“You don’t belong here,” Mary said in a voice that wasn’t her own. “Leave now, Anatoly, before it’s too late. Just turn around and walk away.”
“Mary, what are you doing?” Ike asked.
“Two!”
“Mary, just give him the globe!” Helen pleaded as she watched from the limbs above. “It’s not worth it!”
Mary glanced to the right and then to the left. The music of the rainforest danced around her. Her previously drained strength had completely recharged. She wasn’t just in the rainforest anymore. Like all those times she’d imagined in the museum, she was in her rainforest.
“Final chance!” Anatoly said.
Mary turned and ran. The rainforest floor flew by beneath her feet. She imagined she was a jaguar, and then a dolphin. This was her home, and she could do whatever she wanted here.
“Stop!” Anatoly cried.
The sound of a gunfire boomed all around. Mary was long gone before a bullet could find her.
“Come back!” Anatoly said.
Mary ignored him and kept running. She didn’t know where she was going. She simply followed the path her feet found. She was free!
“Ha ha!” she said, leaping over a fallen log and skidding to a halt behind a large tree. Was she far enough away? She tucked the globe under a large leaf and listened.
“Mary! Help me!”
It was Ike!
“This time I’m counting to three for him. After that I’ll shoot the native boy, and then the girl. I’ll take one out every few seconds until you come back, do you hear me?” Anatoly said.
In an instant, the magic was gone, and Mary’s fear returned with a vengeance.
Oh no! she thought.
Mary had been so caught up in the moment that she’d forgotten about the others. Frantically, she snatched up the globe and tried to make it back before it was too late. What had she been thinking?
“One!” Anatoly cried again.
Faster she ran, but with the magic gone, she stumbled over branches and bushes.
“Two!”
No! She had to get back.
“Mary, please!” Ike said.
“I’m trying!” she answered, but her voice was weak and hardly made a sound.
“Three!” Anatoly cried.
BOOM!
Mary stopped short, the sound of the gunshot hitting her like a percussion wave.
Ike.
Snapping out of her momentary trance, Mary dashed forward again, fearing the worst. As she came to the tree, she saw Anatoly, his arm still outstretched toward Ike, as if aiming his gun. Only, there was no gun in his empty hand.
Ike was alive. He stood there, eyes tightly shut and cowering. Confused, Mary tried to make sense of the scene. Only then did she see the pieces of a shattered handgun scattered on the rainforest floor.
Anatoly looked to Colin, and Mary followed his gaze. The poacher stood, his rifle against his shoulder. He aimed directly at Anatoly.
“The next target will be you if you don’t turn around and go!” the poacher said.
What was happening?
“You fool!” Anatoly said. “What are you doing? I didn’t pay you for this!”
“In that case, let me refund your money,” Colin said.
He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, and flung it toward Anatoly, the bills scattering on the ground.
“I see,” Anatoly said. “The poacher becomes noble all of the sudden.”
“Better late than never,” Colin returned. “But I’m only gonna tell you one more time. Turn and go, or else I’ll make you the last animal I ever shoot!”
Anatoly seethed, his eyes like daggers pointed in Colin’s direction. Suddenly, the anger turned to pure fear.
“Mary,” Helen whispered from the tree. “Turn around, very slowly.”
Mary obeyed. She saw it in an instant, emerging through the brush behind Colin. There was no mistaking that black and yellow spotted pattern. And there wasn’t only one either. Mary counted four different jaguars, each coming toward them through the trees.
“Don’t move!” Helen said.
Mary felt no fear. The magic began to fill her once again, and the steadily approaching jaguars seemed like the most natural thing in the world.
The jaguars were followed by troops of monkeys, who came swinging through the trees. The sound of flapping wings and squawking filled the air. Mary even watched as the emerald boa emerged from the tree, dangling from a lower limb near Helen, and staring at Anatoly.
“I told you to leave this place,” Mary said, again feeling the unknown voice coming through her. “You don’t belong here.”
Nobody looked more shocked than Anatoly. Mary smiled, taking in the view of the surrounding army of rainforest wildlife.
“If you think this is over, you’re wrong!” Anatoly sputtered. “Wherever you go, I’ll find you!”
He turned and looked directly at Mary.
“That globe will be mine!”
“Not today,” Mary said. “And not ever!”
Anatoly looked back and forth between her and the animals. He was shaking. He quickly turned and jogged away into the rainforest, continually looking over his shoulder.
Nobody said a word, or moved a muscle. Colin moved his rifle to point it at one of the jaguars as it approached Mary. She stepped between him and the big cat, gently pushing the gun’s barrel downward.
“They won’t hurt us,” she said, looking back at the big cat.
She stared at Mary for a moment, as if waiting for an order.
“Let him go,” Mary said. “He’s done terrible things, but we’re not killers.”
The jaguar nodded, then turned, bounding away through the trees. He was followed by the others, and soon all of the animals scattered, returning in the direction from which they’d come. Slowly, Mary felt the magic fade.
“Great day in the morning!” Colin said. “What in the name of my ex-mother-in-law just happened?”
“You saved me!” Ike said, approaching Colin. “Why?”
“I don’t really know,” he said. “I suppose nobody likes to see a child threatened. But there was something else too. It’s hard to explain. I felt something, you see. I’ve been feeling it ever since that dolphin saved me. And now all this!”
He shook his head, still utterly bewildered.
“It’s the magic of Amazon,” Mary said. “It’s real.”
“You can say that again!” Ike said.
Pepe and Helen quickly climbed down the vines. Colin turned to Pepe, and immediately offered him his rifle.
“Sir, if you don’t mind, I’d like to turn myself in,” Colin declared. “I’ve been poaching in these woods, and I’ll pay whatever consequence is required.”
Pepe took the gun. He was as surprised by this turn of events as they all were.
What about the money?” Ike asked.
“I think there’s a boat that needs a motor replaced,” Colin said. “I’ll have to pay for that one, and a heap more on top of that.”
“I can take you and the boats back to Puerto Nariño,” Pepe suggested. “But I will tell them also of the good deed you have done.”
“It wasn’t me, mate,” said Colin. “It’s this place! It’s like I’m seeing it for the first time!”
All Mary could do was nod in amazement.
Going Home
Mary felt the power of the globe in her hands. She could go anywhere in the world. As before, the globe subtly called to her, begging her to use it. In any other circumstance, she’d be itching to go somewhere exotic and new. But for right now, she’d had enough exotic and new to last her for a while. There was only one destination she really wanted.
It was time to go home.
“Do you think he’ll be back?” Helen asked.
Mary snapped out of her globe-induced trance. It took her a moment to realize that she was talking about Anatoly.
“
Probably. I doubt we’ve seen the last of him,” Mary said. “But Grandpa will know what to do. At least we can be ready for him.”
“That is, if he ever finds his way out of the rainforest,” Ike added.
Everybody laughed. Mary imagined Anatoly sleeping in the dark, eating grubs, and drinking rain to survive. She hoped his experience was as “educational” as theirs had been.
“Shouldn’t we head back?” Helen asked.
Mary nodded. It was time. Yet, another part of her felt like she was leaving home, rather than returning to it. Despite all that she’d gone through, the Amazon was a permanent part of her.
Mary turned to Pepe. She didn’t even know where to start.
“Pepe, I—” Mary began.
“It is time for us to say goodbye, Mary, protector of the Amazon,” said Pepe with understanding.
“Yes,” admitted Mary, trying not to cry. “And I’m really, really going to miss you.”
“And I will miss you,” Pepe said. “The entire Amazon will.”
“Please tell everybody ‘thank you’ for us,” Helen said. “You all helped to save our lives.”
“I will tell them of course,” Pepe promised. “But I believe we must also say thank you to you. I now know that Meetuku was right. The magic of the Amazon brought you here for a purpose.”
“But for what?” Ike asked. “What did we even change?”
Pepe glanced toward Colin, who was staring at a line of leaf-cutter ants. He looked like he was seeing the wonder of the place for the first time in his life.
“For one, you helped turn an enemy of the rainforest into a friend. During these last days, I have seen you do things that before I would not have believed. And who knows what else this experience has prepared you for? The magic will continue to work in you, and I believe you will do many great things.”
Mary couldn’t hold it back anymore. Tears sprung from her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.
“Do not feel sad, Mary,” Pepe said. “I feel honored to have helped one who clearly loves my home as if it was her own.”
“I promise to come back someday,” she said, throwing her arms around him.
“Me too!” said Ike and Helen in unison, as they joined in the group embrace.
“I hope so,” Pepe said. “I do not doubt we will see each other again.”
Mary turned to Colin.
“Thank you for saving my brother,” she said. “I never would have believed it. I thought all you cared about was money.”
“I did,” he admitted. “But I’m starting to see that there’s things more beautiful than money.”
He looked around at the rainforest.
“Would you just look at this place!” he said. “I never realized how beautiful it is. I swear, I’ll never do anything to harm this place again.”
“You see,” Pepe said, “only the magic of the rainforest could change you like that.”
“You may be right, mate. You may be right indeed,” said Colin.
Suddenly he remembered something.
“Oops, wouldn’t want to forget,” he said, pulling Grandpa’s machete from his belt and handing it to Ike. “I believe this is yours, mate.”
Everybody finished their goodbyes. Pepe took each of them by the hand, and wished them well in Ticuna.
“Wait a minute, why are we saying goodbye now? Aren’t you going back to the village with us?” Colin asked.
“No. We’ll leave from here. We can use the magic,” Mary said, a subtle smile on her face.
Colin clearly had no idea what to think.
“Are you … fair dinkum?” he asked.
“Come,” Pepe said, laying a hand on his shoulder. “As we travel back to Puerto Nariño, I will tell you all about the magic of the Amazon.”
“Alright, mate,” Colin said. “Goodbye, then, I suppose.”
Colin continued to look back at the children every few seconds as he was led away, urged along by Pepe until they were out of sight.
“Just the three of us again,” Ike said. “Right back where we started.”
“Well, almost,” Mary said. “Are you ready to go home?”
“Do you have to ask?” Helen said. “I’ve been ready for this since we got here!”
“Me too!” Ike said.
“You mean you’re not glad you were able to visit the rainforest?” Mary asked.
“Mary, quit stalling!” Ike said. “Just get on with it!”
“Alright,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll ask you again in a week to see if your opinions have changed.”
With a push of her thumb, Mary spun the glass. It illuminated at once. The surface of the earth appeared in brilliant light.
“Wow!” Ike said, despite having seen this before.
“Since this didn’t work out so well last time,” Mary said, “do you think we’ll be okay?’
“Just touch it!” Helen said. “I don’t care if we fall into another tree, as long as it’s near my house.”
Mary pressed her finger as near as she could to South Carolina, and immediately the globe expanded.
“Let’s go home,” she said.
Reunited
Mary watched in amazement as they made the descent from high above the earth. Helen and Ike held on to her tightly. Using the globe was so exhilarating!
She made the necessary adjustments with her finger, and gradually guided them closer to Charleston. Soon, the city was visible, followed by individual streets. The neighborhood grew larger and larger, all the way until they reached the ground. Mary had adjusted so well that they came down directly into her own backyard. Instead of falling as she had into the tree, she landed softly on her feet just behind the Tucker home.
“Much better landing this time,” Helen said.
“Thanks,” Mary said, rolling her eyes.
“Wow,” Ike said. “We’re actually home!”
Magnolia trees lined the perimeter of the yard, evenly spaced and symmetrically trimmed. It was so different than the random, natural features of the rainforest. The air almost felt dry. Despite being in the humid South, it was nothing compared the sweltering Amazon.
Am I really home? she wondered.
Mary felt like she was in a dream. Nothing was quite real. It felt like years had passed. Perhaps her experience had changed her more than she realized.
Wasting no time, Mary entered her home through the back door. Her breath caught as she saw was her mother, stretched out and sleeping awkwardly on the couch. Mom had the telephone clutched in her hand, and looked like she hadn’t slept well in days. Mary felt a pang of guilt for all the anxiety that she’d inadvertently caused her parents.
“We’re home,” she said.
Mom’s eyes immediately opened, and she leapt up with a scream of joy.
“Is it really you? I can’t believe it! I really can’t believe it!” Mom cried out, tears rolling uncontrollably down her face.
She clung to Mary and Ike, as if afraid this was a dream. Mary hugged her back as her own happy tears gushed out.
Dad ran into the room, alarmed by the screaming.
“Mary? Ike? Helen? How did you—?” he said.
The shock momentarily froze him in place. When he finally broke away, he dashed toward his children and scooped them up in his arms.
“I thought I might never see you again,” he said.
After he let go, Mary held up the globe.
“Did Grandpa tell you about this?” she asked.
“He did,” Dad admitted, looking at the globe with disbelief. “But it all seemed so impossible. I thought my old man had just lost his marbles. If not for your email, I wouldn’t have even listened to him.”
“Nope, he just lost one marble, and a big one too,” Ike joked.
“Lewis, I think we should call him right away,” Mom said. “We owe him a big apology.”
“You’re right,” Dad said. “I’ll do that now.”
/> “Dr. Tucker, would it be okay if I used your phone first?” asked Helen.
“Oh Helen, I’m so sorry!” Mom said. “In all of my excitement, I almost forgot about you! Get over here!”
Mom grabbed Helen before she could protest and dished out another monstrous squeeze, causing Helen’s eyes to bulge out.
“Why don’t I call Bob right away and tell him you’re here,” Dad offered.
Mom was still crying, unable to believe that her children were safe and sound.
“Where were you?” she asked. “We thought something terrible happened.”
“Didn’t Grandpa tell you?” Mary asked. “We got stuck in the Amazon.”
“He told us,” Mom replied. “But honestly, I couldn’t believe it. The Amazon? How’d you kids ever manage?”
“Well, it was certainly an adventure,” Mary said. “We tried to call you, but the connection wouldn’t go through. I would have written more in the email too, but it was kind of a complicated situation. We were afraid of who might find out.”
“It doesn’t matter, you’re here now,” Mom assured her, still showing no sign of running out of tears. “That’s all I care about right now.”
As they waited for Helen’s parents to arrive, Mary told Mom and Dad a little about the Amazon. Both stared with captivated eyes, surprised by every detail. Mary left out the life-threatening parts. She didn’t want to immediately turn them against her traveling for life.
Before long an eager knock sounded at the door. Expecting Helen’s parents, Mary was surprised when Grandpa entered hurriedly.
“I came as fast as I could,” he said. “Are they here?”
“Yes,” Dad answered. “But there’s something I want to say first. I’m sorry—for everything. You were right all along about the Amazon, and I didn’t believe you.”
Dad’s voice cracked as he spoke. Mary had never seen him act quite like this before.
“It’s alright,” Grandpa said. “Besides, I haven’t given you many reasons to believe me over the years. Keeping secrets is no way to earn trust, and I know I haven’t always been the model father. I’m sorry too, son.”
“You don’t have to apologize. You’ve been just fine. I’m the one who’s been causing this wall between us. I’ve been angry with you for too long, and it took losing my kids realize it.” Dad said.
The Magnificent Glass Globe Page 16