Today I woke up a little later than usual and got dressed. I unconsciously looked for Silvana, but she didn't show up. I didn't know if it was because of my comment yesterday (maybe she was offended) or if there was another reason. So I decided to eat breakfast, relying on my supplies (canned food and crackers), boiled water (although I neglected my fire a bit yesterday and had to rekindle it today after gathering fuel), and made some tea.

When Silvana didn't show up, I decided to take matters into my own hands and apologize if I had offended her in any way. I packed my things and headed to Silvana's house.

When I arrived, I found a note with my name on it, instructions on where to find Silvana, and a handwritten map. The note ended with an underlined warning not to make too much noise while walking. So I grabbed the map and set off. After passing the farm, I found a narrow path leading deeper into the forest. I tried to stay quiet, avoiding sticks and anything that might make any noise.

After about an hour, when I was starting to worry a little that I had lost my way, I saw Silvana walking towards me. We caught up with each other – I didn't feel any change in our relationship, which calmed me down a bit, and we continued walk down the path.

Silvana told me she'd considered my comment yesterday and added that perhaps she had indeed shown some naivety, but that it didn't matter now, because if I were to harm her, there had already been opportunities. She said she knew interpersonal relationships mostly from books. When Willem had visitors, they were old acquaintances of his, certainly people he trusted. It wasn't often, and she didn't seem to participate very actively in these gatherings.

Now she decided to show me her project. Of course, I insisted on an explanation, but she decided to surprise me. Along the way, we chatted about less important matters, and our walk probably took about 20 minutes in total. Silvana explained that she'd heard me coming. At one point, Silvana stopped me and explained how I should behave – to stay behind, remain calm, no matter what, and, unless she told me otherwise, to stand still. At one point, we emerged into a jungle glade. It was clearly a place under human control – naturally, the jungle would quickly take over this area. On the other side, I saw movement. It was a group of monkeys or chimpanzees. They looked as if they were heading our way, but they quickly stopped – probably realizing a stranger had appeared. Silvana waved to them and showed some gestures, and the monkeys, now less apprehensive, approached us. Silvana told me to trust them, not to be afraid, and not to move for now. The monkeys approached and examined me – sometimes nudging and pulling a little, but they clearly trusted me at some point, because they went back to their work. We followed them and found ourselves in a sort of monkey camp. There was also a bench there, where Silvana sat down and invited me to join her. I sat down next to her on the ground, as it was clearly a single-person spot. I noticed a picnic basket, a notebook, a pen, and binoculars – these were what Silvana used to make observations and take notes. As it turns out, this is a research project she's been conducting since her mother was alive. We spent the entire day making observations, which Silvana explained to me – a kind of social psychology of monkeys. I must admit, I was quite impressed – I'd always treated animals as mindless machines that merely satisfied their physiological needs as they arose...

As it turns out, this isn't a completely independent project; their library contains a number of books on psychology, and she's been corresponding with scientists all over the world for a long time, just like her parents. However, she hasn't been able to contact anyone for some time now. I'm the only recent source for some time. In the past, her contact had been based on an intermediary living in a nearby village - she or Willem would leave correspondence at a prearranged location, and their intermediary would collect it and leave: incoming correspondence, ordered books, and newspapers at the same location. For some time now, however, the letters haven't been collected. Sivana doesn't know what happened.

I inquired about the correspondence itself - it turns out they all, as I had previously established, had exchanged correspondence and kept it. I asked if I could see the correspondence, and she replied that she saw no reason why I shouldn't see it. It was already late afternoon, so we started to head back. When we saw a "delegation" of monkeys walking towards us, some carrying flowers, some fruit. It turned out to be their good-bye ritual - Silvana took the gifts and exchanged them for gifts from herself: simple toys and tools. She later told me that this was also part of the experiment; she regularly checked how the tools were received, whether the monkeys understood their meaning and appreciated their value. I see a certain scientific method in this, but I can't say that Silvana doesn't emotionally detach herself from it all.

On the way back, Silvana told me a little more about her observations, about the letters, and what her parents were doing. When we reached her house, she invited me for evening tea. She also showed me her archive of correspondence – a vast amount of letters, organized by names inscribed on the volumes. The letters were written in many different languages. Some names I knew, some, of course, I didn't, and the ones I did see proved particularly captivating. Silvana waited patiently, reading one of the books I'd given her. At some point, I realized I'd overstayed my welcome, as it was getting decidedly dark outside – it was already after 11 p.m.

So we said goodbye (this time Silvana didn't see me off, stating she was tired and wanted to go to bed early), but she gave me a lantern for the journey, as it was a starless night, and invited me to breakfast the next morning.

On the way back, I pondered these letters. I also had the idea to find out what had happened to Silvana's intermediary, and I remembered I needed to do my own plant and animal observations.