The forest was dark. Roxanne could only rely on her torchlight because the faint moonlight was insufficient to illuminate the path ahead of her.
She walked carefully inside the forest, not knowing where she was.
Roxanne only knew Estella was nowhere in sight thus far in her venture into the woods.
After sending Archie and Benny back to the hotel, she checked the messages in the WhatsApp group and noticed none of the other parents had seen Estella.
No one has yet to search the forest. This is the only place left. If Essie is really in here…
Roxanne felt more frightened the more she dwelled on that thought.
Even she was scared of being alone in that environment, not to mention Estella, who was just a little girl.
Essie would not have come inside here if it weren‘t for me.
At that thought, Roxanne gritted her teeth and hastened her steps. She must locate Estella as soon as possible.
“Essie! Where are you?”
Roxanne shouted Estella‘s name as she moved deeper into the forest, hoping to receive any response from the little girl.
However, even after she shouted until her voice turned hoarse, her surroundings remained silent.
Suddenly, there were movements at a bush nearby.
Roxanne‘s eyes shone. She thought Estella was there, so she quickly strode over.
Just as she got closer, something jumped out from the thicket
Roxanne shuddered in fear. She was on the verge of screaming due to the shock.
Upon taking a closer look, she realized that it was just a wild rabbit. She let out a sigh of relief at that realization.
Still, when she was reminded of Estella‘s unknown whereabouts, her anxiety intensified, and she walked forward at a quicker pace.
Soon, despite not knowing where she had reached, Roxanne could vaguely hear the sound of intermittent sobs around her.
Roxanne‘s heart skipped a beat. She wondered if that was Estella crying.
With that thought in her mind, she slowed down and cautiously approached the origin of the sound.
In a deep pit, Estella was squatting on the ground in a pitiful condition with dirt all over her. She was crying hysterically to the point of almost suffocating.
She had run out of the hotel in the afternoon, intending to return to the botanical garden to look for Roxanne, Archie,
and Benny. However, halfway there, a snake suddenly appeared beside the road. Overwhelmed by fear and shock, she ran aimlessly and unknowingly entered the forest beside the road.
When Estella came to her senses, she had already arrived in the deeper part of the forest.
She wanted to leave that place as quickly as possible, but she failed to find her way out. Her surroundings grew darker the more she stumbled forward.
Then, she accidentally fell into a hole.
Estella tried to climb out, but her attempts were unfruitful due to the slippery, moss–covered walls. She repeatedly fell back to the bottom of the hole after trying to climb out a few times.
Estella sensed she might not be able to escape that place. Nevertheless, she knew Lucian and Roxanne would come looking for her, so she squatted in a corner, quietly waiting for help to arrive without feeling too afraid.
However, her surroundings gradually grew darker, and the pit she was trapped in turned pitch black.
All of a sudden, something fell on her hand,
She let out a shriek and cowered in a corner. Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably as she stayed still and did not dare to move a muscle.
Moreover, Estella was now hungry and terrified after waiting for the whole afternoon. She could not help but weep. Still, she did not dare to cry out loud for fear of attracting something dangerous.
Estella had lost track of time.
She developed hiccups due to prolonged crying. “Daddy, Ms. Jarvis, Archie, Benny…”
Anyone, hurry up and find me. I‘m so scared. I will never run away again.
Estella felt sorrowful when she was reminded of Roxanne‘s gentle face.
I wonder if Ms. Jarvis is looking for me. I miss her so much…
