A Fine Specimen: You

The waterfalls in this forest have always been a pleasant sight, even though you had no idea where you've been for a month. The only thing you can remember getting here was waking with a tear-inducing headache and a pain deep inside your chest. The sound of rushing water mixed with the chirping of the wild is a constant reminder to be alert even in such peaceful serenity. You unfasten the jug you've happened to find in an abandoned wooden cart along with tattered rope, empty cans of beans, and the bones of whoever the cart belonged to. You dip the jug in the icy waters and as it fills, you examine your surroundings. It was difficult to accustom to the jungle at first. You have never been one for the wilderness. In fact, the closet thing you've experienced to surviving the wilderness was the time you got lost on a fishing trip and had to climb a tree to get a good enough reception to be able to call one of your friends.  Eventually the need for food and water has helped you adapt to the best of your capabilities.

Keeping track of time was VERY different than back home. The sun rose almost immediately and it set so sudden. The weird timing has completely messed your sleep cycle. For the past week you have been utterly exhausted, unable to do much really and has seriously interfered with your ability to catch food. You've been able to eat berries here and there, and even found an already decaying skunk. Hey, it was eat that or starve. You wish you had paid more attention while watching survival TV shows about meeting the impossible odds. For you, this was impossible. The lack of a real decent amount of food has left you in such a zombie like state that it was impossible to think about anything else. You glance down at the filled jug and sigh. The stars twinkle in the blackened, rippling water as you grasp the jug. You stare at the night sky scattered with tree tops. If you didn't feel small already, you certainly felt it now.

Your muscles ache as you lift the jug from the cold waters and tie it to your back using the rope. Some water trickles onto your jeans making you shiver from just how cold it really is. Your clothes have seen better days, but the essential pants, shirt, and shoes have kept you alive this long. As you turn to head back to the sad excuse of shelter you made from the wooden cart and large leaves, you hear a rustling across the stream. You immediately drop the jug and reach for your crudely made stone spear. You've had enough encounters with the wildlife to know just how dangerous they can be and have had to fight and run (mostly run) from animals you've never knew existed. You've freaking saw a snake chicken thing. A freaking chicken snake. As you ready your spear, a small bunny peaks his head out from the leaves. and takes sight of you. Your stomach growls at the sight of the rabbit almost instantly. Trying your hardest not to frighten the animal, you creep forward with the spear in hand. You were not going to let such an easy meal get away.

The rabbit raises a cocky eyebrow and backs away slowly into the bush. You haven’t been able to catch a decent meal in days so you did what any reasonable individual would do. You run screaming at it with your arms waving the air determined to eat it like there was no tomorrow. You run through the stream stepping in the brisk waters and through the scratchy bushes with the unwavering desire to catch your meal. You trip as you emerge from the other side of the bushes and watch as the rabbit scampers away. You quickly stagger forward and give chase to the rabbit which seemed to go on for forty minutes. Exhausted, you lean forward feeling a dry heave coming on. The hunger burns your stomach as you throw up any food you were able to find. You collapse next to the vomit and hold the pain in your gut. This was it. You were going to die in a forest next to a pile of throw up because you were unable to catch a rabbit. Damn.

You know it wasn't quite bad. A nice warm feeling arises in your chest mixing with the cold air around you. The visibility of your breath clashes into the ground where you lay. The pain in your stomach subsides and is replaced with a gentle humming numbness. The stress you felt from simply surviving evaporates with your breath. You swear you could feel a smile on your face, but your thoughts say otherwise. Although your body was coming to terms with it's ultimate demise, your mind races looking for anything to save you. The simple fact is that you are afraid. Afraid of dying. Afraid of what was left undone. Afraid of the unknown. The ground hugs you like a mother to a child. A strong sense of calmness overtakes you.

The silence breaks.

You hear short yells from a short distance away calling for an “Angel”. You immediately think that some sort of white, gleaming figure will emerge and you could finally kick the bucket. With the small amount of strength you have left, you gently yell in an attempt for the “Angel” to end you sooner. Your vision begins to fade as you see a cautious yellow figure peek over some palm plants, and out of the corner of your eye, you can see what appears to be the rabbit peek through the plants as well. Even though you want to curse the rabbit for not letting it become your lunch, you slowly close your eyes as the yellow blob slowly approaches you.

“h-hh-hello?”