Ellen  invited two  her bosom friends to spend the weekend together in her  country  cottage. The girls decided to have a rest before examinations.  There was a forest next to her cottage. Ellen had  been afraid of that forest since her childhood  however, she always took great  pleasure in wandering there alone.  Ellen`s parents could not accompany them as they were too bound up in their work. Both of them were doctors. The girls decided to take Lika`s brother Tim with them because they were a little afraid of that place.    So one day  they set out on their two-week journey. It took hours to get there as the road was winding.  By the time they  reached  the cottage finally  it had already been getting dark.

“It`s good that  Tim is here.” -  said  Lika  and embraced him.

“What are you afraid of Lika? There are no animals  in the forest.”

Dora looked out of the window and saw the illuminated  streets.

“Of  course Lika there  is nothing to be afraid of.”-Said Ellen.

“See, I told you so! I am ready to take a walk  even now.”

“ If  they were not so scared I would join you Dora.”-Said  Tim.

“I am beginning to feel hungry! Let`s have  dinner  instead.-said  Ellen.

“I am hungry too. I was just kidding, I don`t feel like going out either. Hardly anyone  will go out

now”. –Said Dora.

“It`s  so nice here!”

“Did you mean to say calm?”

“And calm too.”

“Come  on  it’s ready.”

After dinner they were sitting  on the sofa  watching TV and exchanging pictures.

“You have  a lot of relatives  Ellen!  Haven`t you?”

“Yes,  here are my relatives on my mother`s side  and these are my relatives on my father`s side. We meet

very seldom. I don`t even recognize some of them.”

The evening passed in a very enjoyable atmosphere. Next morning they were more cheerful and not asscared as the day before.  Yesterday`s fears were forgotten.  Ellen suggested going to the forest to pick out mushrooms.

“I can cook a very delicious  mushroom  soup”. –She  said.

“All right let`s go right now.”

It was a sunny day, a perfect  day for a walk.

“Look there are heaps of mushrooms here in this forest. It seems as if nobody  has been here before. Be careful, don`t squash them.  They were all good  mushrooms it was hard to pick out the best one.

“We need more baskets. Ellen do you have more? Do you hear me? Where are you all?

Oh God, I must have lost my way.”

Dora called them but no-one answered. Paying no attention to the mushrooms she  began moving from one place to another in order to find her friends.

“I am not scared, I am brave enough  and I will not panic.  I saw  the lights  burning  yesterday, there  must  be someone else.”

Suddenly  she noticed a small house. There was a light in the window. She knocked at the door but 

No-one answered. It was slightly opened.

“Hello,  is anybody  here?”

“Don`t be shy, come in  please!”-She heard.

“I usually  have guests  quite  seldom. But I am always  glad to have them.”

A  woman   appeared  in the  garden.  She was so affable  that  Dora  liked her at once. Inside the house   the rooms were light  and warm.

“I am sorry to intrude, ma’am but, I do need help.  My name is Dora.  I was in the forest with my friends  when I suddenly   got lost. Could you show me the way  please?

“Don`t worry my dear. I will help you. Would you like a cup of tea first?”

Dora didn`t want to  drink  tea but she was too shy to refuse.

“Could you  show me the way after tea please?”

“Of course Dora.”

It was a typical  village  house. It was so clean and the tea was so  delicious  and aromatic.

“Your house is very cosy.”

“Thank you Dora, that`s because  I put my whole soul into  it.”

She talked  a lot about  her house  and  herself. Dora was reluctant  to stop her  and ask about the way.

“Don`t  you want to have a rest?”

“No, thanks. I would  rather  go and find my friends.”-She wanted to say but instead of  this she said:

“I am really so tired. Thank you.”

The lady led the way  to the bedroom.

“When you wake up I will  walk you home.”

Dora didn`t  want to sleep at all.  But she didn`t  manage to refuse again. She had the feeling that the  lady  had hypnotized   her. However a rest was really necessary for her. Dora didn`t remember the way. She came up to the  window and looked outside.  No street lamps   could be seen anymore.  There  was no sound of traffic. Fear struck through  her like a chill wave.  Suddenly she heard somebody talking  in thegarden.

“How time flies!  I am already a grandmother. And what about  you?”

“My grandchildren live far from here.  They promised   me to come soon.  I am looking forward to seeing them again.”

“Children don`t run too far  ahead  I can`t  keep up with  you.”

Dora wanted to call out to them for help. As she wasn`t able to see them she rushed to another window but what she saw there frightened her away.  A town emerged in front of her eyes.  She recognized her hometown but it seemed to be different than it was before.  It sailed by like a ship. She recognized the streets and the parks.  Of course it was her hometown   but it seemed as if it had changed a little. She heard a distracting  noise and  looked out of the window again.  People gathered  around  a man who was hit by a car.  She wanted to open the  door and  leave but  as soon as she  opened it  the town   disappeared.  She suddenly found herself in a room.  In the centre of the room she noticed a weeping woman.  The woman was weeping so bitterly. She was full of sorrow. Suddenly Dora heard:

“How could it happen?”

“Well, they were doctors. They are always surrounded by all kinds ofVIRUSES and microbes. They must have caught a very dangerous disease.”

“Poor girl she is so alone now.”

“No she is married.”

She had hardly entered the room when everything disappeared again. She found herself in the small room lying on the sofa. 

“Are you all right Dora?”

“Yes,   I`m fine. Please show me the way.”

“Of course, come on.”

She felt happy  inside herself.   Happy because she hoped to see her friends   again and to get away from that mysterious house at last.

“Do you see that way.  It leads to a small hill. Go round it and keep going.”

She squeezed Dora`s hand and left. Dora was keen on telling her friends about her strange adventure.     She kept to the way until   she reached a small cabin.  She entered it in order to have a rest.  The cabin was very   dusty and full of cobwebs.  But Dora was too tired to pay attention to that.  She approached a sofa and allowed herself a short nap on it. She woke up next morning and decided to keep on going. She went out of the room but stopped suddenly.

“I have already been here!  I am again and again here.”    

Her eyes filled with tears.

“Why aren`t they looking for me?  How shall I escape   from here?”

In time she came to realize that there was no escape from that odd place.

“I should be patient.  They will find me, of course they`ll find me!”

She would say that every day, every month, and every year. But, she had been still living there. Dora put everything in order in her little dwelling.  She didn`t even know   how long she had been living there. Once walking in the forest she found a piece of broken glass. When she came home she washed the glass and told herself;

“Well it would be interesting to know how I look like now!”

When she looked in the glass she gave a sudden gasp of surprise. She saw the woman who many years ago sheltered her.

“It was me! How couldn`t I recognize myself!   It was me!  The woman who sheltered me was me!  It`s my house, my room, my sofa.  I saw my hometown in future.  The man who was hit by the car was Tim, the weeping woman whose parents died was   Ellen, two women in the garden  were Lika and Ellen.

Oh God!”- She said and burst into tears…

Ellen suggested going to the forest to pick out mushrooms. 

“I can cook a very delicious mushroom soup.”

“But we do have enough food. Why should we   busy ourselves with cooking? I don`t want to go,

I would rather stay in.-Said Dora settling down in the rocking chair.

“If so we won`t   go anywhere either.  Move Dora, you have taken too much space.”

 THE END