by James Holler
After catching four fish, John quickly gutted them and rinsed the body cavities out at the edge of the pool. Seeing him returning with his catch, Hailey got the two cooking sticks ready to be used again. Handing a fish to Hailey, John watched as she skillfully ran the stick through its mouth, and out the body, near the tail. He handed the second fish to her. They worked well together.
Katie watched from her place beside the fire, and realized that she was the odd person out right now. She wondered how she would fit into this weird three-way relationship, which had been forced upon them. How could I feel so good today, after feeling so bad for so long? Why were John and Hailey acting so strangely today when they got back in camp, Katie wondered. She knew something wasn't right, but as much as she tried, she couldn't make sense of it.
John held a stick with two fish on it, as Hailey positioned the first stick over the fire, then getting down on one knee, he knelt beside her and positioned the second stick in place. As he was getting it in place, Hailey got up using John's shoulder as an aid. As she rose, she brushed her hand along the back of his neck. It wasn't something that many people would have noticed, but Katie did. It wasn't exactly jealousy that Katie felt, but more like envy.
"I just want you both to know that I plan to be a better helper around here," said Katie. "Don't worry about it. You've been through something that most people can't imagine in their worst nightmares," said John. "We're just glad you're OK," said Hailey, as she reached for Katie, and gave her a big hug. As they hugged each other, Hailey couldn't help but notice how fresh and clean Katie smelled, and how her clothes even looked and smelled clean.
After a prolonged hug that was comforting for both Katie and Hailey, they all settled into their spots around the fire. Each of them had a large chunk of wood they could sit on, but much of the time, they chose to sit on the ground. After watching the fish cook for several minutes, Katie stood up, then walked over and picked up the cooking pot and went to the pool and dipped some water to boil.
"I think we should tell her," said Hailey, in a whisper. "Go ahead if you want to, but I'm not sure she will believe you," said John. "Ok, let's sleep on it, and talk about it again tomorrow," said Hailey. Katie positioned her pot full of water over the fire. It was a scene that Hailey and John had never seen before. Although it seemed odd at first, the unexpected help was a welcome relief. After getting the pot situated, Katie settled into a spot on the ground, near the fire. For several minutes the three sat in silence.
"Hey Katie, feel up to a little expedition tomorrow?" asked John. "Sure," she said. "What kind of expedition?" "I thought maybe we could go explore the stream that Hailey and I found," said John. "What do you think?" he asked, looking at Hailey. "Sounds good to me. If we are going to do that though, we better get up early, so we can beat some of the heat," said Hailey. "I can't wait to see it," said Katie.
Most evenings, they went to bed pretty early. On this evening though, they stayed up and talked for a few hours after the sun went down. Having Katie to talk to was almost like having a new person around. John and Hailey were used to doing things together while Katie stayed in the hut. They now found themselves having the same conversations with Katie that they already had with each other. The new Katie was definitely a vast improvement over the old Katie. Having a third person capable of helping with chores would make life much easier.
John's mind wandered, as he watched Hailey and Katie talk. He thought about how close he and Hailey had become, and wondered how Katie's sudden recovery would affect that closeness. He also thought about the math involved: one man, and two women. If he and Hailey got together and left Katie out, that wouldn't be fair to her.
She might not even find me attractive though, John thought. I'm not going to even worry about it. Whatever happens, happens. Just as John started to get lost in his thoughts of Hailey, Katie, and their future life together, there it was....anger. He didn't feel it every day, but it was always lurking in the shadows of his mind. He could never be totally happy here, no matter how well his life with Hailey and Katie went. Even though there were no bars, John still felt like he was in prison, just as surely as if he were.
Wanting to break his thought pattern, John stood up. "Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm going to hit the sack," said John, as he stretched. "Yep, we better hit it too," said Hailey, also standing to her feet. Not saying anything, Katie also stood up. As John threw more wood on the fire, Katie and Hailey went inside the hut, with John soon joining them. After more social interaction than they had since being here, the three of them were ready for sleep. As it got quiet, they were all thinking similar thoughts about how life here was going to work with an odd number of people. Even though they had lots of things to think about now, their full day made sleep impossible to resist.
Chapter 6
John's eyes popped open and he could tell by how light it was, that it was much later than he normally slept. Why didn't somebody wake me up, he wondered. I must have slept well. I feel great, John thought. He looked over to see if Hailey and Katie were there and what he saw frightened him. They were there, but it was obvious that something radical had happened after they went to sleep. Their heads were completely bald.
He looked at them for a couple of seconds, and then lifted his hand up to his own head and found that he had no hair either. He felt his face, his arms, and even lifted his boxers to find there was no hair anywhere! His body was completely hair-free.
John wanted to scream or hit someone, but he had to hold it in because he didn't want to wake the girls. He quietly got up and knelt close to Hailey, looking at her face. She had no eyebrows and no eye lashes. "You bastards," John whispered. They are going to freak out, he thought, as he looked down at Hailey and Katie. As if on cue, Hailey opened her eyes and let out a gasp. "What the hell! Oh, it's you," said Hailey, at first not recognizing John. "How did you do that?" she asked.
"I didn't," said John, pointing at Katie. Hailey looked over, and her mouth dropped open. She quickly covered it with her hand. Reaching up to her own head, she confirmed what she already suspected and felt angry and confused. "No eyebrows either," said John, sticking his face close to hers. Amazingly Katie slept through their conversation. John and Hailey looked at her, realizing it at the same time.
"Is she OK?" asked Hailey. Without waiting for an answer, Hailey shook Katie's arm. Katie opened her eyes, and they widened with fear. She rolled away from Hailey and John. Katie was obviously shaken. "Feel the top of your head," said John. Katie slowly reached up. "How did this happen?" asked Katie, after rubbing her now smooth scalp. "We don't know yet," Hailey responded. As if she expected to find hair this time, Katie felt her head again.
"Well, except for getting the crap scared out of me, I feel pretty good," said Katie. "Me too," said Hailey. "That is the first thing I noticed when I woke up," said John. "I haven't felt this good since I've been here." Hailey looked at John, and began to laugh. "What in the hell is so funny?" asked John. "Your head," said Hailey. "Do you realize how white your head is?" John wasn't sure whether to laugh, or be offended. "That will change soon enough," he said.
"Are we still going on our little expedition," Katie wondered. "Well, it is a little late for an early start, like we planned," said John. "Maybe we should get stocked up on wood and water, and try again tomorrow," Hailey said. "That is probably a good idea. Our wood supply is running a little low," said John.
"Oh, man, I really wanted to go see that stream you guys found," said Katie. "I guess I can wait one more day." They immediately got started on their daily chores, with John working on getting the fire going again, and Katie getting water to boil. Hailey walked out of sight, looking for wood. Even though the day had a dramatic beginning it quickly became routine. For several hours, Hailey and John gathered wood. While they did that, Katie boiled water until the container was full again.
After resting for a while, John stood up, and walked to the hut. "I'm going to catch some fish," he said. "Good, I'm getting
a little hungry," said Katie. "Me too," said Hailey. "We probably have time to gather some fruit," she added, looking at Katie. "I'll show you where the trees are."
Hailey quickly walked to the hut, and came back with John's shirt. "You ready?" asked Hailey. "Yes," said Katie, standing to her feet. As the women walked out of sight, John looked for bait, and once he had enough, he walked with his pole to the pool. He couldn't resist taking a look at himself as he squatted at the edge of the water. It had been a long time since he had seen his face with no hair. I see why she laughed now, he thought. Why the hair? What else did they do to us, he wondered.
As John fished, he felt his face several times. It felt good to be clean-shaven. It had been months since he had been able to feel the skin on his face, and he was beginning to like the feel of no hair on his head. They hadn't taken the time to talk about what might have went on while they were all out, but it was all John could think about right now. He couldn't help but notice the dramatic difference in Katie's mood.
Did they give her something? Did they do things to us all? If they did, what? This wasn't about a haircut. Why couldn't they at least leave us eyebrows and eyelashes, he wondered. None of it made any sense to him. In fact, very little had made sense to him, since he had been here.
It's bad enough just being here, but having someone randomly screw with my life is really starting to piss me off, he thought. His thoughts were interrupted by a fish taking his bait. As was the case on most days, the first fish was soon followed by several more.
Ending up with six fish, John wasted little time gutting them and cutting three long green limbs to cook them on. By the time Hailey and Katie walked into camp, the fish were about half cooked. Looking at the bulging shirt, John could tell that they had gotten plenty of fruit. "We got a bunch," said Katie, as she placed the shirt full of fruit on the ground. "I see that," said John. "We found a new tree too," said Hailey, sounding a little proud of herself. "Good deal," said John. "I'm starving," Katie said as she looked at the fish cooking over the fire.
"Before you two get settled in, I've got something I want you to look at," said John, taking a couple of steps toward the hut, then motioning for the two to follow him. Once inside, John asked if they saw anything unusual. Not sure what he was getting at, they both looked around.
"Nope," said Hailey. "I don't see anything," said Katie. "Look at the leaves in your bed," said John. The women both looked but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "I changed those leaves yesterday, or what we thought was yesterday. It takes about a week for leaves to look like that. Which means, Hailey, that we were gone more than just the night," said John. "Wow," said Hailey. "Man that's crazy," said Katie. "I thought it was odd that the fire was completely dead," said John. "Then I remembered the leaves."
As they walked back toward the fire, they were each trying to make sense of what they knew, and all that they didn't know. Much in their lives was completely out of their control now. They should be talking nonstop about what happened, but for now, there was no talking at all. John checked on the fish, as he picked up one of the sticks from the fire. He sampled some of the flesh and found that it was ready to eat.
John divided the fish evenly between the three of them, then looked at the two women eating their fish, and chuckled. "Alone with two bald women in the Jungle," said John. "I never would have predicted that, a year ago." Hailey and Katie smiled, but said nothing, as they continued to eat.
After eating, Katie threw her stick in the fire. She placed both of her hands on top of her head and felt every inch of her scalp. She then reached down and ran her hand along her leg. "At least my legs are smooth again," she said. "Tell the truth John, were our legs starting to gross you out a little?" "Nope," said John, not wanting to make a bad situation worse. Even though John never said it out loud, he found both Hailey, and Katie, physically attractive. He already had strong feelings for Hailey, but didn't feel like he really knew Katie, since she had been depressed for so long. However, he did like what he saw of the new Katie's personality.
"So, John, which of us looks better with a smooth head?" Hailey asked as she rubbed her head. "Geez, why are you two putting me on the spot, all of a sudden?" he said, trying to avoid the question. "OK, since you are fishing for a compliment, I'll give both of you one. You are the two most beautiful, bald women, I've ever met."
As the two women laughed, John's thoughts went back to Colorado. His mother was a cancer survivor and he thought back to when she lost her hair, due to Chemo. The happy expression of a joker left his face. "I take it back," John said. "My mother was the most beautiful bald woman I ever knew." With an unexpected rush of emotion, he could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes.
He turned his back, and walked about twenty feet, then stopped. Standing there, he felt a single tear slowly move down his cheek, and then fall to the ground. He felt a hand touch his side. It was Hailey. She had her arm around John, and put her head on his shoulder and asked, "Cancer?" "Yep, she is a survivor," said John. "You never told me that," said Hailey. "I know," said John. "There are a lot of things I haven't told you. I'm OK, but thanks anyway," he said, as he put his arm around Hailey and squeezed. Leaning over, he kissed her on the top of her bald head.
As they walked back to the fire, Katie looked down at the ground. This was the first time that Hailey and John had openly shown affection for each other. It was an awkward moment for all of them. John felt embarrassed by his display of emotion. Trying to act as if nothing had happened, he went to get more water to boil. Their small pot only held about a quart, and they had to purify enough for the three of them.
"So Katie, what is the story on you?" asked John, as he returned. "You aren't all white are you?" "No, I'm not," said Katie. "What do you think I am?" "Part Hispanic," said John. "Nope. You might say I'm a unique blend," said Katie. "My mother is half Japanese, and my father is one fourth Cherokee Indian." "Wow, that is unique," said Hailey. "That's interesting," said John. "I have some Eastern Cherokee in my family tree, about five generations back."
"So, maybe we're cousins then," said Katie, with a chuckle. "Maybe," said John. "Any Caucasian skeletons in your closet, Hailey?" asked John, half joking. "Maybe. There is a rumor in our family that we might be related to Thomas Jefferson, but we have never tried to find out," said Hailey. "That would be pretty cool, but sad too, when you think of the history of it," said John. "Sad and pathetic," said Hailey.
John, Hailey, and Katie spent the next several hours talking about anything and everything. They had been so busy with the day to day grind of survival, that they hadn't taken the time to really get to know each other. They were trying to make up for that in one evening. More smiling and laughter occurred on this one evening, than in all the other evenings combined.
They were stuck with each other, but with each passing day they became closer friends. They came to realize they didn't just like each other, they needed each other.
"Are we still going on our adventure tomorrow?" asked Katie, several hours after dark. "I guess we better get some rest," said Hailey. "Yep, I'm about wore out anyway," said John. After throwing some large chunks of wood on the fire, they all made their way to the hut. Of all the social interaction they had since they had been here, this was by far the best. They had just experienced a full day unlike any other, causing sleep to come quickly that night.
At the first sign of light, Katie woke up, eased out of her bed of leaves, and did her best to sneak out of the hut. She gathered some dry grass and some small twigs. Stirring the ashes in the fire pit, she found live embers, and raked them into a pile. Adding the grass, and then the twigs, she quickly had a flame. After adding some larger sticks and limbs to the fire, she went back to the hut and grabbed the pot.
By the time Hailey and John woke up, Katie had water boiling. "Wow, it's nice to wake up and have some of the chores already done," said John. "I'll second that," said Hailey. Katie said nothing, but had a big smile on her face. Katie carefully took the pot o
f boiling water from the fire, and placed it on top of a rock to cool.
As they waited, they each took turns drinking water from the plastic water container, using their single cup. They might be gone for hours today, so it was important to be well hydrated beforehand. As they waited for more water to boil, they also casually wandered close to home and gathered more wood. Wood, water, and food were the things that kept them the busiest. "Well, are we ready to go?" asked Katie, once the chores were done. "Yep," said John, standing up, after a short rest. "I guess so," said Hailey, sounding a little less enthusiastic.
They did their best to retrace the steps that John and Hailey had taken on the day they found the stream, with John a few paces in front. As they made their way along the tree line, they came to a rut made by rain runoff. It was only about three feet across and John easily jumped over it, with Hailey and Katie right behind. John stopped suddenly. "Did you two notice anything different when you jumped?" asked John. "What do you mean?" asked Hailey.
John jumped over the rut again, and then jumped back. "I feel stronger," he said. "Try it, jump over again," he said, sounding excited. Hailey reluctantly jumped over the rut again. As she turned around, John backed up a few feet, and pretended like he was drawing a line in the dirt, with his foot. "Jump to here this time," said John. The distance to where he drew the line would make it a leap of about ten or twelve feet. "Yeah right," said Hailey. "Just get as close as you can," said John. Staring at the spot, she gathered herself, and then jumped, landing beyond where John had marked. "Wow, that was easy," said Hailey. "We are stronger." Just to find out for herself, Katie took a couple of jumps, and did much better than anyone would expect.
As they started out on their journey, John started to jog. "Come on, let's run for a while, and see how we do," he said, looking back. Reluctantly, the two women followed his lead. They maintained the same pace for a hundred yards or so, then Katie sprinted past Hailey. Not wanting to be outdone, Hailey tried to catch up. They both streaked past John, before he knew what was going on. They sprinted for several hundred yards.