Chapter 3. Echoes of the Wild (E)

The fluorescent lights of the office buzzed overhead, their harsh glare highlighting the dark circles under Nora's eyes. She hadn't noticed when her colleagues' concerned whispers had started, but she felt their stares following her as she stumbled through another day at the office. Their worried glances and gentle offers of help—a coffee, a ride home, someone to talk to—were well-intentioned but futile.

How could they possibly understand what she was going through when she barely understood it herself?

Nora hunched over her keyboard, squinting as the lines of code swam before her eyes, characters shifting and rearranging themselves like living things. Her fingers hovered over the keys, trembling slightly—when had they started doing that? Sleep had become a cruel game of chance. Some nights, unconsciousness claimed her the moment her head hit the pillow; others, she'd lie awake until dawn, her mind racing with whispered voices and golden eyes that hovered just beyond reach. The boundaries between wakefulness and dreams had blurred, leaving her stranded in a perpetual twilight state.

Nora sat at her desk, but instead of working, she was reviewing notes from past nocturnal visions when a wave of drowsiness washed over her. She fell into a dream right away. Right there, in the office. This time, she appeared in a place of total darkness. But at the same time, she felt like she was at a concert of a doom metal group. Deep vibrations were passing through her body, bringing the feeling of total alienness.

As abruptly as it began, as unexpectedly, the dream has ended. As if somebody turned off the switch.

"Well, if you are trying to recruit me, maybe use a language I know?" she whispered in the emptiness, "And either help me to get through or fuck off!"

"Nora, are you alright?" asked Pete, her boss. He was standing right in front of her desk, looking at her with concern.

Nora promptly sat straight, trying to put her disheveled ginger hair in order. She felt several keyboard buttons imprinted on her cheek, where her head fell on her desk.

"Ahhhh…" she mumbled nervously. "Sorry, Pete. I had some sleep issues in the past few weeks. I went to my therapist several times, but nothing seems to help…"

Pete leaned against her desk, his brow furrowed with genuine concern. "You know what, Nora?" His voice was gentle but firm, the tone he reserved for when he needed her to really listen. "You've been carrying this team for months. I've watched you push yourself past any reasonable limit." He held up a hand when she started to protest. "Take a week off. That's not a suggestion—it's an order. Get some actual rest, put your head in the right place." His eyes softened. "And come back when you're ready, not when you think we need you back. We'll manage." The kindness in his voice nearly broke her more than the exhaustion had.

"Thanks, Pete!" said Nora after a brief hesitation. "That's very kind of you. I should have probably figured out that I need a vacation or something. I just wanted to tie up all the ends properly."

"Don't worry about that," said Pete. "We will figure out how to get through this week. Take your time."

***

And that's how Nora found herself on a train to a small town a few hours away from the place she called home for the past five years. She moved away from her parents when she began studying at the university.

Every year, she spent less and less time in her parents' house. But that's life, right? At least all the modern technologies allowed them to see each other as often as they wanted through video calls and photos on social accounts.

This abrupt homecoming unleashed a tidal wave of parental nurturing that Nora hadn't experienced since adolescence. Her childhood room awaited her like a time capsule, preserved with almost museum-like care—the same faded band posters, the same stuffed bear with the missing eye perched on the pillow. Her mother practically materialized with her comfiest clothes before she could even ask, while her father quietly placed a steaming mug of cocoa on her nightstand, made precisely the way she liked it. Each day unfolded in a gentle rhythm of favorite foods appearing without request, board games with rules they all pretended to remember, and movies they'd seen a dozen times before. The familiarity should have been comforting, but it made the strangeness inside her feel even more alien.

She immersed herself in memories. Console games from her childhood, music, and old posters on the walls.

Browsing through her old CDs, she recounted that strange dream in total darkness. Maybe the code was hidden somewhere in these old records? The details and rhythms from that unexpected dream had already faded out. Still, she hoped she might revive some of them just by listening to some of her old heavy metal records.

But alas, while she was able to recover some sensations, it didn't help her fully immerse herself into a similar dream. Even worse, when she listened to that music before sleep, she'd tumble for hours, without any hope for rest.

Time passed swiftly, as it always does when you enjoy it, and this brief vacation at her parents' house was coming to an end. Nora felt a bit more relaxed and connected to her childhood. Still, while it brought some peace of mind to her and restored her sleep patterns, she wasn't getting any closer to reconnecting with Sumi.

That evening before the final weekend, Nora's mother paused in the doorway, a familiar silhouette backlit by the hall light. "Do you remember our hikes?" she asked, her voice soft with nostalgia. "Those weekend walks when you were little, and later..." She smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "When you grew older, you'd venture out alone and come back transformed—cheeks flushed, eyes bright, laughing in a way you never did otherwise." She sat on the edge of Nora's bed, the mattress dipping slightly. "Maybe that's what you need now—to find your balance again. Fill yourself with love of nature, as you did before. They've cleaned up the National Park since you moved away. The old trails are still there, but better maintained. It's magical, especially this time of year."

Something in her mother's words resonated with Nora, striking a chord that vibrated in harmony with the whispers from her dreams.

And of course, Nora's mother was right, as it often happened. That was a splendid idea, and Nora was surprised she hadn't thought about it herself. Literally, a chance to ground herself. Remove all the noise.

Not wasting any time, Nora's parents found all the gear she could need for a weekend hike in their basement. They gave her enough food and water to survive the two days in the wild. And instructed about the changes made over the years to the local paths.

Finally, as the vacation was ending and there wasn't much time left, they decided that Nora would get to the train station Monday morning to head straight from the National Park to the city. She'd either keep the gear in her city apartment or return it during her next visit. But this way, she'd have a chance to spend more time in the wild.

The moment Nora's boots touched the trail, something electric shot through her—a jolt of recognition that had nothing to do with memory and everything to do with instinct. The forest embraced her, the familiar scents of pine and rich earth filling her lungs while birdsong created a symphony overhead.

But beneath that ordinary beauty lurked something else—something that pulsed just below the surface of perception. The trees seemed to whisper as she passed, their ancient voices almost familiar, like an echo of Sumi's world. Each step deeper into the forest heightened the sensation as if she were walking along the border between two realities, the veil between them growing thinner with every footfall.

Maybe she just imagined that. But it felt like she was losing the weight of years spent in a bustling city, buried under the stress of university and demanding work. It lifted from her shoulders as soon as she stepped under the canopy of the trees of the National Park. There, she was transported to a time when she was ten years younger and much more carefree.

After a few hours of walking, the trail widened unexpectedly, opening into a sun-dappled glade that seemed to be waiting just for her. Nora stopped, transfixed by the perfect circle of emerald grass surrounded by towering sentinels of pine and oak. Sunlight spilled through the canopy in visible rays, illuminating dancing motes of pollen and seed fluff. Something about this place felt significant. It was charged with potential.

Nora's hands moved automatically, setting up her small gas stove while her senses remained attuned to her surroundings. The sizzle of meat hitting the hot pan and the steam rising from simmering vegetables created an aromatic cloud that mingled with the forest's primal perfume. The ordinary act of cooking in this extraordinary place felt like a ritual, a communion between her world and something wilder, older, more magical.

***

While the soft moonlight bathed the forest floor, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. The night passed for Nora in a peaceful slumber, devoid of any dreams or disturbances. Dawn arrived with gentle insistence, golden light filtering through leaves to dance across Nora's closed eyelids.

She woke with a clarity she hadn't experienced in weeks—perhaps months. Nora's mind was finally quiet, the voices that had haunted her dreams blessedly silent. As she emerged from her tent, the forest greeted her with a symphony of morning sounds—birds calling to one another, the rustling of small creatures in the underbrush, the persistent melody of the stream. She filled her lungs with air so pure it almost hurt, rich with pine resin, damp earth, and something indefinable that seemed to vibrate with life itself.

"Thank you, Pete," Nora whispered to the trees, a smile tugging at her lips. "Thank you, mom," she added.

The tightness in her chest had loosened for the first time since her dreams began. Here, cradled in nature's embrace, Nora felt her fragmented self beginning to reintegrate, reconnecting not just with the world around her but with something essential within.

With a granola bar in one hand and a water bottle in the other, she trekked through the dense forest. Nora started with familiar trails and followed her parents' instructions. However, even if she had spent countless hours wandering these woods as a child and young adult, there were still hidden pockets she had yet to discover in this expansive nature reserve.

As Nora ventured deeper into the forest, the trees grew taller and thicker, blocking out more sunlight. The dense canopy above cast a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the forest floor as if nature had created its own stained glass windows. These scenes triggered a feeble memory in Nora's mind. Still, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

She felt a strange sense of familiarity, a blend of past experiences and recent days spent in the small town and nature. The earthy scents of moss and soil, damp because of the morning dew, filled her nose, mingling with the crisp freshness of the air. Every step she took felt like a journey back in time to a place where magic and wonder still existed.

Setting up for lunch, Nora chose a different glade. She had to make some progress, getting closer to the train station every day. By that moment, Nora had already walked a reasonable distance from her parents' house, and her feet ached with each step.

Even if hiking was Nora's favorite activity before, she wasn't used to this sort of long walks anymore. But at the same time, she couldn't help the smile on her face as she trekked through the lush forest. The sunlight streaming through the trees warmed her skin, filled her with vitality, and brought a profound sense of harmony with the natural world around her. Despite the physical exhaustion, she felt renewed and alive.

Exhausted, she found a patch of soft grass on the hill and lay down, letting the warm sun kiss her skin. A light breeze rustled through the trees, carrying the sweet scent of wildflowers. She closed her eyes and let herself fully relax before continuing with her day.

The solitude enveloped her like a second skin. Hours had passed without a single human sound reaching her ears—no distant voices, no planes overhead, no reminders of the world she'd left behind. The forest had accepted her, wrapping her in a cocoon of isolation that felt not lonely but liberating. Sunlight poured into the small meadow she'd discovered, a hidden pocket of warmth nestled within the cool shadows of the forest.

An urge seized her, primal and impossible to ignore—to shed the barriers between herself and this place, to feel the sun's caress on her bare skin. Her fingers moved to her shirt buttons before conscious thought caught up. What was she doing? Yet the impulse persisted—a yearning that seemed to originate not from within her but from the land itself.

Hesitantly, she slipped off her hiking shirt, then her boots and socks, her pants following. The air kissed her exposed skin, unexpectedly sensual. Nora stood in only her underwear, heart racing—partly from nerves, partly from something deeper, more primal. The meadow remained empty, and the trees were her only witnesses.

A foreign boldness possessed her. When would she have another chance like this? When would she feel this alive, this connected to something greater than herself? Her fingers trembled slightly as they moved to the clasp of her bra.

Smiling to herself, she slowly removed her panties as well. Nora stood there in that glade for a brief moment. Fully immersing herself in that new sensation of being absolutely nude in the forest. Surrendering her whole body to the elements.

A few minutes later, Nora found herself lying under the soft sun of the late morning. The rays filtered through the trees and warmed her ginger hair. The soothing wind caressed her bare skin, carrying the earthy scent of the forest and the distant murmur of a stream. It was a perfect moment to recount everything that had happened to her so far. The vivid dreams, the intense sensual encounters, the sudden disconnect, and the strange messages that felt like someone was trying to breach a wall around her mind.

Again and again, her thoughts returned to Sumi and the ending of their first encounter. There was something about that connection that felt unfinished, like a melody that ended on an unresolved note.

Sumi's face materialized in her mind's eye—those golden eyes, that knowing smile, the electric moment when their fingers had almost touched. Heat bloomed low in Nora's belly, a warmth that had nothing to do with the sunlight bathing her naked form. As if guided by an invisible hand, her palms slid over her skin, reintroducing her to a body she'd neglected for so many weeks.

When had she become a stranger to herself? Weeks—no, months—perhaps years of pouring everything into her work, her routines, her desperate attempts to be productive had left no time for this most basic connection. Even her recent obsession with returning to her dreams had been yet another form of denial, another way to avoid being present in her own body.

A gentle breeze whispered across the meadow, caressing her exposed skin with unexpected intimacy. It stirred the curls between her thighs, the sensation so startlingly erotic that a soft gasp escaped her lips. The wind seemed to carry a message—remember this body, honor it, and listen to what it craves. Time stretched and contracted around her as the forest held its breath, waiting for her to acknowledge the hunger awakening within her bones.

Nora's fingertips traced hesitant patterns along her collarbone, then downward, mapping territories long neglected. Each touch sparked tiny fireworks beneath her skin—her body so responsive it was almost alarming. She explored the contrast between her soft inner arms and the slight roughness of her palms, the delicate hollow at the base of her throat, and the curve where her waist met her hip. Venturing lower, her fingers encountered the coarse texture of curls that protected her most intimate place, already slick with evidence of her arousal.