Anika groaned. She woke from her slumber and swung off the tree branch. Landing with a soft thud on the ground, she sat down to think on a tree stump. How. Long could she go without water? "Three days, yes that's it. Well, it all depends on how long I was unconscious for." She thought vigorously. Secondly, where would she find water? She knew for a fact that it was summer, and that the bush receives very little rain.

And also, what about food? Yes, apparently she could go without food for three weeks, but if she was starving, she wouldn't be able to protect herself or do anything else.

Lastly, shelter. She couldn't live her life in a tree. "But then again, I never thought I would be stranded in the bush, either." She told a snake slithering by. So finally, with nothing else to do, she started her attempts to find water, food and shelter.

The day was heating up as it grew towards midday. Anika was sweltering in the heat, so much that every so often, she had to lie in the shade for a few minutes. Finally, the heat became so unbearable that Anika stripped down to her underclothes and tied her hair up with a long blade of grass. She covered her head with her tee shirt and jeans, to protect her from the sun.

Anika lay in the shade, unable to get up or move. The need for water was dire. All day was spent searching, but nothing was found. So now, Anika had just given up. She watched the sun go down, under the horizon for the last time. She listened to the bird's song. And she wrote in the dust, a message:

I am Anika. By the time you find me, I will be dead. Please do all that you can to find my sister, Kyra. She is only five and won't survive very long.