Because of Wren's delay, Missy and Bryson arrived at that place around noon.
Coming at that time actually had some good points.
On the way, they didn't meet any other villagers. Maybe everyone was at home eating lunch.
"Missy, you were lying in this patch of grass," Bryson said, pointing at a spot that looked a little sunken.
Missy looked where Bryson pointed. She looked around with a confused face.
She saw that there was no water near that area.
She squatted down and stared at the grass, feeling puzzled.
She remembered she came from the water. Shouldn't she have appeared near water?
Why did she show up here?
She lifted her head and looked at Bryson.
"Bryson, is there a river or the sea near here? Any place with water?"
Bryson didn't really understand her question, but he still answered.
"There's no river or sea close by. But in Yujiang County, there's a river. It takes more than half a day to get there from here."
He looked at Missy and wondered if she liked places with water.
"Do you like places with water, Missy? There's a lake behind the mountain near our village. If you like, I can take you there next time."
Missy shook her head. She looked at the grass again with more confusion.
She still didn't understand. If she crossed over from somewhere, shouldn't she go back the same way?
So was this where she ended up after coming?
Or did someone save her from the water and then bring her here?
But her clothes were dry at that time.
How was that possible?
She quickly asked Bryson again if there was anyone else around at that time.
Bryson answered clearly that there wasn't anyone else nearby.
If someone else had been there, they would have taken Missy away right away. She wouldn't have still been there for him to find.
Missy couldn't get anything helpful from Bryson.
So she started checking the area carefully, looking to see if there was anything strange.
Bryson helped her and looked around too, hoping to find anything odd or special.
Missy stayed away from Bryson for a while.
She tried out different ways from the stories she read, hoping they might help her return.
But nothing worked. She was still stuck in the same place.
She started to feel nervous. She searched the area again and again, trying to find anything different.
But she found nothing.
Feeling hopeless, she came back to where she started. She knelt down on the grass.
She stared at the ground in front of her without moving.
She didn't want to give up. There had to be a way.
Maybe it was under this spot?
She started digging with her hands through the grass and dirt.
But she only found soil. There was nothing else. Not even a special rock.
Why was there nothing?
How could this be?
"How am I supposed to go home now?"
Missy couldn't stay calm anymore.
Her hands were bleeding from digging so hard in the rough grass and dirt, but she didn't seem to feel it.
Bryson came back and saw what she was doing. He was very worried.
He walked quickly to her and held her hands. He saw they were bleeding.
"Missy, your hands are bleeding."
He looked at her fingers, which used to be smooth and pale. Now they were covered with blood. He felt really sorry for her.
Missy didn't respond to him.
She just sat there blankly, tears streaming down her face as she stared at the patch of grass nearby.
She quickly pulled her hand away from Bryson's and kept desperately clawing at the ground, mumbling to herself,
"Maybe it's here. Maybe I can go home from here."
Missy stubbornly believed that this spot of grass was the way back home.
She pulled at the grass, dug into the soil, but nothing happened.
She was still in the same place.
Why?
Why her?
She just wanted to go home. She missed her mom and dad so much.
Her tears fell to the ground like pearls, one after another.
"Missy, stop, you're hurting your hands!"
Bryson stepped forward again and grabbed her arm.
But Missy seemed like she'd gone mad. She violently shook his hand off.
She shoved him hard and screamed through her tears.
"Leave me alone! I want to go home!"
Then she kept digging at the grass and dirt like a desperate child.
She had to go home.
There had to be a way. There had to be!
It had to be here. If she dug here, she could go back.
Mom!
Missy wants to go home. Please come and take her back!
Her vision was blurry now.
The only thing left in her mind was the thought of going home.
Her fingers were bleeding heavily. The skin was torn, and parts of her flesh were scraped raw.
But Missy seemed to feel nothing. She kept digging and clawing at the dirt with her bare hands.
Bryson looked at her, heart aching at her madness.
He stopped helping her dig.
He knew she couldn't go on like this. If she did, her hands would be permanently damaged.
He stepped forward again and grabbed her firmly.
"Missy, calm down. What are you looking for? I'll help you find it, okay?"
Missy cried in pain, like she couldn't hear anything anymore.
She just wanted to go home.
Mom!
Where are you?
Bryson tore two clean pieces off his shirt and gently wrapped them around Missy's injured hands.
Then he used his sleeve to softly wipe the tears from her face.
"Missy, don't cry. No matter what you want to do, I'll help you. I promise."
When Missy heard that, it was like someone had given her a sliver of hope.
She grabbed his arm in desperation.
"Bryson, I want to go home. Can you help me? Please?"
Blood and mud soaked into Bryson's clothes, but he didn't care.
Hearing her words made him uncomfortable deep down.
He didn't want her to go home.
If she did, it might mean she would leave him.
But seeing her like this, how could he let her suffer any longer?
Finally, he gave a soft nod.
"Alright. I'll go home with you."