Chapter 1

 

 

"What do you think Chris would say if he were here now?" Spoke Sophie as she looked out through the window towards the thick line of forest that encircled the road in front of her.

 

 Sat to her right, Jess was looking forward along the central nave of the aged, dusty bus that bumped up and down noisily as it made its way along the rough, undeveloped path.  "Chris is dead, Sophie,"  she replied staring downwards at the back of the seat in front of her.  "He wouldn't be able to say anything."

 

Sophie's gaze turned away from the window and she looked at her friend defiantly before turning back to look out of the window.  "Chris would say there's a tiger behind you or something funny like that. He was always up for a good time," she replied staring out towards the trees with a nostalgic smile.

 

Jess continued staring forward toward the front of the bus.  "Chris was a danger to people," she said coldly.  "You were better off without him", and she looked downwards to the floor out of the way of her friend.  "You need to move on with your life, anyway.  You can't keep looking into the past."  

 

Sophie remained still, staring out of the window towards the line of forest along the path.  "Here, Sophie, take a look at this," Jess said as she held out a small wooden figure towards Sophie.  "I picked it up from one of the stalls by the side of the road about 50 miles ago."  She handed the figure over to her.  "Look at the scratchings on the back.  It looks like a symbol of some kind."

 

"The symbol on the bottom.  I've seen it before," 

 

"Where?"

 

"It was marked on some of the buildings around here."

 

"Do you think it means something?"

 

Interrupting her words, Jess's friend Mike appeared to the side of her standing tall in the centre of the bus.  "You guys ready to camp this evening?"  He said as Jess turned around to look at him, shaken with surprise.  "Tom and I were talking.  We think we should get off at Wat Phan Kao and camp near the beach."

 

"I don't know if I'm ready for this," Jess replied nervously.  "We don't know what's out there."

 

"Stop worrying, Jess.  Trust me, this place is gonna be fine."

 

The bus snaked away along the dirt track through the rainforest that ran up across the mountains on either side.  Sophie remained silent, staring wonderingly through the thick lines of trees outside while Jess sat still looking tiresomely towards the front of the bus.  Passing further and further away from civilization deep into the heart of the Thai jungle, the dusty track below turned impassable rubble as the bus reached the final stopping point.  Pulling to the side, the bus came to halt and the final few passengers stepped off onto the sandy dirt track to the side.

 

"Is this it?" Spoke Tom as he stood looking out towards the deserted rainforest expanse in front of him.

 

"According to the guidebook the campsite should be a few hundred yards down the path," replied Mike holding the guidebook in his hands and looking out towards the jungle in front of him. 

 

Jess stood behind Tom, staring out towards the endless green forest in front of her.  It seemed to lean towards her as rising towards the dusty brown path she was standing on.  "Guys I'm not sure about this," she said anxiously looking forward to Tom and Mike in front of her.  "We don't know what's out there."

 

"Relax, Jess.  We're absolutely fine.  This is what we said we'd do.  Find a deserted spot on the beach and camp out," Mike replied as he started to walk further along the thin sandy path that snaked down through the forest towards the beach.  "Trust me, once we've found a place and put up the tents you'll feel absolutely fine."

 

Tom moved along the dishevelled path towards the arid green trees that passed down to the coastline.  "Sophie, I'll race you there!"  He shouted as they dashed along the sandy dirt track. 

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Sophie and Tom sped forward along the pathway, charging wildly across the sand with their back-packs bumping noisily on their shoulders.  "Ahh!"  Sophie screamed as she tumbled onto the ground.

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"Ahaha! Not such a great traveller now, are we Sophie!"  Shouted Tom in reply, turning from the pathway in front of Sophie and heading back towards her.  Arriving next to her, he then proceeded to kick the surrounding sand over Sophie as she lay defenceless on the floor.

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"Get off me Tom!"  Sophie shouted hysterically in desperation as she tried to protect herself from the oncoming sand.

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"You need to get a grip and man up."  He continued to scrape sand across her with his feet. 

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"Fuck off, Tom!"  Shouted Sophie at last angrily, hurling a water bottle at him.  "You're pissing everyone off!"

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Sophie stood up, picking up her rucksack, which was covered in sand, before retrieving her water bottle.  "I will throw all your possessions in the sea if you don't stop acting like a dickhead, Tom.  This is the rainforest.  If you mess around, someone's gonna die!"

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"Yeah.  A tiger's gonna eat us.  Oooh, I'm so scared," he replied snarlingly, picking up his stuff and continuing along the pathway.

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The group paced along dusty track until they arrived at an encircling wall of arid palm trees, whose dying coconuts and branches lay dishevelled on the sandy ground.  To the right was a worn-out wooden beach hut, raised on wooden stilts with aged wooden steps leading up to a raised platform.  Tall, austere palm trees, lined the pathway to the sea and there were a few stones around the central area, reminiscent of the remains of a fireplace. 

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"Is this it?"  Badgered Sophie, staring dejectedly across at the wearied-looking hut.

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"It doesn't look like anyone's been here in a while," mused Mike solemnly in reply.  "Look there's no traces of anyone being here in a long while," he continued, peering haphazardly around the campsite.

 

"You said all the maps had it clearly marked out, Mike," persisted Tom, despondently throwing his bag to the floor in a abject manner.  "What's the point in coming all this way if all that's there is couple of dying coconuts."

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"Hey!" Interjected Mike persistently.  "Why does it matter. There's enough wood around to light a fire plus the sea's just over there.  We've got all we could want."

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"Yeah well I thought we were gonna find somewhere to build something worthwhile.  Not a fucking sand dune."

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"Tom do you not think there's more you can build once you get to know the surrounding area," interjected Sophie, turning around from close to a palm tree at the edge of the central area.  "I like this place.  It reminds me of Canada."

 

"Yeah well you can fight off any bears who come near like in Canada," chuckled Mike, sitting down on one of the large stone rocks.    

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Tom sat down on his rucksack before lighting up a cigarette and smoking it like he was in a wearied haze as if he had too much energy to fall asleep yet not enough to do anything  productive.  "What do you want to do then, Jess?"  He said at last while puffing away on his cigarette.  "Still staring at that figure?  

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"It's serious guys.  Don't you think it's a bit strange there's the same mark on all the walls in the towns around here?"  She replied looking upwards from her shrouded gaze.

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"Trust me.  The Thai are a load of whacky nut-jobs.  It's probably nothing important.  Anyway, there's a few old sticks dotted behind the trees over there.  That should be enough to light a fire for this evening at least.  I fancy jumping in the sea before the sun goes down.  Anyone else coming?"

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"Sorry mate," replied Mike, looking across from his bag.  "I'm gonna clear out this hut ready for the evening."  

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"Sophie. Jess.  You'll join me?

 

"Yeah, I'm coming," replied Sophie as she sifted through her bag to the left side of the hut.  "Let me just change out of this clothing."

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Jess continued staring tiresomely over the wooden figure, ponderously studying the enigmatic symbol that was etched into the wood.  "No.  Don't worry about me," she replied in a meek, dejected tone.  "You guys go ahead."  

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Sophie and Mike headed down across the white sand beach towards the waves of the sea in front of them.  They tumbled onto the shore as if timeless memories of a universal world, despite the alien setting. Palm tree leaves and other debris climbed up the flowing peaks of the waves before crashing harshly into the rising slope of sand, while the clatter of the sand and water met the wind in the sky as if a resonating choir.  

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The water was warm, and Sophie and Tom trudged jubilantly through the shallow water before diving into its embrace.  They swam through the fluorescent turquoise water, fighting against the wind that was blowing the water and current fiercely across them.

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"The current's quite strong out here," shouted Tom, swimming around ten metres further out to sea ahead of Sophie.

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"Come back towards the shallow area," replied Sophie, fighting against the current.  "You don't know how strong the current is."

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"Yeah.  I don't want to die on our first day," replied Tom, swimming back over towards her.  The two headed back towards the shore and they met in the shallow area, gently shoaling the water with their arms as the waves brushed past them.  

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"I see us setting up the perfect campsite in no time," uttered Tom as he crouched down in the sea. 

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"It's such a crazy location," beamed Sophie, stroking the water with her arms.  "I can't wait to see what's out there."

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"I suppose a jungle this far out doesn't draw in too many average holiday-makers," conjectured Tom, relaxing himself in the warm water.  "I reckon the jungle's gonna be absolutely rife with wildlife."

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"I don't wanna get trapped in some snake's nest," replied Sophie anxiously.  "There's no way I'm missing that flight back in two months either."

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"Relax.  Once we've got the wooden hut sorted out we'll be well above all the creepy crawlers. Before long Mike in the campsite will be the only snake you've got to worry about."

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Sophie chuckled gently to herself, glancing back towards the forest.  "Hey, shall we get back and start helping before he starts complaining too much,"  she murmured, smirking gently to herself.

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"Yeah.  I'm gonna chop some logs for the fire," he uttered back as they began to trudge back across the sand towards the campsite.  "No one's gonna doubt how much I bring to this group."

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Sophie and Tom passed along the sand pathway up towards the fireplace and dishevelled wooden hut, which Mike was standing on, furiously sweeping away dust from the upper platform.  "How was the sea?"  He asked softly, staring at them as they arrived next to the stones in the central area.

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"Amazing!" Replied Sophie jubilantly, patting her hair with a towel.  "You should definitely try it," she continued, wrapping the towel around her and putting on a shirt to warm herself up.

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"What are you going to do now?"  Persisted Mike, standing up tall and resting his arms at his side.  "I'm almost finished clearing out the hut."

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"Tom's gonna chop some wood and I'm gonna clean up this campsite," she murmured back, resting down on her rucksack, which was perched on the ground under one of the tall palm trees.  "Trust me.  We're gonna have it spot on for tonight." 

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"Nice one.  I'm gagging for a beer," continued Mike, leaning against the handle of the hut's veranda.  

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"Aren't we all," uttered Tom in reply as he reached over to the machete knife ready to start chopping the logs.

 

The group worked away on constructing the campsite throughout the evening, rejuvenating the wearied hut, preparing the surrounding area and collecting wood for the fire.  They cooked some of the supplies they had brought from Wat Phan Kao, and when evening came, they sat around the fire, drinking bottles of Singha and nibbling subduedly on the food they had prepared.

​

"Is the wooden figure still bothering you, Jess?"  Uttered Sophie at last, sipping on a Singha beer bottle and staring at Jess in a bemused manner as if she still believed her crazy.

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"I think the symbol at the bottom means something," Jess replied dismissively.  "In the Amazon rainforest, tribes develop symbols as a sign of their community."

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"We're not in the Amazon rainforest, are we," rebutted Mike stiffly, leaning forward so as to assert his incredulity.  "What are you going to believe next.  That there's spirits in the rainforest living at night."

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Tom chuckled to himself and leant forward as he sipped his beer.  "We should get out a weegie board, then, and listen out for ghosts in the darkness."  He chuckled again and lent back across the ground.  "Not in this part of the world."

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"Alright, alright.  Maybe it's nothing," continued Jess, looking dejected as if she couldn't quite discern what is was in the figure that so beguiled her.

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"Definitely it's nothing," interjected Mike fiercely again, sitting up straight and preparing to open up another Singha beer.  "Have another beer and don't worry about it." 

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Sophie took a puff of her cigarette and looked at the group softly as if she felt Jess's anxiety.  "Here, Jess," she uttered, smiling gently at her.  "Let me tell you a story."  She leant forward preparing to embark on the tale.  "When I was a child, I read Ovid's "Metamorphoses" when I was on holiday in Italy.  One of the most famous tales within the "Metamorphoses" is the story of Theseus and the Minotaur.  The minotaur is huge monster with the head and tail of a bull, and the body of a man.  He eats seven young men and maidens who are sacrificed to him every seven or nine years after Minos' son was killed in Athens.  The Athenian hero, Theseus, however, is able to kill the Minotaur and make his way out of the cave by following the thread he had been given by Ariadne."  She paused and smiled.  "It makes you think - if you get lost in the jungle all you need to do is follow a thread back to the road."

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Mike smiled while relaxing with his beer bottle as if he appreciated Sophie's optimism.  "Get lost from where,"  he badgered, taking a sip from his beer.  "You're never gonna miss the sea."

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"Don't belittle it," persisted Sophie.  "Everyone needs something to find their way home."

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"I've always thought if you find a river, that will be enough to guide you back to civilisation," interjected Tom, sitting closest to the fire.  

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"No one's gonna get lost," spat Mike again as he took a sip from his beer.  "Anyway.  Let's have a toast to what's gonna a be the start of a great holiday."

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"Agreed.  A toast to a glorious holiday,"  Sophie beamed.

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"To the holiday," murmured Tom.

 

The group each raised their beer bottles and saluted into the air.  However something was lurking in the jungle behind them.  Something far different to themselves.  A shrouded dark figure peered curiously at them behind some rising bamboo shoots.  It whispered something to itself and then vanished into the darkness.

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Chapter 2

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Jess awoke staring wonderingly at the nylon roof of her tent.  It seemed to circle round as if a bewildering vortex.  She remained still for several seconds, gazing anxiously upwards at the green lining.  She pondered her thoughts over in her head.  They'd gone camping near the beach.  There was nothing wrong with that.  But why were scratchings on the bottom of the figure so strange?  And why did the forest around them have such a foreboding aura?  None of the group wanted to listen to her, but she was sure there was something more lurking in the jungle around them.  Something was different about this place.  

 

Her fears were running across her body.  She felt it rushing across her arms, and she couldn't fight her worries from permeating her brain.   Her nervousness was stifling her, and as she brushed through the tent's doorway, she was unable to prevent her fears from taking hold of her brain. 

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"Mike, Tom,"  she stammered as she approached the dishevelled-looking hut they'd been sleeping in.  "Are you awake?"

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Mike emerged from the doorway of the hut, looking as uncouth as a night in the wooden hut would leave someone.  "Ahh, Jess," he said.  "Good morning."  He looked up at the sky and the beach in front of him.  "Looks like it's gonna be a beautiful day," he continued as if his happiness was increasing as he woke up more.  

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They turned round and saw Sophie, viciously plying the zip of the tent door open.  "This fucking thing won't open," she was shouting from down the hill from the hut.  "Fucking open you stupid thing!"

 

"Nice one, Sophie,"  Jess murmured as if her stupidity brought a slight relief to her anxiety.  "Where's Tom?"  She said, turning to look up at Mike again, who was on the balcony of the wooden hut.

 

"He's fast asleep in the hut.  Seems he had a few too many beers last night," replied Mike, smirking.

 

Sophie emerged out of her tent at the bottom of the communal area.  "I'm gonna go swimming in the sea," she stammered, still shaken from her fight with her tent's door.  "It's beautiful in the morning."

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"I'll join you," murmured Jess nervously, turning and staring at Sophie in a blurred haze.

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"Great," added Mike.  "Let's all go.  Tom's fine in the hut.  He's passed out anyway."

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Sophie, Jess and Mike made their way down to the sea in front of the campsite.  A gentle breeze blew across the shoreline and they perched gently in the shallow area calmly shoaling the water with their arms.   

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"The islands around here are all part of the same group that stretches out into the Andaman Sea," murmured Mike, gently shoaling the water.

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"There's thousands of islands out there that still haven't been touched by humans, aren't there," replied Sophie, leaning back in the water.  "It makes you think.  We're minuscule compared to the great wilderness out there."

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"More to see what lurks behind it," beamed Mike, smiling at Sophie in reply.  "We could discover a new island and called it our own."

​

Jess shirked away under the water to the side of Mike who was shoaling the water faster, smirking to himself as he stared at Sophie.  "If we spend all our time searching through the wilderness, we just gonna get more and more lost until we lose each other completely," she said at last in an anxious tone.

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"Relax, Jess," Mike interjected.  "This place is completely deserted.  No one is gonna hurt us."

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"It's serious, Mike, " persisted Jess.  "We've got no way of knowing what could be out there.  You've got no clue what could happen.  I wanna keep one person watching out at night.  This jungle's scaring me." 

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"Don't worry about it," interjected Sophie.  "You'll get more used to this place the more time we spend here.  Anyway,"  she said in a reassuring manner.  "Shall we go and wake up Tom and see if he's alright?" 

​

The group made their way back up towards the campsite, where Tom was sitting, perched on one of the stones around the fire.

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"You guys go far out," Tom chuckled, sitting with his arms across him on one of the stones.  "The current's madness."

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"No.  We stayed in the shallow area," replied Sophie.

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"Pussies," Tom blasted, smirking to himself.  "You're missing out on all the fun."

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"Yeah well we don't want to die like you," stammered Jess, passing near to her tent.  "What have you been doing anyway?"

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"Sorting out a few bits and bobs in the hut.  I found a massive ants nest nestled in the top corner," he laughed, staring upwards at them. 

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"We need to collect some wood for the fire," interjected Mike.  "Tom you go with Sophie and cut some wood in the forest."

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Sophie strolled to the side of her tent where she had been hanging her clothes over a line.  "You're with me dickhead," she smirked at Tom looking over towards him, who was smoking a cigarette on one of the stone boulders.  "Let's get going." 

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Tom took the machete knife and he and Sophie passed away out of the campsite towards the the thick line of jungle to the left side.  They passed out of the sight of Mike and Jess, continuing away into the covering of the jungle.  Jess moved over to the corner of the campsite and she rested with her back up against one of the tall, overarching palm trees.  

 

The wind blew from the sea across into the campsite in front of her, and she felt forlorn as if the breeze around her carried her lament and nervousness with it.  A small, insular tear dripped down from her eye and spread across her cheek as she sat still on the ground.  Her emotions were overbearing her, and she wiped it away softly with her hand.  

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"Is everything alright, Jess," Mike asked, looking up and staring at her.

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"I just miss Jake," she replied despondently.  "I wish he was here and I could talk to him.  I still get flashbacks from before.  I wanna go back and stop it all so badly."

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"Jess," Mike uttered back in a reassuring voice as he sat down next to her.  "Don't get worked up about these things.  It's over now.  Just relax.  We're on holiday."

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"You're right.  I just wish he was still here."  She began to cry again gently.

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"Aww, Jess.  Come here."  Mike put his arms around her.

 

"Here, Mike," Jess replied, turning to look at his face.  "Take a look at this."  She handed the small wooden figure she had been holding in her right hand over to him.  "It looks like Sophie."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 3

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Tom and Sophie were trudging slowly through the dense undergrowth that lined the forest floor.  Tall, austere bamboo trees rose up into towering dome ceilings above and the forest reverberated with the tweeting of birds and hissing of insects.  They passed further along a thin, ancient-looking passageway through the thick overgrowth further into the heart of the jungle. Noticing a freshly collapsed group of bamboo shoots on her right side, Sophie called over to Tom who was holding the machete knife.  

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"Here, Tom," she said.  "This looks like the wood we need."

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"No problem," Tom replied.  "I'll get cutting it."

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Tom began to cut the bamboo shoots while Sophie collected them and sorted them into a pile.  They continued cutting and sorting the bamboo logs for close to half an hour, raising a pile to the side ready to take back to the campsite.  As Sophie was picking up one the logs, something caught her eye in the distance.  She leant her head upwards and all of a sudden she could see a dark, occluded figure in the distance staring at her straight in the face.  

 

"Wait, Tom.  There's someone watching us," she stammered, terrified.

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"What?"

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"There's someone in the jungle watching us.  Look!"

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Tom stopped cutting the bamboo and stared in the direction Sophie was pointing.  No one was there.  "There's nothing there, Sophie.  You're imagining it," he stumbled in reply.

 

Sophie turned to look in the direction of Tom briefly before turning back to where she had seen the figure.  It had vanished.  "There was something there," she said glaring into the distance.  "I'm telling you.  They were dark skinned and long haired."  She looked around her furiously. "Where have they gone? 

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Sophie stood still and peered out into the distance while Tom resumed cutting the bamboo. "It's in your head, Sophie.  Trust me.  Let's just get back to the campsite before it's dark,"  he said, placing the bamboo log in his hand onto the pile.  

​

"She was crouching down staring at me.  I could see her clearly."

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"This place is deserted for miles," continued Tom adamantly.  "Trust me, Sophie.  Nobody's here."  He paused and touched the arm of Sophie gently.  "You need something to eat.  Let's get back to the campsite and light a fire."

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Chapter 4

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The group cooked their supplies from Wat Phan Kao over the open burning fire and settled down on dishevelled-looking stones gently sipping on bottles of Singha.  Tom and Sophie had placed their collection of logs to the side of the campsite beneath an overarching palm tree and the fire in the centre of the campsite was burning furiously, lighting up the surrounding area.

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"It was thin and dark skinned.  I'm telling you.  I definitely saw something," persisted Sophie, staring anxiously at the rest of the group across the fire. 

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"I checked the map, Sophie," replied Tom dismissively.  "The path's closed and there's not another settlement for about eighty miles.  There was nothing there."

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"Then why could I see something.  I know I'm not crazy, Tom."

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"You probably saw a baby elephant or something like that," interjected Mike from across the fire.  "I agree with Tom.  There's no one here for miles.  You can't have seen a person."

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"You're not listening to me guys!"  Persisted Sophie increasingly anxiously.  "I know what I saw!"

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Tom shifted in his seat and leaned forward trying to reassure her.  "Look, Sophie.  Calm down," he said.  "It's not gonna hurt anyone anyway."  He paused, reaching into his bag.  "Here I've got some magic mushrooms from Wat Phan Kao.  One mouthful of these and you'll be flying way too high to care about any elephant in the forest. "

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"Alright.  Go on then, Tom.  Hand them over."  Muttered Sophie, looking over to him and smiling. 

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"Trust me.  It's one hell of an experience."

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"What happens then.  You start to see colours in the sky, do you?"  Joked Sophie, ponderously staring at them in her hand.

 

"Just you wait and see," smirked Tom.  

 

Sophie lent her head back and swallowed the magic mushrooms all in one go.  She wiped her hand across her mouth and coughed three times at the distaste.  Regathering herself, she looked back across at Tom, holding the bag of mushrooms.  "Not gonna take them yourself, then, Tom," she said, slightly flustered from swallowing them.  "Not man enough, are you."

 

"I'll take them," Tom replied dismissively, smirking to himself in an attempt to shrug off Sophie's jibe.  "You couldn't ask for a better location, anyway."  

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"Guys, you're gonna get out of control," bludgeoned Jess dejectedly.

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"It's fine Jess,"  Tom replied.  "Relax.  It makes the night a whole lot more beautiful."  Tom lent his head back and swallowed the mushrooms.  He shifted back on the ground and picked up a Singha he'd been sipping on.  

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"Look, Tom, there's a gorilla hiding behind the trees," interjected Mike, laughing to himself.  "Can't you see it."

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"No there's not.  Stop messing around," stammered Tom in reply.  "Just because you're not wild like Sophie and myself.  Hey," he continued.  "Why don't you swallow a handful?"

 

"Alright fine, I will."

 

"Jess.  You'll have some?"

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"No, I'm okay thank you," Jess replied nervously.  "I'm actually gonna go to bed."  She paused and looked shyly in the direction of her tent before looking back at the campfire.  "You guys have a good night."

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"Alright, suit yourself," replied Mike from across the fire.  

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Sophie, Mike and Tom continued sitting around the campfire sipping gently on their Singha beers.  After half an hour the magic mushrooms began to kick in.  Tom lent back on the ground and stared bemusedly up towards the stars.  "It looks like I can see magical pixies floating up in the sky," he giggled to himself with a wide smile across his face.

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"We could float up in the air and build a sandcastle in the sky," murmured Sophie gleefully as she lay with her back on the ground staring upwards at the stars.  "I wanna jump on a rollercoaster across the sky."

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"Heaven is touching me from the clouds," beamed Mike gawkily as the stumbled onto his back.

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The mushrooms were kicking in faster and vociferously seizing control of their minds.  They leant up forwards sharply as the hallucinations became more fierce.

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"I'm scared, Tom.  These mushrooms are intense," muttered Sophie as she put her arms across herself in a shiver.  "These hallucinations are becoming crazy."

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Tom had ignored her, instead he was writhing around on the ground deliriously, unable to lift himself up from the ground.

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"There's something wrong with Tom," stammered Mike who was incapable of focusing on Sophie as a he glared across the campfire aimlessly.  "Come on, Sophie.  We need to walk it off."

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Sophie and Mike stood up, leaving Tom collapsed under one of the overarching palm trees.  They strolled staggeringly in an unknown direction.  Mike was holding tight to Sophie's right hand.  It was slipping incrementally away from her as they stumbled deliriously in and amongst the palm trees.

 

Sophie lost hold of Mike, and swayed deliriously through some closely packed palm trees.  She staggered from side to side staring aimlessly at the speckling hallucinations in front of her that seemed to guide her onwards.  She turned from side to side, panicking, as she stumbled into tree trunk after tree trunk.  At last, feeling like she was floating in the sky, she collapsed onto the sandy ground around her.​​​​​