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By Root 599 0

and, from where they now stood, nothing could be seen but seemingly endless forest. Deep shadows marked the valleys between the peaks and everywhere else it was as if the mountains were covered by a dense coat of dark-green fur. There was little to be seen except the centuries-old primeval forest, the sharp tips of the treetops pushing ever upwards, jostling each other in their efforts to reach the sky. Upwards, always upwards. The steep slopes might have been etched with blue-green arrowheads so regular, so uniform that they were as unreal as a geometrical drawing or an embroidery pattern. In contrast, just below them, a green meadow could be seen beyond the sheep-pens until it too was bounded by the dark of the forests.

This meadow was a bright angry green on which the sun shone so brightly that silvery reflections danced over the virgin blades of grass, for here the shepherds had cleared the meadow, burning away any small trees, juniper bushes or shrubs leaving only the precious grazing for their animals. The meadow was like a carpet without a fault.

High above, where Balint and Adrienne had stopped, the ground was littered with stones and between them were dwarf pines, silky tassels of broom, and grey and lilac thistles in profusion.

It was hot, and as they went slowly onwards by the edge of a steep cliff Balint, carrying Adrienne’s bag, went ahead to lead the way. Here the going was not easy for the path was often barely more than a foot wide and creased with the deep furrows made by the winter storms. Sometimes they displaced stones which rolled swiftly down the rocky slopes below, and sometimes they had to pick their way through steep twisted steps of granite. It took some time to reach the forest and, when they did so, entering the trees from the blinding light of the open mountain top, it was like stepping suddenly into night. After the shimmering heat of the Ursoia’s stony summit, the cool heart of the forest was a welcome relief.

Covered in perspiration they sank down on a bed of moss.

‘Oh, how hot I feel!’ said Adrienne. ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could bathe!’

‘There’s a rubber tub in my tent; but I’ve not much water.’

‘That doesn’t matter as long as it’s icy cold.’

After a few moments Balint, hesitatingly and slowly, as though for some reason he felt impelled to hide the desire he felt rising within him, said, ‘If … if you don’t mind the cold … and it really would be icy … there’s something else we could do. There’s a mountain pool not far from here, just fifteen or twenty minutes’ walk, where one of our fast mountain streams is partially blocked. It has a sandy bottom.’

Adrienne opened her golden eyes wide.

‘Here? In the forest … in daylight…?’

‘There’ll be no one about.’

‘No one?’

‘No one! Just us … alone in the forest.’

They gazed deeply into each others’ eyes. Adrienne’s full lips slowly curved back and she lifted her chin and spread out her fingers as if she were counting with them. Then, very softly, she uttered just one word – ‘Good’ – very slowly; and her warm deep voice prolonged the word with sensuous languor.

The path they took was a mere deer track through the trees. Underfoot was deep moss as resilient as a sponge and their legs were brushed by the cranberry leaves that grew everywhere around them. They descended a steep slope beneath trees like giants, and here and there a ray of sunshine penetrated the thick foliage overhead, irradiating a tree trunk until it glowed like the embers of a fire, or struck vivid green or red reflections from the leaves of burdock and the shy flowers of the forest. Otherwise all around them was in deep black shadow.

The air grew markedly moist, for though they could not yet glimpse the stream they were now very close and the sound of rushing water grew ever louder.

And then there it was before them.

They emerged out of the thick trees onto the bank of a sizeable basin of water, almost circular, with steep banks dipping down to it that were so regular that they might have been carved by the hand of man himself. Here the cranberries tumbled in