by B. C. Harris
“We need to get going,” I weakly suggest after we have rested for ten to fifteen minutes. “I think we need to reach the mountains beyond the jungle before night comes. I don’t think the jungle would be a safe place to spend the night.”
“I agree,” Jamie says.
“I can’t see any path for us to walk on,” Michael states, the fear evident in his voice once again.
“It looks like we’re going to have to push our way through the tall grass in order to reach the jungle,” I say, trying to sound encouraging. “Frank and Radwin can fly above us to keep us heading in the right direction. Once we’re actually in the jungle, we’ll have to depend on them to help us find the shortest path through it.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about the jungle,” Frank says in her lilting voice. “Why don’t we stay here for the night? We can start again fresh in the morning.”
Frank’s suggestion makes some sense. From the look on Jasmin’s face, she definitely supports the proposal. My major concern with what Frank is suggesting is my dread of what might come crawling out of the jungle once darkness arrives. If something attacks us, we have nowhere to run. I know we have to find a safer place before it gets dark. From what I observe in the sky, the sun will soon be behind the distant mountains.
“While it would be nice to stop here for the night as Frank is suggesting, we would have no way of escaping if something came out of the jungle to attack us.”
“Like what?” Jasmin asks, her voice trembling.
I shrug as if to say that I’m not sure.
“I agree with Emily that we should try to reach the mountains before night falls,” Michael says. “Like Frank, I’d like to stop now for the day, but the thought of being trapped here if a wild animal comes out of the jungle during the night terrifies me. Maybe the mountains on the other side of the valley will have a place for us to hide for the night.”
“Let’s get going,” I say, realizing that we can’t still be sitting here when night falls.
I begin to walk towards the tall grass on the plain in front of us. I turn to see if the others are moving.
Drew helps Jasmin to her feet. He slides his arm around her back supporting much of her weight with each step. I pray that we aren’t going to have to run.
Michael picks up the backpack which I imagine must now be much lighter as we have very little water left.
Michael and Jamie begin to follow me. Squirt jumps into Frank’s pouch just before Frank leaps into the air to join Radwin.
Within a few minutes the grass is over my waist. I shudder to think what dangers might be lurking around my feet and legs. The grass is definitely getting a little higher every few steps that we take. As it reaches my neck, I feel anxious. Once it’s over my head, I’m petrified.
For the first time on our mission, Michael stays close by my side as though he’s extremely frightened by this part of our journey. As I catch him looking at me, he says, “I’m really terrified of snakes.”
I remember his comical outburst in class when Martha showed the picture of the anaconda. That seems like a lifetime ago.
“So am I,” I say to Michael. “Together we can do this,” I add trying to convince both of us that we will be okay, but with every step I take in the deep grass I picture a snake slithering towards us.
“Follow me,” I hear Radwin say in his gruff voice, although the tall grass makes it difficult for me to see where he is.
I stop walking for a few seconds until I’m able to find Radwin above me. “Okay, I see you,” I say, my voice quivering. “Go slowly. I’ll follow you.”
As the yellow doadling continues to lead, we slowly twist through the tall grass. I focus on listening to Radwin for directions. I try not to think about a massive snake crawling around my feet, or a huge spider hiding in the grass.
“In another minute or two,” Radwin says, “we’ll be at the jungle.”
As he finishes speaking, I hear several small explosions coming from somewhere in front of me. It sounds as though some bolts of lightning are striking the ground, but there are no clouds in the sky.
“Radwin, what are those explosions that I’m hearing?”
“There are flashes of light shooting through the jungle. I’ve never seen anything like them before.”
The grass in front of me is now beginning to thin out a little. I catch the occasional glimpse of the jungle where we’re heading. Every once in awhile, I see some beams of light bursting in the jungle. Judging by the sharp explosive noise they are making, I’m sure that they can’t be safe. Although the beams are a beautiful array of purples, reds, greens, and blues, there’s something terrifying about them.
We are getting closer and closer to the jungle. The flashing beams of light are exploding throughout the jungle.
Then suddenly, they stop.
“What happened?” I say. “The lights have disappeared.”
The fact that no one responds tells me that everyone else is also concerned about the mysterious beams of light.
I pause, trying to decide what to do next. My friends are bunched behind me. From the lack of comments or questions, I realize they’re waiting for me to tell them what to do next. Even Drew looks reluctant to go any further.
“Okay, let’s do this,” I say, forcing myself to act brave.
No one moves.
“I think I hear something moving in the grass behind us,” Jamie says.
Hearing these words is enough to kick us all into action.
“Let’s go,” I say sharply as I take my first steps into the jungle. Within seconds we’re trying to crawl over exposed twisted roots or pushing through massive tangled vines. There’s no path of any sort to walk on.
I force my way through a maze of slender tree trunks that form a curtain in front of me.
Suddenly a beam of light explodes beside me causing me to shiver in terror. Soon beams of light are shooting around us.
Jamie is the first to cry out in pain. Within seconds we’re all being struck by the burning beams of light. I feel a painful sensation on my foot where a beam hit me.
I lose sight of Radwin. Frank is close to me when I see a beam of light strike her. She falls with a thud to the ground as Squirt emerges whimpering from her pouch.
My friends are groaning in pain.
“What is causing the lights?” I wonder aloud.
“In one of my comic books,” Michael says, “there was a world where people would receive a shock if they showed any fear. To survive in this world, a person had to overcome his fear. Is it possible that that’s what is happening here?”
I don’t know what to say. If Michael is correct, how can we control our fear? How can we stop our imaginations from getting the best of us? How can we possibly get through a jungle that is attacking us?
“Everyone,” I say, “let’s consider what Michael said to us. If the lights return again, let’s see if they only hit us when we are afraid.”
No sooner have I finished talking when the beams of light return. Rapid explosions are occurring all around us. I hear Jamie cry out in pain. Soon there are so many other cries that I can’t tell who is suffering the most. As several of the painful beams hit my legs, I fall to the ground.
After what seems like an eternity, the attack stops.
In spite of the burning pain in my legs, I know I have to focus on finding a way for us to survive the searing lights. My legs hurt so badly that I can barely stand. If we lose our ability to walk, we will be at the mercy of the jungle. With night quickly approaching, this isn’t a pleasant thought.
Although everyone is complaining about their injuries, it’s Jamie who has been hurt the worst. Crawling over several twisted tree trunks, I manage to reach him. The legs of his jeans look like he stepped into a fire. Through the gaping holes in his pants, I see three or four large burn marks on his legs. From the look of grief on his face, it’s obvious he’s really suffering.
“We need to find a way to protect ourselves from t
he lights,” I say loudly as I try to help Jamie back onto his feet. I’m convinced that a few more attacks from the burning beams will cripple all of us.
Jasmin is the first to reply.
“In my karate classes, we are told we need to respect our enemies. When an enemy frightens us we lose some of our power to fight. When we acknowledge the power of our enemy, we become more powerful in fighting him.”
“That’s exactly what my comic books said,” Michael adds.
“How can we do this?” I ask.
Before Jasmin replies, a beam of light hits the ground beside my foot. Then another beam explodes nearby. I see a piercing bolt of light strike Jamie’s leg causing him to fall. As the intensity of the lights increases, I notice Jasmin appearing to bow to the lights. She is sitting calmly on the ground as though she’s meditating.
Soon, I hear cries of pain all around me. I have been hit at least two or three times on each leg, but I know that Jamie has been hit more than me. I catch a look on his face that begs for help. In the midst of the agony, Jasmin is still calmly sitting as though she doesn’t have a care in the world. None of the beams are hitting her.
As suddenly as the beams attacked us, they stop. I guess we have a brief period of time before they return.
“Jasmin, you’ve got to help us before they come back again,” I cry in desperation.
We crawl towards Jasmin as she opens her eyes.
“Let’s sit in a circle,” she says, taking charge.
We follow her instructions. Even Jamie somehow pulls himself in her direction.
In spite of the rugged ground which is covered in tangled tree roots and other forms of vegetation, we form a small circle. We focus on Jasmin.
“When the beams of light return, bow to them,” Jasmin states confidently.
We’re too frightened and sore from our wounds to argue with her.
“Show respect for the beams instead of being frightened by them. Watch me,” she continues as she gracefully bows her upper body to no one in particular.
We imitate Jasmin’s actions.
“After you bow to your enemy, you need to clear your mind of all thoughts,” Jasmin continues.
Having seen her escape the harmful bursts of light during the last attack, I’m going to do exactly what she says.
“When the beams return, don’t think about them. Instead, close your eyes and concentrate on something pleasant,” Jasmin instructs.
“Like what?” I say.
“Like having fun with a friend, or eating your favorite food, or just doing something relaxing or crazy.”
“Crazy, crazy, crazy,” Squirt echoes as the first beam returns.
Soon multi-colored splinters of light surround us. I see each person in our little circle bow to the lights. I’m the last to close my eyes. The number of beams has increased. I focus on being safe and warm in my bed back home.
A few times I hear some feeble cries of pain. After what seems like a long time, someone pokes me in the side. It’s Michael.
Although the light beams have vanished, Jamie is gripping his side in pain.
“It looks,” begins Jasmin, “like Jamie is the only person who was hit this time.”
“Not as many times as before,” he moans.
“Jasmin, you’re our hero,” I say.
“Hero, hero, hero,” Squirt repeats.
“There’s still one problem” Radwin says in his deep voice.
“What’s that?” I say.
“We can’t keep sitting here. We need to get through the jungle before darkness comes.”
- 29 -
JAMIE’S BRAVE ACT
“What did you think about?” Michael asks me as we continue to fight our way through the jungle.
I know he’s referring to what I was thinking about when the light beams attacked.
“I thought about being home; safe and warm in my bed,” I reply. “That helped me to forget about my fears.” Returning the question back to Michael, I ask, “What were you thinking about?”
“Ice-cream,” he says with a big smile. “Lots of it covered with chocolate sauce and whipped cream.”
We laugh at Michael’s remarks. Right now, we need some humor to break the seriousness of the situation we are facing.
“I thought about finding Atlantis,” Jamie says, although his voice is weak.
I shudder as I glance at the burns on Jamie’s legs.
“Water fights, water fights, water fights,” Squirt jumps into the conversation. I laugh at Squirt’s comments and his comical facial expression.
“I thought of sleeping in a tree,” adds Frank.
As I look at Drew, he says, “I was working on a car engine.”
What did I expect him to say? Maybe that he was dreaming of giving me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation again?
Radwin adds, “I was safely in the arms of a morphradel.”
“Morphradel? What’s that?” Jasmin asks.
“What about you?” Michael asks Jasmin before Radwin can answer her question about the morphradels.
Jasmin takes a quick look at Drew and blushes.
I think we all guess what she was probably thinking about.
There’s a brief pause before Radwin says, “I just saw another beam of light. I think they’re returning again.”
“Form a circle,” Jasmin says.
We obey her command.
“As soon as the light beams begin, think of something positive. Let’s join hands this time to see if that helps Jamie,” she offers, as the light beams begin to dance around us.
Within seconds, the burning beams are exploding everywhere. I concentrate on thinking about being safe and warm in my bed back home even though I hear a constant crashing noise around me. Focus, I tell myself. Don’t show any fear.
“One minute!” Michael loudly exclaims, momentarily waking me up from my trance-like state. Realizing that the lights have stopped, I open my eyes.
“The light beams exploded around us for sixty seconds,” Michael says. “I’ll keep counting until they return and we can see if there is a pattern to their coming and going.”
Michael is often full of surprises, usually related to his joking behavior, but right now he amazes me. How did he possibly remain calm enough to count off the seconds while light beams were striking around us?
“I didn’t get hit this time,” Jamie boasts.
“We need to keep moving,” I remind everyone. “There’s no way we want to be in this jungle when night comes.”
As I start to move, I add, “Stay close together. When the lights return, we can form a circle again.”
“This way,” Radwin says, as he hovers above us.
We quickly fall into a tight line as we follow him. Michael helps Jamie stand. I can’t help but notice that Jamie can barely walk because of the injuries to his legs. I doubt that he will be able to withstand many more attacks from the blazing beams of light. While the rest of us have some burns on our bodies, they are definitely not as bad as Jamie has suffered.
“They’re returning,” Jasmin says calmly.
“Two minutes exactly,” Michael states.
“Get in a circle. Grab each other’s hands,” I say assertively. “Jamie, take my hand.”
As the beams begin to bounce around us, I realize that Jamie is holding one of my hands while Drew is holding my other one. Drew’s hands feel sensual while my contact with Jamie is quite different. His hands grip mine like his life depends on it. Before I can reflect any further on either Drew or Jamie, I feel a piercing burn to my foot. Quickly I force myself to imagine the safety of my own bed back home. Although I hear the beams crashing around me, I feel no further pain.
“Sixty seconds!” Michael shouts, telling us that the light attack has ended. “We’ve got two minutes to move on before they return.”
No one argues with Michael’s observations. Without any instructions we get in a line to follow Radwin who is attempting to find the best path for us through the tangled j
ungle. It’s incredibly hard work attempting to push and pull the twisted vines out of the way. Sometimes rocks and tree trunks divert us in a completely different direction than we’re trying to go. The jungle is steaming hot. We’re all sweating. We’re all tired. We’re all thirsty.
“Almost two minutes,” Michael says as he warns us of the impending attack.
The words are barely out of his mouth when the first glimmer of light explodes in front of me.
Without any instructions we quickly form a circle.
Once again, I find myself holding hands with Drew and Jamie. I’m certain that I didn’t attempt to get between them this time so they must have chosen to be with me. Jasmin is holding Drew’s other hand. I wonder if she finds Drew’s hand as warm as I do. If Drew had to hold hands with just one of us, I wonder who he would choose.
As Jamie squeezes my other hand, I press back attempting to reassure him that everything will be okay. I force my mind to think once again of the safety of my bed.
Although I hear the shower of light crashing around me, none of the beams hit me. Several times I feel Jamie’s hand tightening against mine as though his fear is traveling through his fingers.
“One minute,” Michael announces.
“Let’s move,” I say, eager to get out of the dangerous jungle.
I start to twist and turn through the vegetation that at times is like a wall. I hear the others following me.
“There is an opening in the jungle,” Radwin announces.
“Come on!” I yell. “Let’s get out of here.”
It’s as though we have been given a newfound source of energy as we attack the tangled vegetation around us. Even though my legs and arms are constantly being bruised by the dense growth, I make a greater effort to overcome the obstacles that block my path.
“Almost two minutes,” Michael says, just before the first beam explodes nearby.
The end of the jungle is within sight, but we’re going to have to endure one more attack by the dangerous beams of light before we reach it.