but he didnt vent , and he did manage a shower , and a cold one at that , and with the freezing water he gained some distance , and with the distance he felt the rustle of leaves and as the distance grew a little further with what he could have sworn was the scent of forest he began to feel like himself again , or like a reasonable facsimile of someone just like him who also had decided to rise above the storm and stare it down .