Unexpected Hero

by Craig Goodwin

  Temo shrugged and grinned. "I like the food."

  Benji laughed.

  "What about TV? I haven't seen one yet."

  "We don't have a TV in the village," Temo said. "The only time we can watch a television is when we go to the Nadi market on Saturdays to sell kava and sugar cane. There is an internet cafe where we play video games, too. Sometimes we can go to McDonald's."

  “There’s a McDonald’s here?”

  James nodded. “We have one near Nadi and someone told me there is another in Suva, but I have not been there. Do you like McDonald’s?”

  “It’s okay. It kind of gives me a stomach ache sometimes. I like Burger King a lot better.”

  “What is Burger King?”

  “It’s a restaurant kinda like McDonald’s, but with better burgers.”

  "You have more restaurants where you come from? What else is different?" Temo asked.

  "Well, there are a lot more restaurants, and a lot more people, too. I live out in the suburbs, so not really a city, but not too far from one. Plenty of houses and kids. Um, what else? There's the ocean, a couple hours away, and we've got mountains like you guys do, but they aren't as green."

  "I would like to live in America," James said, and Temo nodded in agreement.

  Seikz snorted.

  "What?" Benji asked. "Am I missing something?”

  “It is like this in other villages, too. The young people see American movies and read the magazines and they all want to leave and go to America. I love Viti Levu, it is my home. The older men and women also do not like this. They are afraid our village will die if all the young people leave.”

  They walked in a strained silence for some time; it was obvious this subject was a sore spot among the villagers, especially the youth. The minutes dragged and the group spread out while they walked. Benji made his way to Seikz and spoke in a hushed voice.

  “Seikz, what do you think about that Magellan story the chief told us?”

  The Fijian furrowed his brow and thought for a moment before answering. “I am not sure what I think. On one hand, you say it is not in history books, and it is very unlikely a man sailed across the huge Pacific Ocean and came across the little island of Viti Levu.

  “On the other hand, your mom was right. Would such a man want the world to know of his failures and a lover who was not his wife? But there is one thing that stays in my mind... My chief speaks no English and has never heard of the internet. So how does he know who Magellan was?”

  Benji stopped in his tracks, mouth agape. Seikz was right. If the legend was just that—nothing more than a story—then how did the chief know about the famous Ferdinand Magellan, white explorer from the other side of the world?

  The smooth trail gave way to boulders the size of minivans and Benji, not as nimble as his companions, took his time jumping from one to the next. It wasn't long before he fell behind.

  He rounded a bend and stopped short. A hundred feet above him the river poured off a sheer cliff, sparkling in the midday sun before hitting the swimming hole below. Mist filled the air with damp rainbows, and the perpetual splash of the waterfall mixed with birdsongs. The boulders ended just short of a wide, clear pool, at the edge of which sat Seikz.

  “What do you think?” Seikz motioned to the pool and the waterfall.

  “It’s absolutely amazing! I can’t believe I’m—whoa!” Benji pointed to the cliff. There, nearly eighty feet up with toes dangling over the edge, stood one of his new Fijian friends.

  “He’s not going to—oh my God!”

  Temo took a deep breath, bent his knees, and leapt into the open air.

  16.

  No way! Well…

  Benji squeezed his eyes shut and turned away, waiting for the horrible scream to echo through the clearing. Instead, he heard a huge whump-splash! as Temo landed in the water. Benji turned back and watched with his eyes wide and jaw hanging as the brave Fijian swam towards him, smiling all the while.

  “That was crazy! I mean—I can’t believe you—that was awesome!”

  Temo laughed and walked out onto the bank, wearing nothing but his shorts. He grinned. “You should try it. It is very fun.”

  As he spoke, James stepped to the edge and jumped, arms out and legs together. Benji counted almost to three before he splashed into the pool with the sound of someone doing a cannonball off a high dive, bringing his arms in at the last moment.

  “No way,” Benji said, staring at the eighty-foot cliff. “No, no, no, no. No way. I would die.”

  “How about from there?” Seikz pointed to a ledge about fifteen feet above the water. “It is not so high up. I think you should try.” He smiled at Benji.

  The American looked from the ledge to the water and back again. His stomach turned and his legs felt weak at the thought of climbing up there and jumping out into nothing. But still, it didn’t look that high. And his new Fijian friends were watching him. He didn’t want to look scared of a little jump.

  “I’ll do it.”

  17.

  Look out below!

  “Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid.”

  Benji stood alone on the ledge and wondered how he could have been so dumb. It was not just a short jump. It was high. Really high. He felt like throwing up. The rest of the guys stood beside the water, cheering him on.

  “Go on,” James shouted. “Jump!”

  “Do it!”

  “Go!”

  Benji’s legs shook, feeling weak and wobbly and he took a step back from the edge. He felt for the cliff behind him and leaned against it, eyes shut and breathing hard. The voices below faded to silence.

  He couldn’t do it. It was like all those guys at school said: he was weak. Trent had it right, and now his new friends knew it, too. The guys below consoled him as he got ready to climb back down. He couldn't jump. It was just too-

  “Oh, the heck with it.”

  Without giving himself any more time to think, he pushed off the wall and leapt out into the air. Benji tried to do what he’d seen the others do: he jumped far, kept his feet together, and put his arms out for balance. If he couldn’t stay balanced, he knew he would tilt either forward or backward and land painfully.

  Which is exactly what happened.

  He tucked his arms in at the last moment and hit the water hard, landing flat on his backside. He screamed in pain beneath the water, sending a cloud of bubbles to the surface. He swam up.

  “OOOOWWWW!”

  The Fijians were laughing and cheering. Benji swam to the shore and limped onto dry land.

  “Good job!”

  “Awesome!”

  “That hurt!” Benji pulled up one leg of his shorts, exposing his bright red upper thigh. They laughed even harder and he blushed.

  Seikz slapped him on the back. “Good job, Benji.”

  Benji smiled back. He did it.

  Noon came and went, and the four of them spent their time swimming, jumping, and lounging in the sun. After eating a granola bar lunch, the warm Fijian sun began to work its magic on Benji. He lay back with his head on his backpack, and pulled his hat down over his eyes. The soft, warm breeze and the contentedness of his soul melded together and he dozed off.

  “Benji."

  He opened his eyes and lifted his hat to find Seikz shaking his leg. Benji sat up and stretched. Temo and James were standing around and looked ready to go. The sun was past its zenith and on its downward swing.

  Benji held up his hand with his palm facing him, fingers together, and stretched his arm out. By holding his hand between the sun and the horizon, Benji could count about fifteen more minutes of daylight per finger he could fit between the two. Four fingers fit, with room for four more between the bottom of the sun and the ridge beneath it. Just about two hours until the sunlight began to fade.

  “You guys go ahead, I’ll catch up. The trail was really easy to find and the way back is all downhill. Besides, I want to take a few pictures of this amazing place.”
>
  Seikz looked concerned. “I will stay with you. It will be dark soon.”

  “Are you sure? I’ve got a headlamp just in case I get caught out here in the dark.”

  Seikz shook his head. “It can be easy to lose the trail and get lost at night.”

  After giving in to Seikz, he tried to find the best place to take some pictures. They came across a good spot to get some photos of the waterfall. But what he really wanted was a clear shot of the mountains. His eyes scanned the area and rested on the perfect place. Where could he get a better view than from the top of the cliff? Seikz agreed—it would be perfect.

  Benji pulled on his backpack. The two of them found the trail their friends had used to climb to their jumping point and followed their footprints. The way was difficult and he slipped once or twice, and nothing more than quick reflexes, tree roots, and a lucky grab of Benji's backpack strap by Seikz kept him from falling the height of a three story building.

  When they reached the top Benji looked around. Tree branches limited his view of the peaks and valleys beyond, but the incline kept going at least another couple hundred feet.

  "What do you think?" Benji asked. "I bet we could see everything from up there."

  Seikz nodded. "I climbed to the top once—it was very nice."

  Rocks, roots, and trees gave them hand and footholds as they scrambled higher. Minutes passed, and the sun sank ever lower. Benji's muscles burned and dirt coated his clothes by the time they reached the top and turned to check out the view.

  “Seikz…this is amazing. There’s nothing like this at home.”

  He could see all the way down the river valley, from the waterfall where he stood to the smoke of cooking fires in the village. The green forest swayed to and fro, dancing in the breeze, and the long, yellow grass covering the mountainsides glowed in the late afternoon sun. Above the trees, bats the size of seagulls flew about, feasting on insects.

  Benji took picture after picture. He moved sideways to get the best angle for one mountain, then crouched down to find the optimal angle to get both the bats and the clouds above. He backed up and aimed high…

  When suddenly, the ground fell away beneath him!

  18.

  Be careful what you wish for

  "Benji!" Seikz shouted after him as he fell.

  Benji tumbled head over feet down the back side of the mountain. The drop was nearly vertical. His face, arms, and legs were cut, banged, and scraped as he tore through bushes and vines. The world went from upside down to right side up and back again, over and over.

  Benji tried to catch himself, tried to brace his legs or arms, but couldn’t stop. The mountain was too steep. Dizzy and hurting all over, he began to panic, terrified a strong, unforgiving tree would break his fall. He began to scream. Then the tumbling stopped and there was nothing above him but blue sky and nothing below but open air.

  He fell from the cliff like a rock, and his scream echoed through the empty clearing. It stopped when he hit the water with a splash, what seemed like ages later. He sank limply.

  With agonizing slowness, Benji stretched his body out and kicked, pushing himself toward the surface. He broke through and spit out a mouthful of dirt and pebbles. After rinsing his mouth with river water and spitting again, he drifted toward shore and lay there on his back, waiting for the world to stop spinning.

  Gently, he poked and prodded, stretched and flexed, searching for broken bones, cuts, and internal injuries. He would be feeling it tomorrow, but it didn’t seem like anything serious was wrong.

  Benji moaned and sat up. His flight had dropped him forty feet into a small, deep, pool in a river bend. He shook dirt and leaves from his hair. And froze.

  “Oh, no.”

  His hat was gone. His father’s hat. He felt sick to his stomach.

  “Well, what else did I lose?” Benji shrugged his backpack from his shoulders and sat it on the ground in front of him.

  “That’s just great.”

  No wonder it felt light. The bottom of the bag had a gash from one side to the other, and all the contents from the largest pocket were now scattered from the top of the mountain to the bottom. His towel, pullover, energy bars, water filter, first aid kit, compass, and camera were gone. All he had left was safely stowed in the outer pockets: his knife, waterproof matches, headlamp, water purification drops, a granola bar, and the soggy, folded-up map his mom had given him. Attached with karabiners to loops on the outside of his bag were the rope and water bottle.

  “Well, at least I’ve got something. Not a whole lot, but it’s better than nothing.” Benji unscrewed the cap of his water bottle and took a swig, swishing the water around his mouth to clear out the last of the dirt before spitting it out.

  “Now what do I do?”

  The cliff rose before him, a sheer forty feet, and beyond that an entire mountain ridge spanned in either direction as far as Benji could see. He didn't see how Seikz would be able to descend the steep mountain, along with the cliff, without falling.

  Benji was on his own.

  He used the blade of his knife to unfold the wet piece of the map. The ink hadn’t run, so he was able to make out most of the contours, rivers, and roads. He studied it closely.

  After a few minutes, Benji found the mountain he’d tumbled from, along with the river he ended up in. He pinpointed his most likely location on the map. And just a few miles away was a road. Now he needed to make a choice.

  The cliff didn’t go on forever; Benji could start walking and eventually find the end, which, according to the map, was farther away than the road. However, he might come across a part where it was a safe height for him to climb, but it was hard to tell on the map. The lines had blurred.

  Although night was coming, he had his headlamp, and a full moon was already coming up over the horizon so moving around at night would be easy enough. It was a gamble, though. He might find somewhere he could climb up but the road was definitely there.

  Or should he just stay where he was? Nearly everything Benji had ever read about being lost in the woods said to stay put, make yourself stand out from the land around you, and wait for help. Besides, Seikz probably had a pretty good idea of where Benji had landed.

  But still, Benji couldn't be certain he would be that easy to find. They sure wouldn’t see a signal fire from the waterfall. He would probably end up shivering all night right where he sat and hiking out in the morning.

  While Benji tried to make up his mind, a strong breeze came down the valley and raised goose bumps on his damp arms. A cold shiver ran through him and shook him from his thoughts. He caught movement from the corner of his eye and saw, from the top of the cliff, his father's hat shake free from the brush and ride the wind to the ground, just feet from where he sat.

  “Well, that settles it.” He reached out and picked it up, shook off the dirt, and put it on tight. “I did ask for an adventure.”

  Benji pushed himself to his feet. After checking the map one more time and hoisting his rucksack back onto his shoulders, he decided to go right, away from the river, and follow the cliff.

  19.

  Hide!

  The trees and brush stopped growing five feet or so before the cliff, giving Benji an easy path through the forest. This was the good news. Benji craned back his neck and looked up. In the short time it had taken him to walk a half mile, the cliff had grown from forty feet to four hundred. That was the bad news. He sighed and kept going.

  Growing shadows hid the ravine that nearly ended Benji’s adventure; he slipped on the leaves and fell towards a stream twenty feet below. His arms stretched wide and he grasped anything he could to stop his fall. Benji wrapped his fingers around a tree branch and held on tight. The way down was too steep to climb, as was the way up on the other side. A dead end.

  He pulled himself back from the ravine and took another look at the map. He figured the ravine below him ran all the way to the road, about two miles away. He turned his back to th
e cliff and followed the stream in search of somewhere he could cross or the road—whichever showed up first.

  The bushes grew close together and pulled at Benji’s clothes and scratched his already bloody legs. Mosquitos found him and attacked his ankles and face mercilessly, forcing him to go even slower as he stopped every few feet to slap at them.

  Just when his spirits were at their lowest and he was questioning his decision to leave the riverbank, Benji pushed through a particularly dense patch of bushes and fell through to the other side. He stood, brushed the dirt from his hands and shorts, and smiled. Below his sneakers stretched a hard-packed dirt road. Maybe his luck had turned.

  The light of the setting sun reached down through gaps in the trees and danced with the wind. Benji crossed through the shadows to a simple wooden bridge stretching across the creek. Sitting down and hanging his legs over the side proved to be an enjoyable, relaxing way to take a break.

  He dug the granola bar from his bag and took a bite before putting it back. He could be out here all night—plus the morning—and needed to save it. The same with his water—he unscrewed the top and took a single gulp before returning it to his bag. Suddenly, the sound of a distant engine broke through the Fijian night.

  Benji sprang to his feet and squinted through the trees, his heart beating fast and hard. This could be it, his ride back to the village! Through the leaves and splashes of golden sunlight, he caught glimpses of two white SUVs. They grew closer, and Benji got a good look at them as they rounded a bend in the dirt road.

  Although Benji had grown up in a modest home with a practical mother, the parents of his classmates cruised through the suburbs in all sorts of expensive sports cars and SUVs. All he needed was a quick glimpse through the trees to know, without a doubt, that two shiny, brand-new Land Rovers were speeding through the forest, headed his way.