"I'm sure it's because there are too many people here. That is why all the fish swim toward you. Plus, you are sitting at the upper spot of the stream. So, if any fish were to come by me, they would bite onto your hook first," Yelena said confidently, seemingly as if she had known the secret of fishing. She insisted on changing her spot and began to fish again.
Three hours later, nothing happened, and Yelena was tired from all the waiting. Suddenly, something jolted her awake. Then, she noticed that the trio were surrounding her with a smile on their face.
"Aren't we fishing? Why are you guys here?"
Yelena had just awakened from her slumber and thought it was a short nap. However, as she looked at the time, she realized three hours had passed.
"Does that mean I haven't caught a single fish yet?" Yelena exclaimed.
Hank shrugged and smiled. "You have been sleeping for quite some time. The fish probably had eaten the bait and then swam away."
"What? Does that mean I lost?" Yelena hung her head low in disappointment. Suddenly, she saw Hank walking toward her with his bucket. Then, he poured all the fish from his bucket into hers.
"It's fine. I'll give you mine. There, you win."
Yelena didn't think it would be unfair to win by this method. Instead, she smiled and said happily, "Yay! I still won in the end!"
Feeling satisfied with their catch, they decided to cook the fish for dinner. While Hank and Yelena were in charge of setting up the grill, Elspeth and Callum went to collect some wood.
There was a small forest by the lake. As the duo walked deeper into the forest, Callum held Elspeth's hand tightly, afraid she would get lost. Just as they collected enough wood and were about to return, Elspeth noticed a familiar figure in front of her. As she squinted her eyes and took a closer look, she was shocked.
"It's her!"
When Callum heard her words, he followed Elspeth's gaze and saw a young woman holding a child's hand.
It was the mother and child that Elspeth had encountered at the hospital!
"They are the ones I told you about last time. The mother and her child who looks similar to you," Elspeth said with a complicated expression.
Callum frowned and asked, "Why don't we go and have a look?" He was also curious as to how much alike he and the boy would be.
"Okay." Elspeth nodded. However, just as they took a few steps closer, the woman noticed them.
When she saw Callum and Elspeth approaching her, she was frightened and tried to run away.
Seeing that she was about to run away again, Elspeth felt that something was wrong.
Callum quickly reacted and grabbed the woman's arm.
"Who are you? Why are you running away from us?" he asked.
The woman lowered her head and tried to cover her eyes with her hair. "I don't know you guys. I ran because I'm afraid to encounter strangers at a place like this."
It was hard to tell whether she was telling the truth or not. Elspeth took a few steps forward and asked in a low voice, "Do you still remember me?"
The woman quickly shook her head and denied it. "I don't know you. I don't know who you are. Stop asking me that."
Beside her, the boy furrowed his eyebrows and said, "You're hurting me, Mommy."
Since the woman was too nervous, she subconsciously grabbed the boy with much force, leaving red marks on his skin.
The more Elspeth looked at them, the stranger she felt. After all, she had never met the woman before. Yet, the woman was frightened and wanted to escape when she saw her. When Elspeth first saw the woman, she remembered that the latter's eyes were filled with shock and anger. However, when the woman looked at Callum, Elspeth could see a trace of fear and affection in those eyes, which confused her.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Love's perfect match novel (Elspeth and Callum)