by David Wood
“You’re taking me by surprise here.” Dane’s head was spinning. “I’m flattered, but, I don’t know. I like my life the way it is.”
“I don’t blame you, but if the Dominion comes after you, your life will never be the same.” She smiled down at the eagle, which now lay asleep in her lap.
“How are you going to get that thing through customs?”
“Don’t have to. I got our ride home all taken care of, and we ain’t flying commercial.” Tam grinned. “Sometimes it pays to work for Uncle Sam.”
“Works for me.” He looked out at the lush, green forest as it slid by, trying to imagine going back to work for the government. He couldn’t fathom it.
“You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” Tam said. “But think about it. I can just about guarantee you’ll be paid a visit by my employers sometime soon. Maybe you can decide on your answer by then.”
“We’ll see.” Dane closed his eyes again and lost himself in the gentle rolling of the boat as it cut through the water. He had thought trekking off into the Amazon was a challenge, but he had the feeling his life was about to get a whole lot more complicated.
Epilogue
The small grass pouch was no match for the rapid current and sharp stones that tore at it as it rode the water. It snagged on a limb and hung there, buffeted by the current, until it fell apart.
A gray seed, large enough to fill a man’s palm, floated free. For days, weeks, the water carried it deeper into the depths of the jungle, into land which no human foot had trod, until it came to rest on a sandbar.
A parrot, its emerald feathers glistening in the sunlight, took the seed in its beak and carried it away. Choosing a suitable perch, it set about trying to crack the seed, but soon gave up trying to penetrate its hard exterior. In a rustle of wings, it took flight, letting the seed fall to the ground.
It came to rest in a sun-kissed clearing, where it lay undisturbed. It baked beneath the warm sun, and, in time, it settled beneath the soft earth, nestled in its nourishing arms.
The rainy season came and went, and, in the fullness of time, the seed sprouted, and brought forth life into its secluded domain.
A tree grew in the jungle.
~The End~
From the Author
I hope everyone enjoyed the latest Dane Maddock adventure. As always, I have taken some liberties with history and reality for the sake of crafting a fun and entertaining tale. The most obvious departures from reality relate to Percy Fawcett’s connection to the ship, Quest. Fawcett did not, in fact, travel with Shackleton and party on said ship, nor did Quest sink near Ascension Island. I hope readers won’t mind these alterations to history. I think these disparate elements came together to make a great story!
Until next time,
David Wood
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