"We were only halfway through the path. That annoying elf, realizing that it was forbidden to drop the stones. When a few people dropped the stones and we saw them eliminated with a signal in the air, we couldn't help but notice it.
The crow came to me again.
"Gak!"
"Heh, gak gak… Damn, being a crow must be nice. No worries, no trouble, just gak all day."
It was flying beside me, really getting on my nerves.
"What's your deal, little crow? Did you have your eyes on me? Were you the one who headbutted the board at the entrance this morning? Or was that your friend? What's your business with me?"
No response. I was talking to this crow like a maniac.
There was no one left around me. The strong ones had long since moved ahead, and those who couldn't carry the stones had already been eliminated. It seemed like I was next in line to be eliminated.
"Damn crow, give me a hand with this, if you're going to be a nuisance!"
It perched on the stone.
"You're just like the crow!"
It's like a patience test, really.
No, no… I'm worried for its safety.
Ohhh, I remember now... I was getting frustrated....
Wait a minute... Actually... The stone just can't touch the ground, that's all. Dropping it is forbidden, but as long as it doesn't touch the ground, there's nothing wrong.
I lay down and placed the stone on my stomach, staying still like that. The stone is still considered to be in the air.
I swear, I'm living off logic games right now.
I lay there for about thirty minutes. I was at least physically comfortable.
Finally, I got up, forced myself, and somehow reached the finish line. Out of the forty people who joined, only seventeen of us were left. I guess Lia and I were among them.
Lia looked at me with a relieved expression. But I still had a long way to go. The elf was still watching me. Maybe she would praise me for this clever solution... or maybe she'd think about eliminating me along with the stone.
Lia was standing between two stones that were positioned like the finish line.
"Hurry up Rowan! I'm about to plant roots here, at this rate!"
It's easy for you, you're not carrying a stone. Talking is easy.
Finally, I made it.
"I'm never carrying a stone again," I said, collapsing on the ground.
"Good job, man! It took a while, but you made it!"
She was standing over me, laughing. Is this girl a sadist? She was missing the whip in her hand.
"Lia, I think that's enough. Haven't we had enough fun? Let's head back to the village," I said from the ground, in a voice full of defeat.
She stepped on my stomach with her foot, like a victorious hunter.
"No, not yet. And look, you'll thank me later. We're close. There are only seventeen left, we just need three or four more. The elf said there are two more rounds."
"Yeah... two more rounds..."
This girl doesn't take me seriously at all. She wasn't as serious as before. At one point, it felt like she was acting like she would never leave the village.
"Anyway..."
Just then, the crow came over.
"Leeb, is this little one with you?"
"Leeb?"
"Oops, I misspoke."
"Hmm, I wouldn't call Leeb 'little'... It's quite heavy."
"Are you mocking me?"
"Is it that obvious?"
She pressed down on my stomach a bit more.
"Owww owww, alright... but the crow's name is Leeb now."
Also, crow, come on, you can sit on the stone I'm carrying, right? I'll turn you into meatballs, damn it...
Sensing my intention, the crow flew over to Lia's shoulder. It was tiny, but it was already starting to annoy me.
Of course, I'm writing it in my own style, a bit flowing, adding depth to the characters as I go:
"We'll figure out the crow's name later," Lia said, gently petting the bird's head with her fingers.
The crow squinted its eyes, as if enjoying it.
Just as we were sitting in silence, that familiar mischievous look appeared on Lia's face.
"By the way," she suddenly said, "I saw a crow headbutting a log at the village entrance earlier. Was that your friend?"
The crow seemed to take the question seriously and nodded its head up and down.
Lia's eyes lit up. "Really? Why was it headbutting the log then?"
The crow threw its head back and quickly called out:
"Gak!"
At that moment, both Lia and I looked at the crow.
"That was very informative," I said. "Why didn't it occur to us?"
The crow turned its head towards me while Lia burst into laughter.
She was laughing so hard that she didn't realize the crow was shaking on her shoulder, and it flew off, perching on a nearby stone. From there, it was looking down at us.
Lia, still laughing, lightly tapped my shoulder.
I guess she laughed a little too much. Could it be a psychological thing?
"Lia... It wasn't that funny."
"It was enough for me," she said between laughs.
I just stared at her face; whatever I said, it didn't matter.
At that moment, a voice echoed from the other end of the square, making us both jump:
"The next selection is starting!"
Our elf had announced it with his deep voice. The crowd slowly started to gather...
.
.
As I felt the ground lightly tremble beneath me, it suddenly began to rise. Columns appeared in front of everyone, each with a note on them. I waited for the elf's direction.
"There is a note in front of everyone," the elf's voice echoed. "Each paper contains a riddle. Solve your riddle and come to me with your answer. You have until noon tomorrow. You may disperse."
After the elf spoke, everyone took their papers and began reading. I took mine from the column rising in front of me and read the riddle:
> "Inside me there is life, but I am not alive
I grow quickly, but never vanish
I am always used, but never lost."
Hayat var ama cansız... Büyür ama yok olmaz... Her zaman kullanılır... Belki de sıkça kullandığım bir şey... Düşüncelerim içinde kaybolmuştum ki, Lia'nın sesiyle irkildim.
"Rowan! Oyalanma, köye dönüyoruz!"
"Kargaçık, hadi sen de toparlan!" diye ekledi Lia, omzundaki minik yol arkadaşına dönerek.
Ormanın içinden köye doğru yürürken sohbetimiz bilmecelere kaydı. Lia, elindeki kağıdı cebine koyarak konuştu:
"Bak şimdi; 'Görünüşüm karanlık. Ama ışığa ihtiyaç duyarım. Hareketim yoktur ama sürekli takip ederim. Hakkımda çok şey bilinir ama kimse tam anlamaz.'"
"Hmm... karanlık ama ışığa ihtiyaç duyan bir şey... Hareketsiz... Rowan—" dedi ve cümlesini yarıda kesti. Batmakta olan güneşe göz gezdirdi.
"...gölge?"
"Gölge?" dedim ben.
"Gölge!" diye yineledi Lia heyecanla.
"Ah, lanet olsun, çok zekiyim! Cevap gölge, değil mi Rowan?" dedi, burnunu gururla havaya kaldırarak. Bu havalı egoist şeklini koruyarak.
"Yani... bilmeceleri ben yazmadım ama şu an öyle duruyor gibi. " dedim gülümseyerek.
"Eee, senin bilmecen neydi?" dedi, artık rahatlamış bir şekilde. Belli ki kendi cevabını bulmuş olmanın huzuruyla konuşuyordu. Omzundaki karga hala onunla birlikteydi, sessiz bir bekleyiş içindeydi.
Ben de ona kendi bilmecemi söyledim.
"Yuh..." dedi Lia, gözlerini kocaman açarak. "Bu nasıl bilmece böyle?"
"Vallahi aklıma hiçbir fikir gelmedi," dedi çaresizce.
"Tüh ya... Sanırım bu turda elenenlerden biri ben olacağım," dedim, biraz da umutsuzca. Lia, hafifçe karnıma vurdu, ama o kadar beklenmedik bir hareketti ki istemsizce gerildim