Chapter 10. Flight

Sunlight streamed in from the gaps in the canopy of leaves hanging from the branches of the towering trees of the vast, leafy forest. Small, blue-feathered birds tweeted their merry tune as they flew above Naomi's head.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke; the smoke from the fires which had suddenly been extinguished the last night.

The painful bite from one of the many insects buzzing about caused Naomi to jolt into consciousness; her eyes opened instantly but the minute they did, the bright light from the blazing sun above cast its full, hot glare upon them, causing her to squeeze them shut.

Her head hurt as if an energetic drummer had been pounding away at it for hours without mercy, and her body ached as if a school bus had just run over it.

She needed her coffee. Without it, she was not sure that she would be able to face the rest of the day.

She carefully opened her eyes again, squinting them till they adjusted to the sunlight. The world aro