YOLANDA

"Well... You have to promise me first that you won't go there." She said with a resolved voice, refusing to be entangled in this plight. But he didn't think that way. "I can't promise before I know what the situation is." She was getting pissed off at Andy's behavior. "Then if you choose to go, you will have to go alone. I won't go there." Andy, losing his patience, said, "Please, just tell me."

She started speaking involuntarily, "It is neither logical nor likely possible. But rumors said that the groom and the sister were actually captured by the bride and had been bearing endless torture in this cave." She pointed out some kind of hole in the gorge's mountain. Andy was shocked, "Are they still torturing at that cave? Really? It is nonsense. It can't be. Oh my god. We have to save them." She yelled in rage. "No. We won't go there. That's enough." She thought that was the end of the discussion. But Andy still didn't think that way, "Come on. You are a soft-spoken, tender-hearted person. You know better than me that neither you nor I cannot leave them to endless torture. It is not in your nature. You are the most patient person that I ever met. You started this journey for your siblings." Andy could see that she wasn't convinced, then he played on her compassion. "Do you remember that cockroach?" He paused, allowing her to recall.

Her eyes lit up with recognition. She was ten at that time. She kept a cockroach only because it was a gift from her brother Zack. But her brother was actually trying to scare her. She was indeed scared, but wanted to show her gratitude, so she petted it. Of course she had never held it in her hands, though she fed Henry every day and night. Even though she talked to him and took the cockroach with her, where it was in a sort of aquarium—actually a jar—so it could wander around and not get bored.

One day, she saw it was walking around the house. She screamed with fear, climbed onto the stool at kitchen and asked family members for help. The father, who had been in his workshop across from the kitchen. He hurried to the kitchen and almost stepped on the cockroach. She screamed again, "Stop. You are going to step on Henry." He froze and couldn't understand at first who Henry was.

Then he remembered, started to sulk, "What happened? Except I almost mashed your pet cockroach. Why did you shout?" He felt that the cockroach was an excess. She believed that too, but it was a gift. She had to show her gratitude and try to love it. It was a creation of God. So she shouldn't be disgusted.. She said it was outside and requested him to put it back in the jar again. He sighed and tried to catch it almost one hour. Finally he got tired, and ask her to give up on the cockroach. But she insisted to find it again. But that was enough.

"Gabriella!" Dad called mom to help her daughter. She came and tried to find it either a half hour more. But finally it was dinner time. So mom had to persuade her daughter to give up on cockroach. The brothers and Irene, who was healthy at that time, came for dinner. They started to set table all together. It was tradition for Fairclough family. Dinner time was their favorite time of the day to enjoy having each other accompany. So everyone was at the table; eating, laughing some jokes of Zack. And then cockroach took the action on the table. Yes. It was at table and trying to climb the wooden bowl to get some potatoes. Irene started to vomiting. Everyone was shocked. The cockroach terrorized the dinner table. It was fast to catch, all family tried to catch it, but Zach was actually attempting to kill it, with a spatula. Yolanda saw his action and hold his spatula. Zack really lost his temper because of the interruption. He thought she mixed being stupid and naive.

"What are you doing?" She was puzzled by his wrath. It was wrong. "Why are you so angry? I just don't want you to kill my pet which is your present." She thought he forget that little creature was his gift. Zack, "You still pet this? How could you be so stupid? It was a joke. How could you not realize? Who gives present a cockroach?" It was Yolanda's turn, "Not normal people would do that. But it turns out that you could give a present like that. And I had to show my gratitude so you cannot criticize me for being ungrateful. Actually this animal is still can be pet if someone give gift with kind heart. But you are so spoiled. Every time bullying me. But people asked you only you were kidding. It is unforgivable anymore. You won't kill my pet. It is mine and I will keep it." Her tone was resolved even for her young age. She never let him kill her pet. It's not about fighting with Zack; it was her compassion for other creatures.

Her mother stepped in to stop this argument and tried to protect her ten-year-old daughter from her almost fourteen-year-old son. "Zack it is a cruel thing to say. How could you do that to your sister. Please be admit your fault and apologize from her." Zack's eyes lit up with ferocity. "That's an outrage. She is dumb and easily believe everyone. Like she doesn't have her own mind. Why am I at fault? No, I am right. You should teach her better so she cannot get fooled by someone." Mom got upset. Now dad started to yelling at him. "Zachariah! How could you talk with your mother like that? It is unacceptable. You are almost 14 young boy and you should ashamed of yourself. Now apologize from both your mother and your sister. And you are also grounded for a week." Zack was losing control, but he knew, he couldn't be impolite to his parents. He could be mischievous, but he couldn't talk back to them. So he started apologizing to his mother, "Mom I am sorry. I didn't mean that you get upset. I just want her to possess better understanding and judgement. I really didn't mean to hurt you."

Mom forgive immediately, it was her nature. "I know Zack, but you should choose your words more wisely. You are big brother if I am not enough, you always welcome to help me to teaching?" But she was implied what was he shouldn't say it. After a second Gabrialla's talk the cockroach got the scene again. This time it was at rosemary pot. Zack lunged fast, but Henry -the cockroach- was quicker. It escaped, Yolanda was screaming and everyone started to talk and blaming each other. If someone see this; they could say it was a war. During almost fifteen minute everyone, including eight years old Irene, was arguing each other with high pitched voice -basically yelling. Except Frederick, he was silent like always. He didn't want to involve it. But now he didn't have another choice. "Stooopp!" He screamed loudly that everyone stopped and looked at him with fear that something happened. But he continued, "Why are you arguing? Please stop. It is ridiculous. If she wants to pet this animal let her be. Zack please stop. We are getting old because of your mischievous behaviors. I am almost thirteen but I feel at thirty because of you."

Before Zack's reply, Henry got out once for last time under kitchen table. She chirped cheerfully, "Here you are Henry. My sweet boy let's take you your home." She was approaching to Henry. Zack lunged toward to kill animal before she take. Yolanda saw his move, he was trying to stepping on and crush it. She closed over Henry to protect. Zack couldn't stop himself he was put her all strenght on his food to stepping it. Yolanda broke her two ribs in that accident and she was in bed for five weeks. But she saved her pet and never regretted it. Even this painful experience in her early life couldn't persuade her to give up on those she loved. She petted it Henry until next year summer. She lost him without any visible reason. The Fairclough's even brought a physician for her to examine the cockroach. However, Henry died of old age, as cockroaches typically live only about two and a half years. But it didn't prevent her to make funeral for it and mourn for one week, she couldn't eat even that week.

She blinked her eyes a few times as if waking from a dream. But no matter what, she couldn't go there. He didn't understand. "Andy no one -no single soul- had ever come back. Please don't make me lose you. Please. That's a lie. Those two unfortunate soul couldn't be there. Even if they are still there, we have nothing to do with it. We are not witches, wizards or any creature with magic. We are only human. How could we possibly save them? No one knows what is happening there. But it is the death end. Please." Andy started to talk. "Do you really scared that much? I don't think still, that is all truth. There could be something beyond there. Some people made this story for don't let anyone to see it. Maybe a fortune hided there we could be rich. Think once again before we left" He asked her.

She couldn't resist. This was most likely an empty place and everyone scared for nothing. She couldn't decide. She didn't care about money she just wanted to cross over as soon as possible and save her beloved siblings. This way took approximately one or two hours to get to the other side of the mountain. The other way took almost two days to reach there. They had to go down the mountain and follow the river until it gets shallow so they could cross over the river. The stream was fast-flowing, making it hard to cross. That was why she couldn't easily decide. Time mattered. It was getting dark, they had to spend the night here. She was still scared, but she couldn't turn back or go down. She would spend the night at that gorge, besides the bridge.

The Ivy Gorge Bridge was not a place at the top of mountains, it was at halfway up mountain's height. So night wasn't freezing but still cold. Andy dug a pit for the fire. Yolanda felt a light cold breeze on her face despite the fire. Her fingertips started to feel warm again, but her face still cold. Andy took out last piece of meat to heat and started to thinking, what will we do tomorrow without food? Maybe he'll just give up this mission and go down so they can fish. He would be fishing actually. She never kill anything at all. Even fishing would be hard for her, so he would have to catch. But she is good at cooking, he thought.

Yolanda didn't want to think about how much she got cold or decide which way to go. So she tried to talk with him. "Hey! Where did you drift off to?" Andy shook his head and answered. "Just fishing." Yolanda, "What fishing?" Andy, "It's just... This is our last meal and I was thinking If we choose go down the mountain, I could fishing so we don't have to starve." Andy replied with remorseful tone. She understood that he wanted adventures but he likes more eating so he could easily give up this horror story. But she knew he would do it someday even if it wasn't tomorrow -it would happen. Her heart sank as if a heavy rock had been thrown into the water. She couldn't lose him, he was a precious friend to her. That was all their conversation for the night. They ate their meat and watched fire for a while then they made their beds with leaves from nature for pillow and sheets from their bag. She laid down and gazed at the stars beside one side of the fire, while Andy took the other side. They were both close to the mountain, facing the bridge. She wanted to stay on guard, so she let him sleep. And tried to decide while watch. But still she had no answer. In the middle of the night she woke him up for watch. So she could sleep for a while. And did fast indeed like she slept before she put her head to pillow. 

There was a door now in front of her. She didn't understand what place this was. And was she supposed to open this door?