by Jacky Qian
"Well", said Simons, indicating with a hand on his gun that he, Mandis and a sailor would take care of the task. "We'll go find some food, and you can get some rest."
"I'm in," Silverstar said, "I want to have a look at jungles in ancient times. Maybe I'll find something for us to eat, too."
Others volunteered to help. Hicks, too, thought he'd enjoy exploring the place, and Nicholas thought he should do something for the group. Runt was intrigued with the possibility of discovery, and Catherine withheld any reason for going along.
"Come back early!" Silas said arrogantly, "The whole thing sucks! My deal…"
"What deal?" Mandis asked, but his question was ignored.
"Damn it!" Silverstar murmured.
"Leave him alone!" Catherine replied.
They worked their way into the damp forest beneath a canopy of giant trees, which appeared to be about sixty meters tall.
Their search produced nothing edible, so they stopped to rest. Silverstar took out the fang with blackened streak on it, which seemed to come from a fiery dragon. The dark haunter might once be bitten by a fiery dragon and been pierced by a fang during the struggle.
Nicholas came over, in his summer clothes, asking, "Silverstar, what're you doing?"
"Oh, I've just gotten a fang from the dark haunter; maybe it can be made into a weapon… Right!" He picked up a smooth, ladder-shaped stone and put it onto the fang. "Exactly!" Silverstar yelled out excitedly. Catherine asked, "What's wrong?"
"Haven't you ever watched 'Ice Age'? I can make a dagger!"
He picked out several ropes dug from shipwrecks and tied the fang onto the stone. Silverstar turned to the group and said, "Look! I have my own dragon-fang dagger!"
The blade glittered beneath the dappled sunlight. Silverstar launched the weapon into a huge tree, sending splinters of fibrous bark here and there.
"Amazing!" Catherine exclaimed. Hicks, standing nearby but apart in his usual way, suddenly said, "Can you smell something peculiar?"
A large empty space appeared, where a seven-meter plant stood like a gigantic floral display. It emitted a tempting fragrance.
"Hey!" Silverstar gave Hicks a quick tug, as he was about to approach the plant. "Stay away from it. It's dangerous!"
"I know." Hicks replied impatiently. The closer he got to the huge flower, the more he fell into a trance.
Just as he stepped onto the soft grass around the flower, dozens of vines rose up in response, seeking the source of heat. Suddenly the vines yanked Hicks high into the air.
Prehistoric Plants
Hicks shouted frantically as he waved his arms and kicked with his legs. Silverstar and the injured sailor wanted to lend him a hand, but they too were caught by the vines. Noticing that Simons was rushing toward it, Runt shouted, "Keep calm! It might be a prehistoric carnivorous plant. Don't enter that grassy area!"
"Well . . . what should we do!?" Simons asked.
Those vines gradually sent them to the top of the huge plant, which was filled with all kinds of corpses and acidic liquor. The plant might be the ancestor of nepenthes or other carnivorous plants, using its scent to attract prey. When prey entered the grass, tentacles would automatically find the heat source, catch the hapless victim and transport it to the body of the plant. It was a miracle of botany. It was either an evolved carnivorous plant or an abnormal mutation of chromosomes. Excited beyond words, Runt gasped in awe. It was unbelievable that such a thing could ever have existed.
"Help!" screamed the sailor. However, just as Silverstar cut the vines that had caught his body, other vines entwined him again. Simons and Mandis shot the plant repeatedly, and Nicholas and Catherine writhed in anxiety. Abruptly, the three were thrown into the huge pitcher; Hicks held firmly to the petals, but Silverstar stabbed into the inner wall of the cauldron with his dagger while the injured sailor unfortunately fell into the acidic juice. His skin melted almost instantly, and his skeleton sank to the bottom. The huge plant gradually closed its petals in readiness to digest the meal. Runt grabbed the gun from Simons and kept shooting at the supporting point of the huge plant, seriously injuring it. The vines turned limp, and the plant leaned as if to collapse. Silverstar shouted, "Jump! Jump out!"
"But . . . won't we die?" Hicks asked.
"No! It's soft, so jump! Do it now!"
They jump onto the soft grass and rolled away. The huge plant tilted and fell as a tangle of pedals and vines. The acidic juice flooded onto the ground, emitting a foul odor that caused everyone in the group to cough and gag. It was definitely a place none of them would want to visit again.
The Mysterious Pier
The torture seemed endless, and now the members of the group were even hungrier than before. Exhaustion added to the misery of their predicament.
However, from a distance came the sound of crashing waves and the smell of the sea. Simons livened up, yelling, "It's the ocean! The ocean! We're saved! We'll have lots of fish to eat!"
Silverstar, too, jumped and rushed headlong through the forest, through which he reached a pristine beach.
"Yes!" Catherine yelled. She gave a quick toss of her hair, sending a blonde cascade across her shoulders. Nicholas jumped into the sea to wash away the putrid smell of the carnivorous cauldron, while Simons took a few sips from a nearby rivulet…
"Uh, guys," Mandis said. "Look over there. I guess we aren't the first to see this place."
"Oh, my God!"
It was a huge pier on the beach at the end of a wooden corridor, with a sailboat moored below it. Obviously, they weren't the first visitors to this era.
"This is made from incense wood," Silverstar said, "Those huge trees in the forest are all of this type. Whoever was here before us must've had advanced tools. How else could they have built such a gigantic pier?"
"Look," Nicholas stood under the wooden corridor, half of the body soaked in water, "There's a layer of stainless steel and a set of brackets to avoid damage."
"It looks like New Zealand," Silverstar said, "The wooden houses there are exactly like this."
"You've been to New Zealand?" Catherine surprised, "Wow, how was it!?"
"Very beautiful! The South Pacific and Hawaii are like paradise, right out of 'Fantasy Isl…" He suddenly became reticent, realizing that he had said something wrong.
"'Fantasy Island'?" Catherine hesitated and pulled Silverstar a little bit farther. "Hey, you've been to Fantasy Island more than once?"
"Yeah, but . . . I want to keep it a secret." Silverstar shrugged, "Yes, I was there, but I didn't talk about it at school."
Catherine suddenly screamed, "Ah-ha! It was you!"
"What the hell?" Silverstar muttered. He had no idea what she was getting at.
"You know," she said excitedly, "a year ago, I was walking in downtown San Francisco when the alarm rang and several fighters hovered over, but they were shot down and crashed into a building right next to me. I was so scared that I did everything I could to escape the city. I caught a ride to the Bay Bridge, where a monster was encaged. Just as it nearly spotted me, it was attracted by a boy who sang a kind of enchanted melody. He was finally saved by the rescue team, but now…" Catherine smiled in gratitude. "I know it was you, so thank you. Thank you!"
"Oh, uh… I…," Silverstar said in his embarrassment. "Well… you're welcome."
"I hope you can tell me more," she continued. "Say whatever you couldn't at school."
Fishing
"Who's coming with me?" Simons asked, holding high the spear gun.
"We will!" said Nicholas as he grabbed Silverstar and Runt.
Hicks, soaked with sweat in his autumn clothes, could only complain. "It's too hot. I'm not coming."
"Fine," Runt said with a sneer. "Don't get heatstroke! You should wear a t-shirt and shorts, like I am."
"Let's get on board!" Mandis shouted from the deck before taking a tumble.
Just as Silverstar was getting on board, Catherine grabbed him, waving the dragon-fang dagger and smiling,
"I'm ready for my date with adventure!"
"Great!" Silverstar said happily. Simons jerked the rope and the boat began to speed forward. Nicholas was astonished by the swiftness of it. The seawater foamed under the bow, reflecting the sunlight. Catherine lowered her hands into seawater as pure as any that had ever existed. She could even see the seabed ten meters below, interspersed with seaweed and aquatic creatures of all kinds.
They sailed into a sea so dark that it resembled ink from a sea monster of Nordic legend, not knowing what they might encounter next.
Mandis grabbed a piece of smelly raw meat from a blanketed wooden bucket, pierced it with a hook and tossed it into the water.
Two hours went by.
Nicholas was still waiting for fish with the iron chain in hand, but all of the others were asleep.
"Hah!" he laughed, "You're so impatient! Haven't you ever heard the story of the kitten that went fishing?"
Just then, the boat began to shake violently. It seemed that the bait had been seized by something strong so that the boat was even dragged forward. Mandis grabbed the chain immediately, but it was too much. He shouted, "Help! I can't hold it!"
They grabbed the chain and pulled together, using what little strength they had. Simons tried the hardest, but Catherine couldn't stand the pain and let go. Neither could Mandis pull the wheel up. Silverstar picked up the dragon-fang dagger; Catherine asked, "Where are you going?"
"Going fishing!" Silverstar said. He took a deep breath and jumped into the sea, swimming along the iron chain. The fish swam toward him, and Silverstar knew: It was a prehistoric shark called a Cladoselache, with its distinctive mouth and jaw structure. Once the shark sensed prey, it would swim toward it. Silverstar stabbed its head, and the predator began to fight mightily. Just then, it was penetrated by a spear, and the water clouded with blood. Silverstar took the chance to throw something into its mouth, and then he hurried out of the water.
"'Did you kill it?" Nicholas asked.
"Well, I guess I did, sort of," Silverstar replied, still working to catch his breath.
The shark swallowed the object and swam away. Suddenly, the grenade it had swallowed exploded.
Silverstar smiled and said, "Finally, we'll have something to eat!"
"Wow!" Runt exclaimed.
A Monster…a Mutant
The shark smelled luscious as it roasted over the fire, and the wait was worthwhile. The members of the group, all starved for something decent to eat, gorged themselves on it.
"That was really delicious," Nicholas said with a smile of satisfaction. He clasped his hands behind his head, inhaled deeply and closed his eyes.
"The meat turned the whole time," Runt said, "and every part of that beast was cooked." Then he poured a pail of seawater to put out the fire.
Silverstar picked up the knife, cut a last chunk it into pieces and distributed them to the group. Catherine asked, "Wait, is this part done?"
Silverstar replied, "Of course!"
Catherine picked up a particular piece that appeared to be oily. She hesitated before eating it, but she was so hungry that it was relatively easy to overcome any concern.
Hicks felt so hot that he released the button on his white collar. So did Captain Simons, who was still wearing his uniform.
"We should go back," Nicholas said. "Remember, Silas and the other four sailors still haven't eaten anything."
"Right!" Simons wiped the sweat from his face and gave the thumbs-up sign.
Mandis took off his t-shirt and used it to tie the basket full of fish. They walked into the forest together.
"Silverstar," Catherine said as they walked along together. "Where…what are all the places you've been to? Why didn't you talk about it at school?" She gasped while walking.
"You look so tired! Are you okay?"
"I walk too fast," she said. "Can you tell me now?"
"Oh," Silverstar was just about to say, but Runt shouted, "Stop!"
The trees glistened with green fluid, some of which was distorted and gashed. It seemed that a fight had taken place.
Hicks walked close and grabbed some leaves, covering his nose and saying, "It's really smelly!" Among the huge trees lay a gigantic black scorpion with its cohorts, which were much smaller and weaker than the one in San Francisco. The tail of this scorpion had obviously been pulled off. One of its pincers was missing, as was a leg on either side, and there were significant tooth marks on the neck. It died from excessive bleeding. Its green blood had almost the same sickening smell as that of a human.
Catherine covered her nose and left, leaving Silverstar and Runt to deal with the encounter. Runt walked across the ground soaked in green blood, looking at the gigantic corpse. "The legs haven't been bitten, really," he said. "They've been pinched off by a large clamp. Look!" He pointed at the broken legs, "There are deep scratches with even smaller ones on the wound, which means it was wounded by another scorpion. But…"
"But what?" Silverstar walked over, covering his nose.
"Doctor," Nicholas asked, "You refer to these insects in Spanish?"
"Of course! After all, I'm a famous…"
"Doctor!" Silverstar reminded, "You'd better stay on point!"
"Well, all right! I've studied these ancient creatures for a year, and I've never seen a scorpion that would leave such big scratches… Oh, my God!"
"What's wrong?" Silverstar asked.
"It's at least seven meters tall!" Runt shouted suddenly, "Oh! It might stay where it is… Let's get out of here, quickly!"
He seemed right, as an overwhelming roar came from the huge forest.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and they could hear the approach of footsteps.
"What's happening!?" Simons ran out of the forest.
"We'd better run," Silverstar shouted, "or we'll…"
Another more terrible cry came; Nicholas pulled Mandis up and shouted, "Run!"
Simons and the others also ran out of the "crime scene." They were suddenly blocked by a huge fallen tree, which was pushed down by a gigantic red scorpion, at least seven meters in height, with constantly moving clamps, two tails and four legs. It was some sort of hideous, mutated monster!
The monster roared again, making it doubly clear that escape was essential.
Catherine, gasping heavily, started to lag behind. If it wasn't because they were relatively small and fleet of foot, they might have been on the dinner table of the scorpion.
Before them was a hillside littered with sharp stones. They had to cross over them, but the route was injurious. Silverstar began the climb. Nicholas was wounded, Hicks showed no sign of caring about the others, and Mandis, despite his own injury, held Runt as he went. Silverstar lent a hand to Catherine, "Get up! Quick! It's coming!"
"I . . . I . . . I'm really exhausted!" She struggled to catch her breath.
Simons came over, and Silverstar suddenly shouted, "Look out!"
The monster with gaping jaws pursued them. Its mouth clamp ripped into Simon's back and gave Silverstar a scratch in the process. The captain was held high and bleeding, but he managed to pull his revolver and beat the monster with it. The thing shook its head in reaction and threw him down. Simons fell through some foliage, which reduced the impact but obscured him from view.
The monster turned to its prey on the ground. Suddenly, several shadows passed through the trees, flying like bullets. They whooped like Indians, in an imposing and elaborate manner.
Each time they passed the monster, they released a green odor that was torturous to the beast. Suddenly, a masked man appeared. He took out a heavy bag from his back, plunged something into it and threw it to the monster. A blue light burst out and burned the monster's face. The monster took a last look at its prey before turning to run.
They were still suffering from the shock when two masked men jumped along the rope and swept up the injured Simons, who was unconscious. Mandis rushed up to stop them, but they were so powerful that Mandis was pushed over. Afte
r shouting toward those on the tree, "Hey, yahoo!" they were instantly pulled up along the rope. They vanished in the fog.
Moonlight
The voyagers plodded back to the campsite like drowned rats. However, Silas and six of the sailors had explored the wreckage of the ship, where they found a flashlight, some food and other provisions with which to outfit the encampment.
"Hey, look at yourselves." Silas stepped out with a flashlight, taking off his suit and putting on a navy uniform, transforming from an arrogant millionaire into a reasonably formidable-looking soldier.
"Ha!" he said as he noticed Mandis' bloody T-shirt. "Look at you, silly guy! It's hard to find food, right?"
Hicks lost his cool and punched him.
"Bah!" He spat, "Want to pretend arrogance before me? Huh! You know, I'm…!"
Silas gave Hicks' belly a violent kick and socked him in the head as he fell.
Hicks dropped to the ground, breathless and dazed. It was then that Silverstar found how strong Silas was.
"Listen," he said, picking Hicks up by the collar. "Knowledge is useless here, and only the fist speaks!" He dealt a swift blow to Hicks' back, rendering his victim writhing in pain.
"What a violent person you are," said Runt as he knelt down to give Hicks a hand.
"Huh?" Hicks gasped and coughed, vomiting acid saliva and partially digested fish, and staggered toward the campsite.
It was midnight.
Awakened by a beam of bright light shining into the campsite, Silverstar was surprised to find that he felt no pain. Maybe it was because of the oxygen, he thought. Hearing someone speaking, he went out.
"Ouch!" Catherine screamed, sitting in front of the campsite, doing something with her hand. The light came from the huge, beautiful moon.
"Oh, my God!" Silverstar exclaimed, "It's a super moon!"
"Oh, you're awake?" said Catherine. She turned in the way that was uniquely hers. Her hair shone in the moonlight, and once again Silverstar was captivated by her blue eyes and beautiful face.
