“Take us upriver!” she heard Anatoly snap.
“No!” Helen cried. “Go back!”
“Keep driving or I’ll shoot the boy!” Anatoly screamed in rage.
Mary spun in the water in a furious effort to find them. Finally, she saw the boat, and to her horror, it was pushing upstream, while the current dragged Mary in the opposite direction. She could just make out Anatoly, standing with his gun pressed against Ike’s head. Helen stared back toward Mary in despair, while Pepe was at the boat’s helm, forced to follow Anatoly’s demands at the threat of Ike’s life.
Mary panicked, and was pulled under again, losing sight of the boat.
“What’re you doing?” Mary heard Colin yell as she emerged from the depths once again. “You’re going the wrong way, mate!”
What was she supposed to do now? Apparently, Anatoly had even determined that the poacher was no longer useful to him. If he wasn’t going to save Colin, there was no chance that he’d come back for her. Nobody was coming to her rescue. She only had two options. Either she could try and swim to shore, or she could drown.
Deep down, Mary knew that drowning was more likely. The current was so strong! With every few strokes, the water would pull her under again and again. She didn’t even have enough time to take a full breath before being pulled down each time. Mary coughed out the water that poured into her mouth, and felt her strength draining at an alarming rate.
An idea crossed her mind. Instead of desperately trying to swim to the surface and wasting all of her strength, she focused on not struggling so much. She tried to swim deliberately and correctly. It got easier, and helped her calm down. She was able to keep her head above the water, and finally took several deep breaths. Breathing never felt so good.
In her slightly improved state, Mary cautiously turned in the water, searching for the shore. Spotting it was not a welcome sight. It was probably only one hundred meters away, but it might as well have been ten miles. There was no way that she’d be able to swim to the shore on her own.
Mary felt like sobbing, but she didn’t even have enough energy for that. She knew that any effort to swim was in vain. All of her struggling had completely drained her body of energy. She was barely staying afloat as it was, and it was only a matter of time before she’d be swept under for good.
In that moment, Mary thought of Dad. Only a few hours ago, she’d been on top of the world, ready to return home triumphantly with stories of how she’d survived in one of the most dangerous places on the earth. She fantasized that he’d realize how much she’d grown, and maybe even give her permission to travel the world. Now she’d never have that chance.
“I’m sorry. I never wanted this to happen,” she whispered to the water.
She looked to the sky and wondered what would happen when she died.
Strangely, it didn’t scare her.
She stopped swimming, and the river pulled her under immediately. Resigned to go, Mary didn’t try to fight back. She felt at peace with her decision.
“Don’t give up! Please, Mary, don’t give up!”
Mary heard the echoes of what Helen been yelling just before her head went under. Helen’s last plea replayed in Mary’s head as she drifted along under the water. These were her last thoughts, and all Mary could think about was how much she’d miss everyone. What would happen to Helen when she was gone? What about her brother? And Pepe? Would Anatoly actually let them go?
I promised I’d get them home, she thought.
Still floating in the murky depths, Mary’s lungs started to burn. She’d have to give up soon.
I promised.
Now, instead of getting them home, she was giving up and leaving them with a madman. She was breaking her promise.
No! I promised!
With a surge of emotion, Mary realized she couldn’t give up. Even if there was no chance of survival, she had to go down giving every last ounce of her strength.
Reinvigorated, Mary burst above the surface again, and filled her ragged lungs with air. Methodically, she started backstroking through the water. She didn’t even know if she was headed toward the bank or not, and was too weak to even look. Her only hope was that the current would eventually take her near the shore. Every stroke felt like it would be her last, but she used thoughts of saving her friends to keep going. She would not give up!
Without warning, her arm struck against something solid. Had she made it?
No, she thought. It’s just a floating log.
Mary wrapped her arms around it and hung on, hoping to use it to keep above the water long enough to get her strength back. In her drained state, she wasn’t thinking very clearly. She wondered why the log felt so rubbery. Shouldn’t wood feel hard and stiff?
Dazed, Mary looked at the log, and almost screamed when she found herself staring into a dark, piercing eye, surrounded by pinkish flesh.
Before she could let go, the eye locked her gaze and mesmerized her. She immediately felt calm. Clarity flooded back into her mind, and fear left her completely.
It was a river dolphin! The pink body of the dolphin moved close and buoyed her up. Mary kept her gaze fixed on the dolphin’s eye, allowing her river protector to do all the swimming. Before she knew it, her feet dragged along the river bottom. She was safe!
The whole thing only took a few seconds, but it felt like hours. She reluctantly took her gaze away from the dolphin, and with her last bit of strength, pulled herself onto the riverbank.
She heard coughing and sputtering nearby. Mary looked to the left, and to her surprise, saw a second dolphin carrying Colin to safety. He crawled onto the land and collapsed in a heap.
Close to the bank, the two dolphins peeked their heads from the water and looked in her direction. Behind them, the Amazon appeared as a vast ocean. Had she really fallen into that?
Why had the dolphins saved her? Or Colin for that matter? Pepe said their behavior was unusual. What would he say now?
The dolphins nodded, as if in satisfaction, then turned away, returning to their river home.
“Thank you, my friends,” Mary whispered weakly. “Thank you!”
With that, she closed her eyes, and fell back completely onto the bank.
Searching for the Globe
Mary heard voices. Still recovering, she rolled onto her side and slowly rose to her knees. She looked up to see Pepe, Helen, and Ike running toward her. Helen reached her first.
“Mary, I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault,” Helen sobbed out as she skidded to a halt and threw her arms around Mary’s collapsed form.
“You didn’t … know … ” Mary tried to say, her words trailing off as she ran out of air. “But it’s okay … the dolphins … they saved … they saved … ”
Helen clung to Mary, crying.
“I thought you were a goner!” she said.
Ike and Pepe caught up, with Anatoly following behind, his gun still drawn.
“How sweet!” Anatoly said. “I think we’ve all learned a very important lesson here, don’t you? I trust none of you will try anything stupid again?”
Colin rose to his feet and faced Anatoly, anger burning in his eyes.
“Why you low down, no good … You were gonna leave us to drown!” he accused.
“Oh, come now,” Anatoly answered. “There’s no need to be upset. The girl tried to push us both in the water. I barely stayed aboard as it was. I wasn’t able to control them and the boat. But all the same, if it will make it up, I’ll pay you what I promised now, and give you double after we find the globe.”
Anatoly reached into a pocket and produced a thick wad of cash.
Colin took the money, and held it in his hand as if unsure of what to do. He looked back and forth between Anatoly and the money, before finally putting it in his pocket.
“Alright,” he said. “You have a deal.”
“Excellent,” Anatoly said.
He pulled the poacher’s rifle from his shoulder and
handed it back to Colin.
“How’d you get out?” Ike asked Mary, his cheeks streaked with tears. “I thought you wouldn’t make it!”
“I almost didn’t,” Mary answered. “I would’ve drowned it if it wasn’t for the dolphins.”
“Dolphins? What on earth are you talking about?” Anatoly scoffed.
“Our river dolphins are the protectors of the Amazon,” Pepe explained. “Many legends tell of them saving others, but I have never seen this happen until today.”
“It’s true,” Mary said. “I don’t know why they saved us, but they did.”
Colin stared blankly out over the water.
“They came out of nowhere,” he said. “It was like they knew just what to do. Almost like they were human.”
“Well, it is a touching story, but I’m afraid I don’t really care. I’m tired of waiting,” Anatoly said. “Move!”
Mary wasn’t given any more time to regain her depleted strength. She was worn out to the bone, but Anatoly forced her all the same to march forward along the Amazon. Helen and Ike stayed close, and helped her every time she stumbled.
The two boats were anchored securely to a log on the riverbank. Colin reached in to grab a few things, including Grandpa’s machete.
“We might need this,” he said, slipping it through his belt.
Together they trooped along. There was still some water in the flasks in Grandpa’s backpack, which Helen now wore. Mary was terribly thirsty, but she didn’t dare try to stop, fearing that Anatoly would take it from her. Mary knew she’d have to fight through this, no matter how difficult it got.
They passed tree after tree with T-carved trunks. They came to a spot that Mary recognized, where a shattered log was lying on the ground. She thought of the grubs that had relieved their hunger a few days earlier. She was famished, and wouldn’t be against looking for a few more. If only Anatoly would let them stop.
After a while, they came to another familiar area. It was where they’d initially emerged from the trees, and for the first time, beheld the Amazon River.
“This is it,” she said wearily. “From here we have to go into the jungle, and continue to follow the marks.”
“How long will it take?” Colin asked.
No doubt struggling in the river had worn him out just as much as it had Mary.
“It took us the entire morning to get to the river,” Mary answered. “We still have a long way to go.”
Colin groaned, and Mary understood how he felt. The last thing she wanted to do was trudge through the sweltering rainforest.
“Let’s get going!” Anatoly ordered.
The group of six entered into the forest, following the marks on the trees as they went.
Anatoly continually urged them to move faster. Mary did what she could, though she struggled to even stay on her feet.
Twenty minutes in, she tripped and fell. Ike, Helen, and Pepe all ran to help her up, but when Mary got to her feet, she realized that Colin was there, helping as well.
“You must feel as tuckered as I do,” he said. “Here, have a drink.”
He passed her his own water bottle. Mary eagerly gulped, the water helping to cool her parched throat.
“No stopping!” Anatoly barked. “We can rest when we get to the globe.”
They walked and walked and walked. Deeper and deeper into the rainforest they went. With every step, Mary wished she could just curl up on the ground and stay there forever.
“We’re here!” Helen yelled, just as Mary was about to give up and collapse.
Perking up at the announcement, Mary looked ahead, and could see the remnants of the shelter they’d built during their first night in the rainforest.
“Good, now where’s the globe!” Anatoly asked without hesitation.
“We fell into this tree,” Mary weakly explained. “We didn’t have it when we climbed down, so we thought that maybe it fell to the ground. We searched everywhere, but didn’t see it.”
“Well, maybe it’s time to look again,” Anatoly pushed. “No time to lose.”
Everybody spread out and began to search. They looked under every branch and leaf, and behind every tree. They searched every possible inch of the rainforest floor within one hundred meters in every direction. But the globe was simply nowhere to be found.
“Where is it?” Anatoly said, his anger boiling over. “You said it would be here!”
“It has to be here somewhere,” Mary replied. “I don’t think it could be anywhere else.”
What would he do to them if they didn’t find it?
“It might be stuck in the tree,” Helen suggested, seeking to ease the tense moment. “It could’ve gotten caught in the branches, just like we did.”
Anatoly thought for a minute, studying the tree’s thick canopy.
“How did you get down?” he asked. “If you fell, you wouldn’t be walking again anytime soon.”
Helen pointed to the vines hanging from the adjacent tree.
“We climbed down those,” she said.
Anatoly walked over and tugged on one of the vines.
“Very clever,” he admitted. “But can we climb back up again?”
He contemplated the puzzle, scratching at his white mustache.
“Which of you can climb?” he asked.
Mary knew she wouldn’t be able to, completely worn out or not.
“I can probably do it,” Helen volunteered.
“As can I,” admitted Pepe.
“Excellent,” Anatoly said. “I want the two of you to go up there and search every inch of that tree. Don’t come down unless you have the globe in hand.”
Helen and Pepe walked toward the vines.
“One more thing,” Anatoly added. “Every few seconds, you will call down to us. If you even think of trying to use the globe, I’ll know, and I’ll shoot your friends. Do I make myself clear?”
Helen and Pepe both nodded. Helen took off the backpack and handed it to Mary. She and Pepe each selected a different vine, and began to climb.
Pepe was a natural. He’d probably learned how to climb when he was still a toddler, and with his strong upper body, he pulled himself effortlessly up the vine. Helen didn’t look quite the natural as Pepe, but she climbed up without much trouble either. Before Mary knew it, both had disappeared into the leaves above.
The Magic of the Amazon
Mary gazed upward, searching for any sign of her friends. They’d long since disappeared into the leaves, and she could only hear them when they called down every few seconds per Anatoly’s instructions.
Helen’s normal cry of “still here!” suddenly became a scream of terror.
“Are you okay?” Mary called up.
“I’m fine,” Helen said. “I just didn’t realize there were huge snakes in this tree!”
Mary smiled. Helen didn’t know that she and the emerald boa had already met.
The search continued, and Helen and Pepe’s calls grew more and more distant. Mary wasn’t sure what worried her more—them finding the globe, or them not finding it.
Suddenly, Helen cried out.
“There it is! I found it!”
Mary’s heart surged with anxiety. This was it. Was there anything she could do to keep the globe from Anatoly?
“Bring it down at once!” Anatoly said. “And don’t stop calling to us, unless you want your friends to die!”
Helen and Pepe obeyed, and began to make their descent.
“Whoops!” Helen yelled. “Look out below!”
Something crashed through the branches above. Mary looked up, just in time, to see an object falling directly toward her. She stepped out of the way, the object missing her by mere inches. It hit the ground next to her, and came to rest against her shoe.
There it was, lying in the dirt on the rainforest floor. An object with more power than anything she’d ever imagined. Quickly and instinctively, she knelt down and scooped
it up, cradling it closely against her body, protecting it as best as she could.
“Give it to me!” Anatoly approached her.
Mary gulped.
“I can’t,” she said. “It doesn’t belong to you!”
What are you doing? she mentally screamed. You already barely escaped dying once today. Do you have a death wish?
Mary didn’t know where this sudden surge of defiance was coming from. It went against everything she knew about herself. She shook with fear as Anatoly stepped closer, his gun drawn.
There was that feeling again, the same as she’d felt in the warehouse. She didn’t know where it came from, but an overwhelming impulse to keep the globe from Anatoly at all costs pushed the fear away.
I can’t let him have it! she thought.
“If you don’t immediately give me the globe, I promise that every one of your friends will die,” he said. “There’s no way to escape this time.”
Mary didn’t doubt his seriousness. She took a deep breath, and stood as tall as she could.
“No!” she said, looking him directly in the eye. “I won’t ever let you have it.”
Mary stepped back, clutching the globe with every ounce of her strength. This unexpected bravery was in control now. She was physically unable to give the globe to Anatoly, even if she wanted to.
“I‘m growing very impatient,” Anatoly said.
“I won’t give it to you!” Mary insisted, taking another step back.
“This is your final chance. I’ll give you to the count of three,” Anatoly said.
He eyes were twisted with rage.
“If the globe isn’t in my hand by the time I finish, I swear you’ll never breathe another breath again. Do not test me!”
He pointed his pistol directly at Mary’s head. She closed her eyes and took another deep breath. The Amazon filled her.
Everything she’d seen in these past days flashed before her. The river, the Ticuna, the dolphins—everything. She felt the entire rainforest watching her. It gave her power.
“One,” he counted.
Mary took yet another step back. The surrounding magic fed into her irresistible urge to protect the globe. All fear had completely disappeared.
The Magnificent Glass Globe Page 15
