Chapter 2: Forest

Sven works as a forester in a huge forest park. He has been working there for a long time, not since the first decade. He’s a cyborg of a forest modification, he understands the forest and its inhabitants well, can see in the dark and hear the quietest sounds, feels comfortable being alone for years (although it hasn’t happened that long), can sleep anywhere on the ground or in a tree, and eats anything that can be found in the forest (although he prefers normal human food). He clears paths and lakes, treats trees, feeds animals, all that kind of stuff. The work is not complicated or physically demanding for him, but the territory is large and he is always busy with something.

He manages his own sleep schedule and usually works from evening to morning, when there are almost no people in the forest. One night, while checking fox dens, he hears a child crying and follows the sound. A girl of about ten is sitting under the trunk of an old oak tree, sobbing loudly. Sven slowly approaches her from the side, rustling the fallen leaves and lighting the flashlight on his belt so she can see him from a distance. She sees the cyborg and relaxes a bit.

“Hello. I’m Sven, the local forester. And what’s your name?”

“Liana...”

“Nice to meet you. And what is such a nice girl doing at night in this dark forest where there are wolves?”

Liana widens her eyes. “Are there really wolves here?”

“No, sorry. It’s a silly old joke. They’re just foxes, they don’t hurt people. But really, how did you end up here?”

“I had a fight with my parents and ran away from home,” Liana sniffles. “Stupid! I should have kept my gadgets charged. I was left without a map and got lost.”

“It happens. And what about your parents?”

“They’re good, but they just don’t understand!” Liana sniffles again.

“It happens. Let me take you out of the forest. Or should I carry you out?”

“I’ll walk myself!”

Liana jumps to her feet, takes a step and stumbles over a root. Sven catches her and lifts her up.

“It’s very difficult to walk in the forest in the dark out of habit. Maybe I’ll teach you someday, but for now, let’s go like this.”

“Okay...”

Sven carries her through the woods. First they talk a little, then Liana falls asleep. Sven tries to remember the last time he carried someone who snuggled up to him so trustingly. It turns out that it was only the house cats that got lost in the forest.

Sven takes Liana home, gently wakes her, asks if she is ready to come home (she is), and hands her over to her parents. They are obviously nervous, but happy that everything worked out. They know Sven a little from somewhere. He says goodbye and returns to the forest.

A few days later, Liana finds Sven again, this time in the evening. This time she is prepared, and the map even shows her the forester’s location.

“Hello!”

“Hello!”

“What are you doing in the woods?”

“Many things. Right now I’m cleaning mistletoe from the trees. It also has its place in the forest, but if there is too much of it, it harms the trees.”

“Can I come with you?”

“Why not? Let’s go.”

They walk through the forest and talk, Sven telling her about all sorts of little things they come across along the way. Then she sits in a clearing and watches him climb and jump in the crowns. (“I can do that too!” - “I’m sure you can. But let’s not do it right now, okay?”) Then they build a big fire on a bare patch of land above the lake. Sven teaches her how to weave mistletoe and gives her a bunch of branches.

Months pass, and they add up to years. Liana visits Sven several times a week. He teaches her everything he knows, and gradually she begins to know everything about the forest and to help him with the things she has the strength to do. When it’s warm, she always comes barefoot, and when there are no people around, she takes off her dress and walks around naked (“I’m just like you!”). Sven is a little surprised, but doesn’t see anything wrong with it. The sun and the air are good for everyone. He contacts her parents a few times so they don’t worry. The parents have no objections. Liana is under supervision, in a healthy place, learning something useful - what more do you need?

When Liana turn eighteen, she comes to Sven one day, looking mischievous and determined.

“Today I’ll be with you until morning!”

“Oh yeah? Do your parents know?”

“My parents think I’m at a party with friends. But I feel better with you.”

While it’s still light, they shovel some fallen leaves, then light a fire and grill sausages. Liana leans against Sven and rests her head on his shoulder. She is already a young woman, almost his height.

“You know,” she hesitates, choosing her words carefully, “I want you to be my first man. Today.”

Now Sven hesitates. “Are you sure? You know how old I am, right? Maybe it’s better to start with someone your own age. And maybe with a human, not a cyborg.”