I am only a little Gypsy 1 - Reincarnation, does it exist? - 21. Chapter 21. Setting my first trap; our waterfall shower.

So, that was why all our minors had been waiting for me, to set my first trap ever so that I could catch and roast my first own animal! Involuntarily heaving a deep sigh of relief, I realized that, fortunately, all our minors were still my friends, so that I still belonged to their group, although I really was the tiniest kid ever that joined them into our woods. Then, I started to think again. Why was my inside always afraid that people wouldn't accept me, or would tell me they didn't want me to be around them anymore? Was that because, in spite of being such a clever little 'brainiac', I was still the 'smallest runt' in our camp, because my tiny body didn't want to grow taller, and therefore I was still a tad too small for being four years and a few months old?

Whilst nodding towards Misha that I was ready to set up my first trap; involuntarily, I started to doubt again. Was I really ready to set up my first trap ever? What if made a silly mistake; and all my older friends would be disappointed in their too clumsy little Crown Prince? Suppose, I forgot how to fold an effective snare; and Misha had to correct me? Or, even worse, he had to do it for me? What if no marmot or any other edible animal would be interested in my first trap, and tomorrow my snare turned out to be empty? Or, even worse, what if I caught a RAT in my first snare? I surely didn't want to be laughed at, the very first time I emptied my own trap...

Fortunately, Misha seemed to understand what I could be feeling, because he smiled reassuringly while he took a brand new and still glistening piece of wire from our small stock. With slow movements, he showed me again how I had to fold an effective snare and attach it to a nearby branch, so that it would strangle any caught animals. With another reassuring smile, he offered the glistening piece of wire to me, and then again pointed to the same small hill...

Still feeling unsure, I took Misha's glistening piece of wire into both slightly trembling hands, and stared at it. Now, I had to prove to our experienced trappers that I really was a valuable part of my new group of minors, although I also was their tiniest member ever. Would my trembling hands really be able to fold such an effectively strangling snare, hopefully without making any errors? Or, should I ask my built-in little trapper friend to help me again? Before making a decision, I first took a very deep breath and then forcefully willed my unwelcome emotions of fear and trepidation down, so that I would be calm and concentrated.

Then, I started to think again. My wise Dad once advised me to be always proud of myself and of what I was doing; and, from now on, I would do just that! Having encouraged myself like this, I just straightened my back and started to fold my first snare, whilst trying to copy Misha's example.

Exactly at that same moment, and without any preceding warning, my built-in little trapper friend took over completely and quickly folded a totally different looking snare for me! Again, faint memories showed up in my inside, of me helping my 'trapper Dad' set our rigid traps to ensnare wild deer. Now, without any conscious intervention from my own brain, my hands had unexpectedly folded a very rigid snare that didn't look at all like the much simpler example that Misha had folded for me! Yet, my inside was sure that my own strangely formed snare would do its work much more effectively, by catching and strangling even the strongest animals effortlessly.

Again, Misha stared at me with the same unreadable expression on his surprised looking face, but he didn't say a word and only nodded in agreement, as if giving me permission to go on. Still sensing my 'little trapper friend' in my inside who clearly wanted to help me even more, I went to Misha's hill and looked around for any animal tracks. Soon, I found a fresh one, clearly from a huge animal, leading into a dark tunnel across a thick bush. First, I studied the animal's footprints, to find out where it had left its wariness and sped up to reach its safe place. There was the point where I wanted to set my trap, so that the animal would overlook my snare in its hurry to get home. Hoping that my little trapper friend from my unconscious mind would take over again; I started to lay out my snare in front of the dark tunnel.

Almost immediately, my built-in little trapper friend took over again. At lightning speed, my hands started to form a strange looking knot around a sturdy branch that certainly would be strong enough to hold at least a struggling wild deer. After bending my snare towards the animal track, my hands also bent a couple of twigs towards my trap, so that they were forming a funnel that would force the animal to put its head straight into my rigid looking snare! Finally, my hands covered my trap with some forest litter, to make it nearly invisible to even the most wary animals. Imagining I was such an animal myself, I wasn't able to see my own cleverly hidden trap.

While I crawled backwards, my 'little trapper boy' also wiped out my own trail, clearly so that any too wary animals wouldn't see it and get alarmed in advance. Then, he released my hands and just retreated into my unconscious inside, as usual and without saying a word.

Still feeling strange, I first needed a couple of seconds to recover. Then, being truly proud of having set my first trap ever, seemingly without any help at all, I returned to my still waiting group of minors. Would we now go home and roast our caught animals, of course after spicing them first with my tasty herbs? Come on, let's go!

However, although I had expected my minor friends to turn around and go home, none of them were doing or saying anything at all. Very much to my surprise, all of them were still staring at ME, with surprised faces and baited breaths, as if they couldn't believe their own eyes! Why was that? What were my minor friends still waiting for, and why weren't they saying anything? Had I unwittingly offended them, by folding such a strange looking snare with its extremely rigid knot, instead of copying Misha's much simpler example?

Again, I started to feel uneasy, while I bowed my head towards the ground and stared at my nervously wriggling feet. Would my minor friends now send me home and tell me to wait until I would be a lot older and wiser and also had grown up some more first? Ultimately, my body was only four years and three months old; and therefore I was still the tiniest 'little runt' ever in our entire group of older minors...

Unexpectedly, my older friend Misha stepped towards me and threw his arms around my tiny frame, while he exclaimed:

"Wow, little man, I still cannot believe my own eyes! All the time, you have been doing everything as an already experienced real trapper! First, you climbed all those wobbly boulders and jumped all those overgrown cracks as if you have been scouring our dangerous mountains all your life. Then, you crossed our wildest foaming water stream at lightning speed, without ever stumbling or slipping, and without any help from anybody else. Now, you went to that small hill over there, found a fresh animal track, and clearly looked first for the exact spot where the animal had sped up to reach its safe hiding place. At exactly that spot, you folded a strange looking snare that I've never seen before, but I am sure it will be much more effective than our own much simpler snares are. You've also used an extremely rigid knot and attached it to a very sturdy branch, as if expecting to catch a really big animal. Plus, until now, you are the only kid in our entire group of minors who ever thought about wiping his own trail, so as not to alarm any too wary animals... As you have been doing all those practical things for the first time ever in your present life, I am now absolutely sure that you are already a 'natural trapper', probably from having been one during your past life, so that I am now even prouder to be your appointed helper and natural trapper guide!"

Feeling very surprised, I looked at my broadly smiling older friend, while my inside started to feel all warm and mushy. My already very experienced 'real trapper' friend Misha was telling me that I had set up my first trap and then wiped my own trail as a real 'natural trapper'... Now, THAT was a compliment!

Soon, all my older minor friends started to crowd around me whilst complimenting me, high-fiving me, and ruffling my unruly blond hair, making me almost cry from sheer happiness. Quickly, I regulated my breath and forcefully repressed my upcoming tears. From now on, I would start behaving only as if already being a 'real natural trapper', for crying out loud; and NOT as a little crybaby that seemed to be weeping for his Mommy!

After all our minors had calmed down and stopped complimenting and high-fiving me; my older friend Misha assured me again that his friends and he were very happy to have me in their midst. They also hoped I would soon catch my own first marmot or any other edible mammal in my special snare with its rigid knot, so that I could roast my own edible animal over our campfire, of course spiced with my tasty herbs from our surrounding bushes. But, would I still go on providing them with my spicy herbs mixture, now that I was one of them?

Inwardly feeling more and more happy, I assured my slightly worried looking older friends that I would always go on spicing their roasting animals for them, because I still was and always would be their so much appraised 'little Chef cookie'. To be honest, I also felt way too proud of my honestly earned honorary title!

Today, we had gathered more than enough animals to be able to fill our always-hungry stomachs to the brim. Therefore, a few strong boys took our filled string bags onto their shoulders, and all the others started to follow them backwards through the dense undergrowth, so that I thought we would go home. Whilst happily frolicking and now and then chasing after each other, we returned to our wildly foaming stream full of wobbly boulders and dangerous looking rapids. Again, we crossed the foaming stream without any problems. Still following our strongest boys, we returned to our ravine, where we again climbed its slanting boulders and jumped across its overgrown hidden cracks without any accidents, until we reached our 'cathedral' clearing from where we had started our journey. In our clearing, we stopped for a couple of seconds, so that the oldest boys could count our heads, to be absolutely sure that everybody was still present and nobody was left behind or got lost in our surrounding woods.

Of course, I thought we would go home from where we were now, to clean and roast our caught animals, of course again spiced by my tastiest herbs... Only, very much to my surprise, our minors seemed to be taking another route. Instead of walking home along the winding paths, they suddenly turned to the right and entered another winding path that clearly brought us back into our surrounding woods! Feeling curious and also surprised, I went to my older trapper friend and asked him:

"Misha? Why are we going back into our woods? Shouldn't we go home now, to roast our caught animals?"

Smiling at seeing my surprised looking face, Misha responded:

"Well, the sun is still high in the sky, and therefore we're having enough time to take a shower and perhaps go for a swim."

Feeling even more surprised, I stared at my older friend. What was he telling me now, and could I have heard this correctly? Were we really going to take a SHOWER, here, in our surrounding woods? For a second, I didn't know what to think of this. Had somebody built an enormous shower stall, somewhere around here, that would be big enough for all of us? Feeling nearly speechless, I didn't ask any more questions but just continued to follow my minor friends along the winding path.

Within a minute, all of us had arrived at the overgrown banks of an amazingly nice looking small ravine. Again feeling in awe, I stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the most magnificent thing that our Mother Nature had ever created. In this ravine, I saw an absolutely beautiful waterfall that was displaying a splendid rainbow full of wonderful colors that were sparkling in the bright sunlight! Feeling almost shocked from sudden awe, I stopped dead in my tracks and gasped from my powerful emotions that almost overwhelmed me. A colorful curtain of swirling water streamed down from the rocky borders along the ravine and splashed into its wildly foaming river below.

Never before had I seen anything this marvelous, so that its beauty nearly overwhelmed me. This absolutely superb play of light and colors that sparkled in the bright sunlight, was the most beautiful grandeur I had ever seen until now. Here was Misha's enormous 'shower stall', this time created by our clever Mother Nature itself! Involuntarily, I got tears in my eyes from my too overwhelming emotions. Hastily, I wiped them away with the back of one hand, while I went to Misha and silently worked my other hand into his much bigger one.

Fortunately, my older friend didn't say a word, but he only squeezed my slightly trembling smaller hand, as if he wanted to tell me he understood. I looked up at Misha, and saw that he too had tears in his deep brown eyes! Clearly, I was not the only 'crybaby' in our group of minors that became emotional from feeling too overwhelmed; and, again, I felt grateful for having such a wonderful friend in Misha.

After a few seconds of feeling sentimental, Misha and I started walking together towards the mossy banks. Several others had already started climbing down into the small ravine, and we just followed them downwards. Again, my 'trapper legs' from my past life seemed to remember how they should jump down from ridge to ridge without ever stumbling, as a real young gazelle. Almost effortlessly, I just started to hop down until I had reached the bottom of the ravine, with only now and then some help from my built-in 'little trapper friend'. Clearly, in spite of my young age, I was really already becoming a real natural trapper!

After Misha and I had reached the bottom of the ravine, we first waited until all our other minors had joined us safely. Then, cheering loudly and over-enthusiastically, we almost tumbled over each other to reach the wildly swirling curtains of foaming water. Of course, just before we stepped under the invitingly splashing waterfall shower, we first undressed, piled our clothes up onto the already forming heap, and then just dived under the inviting looking water spray.

Feeling happy to be able to take such an unexpected shower, I just followed my loudly cheering friends under the wildly splashing water stream that unexpectedly turned out to feel icy cold on my bare skin. Within a second, I thought I was going to die, because my cramping chest started to heave and feel upset, my lungs couldn't breathe any more, and my entire body started to shiver under the too cold shower! What the heck could be happening to me, or to my suddenly cramping body? Why was this cold water shower trying to KILL me, for crying out loud? Would this be my very last adventure on our Planet Earth, as the miserable end of little Gypsy Crown Prince Harold?

Why the heck hadn't my older friend Misha warned me in advance that this beautiful natural shower could KILL me? Or, was Misha not really my 'older friend', as I once thought in my youthful naivety? Whilst desperately trying to regain my stalling breath, I started to yell to any others around me for help; but my cramping lungs and still blocked throat refused to produce any audible sounds. Therefore, I turned around as quickly as I could and hastily fled away from the treacherous waterfall, as fast as my small legs could carry me. Totally unexpectedly, this alluringly beautiful waterfall had turned out to be a deathly TRAP, because it had tried to KILL me, for crying out loud! Fortunately, I had been able to escape from it just in time, before my cramping body could die from sudden lack of breath...

At a safe distance from the deathly 'water trap', I stopped running, turned around, and glared at it. Fortunately, my cramps and shivers were already diminishing, and my throat was already opening up, so that my stalled lungs could start breathing again. However, although my body was still alive and kicking, my brain just didn't trust this too alluring beautiful waterfall anymore! What, for heaven's sake, could have happened to my unexpectedly choking throat, and what strange phenomenon had tried to kill me, by taking all my breath away? Plus, why hadn't any of our experienced minors warned me to be careful, or told me in advance what I could expect from such a deadly shower?

Where was my former 'friend' Misha, who hadn't warmed me in time and therefore would be my 'eternal foe' from now on? From my safe distance, I glared at my 'former friend' who had turned out to be my 'eternal foe'. Why had he just let me be killed, by letting me step under such a dangerous quirk of Mother Nature without any warning? Or, didn't he know that this beautiful creation of our Mother Nature could be such a treacherous murderer? Would he now undergo the same fate of suddenly choking up? Good for him!

Looking closer, and very much to my astonishment, all my 'former friends' who now were my 'eternal foes', seemed to have the fun of their lives under the same wildly splashing 'water trap' that had tried to murder me only a few seconds ago! All our minors were just cheering loudly, whilst playfully splashing even more icy cold water at each other! Now and then, one of them left the wildly swirling cold water shower, only to return and immediately dive under it again. Why didn't this dangerous shower choke them and kill them too, as it obviously had tried to do ME? This strange phenomenon turned out to be extremely eerie as well! Could my small lungs and perhaps too tiny throat be too young to survive such an unexpected danger? Or, shivering even more from the unwelcome thought, could I be the only young kid in our entire group of older minors who unexpectedly turned out to be 'allergic' to such a cold waterfall?

In the meantime, Misha started to look around until he finally saw me, glaring from a distance at the waterfall whilst looking scared. Enthusiastically, he held up his hand and waved at me. Then, he also beckoned me to come over and join him... Only, I didn't want to come over, because I was still afraid to undergo such a murderous attempt at being killed for a second time! One of our girls, Biny, saw me too, and together they left their waterfall shower and trotted towards me.

When they reached me, Misha first looked at my still frightened face with a lot of concern, and then he asked me:

"What is your problem, little man? Why don't you join us anymore, to share our fun under our waterfall shower?"

Nearly crying at unexpectedly hearing my older friend's concerned sounding voice, I stuttered:

"I... I couldn't breathe anymore, bec... because that cold waterfall too... took all my breath away as if it tried to KILL me!"

For a few seconds, both Misha and Biny stared at each other as if feeling surprised, but then they both started to bellow with laughter!

Why was that? Why were my 'former friends' making fun of me like this, while I could have been DEAD and buried, for crying out loud? Or, could I unwittingly have done something stupid, without knowing what I was doing, because I was only four years old and never before had stepped under such an icy cold water shower that tried to kill me? Again, I nearly started to cry, this time from my involuntarily welling emotions of shame and embarrassment...

Fortunately, Biny stepped a bit closer and tenderly put a consoling arm around my still trembling shoulders, while she explained:

"Please, little Prince, don't cry! I think you only forgot to jump up and down under the too cold water stream, until your body gets used to the cold and your breath returns. Now, come on, dry your tears, and let's go back to our waterfall. You only have to jump up and down for a few seconds, until you are able to breathe again..."

For another second, I hesitated. Could Biny be right, and could I really trust my still concerned looking 'former friends' who turned out to be still my friends, instead of my 'eternal foes' who had tried to kill me under this waterfall? Again, I looked at all our other minors who were still playing and clearly having lots of fun under and around the wildly plashing water streams. Obviously, the 'too dangerous' waterfall hadn't killed anybody else, so why should it kill me? Still rather hesitatingly; I finally decided to trust my two older friends again. Besides, all the other kids HAD been jumping up and down for a few seconds, immediately after they stepped under the icy cold water shower! Therefore, Biny could be right.

Walking hand in hand, all three of us returned to the 'too dangerous' waterfall and stepped under its splashing cold water curtain. Still guided and reassured by both Biny and Misha, I just started to jump up and down. Fortunately, my two older friends turned out to be absolutely right. Within a few seconds, my entire skin started to tingle, my tiny body stopped shivering and cramping, and I could breathe again!

While Misha smiled at seeing my relieved face, Biny told me:

"See? You only have to jump up and down for a few seconds, until your body stops shivering and your breath returns."

Now that I could breathe again, the splashing of the initially too cold water on my unclad body felt really nice! Feeling happy again, I joined my still frolicking minor friends and started to help them cheer and dance under the plashing water curtain. Fortunately, nobody else had seen me panic and flee away from the 'too dangerous' waterfall... A few smiling minors playfully splashed even more water at their so happy looking little Prince, and I started to splash them back in return. Immediately, all of us were in a ferocious water fight, trying to drown each other in even more huge splashes of water!

Today, I found out that I still had to learn some more first, before I could start calling myself a REAL natural trapper! Clearly, just being a 'natural trapper' was not enough, in spite of having my own built-in 'little trapper friend' in my inside who now and then helped me with any too difficult or too dangerous things.

For quite some time, all my minor friends and I continued playing under our splashing waterfall, jumping up and down, cheering loudly, and having lots of fun. Then, a few oldest minors gathered us around them, and told us we had still enough time left to go swimming in our mountain lake... Enthusiastically, all of us started to follow our oldest minors along the foaming and whirling water stream that slowly turned into a more and more broadening river that was full of small rapids.

Within a few minutes of following our still steadily broadening river, we suddenly reached a beautiful mountain lake that was surrounded by several overgrown ridges that were adorned with lots of abundantly flowering colorful shrubs and bushes full of abundant life! At seeing our mountain lake, all my minor friends started to cheer loudly, while they stormed towards its overgrown borders and happily 'cannonballed' their bodies into the inviting water. Immediately, all of them started to swim around or chase after each other, now and then playfully trying to dunk each other's heads under the water surface.

That is, everybody else started to swim around in this enormous lake, except for me! Would it really be safe for me to just plunge into such an enormous bathtub, without knowing what I had to do to resurface? Up to now, nobody had ever taught me how to swim. Therefore, what would happen if I sank too deep into this bottomless water basin, so that I couldn't return anymore to its surface? Would my built-in little trapper friend be able to teach me how to swim and resurface? Only, what would happen if my built-in little trapper friend could NOT help me resurfacing in time? Would any of my minor friends be able to rescue me, before I sank too deep into this lake and drowned? Only, how would any of my happily playing friends ever know that I could be drowning, if I unexpectedly disappeared from their vision and they suddenly didn't see me anymore?

Still thinking and pondering, I stepped towards the border of the lake, and stared into its seemingly bottomless depth in severe doubt. Would any of my older minor friends be able to teach me swimming and resurfacing, or would I have to find everything out all by myself? Where was my older minor friend Misha, now that I needed him? For a few seconds, I looked around at my happily swimming older friends, but all those dripping wet faces were looking way too much alike to be able to distinguish them from each other. Involuntarily feeling abandoned and also a little bit forlorn, I slumped down on one of the overgrown mossy banks along the mountain lake, put my feet into its crystal clear water, and aimlessly started to splash some.

Whilst splashing some, I also restarted to think. Would my built-in 'little trapper friend' know how to swim, and would he be willing to teach me? Would he also be able to help me resurface in time, IF I would take the chance and just plunged into this deep bathtub below my feet? What terrible things could happen to me in this seemingly infinitely deep lake, if my built-in 'little trapper helper' did NOT know how to swim or how to rescue me? What if I decided to trust him and just took the chance? Would slowly sinking down and drowning in this way too deep looking water basin be very painful?