The Green Guardian

Chapter 20: Thebes of Seranet

Evie's group members sauntered over to Ben and John, but Sam and Evie stayed behind.

Evie nervously glanced at her counselor. She then looked at Euphorbia on her shoulder. She was also struggling a bit to breathe.

"Niños," Mateo called, "we need to keep moving. The watering hole is just up this path. That's where we'll have our first lesson." He took his hand off the trunk and stumbled forward a few steps.

Evie caught his arm. "Mateo, no. You need to rest."

"I don't need rest," he wheezed.

"Yes, you do," Evie said in a stern voice. "Listen to me."

Mateo released his arm. "Please, Evie, we're really close."

The watering hole was about a ten-minute walk away from the meadow. The small, clear pool was at the base of a waterfall. Evie brushed her hand across the numerous ferns in the area. She, her friends, and Ben took a seat on some rocks that wrapped around the pool. John and Joey slurped up some water.

Mateo put his bag down. He pushed his way into the pool and held his arms out to his sides. He turned to face his campers. "All right, so the first lesson is 'Listening to Nature'."

"What?" Emrys asked. "That's boring. Let's learn magic."

"Yeah," Amanda, Ashlynn, and Tate agreed.

Mateo did not look at them. He put his hands behind his back. "Magic is not what rangers rely on. We speak to nature and ask it to help us."

Sam and Evie sat close to one another. Sam had pulled his sketchbook out of his backpack. Evie noticed he was drawing a picture of the watering hole. He was a talented drawer for his age. However, the activity came with some consequences.

Mateo sensed he wasn't listening to him. "Sam, would you join me, please?"

Sam was too in-tuned to his sketch. He did not realize he had been called until Evie bumped his shoulder. The little boy looked up.

Mateo glanced at him. "Come on. Don't be shy. Bring Euphorbia, too."

Sam rose to his feet. Evie handed him the fairy. She patted his shoulder. "You'll be fine, Sam." She was relieved that Mateo called him instead of her. She hated going first.

Mateo sensed that, too. "Evie, may you also join me?"

"Aw, dang it," Evie mumbled. Her group members laughed a little.

The two friends carefully approached Mateo.

He fixed his attention on the waterfall. "We're going to start with a basic exercise–" he said not only to Sam and Evie but also to the other children, "–learning to listen to water. After all, water is one of the most intelligent things in all of nature." He straightened each child's shoulders. "Stand tall, clear your head, and listen. Tell me what the waterfall is saying."

Ben, John, and Joey were beyond fascinated. They wanted to try the exercise, too. Their feet jiggled under them.

Sam and Evie gave the exercise a try. They cleared their heads and listened. They heard nothing. The falls was silent.

"Mateo, I think it's dead," Evie said.

Sam couldn't help but agree. "It's as quiet as the night."

"No, you're wrong," Mateo calmly stated. "This waterfall is eager for a conversation. Watch me." He took a step closer to the running water. He peered into its invisible eyes. "Good morning, Bruce. It's been a while."