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Printed from https://www.writing.com/main/view_item.php/item_id/1962647-Poor-Planning-2nd-Place
by Pepper
Rated: ASR · Fiction · Contest Entry · #1962647
Deep in the Amazon, two men find themselves in a pickle.
Thwack!

“Ouch! He did that on purpose,” Drake muttered, reaching up with his machete to cut off the offending branch.

The Baraiki guide stopped, expressionless. 

“Quit staring,” Drake mumbled.  “Your white make-up and buggy eyes give me the creeps.”  Drake glanced to where his partner Cecil was attempting to communicate with another native—a combination of hand gestures and limited vocabulary.

“Hey, Drake,” Cecil called. “Are you sure we’re headed in the right direction? I thought your plan called for reaching the Temple of the Sun by nightfall? All I can get from this guy is blank looks.” 

Surveying the dense foliage, Drake shrugged.  “Next time I ask for English speaking guides.  The Amazon’s behind us.” Drake pulled out his compass. “And we’re traveling west….”

“What happened to south?” Cecil smacked a mosquito, smearing sweat and blood down his neck. “What if we get separated from the guides?”

“No worries. I’ve got the map and a comp—.”

A jaguar screamed off to their left.  The guides, silent as ghosts, dissolved into the jungle. 

“Now what?” Cecil whispered, eyes wide.  Another scream echoed, closer this time.

“Run,” Drake turned and shoved Cecil down the path.  Branches slapped at their faces, cutting, scraping.  After several minutes, thrashing closed in from behind. Drake stumbled, dropping his machete. 

Before he could snatch it, a net jerked Drake and Cecil up in a tangle of arms and legs. Several head hunters stepped out from the bush. Spears pointed directly at the two men.

“Any more bright ideas?”

“Would you believe this is all part of my plan?”

“Noooo.”

“How about that?” The jaguar snatched one of the natives and dragged him out of sight.  The rest scattered, leaving the two men swinging from the treetops.

“Next time—my plan!” Cecil ground out.




Word Count 298

Created for Flash Fiction < 300 words.

Must contain the phrase "This is all part of my plan."

© Copyright 2013 Pepper (plscholl2 at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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