A Boy and His Rock by John Ambrose Tracy

Author:John Ambrose Tracy [Tracy, John Ambrose]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781524610814
Publisher: AuthorHouse
Published: 2016-05-31T04:00:00+00:00

XVI

THE FUODHII

Travis awoke under a pile of fresh, umbrella-sized, green leaves. It was daylight, and a swarm of black gnat-like bugs with long back legs were investigating his ears and eyebrows. His head was resting on a warm, fuzzy pillow and just above him one of the leaves had been carefully placed with its stem pushed into the ground to provide a cover above his face. He felt refreshed and restored and comfortably snug; only the annoyance of the bugs caused him to stir. He pushed off the leaves, the outer ones wet from rain, and sat up swiping at the cloud, yawning and stretching. Within arm’s reach was a gourd-like fruit filled with a sweet smelling juice that had attracted the bugs, but they had been frustrated by a simple mango pit cork. A cautious thought about poison crossed his mind, but then he considered his situation and shrugged. He sipped the brew and found it sweet and herby. He drank it all.

Not far away he could see another mound of umbrella leaves out of place in the meadow.

He yawned and called out, “Good morning!”

The pile rustled.

Osihip’s head popped into view.

“Travisth?”

“Over here. I don’t know where Nistesii is.”

The boy looked over his shoulder at Travis and froze. His bleary, sleepy eyes went wide and wild. He leaped to his feet, leaned toward Travis and hissed, “Run!”

Taking his own advice, the boy burst out of his leaf pile and sprinted for the big tree in the center on the meadow.

Travis stared at him with bewilderment and moved his left arm backward to help push himself more upright. He rubbed up against something hairy. He pulled his arm away and looked over his shoulder. His blood ran cold.

The sleeping giant bear’s side was rising and falling six inches with each breath. Travis had been using one of its legs as a pillow! He backed away a step, then another. At any moment the monster was bound to wake up and have him for breakfast. Travis jumped, spinning in the air, and fled, following Osihip’s lead toward the tree. He too seized hold of a stout liana and pulled himself up as fast as he could climb; ten, twenty, thirty feet, until he was too exhausted to go any further. The liana arced close enough to the tree trunk for him to reach it, but nowhere could he find any branches or notches to firmly support him, and he began to slide down a bit.

Just then, two chimpanzees swung down from above him, each holding a vine in its hands or feet. Before Travis could decide if he were in danger from them, they grabbed hold of his legs and arrested his sliding.

They pushed his feet into nooses tied at the ends of the vines they had arrived on, but now Travis could see the vines were more complex. They might be better described as ropes. The apes nimbly jumped to other vines and chattered and hooted so loudly, Travis stiffened with fright.

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