Village E3: Survival of the Human Spirit

by James Holler

  It took John a while, but he did finally catch up. Not long after, the three of them stopped running and began laughing, as if drunk on their newly discovered athletic ability. They were barely winded.

  "I think it's right over there," John said, pointing across the clearing. "We might as well run," he said, taking off before getting the last word out of his mouth. Without hesitation, Hailey was right behind him, with Katie hot on her heels.

  When they reached the edge of the other side of the clearing, they stopped. "Hear it? Does it sound a little louder than last time, Hailey?" asked John. "I think it does," said Hailey. "Maybe we can hear better too." From here they walked till the stream came into sight.

  Katie was first to see it. "There it is. Over there," she said. As they got closer, they could see fish swimming in the shallows. As they neared the water's edge, the fish slowly moved out to deeper water. The water was very clear and the deeper water had a bluish green tint to it.

  As they walked downstream, little frogs occasionally jumped in front of them. A small fish suddenly began to jump out of the water, in a series of short jumps, in a straight line. As it entered shallow water, a larger fish came into view, right behind it. The water got shallower as they both approached the shore. Totally focused on escape, the smaller fish jumped completely out of the water. John walked over and picked it up. "Well, that was an easy one to catch," he said.

  A few feet from the edge of the water, John scooped out rocks, making a small pool of water, then put the fish in it. "He should be OK here, till we get back," said John. They continued to make their way down stream.

  Around one corner, they spooked a flock of about twenty ducks. "Oh man, I wish we could have one of those for dinner," said John. A little farther downstream, they reached a place where the water had dug out an area that was separate from the main stream. "Cool, our own swimming pool," said Katie. The water was only about four feet deep, and very clear. They could see the stones on the bottom and there were even a few very small fish in it.

  Katie walked into the water, and once she got to the middle, she sat down, allowing her head to go under. She popped right back up. "I'm in," said Hailey, as she walked in to where Katie was. She too dunked herself below the water and as she came up, she instinctively reached for her hair, or where it once was. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about washing my hair," said Hailey. "Let's move here," said Katie. "I'm ok with it, if you guys are," said John. "Sounds good to me," said Hailey.

  They spent at least an hour playing in the pool. It was the closest thing to actual fun, that they had experienced since they had been here. Showing no inhibition, Katie took her clothes completely off, and began washing them. She made no effort to hide from John. As if trying not to be outdone, Hailey followed suit. "Guess I might as well join the party," said John, as he took off his filthy boxers, and did his best to clean them. In the clear water, there was nothing left to the imagination. They had all seen each other now.

  After splashing and playing, they all sat in the shallow water. They were in a shady spot, so there was no hurry to leave. "You are both fine looking ladies, hair or no hair," said John. "Seriously, let's move here," said Katie. "Ok, if we are really going to move here, we need to find a spot to build our home," said John. "Let's get going then," said Katie, as she walked out of the water with her clothes. As she dressed, Hailey and John got out of the water too. They were a little more self-conscious about being naked than Katie was and both turned their backs as they got dressed.

  They walked slowly, as they went downstream again. The rocks in some places were large enough to hurt their feet. In other places, they were smaller, and easier to walk on. Carrying his knife, as he always did, John stopped and sharpened a long stick. The fish were so plentiful that he thought he might be able to spear one. "I wish we would have brought our spear," he said as he finished his whittling. There were so many new things to look at, that the three of them acted like children on a field trip.

  They checked out each new pool of water, looking at the fish, and pointing at this and that. "If we are going to find a place to live, don't we have to get out of the streambed?" asked Hailey. "How about we go a little farther, and then pick the spot on the stream that we all like," said John. "That sounds all right," said Katie. "I really liked our swimming pool," said Hailey. "Why don't we look around back there?"

  John stood there, not saying anything, as if he were thinking. "I'm getting pretty thirsty, so let's do something, and head back home soon," said Katie, heading back in the direction of their swimming hole. Hailey followed her lead, with John trailing behind.

  In a short time, they were back at the place where they had played in the water. One side of the stream had a steep bank. The other side had a sloping bank. John started walking toward the slope, using his sharpened stick to aid in walking. The vegetation was thick, but not too thick to walk through. As they reached the top of the bank, the trees thinned out. There were smaller trees, but not larger ones, as if it had been cleared at one time.

  At one edge of the area, which had fewer large trees, there was something that caught their eye right away. It looked out of place with everything surrounding it. "What's that?" asked Hailey. "Let's go see," said John, immediately walking toward it. It looked like a large clump of vines, that was about ten feet high or so. As they got closer, one feature stood out above all others. It looked like it had a square corner, which was a shape that was almost never encountered in the jungle.

  As they stood and looked at it, they each knew what it looked like, but none of them wanted to be the first to say it. John stepped up, grabbed some vines and pulled them away exposing a board. It was very rough looking, but it was a board. "It's a cabin or something," said John. "This doesn't make any sense. Where did they get boards here?" He continued to pull away more vines, finally exposing a door.

  The door had an old wooden latch, like those seen in some old western movies. John pulled the latch up and pulled on the door, but it was stuck at the bottom. He pulled harder, and finally it came open. It was hard to see inside at first, but as they slowly walked in, their eyes adjusted. It looked like a log cabin.

  The only boards were on the door. On one wall hung a saw with two handles, one on each end. Beside the saw, was a sharp blade with two handles that John recognized as a type of tool that his grandfather had in his garage, as part of his antique tool collection. "I see how they made the boards now," said John. "Man, that would be a bunch of work."

  As John checked out the tools, Hailey and Katie were looking around the rest of the small building. Katie suddenly let out a small shriek. "Oh God," said Katie, walking backwards. "What is it?" asked Hailey. "A body," said Katie, grabbing Hailey's arm. John walked over to where the two were standing. They all crept closer to the pile of bones.

  The bones were on what was left of a crude bed. On the bed was a blanket, and on top of the blanket, were human remains. The skull was in full view, with some hair still on it, and partially visible under the hand bones of the skeleton, was something rusty. John cautiously pulled out an old knife which was covered in rust, but otherwise intact. He tried to hand it to Hailey, but she refused to take it.

  There was something odd about the blanket. Other than a thick layer of dust, it looked to be in very good condition. John picked up the corner of it and tested its strength with his other hand and found that the fabric felt strong, with no sign of rotting.

  They have had many nights when a blanket would have been nice to have. As he lifted the corner of the blanket higher, he saw the bones of another person. The bones under the blanket were more neatly positioned than the set on top. The arms were folded, much like a corpse in a casket. "There's another one," said John.

  He folded the blanket over, so Katie and Hailey could see the bones underneath. This skull had a little more skin, and the hair was much longer. "Let's get this blanket. Grab the other end," he said, motioning for Hailey to help him. They each raised up on the ends, and t
he bones began to tumble off, onto the bones beneath. "Let's take it outside and look at it," said Katie.

  Once in the sunshine, they could see what appeared to be dried blood on the top side. Looking on the bottom however, there was no sign of a stain. They shook it vigorously and most of the dust, and even much of the stain came off. Taking his knife, John scraped at what was left of the stain. It easily flaked off, with almost no effort.

  "I don't know what this blanket is made of, but it is some pretty good stuff," said John. "That's for sure," said Hailey. "Soft, but strong. I like that," said Katie, feeling the blanket with her hand. "We should go in and see what else we can find."

  Without any more discussion, they walked back into this partially rotted shack in the jungle. John went straight for the tools, then took them off of the wall and put them near the door. Katie walked over to where the bed was and stood over the bones. Hailey walked slowly around the room, looking for anything they could use.

  Inside, there were several shafts of light, which penetrated the darkness, through holes in the roof and walls. Set free after being undisturbed for years, thousands of particles of dust danced about in the light, making it hard to see. As Hailey was easing along, she noticed what looked like writing on the wall. "Come look at this," she said.

  Katie and John rushed over to see what she had found. They had to strain to see it, but one thing they could clearly make out, was the name Sarah. Beside it, and harder to make out, was the name Thomas. "At least we know that there were people here before us," said Katie. "This place is amazing, if the two of them built it alone," said John. "I can't get over the fact that they made boards."

  John walked over to the door and forced it open a little wider, to let in more light. Now they could see better. Below the names of Thomas and Sarah, were the names William, Charles, and Mary. "Are those their children?" asked Hailey. "Who knows for sure," said Katie. "This makes me feel better about this place. Maybe we aren't the only ones here," said John. "Let's hope," said Hailey.

  They continued to slowly survey the room for anything useful. "Look at this," said Hailey, as she stood, looking in one corner. In front of her was a small wooden box. Katie and John walked up behind her, as she bent over to take a closer look. The box had a lid, with hinges that were made of what appeared to be old, dry, cracked leather, laced through some holes in the wood. Hailey slowly lifted the lid and reached inside, picking up the first thing she saw. It was a wooden, hand carved figurine.

  "It's a doll," Katie said. "What else is in there?" asked John. Hailey reached in, and pulled out a small, round container, then another. She handed them to John and Katie.

  As Hailey checked for more contents, John struggled with the container, trying to open it. It had a lid, so he was trying his best to unscrew it. He wasn't sure if it was made of metal, or plastic, but it didn't feel like either. Failing to unscrew the lid, even using all of his strength, John tried tapping it on the floor. It still wouldn't budge, so he then turned the container upside down, and hit it against the floor. The lid popped open, and was attached by a small hinge, which was only visible when open. John closed the lid and gently pushed down on it, and it easily popped open again.

  Katie opened her container, which opened the same way as the other one had. "This one has something in it," said Katie. "It looks like rocks," she said as she pulled one out. "Writing," said John. There were carefully scratched words on the smooth flat stone. Katie read them out loud. "The children are gone. Sarah doesn't want to live." Katie pulled out the second stone. She read it also. "Sarah is dead. I'm going to join her."

  For what seemed like minutes, they were all silent, as they contemplated what had taken place in this cabin. "Is that all?" John asked, in a soft voice, not wanting to abruptly change the mood. "Yes, just the two stones," said Katie. "That is so sad," said Hailey. "I think we should give them a proper burial." "That might have to wait," said John. "We have to get back home and talk about what we are going to do." "Are we going to take this box home with us?" asked Katie. "We might as well wait till we move, if we are going to," said Hailey.

  Carrying the containers, the carved doll, and the tools, they went outside and placed their finds on the blanket. Kneeling on the ground, John firmly grasped the blanket with both hands and pulled with all the strength that he had. He then poked at the blanket with the tip of his knife and found it wouldn't penetrate. "I can't get over how strong this is, after all this time."

  Dropping the blanket to the ground, he put downward pressure on the knife, trying to poke a hole in it. When that didn't work, he pushed down hard, causing the knife to go into the ground to the hilt, taking part of the blanket with it. He pulled out the knife, then pulled the blanket out of the ground and saw that it was undamaged.

  "Damn, this is indestructible," said John. Placing all the items on the blanket, except for the saw, he brought the corners together and fashioned a bag to carry them. Because of its size, the saw would have to be carried separately. Before they left, John went to the door and tried to close it as securely as he could. "I wish I knew their whole story," said Hailey, as they took their first steps toward home. "Me too," Katie agreed.

  Chapter 7

  Over the course of the next several weeks, the three friends made daily trips to the spot where they were building their new home. As the days passed, they became a cohesive unit. A full day of work was many times followed by a dip in their new-found swimming hole. They spent less time talking about their old lives, as their new lives became more tolerable.

  With an abundant supply of fish and other food in the area, they were even starting to gain back some of the weight that each of them had lost since being here. The location of their new hut was only yards downstream from the cabin which held the remains of Sarah and Thomas. They hadn't visited there since the day they found it, but planned to return once their home was finished.

  Finally, the day arrived when they would be leaving their old hut for the last time. Beginning that night, they would be sleeping in their new hut, which was larger, and held a platform which they called the bed. It was large enough to hold the three of them. They had never slept together as a group before, so they were about to enter uncharted territory. John had been flirting with them both and had snuck kisses from each of them, when the other was out of sight or busy, but kissing was as far as it went.

  This morning, Katie woke first and started the daily chores. She had just put the first pot on when Hailey and John both came out of the hut together. "Today's the day," said Katie. "I think somebody is excited," said John. "I am," said Katie. "Me too," said Hailey.

  Even though it had been weeks since they lost their hair, the regrowth on their heads wasn't much more than stubble. Each of them had also developed increased muscle tone that was clearly visible. They were not only faster, as they discovered on the first trek to their new home, but their strength had increased greatly. Their new-found physical prowess served them well while building their new hut.

  They each drank water in preparation for the hike to their new home, and had a couple of pieces of fruit each that they had picked the day before. After drinking his fill of water, and scarfing down his fruit, John began gathering all of their possessions: the bag, knife, spear, cooking pot, cup, fishing pole, bag, plastic water container, blanket, and other items from the cabin.

  "When you ladies are done eating, I'm ready to go," he said with a grin. "Look who's excited now," said Katie. "I have to pee first," Hailey said, walking in the direction of the hut, with Katie right behind her. They walked until the hut was between them and John, so he used the opportunity to empty his bladder too.

  Placing most of the items in the blanket, John threw it over his shoulder, as Katie picked up the spear and the knife. Hailey carried the water container, and the tools were already at their new home. They had walked this route so many times that a well-worn path was in the tall grass.

  Walking up to the doorway of their new hut, they placed their i
tems on the ground. They had already constructed a nice fire pit with neatly laid rocks in a circle all around it. On one side of the pit was an area for boiling water. The rocks were the exact distance apart needed to hold their pot. On the other side of the pit, were more rocks spaced for cooking fish, using skewers.

  They already had a nice supply of wood, and had gathered some fire starting material, which they had stored in the hut. Everything about this place was an upgrade from their old home. Using the saw that they found in the cabin made building the hut much easier than it would have been otherwise. They also used the saw to cut wood for burning.

  "I'll catch some fish, if somebody wants to get a fire going," said John. "I'll get it," said Hailey. The stream was only about fifty yards from their new hut, so John set about catching fish bait. With Katie helping him, they soon had enough bugs and grubs.

  As always, John was afraid of losing his hook, so he fished near the surface while Katie prepared a limb stringer to hold the fish. Before she had it ready, John already had a fish on his hook. "Got one," he said. "OK, hold on," said Katie, as she stripped the last few leaves from her newly fashioned stringer. In about thirty minutes they had nine small fish and wasted no time gutting them and started back with their lunch.

  Katie carried the fish, and John carried the fishing pole. They could see the smoke rising from the fire that Hailey already had going and could smell the familiar scent of burning wood. In the hut, they already had a nice stash of fruit, so food would be plentiful today. "Wow, you two did good," said Hailey, as Katie held their catch up for her to see. Hailey had two long limbs ready to hold the fish. "I think I'll cut another limb," she said, getting up from the rock she had been seated on.