh, yeah I like birds."
Isabella nodded fiercely and took a breath before saying,
"I know some places where we can see some birds. Specifically some golden eagles, although I also know where we can find sparrows and crows and lots of other birds."
I nodded slowly.
"That...sounds good. Did...you want to go see them right now?"
She blushed a little and then set her jaw.
"Yes."
"Um, okay!" I said. "Let me just go get my shoes on!"
After getting our shoes on, we headed out. As we talked, Isabella told me all about what kinds of birds we might see, as well as the birds that occasionally frequented the property but which we were not likely to see. It was obvious that Isabella knew a lot about birds, and the excitement in her voice as she talked about them was tangible. I didn't know much about birds myself, and much of what she said went in one ear and out the other, but I retained what I could and I was just happy to listen. We walked for a while, and whenever she saw a bird Isabella would point it out and tell me all about it, but as we walked the wind began to pick up and gray clouds began to gather and darken in the sky. Isabella's face darkened as well, and her expression became solemn and contemplative.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"It looks like it might rain," she said despondently.
"Do you want to head back or keep going?" I asked.
She looked at me concernedly.
"Are you okay to keep going or do you want to head back?"
"I'm fine with either, but we can keep going for a little longer if you want!"
Isabella's face brightened.
"Okay! Let's go for a little longer!"
We continued walking, and we were able to see some more birds flying around excitedly. Eventually, however, those dark clouds began to loom more and more ominously, and we began to hear the distant cracks of thunder as the wind continued to pick up.
Turning to Isabella, I said,
"We should probably head back soon."
"Yeah," she said. "We should go."
We turned around and began to hurriedly move in the direction of the house, half walking and half running with the storm behind us. After a few minutes, however, our folly caught up with us, and droplets began to pelt the ground around us before we began to be showered in rain. At this point we began to truly run, but as we did the rain picked up more and more, as the intense wind blasted us with the downpour. It became hard to see the path in front of us, and looking around I could see only sparse trees being rocked by the wind with no hope of shelter anywhere. This continued for a while, and as I became bitterly cold and wet I started to curse myself for not asking to head back earlier. I hoped that we would arrive back at the house soon, but I suspected that we still had a ways to go before then.
Eventually, however, I heard Isabella's voice screaming just above the gale, and I could only make out half of what she said,
"THERE'S A D~~~~~~! FOLLOW ~~!"
She then turned off the path and began running into the wilderness. Not having much of a choice, I began running after her, trying to keep her in sight.
After a minute, we arrived at a rickety metal tower with a metal box on top of it. The tower had metal stairs leading up it, and the box at the top looked to be about just big enough to fit a few people in it. Isabella began ascending the stairs, and I followed after her. As I climbed the stairs, however, they felt unsteady beneath my feet, as if the wind might knock over this tower at any moment. I was too wet and too cold to care, however. I saw Isabella enter the box through a door, and a few moments later I joined her inside as I made it to the top. We shut the door behind us, and I took stock of where I was. This box was dusty and clearly hadn't been used in a while. There were windows all around the box, but unfortunately one of them was broken, allowing the wind and rain to come pouring in. Thankfully, the elements were not able to reach every part of the box, and so Isabella and I were able to huddle together in the corner away from it. There was also a chair near us, although neither of us had reached for it yet. Relieved as I was to be away from the rain, however, I was still miserably cold and wet, and so I began to take off my shirt and pants, keeping my shoes on, leaving me in just my boxers and shoes. I began trying to wring the water out of my clothes, before throwing them down in a dry corner. I then began to hug myself, trying to warm myself up as best as possible. It was actually decently warm in this box once I took my clothes off. I sat down on the chair, and I curled myself up into a ball for warmth, hugging my knees. I looked over at Isabella, only now noticing her wide eyes and shocked expression as she looked at me. Her jaw, however, was still clamped shut, as her teeth were chattering in the cold. She was hugging herself and shaking all over like a leaf, her wet hair draped against her head. I instantly felt bad, because as cold and as miserable as I had been, it was obvious that she was far more miserable. I became concerned. It might be dangerous for her to be as cold as she was.
Standing up, I commanded,
"Take off your clothes."