We were traveling down a poorly paved, small, two-lane road. The roadside was lined with grass huts and scantily clothed children and adults. My tour guide pointed out the people alongside the road and said, “You don’t want to stop here. Most of the women and children are prostitutes. They only have what you see them wearing. The children tend to be orphans, and the women tend to be widowed. If you stop, you can be robbed fairly easily. They are desperate and will do anything for money.”
I did not ask questions, nor did I say a word. I had never seen poverty such as this, and I counted my blessings. As a child, we were one of the poorest families in town, but it was nothing like this. We still had a home, food, though it was often the same every night, clothing, shoes, toys, and utilities. Suddenly, it did not feel right to say, “We were poor.” We had no clue; “We struggled” is much closer.
I continued to watch from the open aired Jeep, and my wide brown eyes took in everything. I did not hear everything my guide was saying, as my brain was trying to process the new culture I had suddenly become engulfed in. The further from the oceans we traveled, the denser the lush green jungle became until the sun was blocked out from the sky. Overhead, webs hung from branches and insects swarmed. The small flying creatures did not stand much of a chance. Those, which were not caught within a loosely constructed web, became prey to the predatory swarms of birds diving from the formation of their flock to scoop the insects into their bills.
The pavement construction gradually degraded until we were flying down a tight, bumpy, dirt road. The road twisted and turned through the jungle, and the driver rambled on, “You do not want to walk into the jungle for any reason. We have had people walk just twenty feet into the jungle never to be seen or heard from again.”
I wondered how they would know the distance the unfortunate soul had traversed into the thick underbrush if the person was never seen or heard from again, but I chose not to query my guide. I started listening once again to his well-practiced speech, and I knew he must go through this speech several times a month when a new grunt arrived to the fort.
“Never try to navigate the jungle without proper gear, clothing, shoes, and a compass.”
The Jeep came to an abrupt stop. About a car length ahead of us, a log lay across the full width of the road. The swaying shadows from the limbs above cast a dark, ominous cloud around us. I spoke, “I don’t like this.”
The driver responded, “Neither do I. hide your dog tags in your blouse. I have heard stories of villagers and renegades downing trees before the approach of travelers and taking them hostage. I have to get out and make sure no trap has been set behind us before going any further.”
I sat quietly and waited. My brown eyes transfixed on the log. I began to shiver as a gust of humid hair brushed across the sweat beading up on my skin. I looked above at the large web dangling between branches. The scream of an animal deep within the jungle sent chills down my spine. My senses heightened, and I jumped when the driver called out my name, “Pam!” I had not seen him approach the car. “I didn’t and don’t see anything suspicious. Do you?” He didn’t wait for me to answer, “If you can help me move the log, we can be on our way.”
Relieved, I stepped out of the Jeep. As we neared the downed tree, I caught a glimpse of a twitch on the trunk. “I just saw something move.”
“It’s probably the heat. The heat will make you see things.”
We continued on, as I took his word for it. Again, my eye caught a twitch, and the closer we approached, the more twitches I was able to make out. “No, I am serious. That thing is moving, and why does that tree trunk have spots when the rest of the trees don’t?" Five feet from the log, I froze in my tracks. “It’s moving,” I hissed barely audible.
Quietly the driver responded, “I think you are right.” He pulled a small flashlight from his cargo pockets, and shined a light on the log. He, too, froze. “No sudden movements,” he whispered.
I gasped and began to slowly back away from the log, which was no log at all. The light revealed scales on the monstrous snake crossing the road before us. The driver quickly cut off the beam, as he whispered, “Slowly back away.”
“I already am,” I muttered carefully as I tried not to sound afraid. I could not believe my eyes. The muscles of the great beast contracted and twitched slowly. The massive creature made its way across the narrow road; its girth narrowing as it slithered into the darkness of the jungle. All the while, the driver and I made our way back to the Jeep.
Dumfounded, I could not make sense of what I had seen. My body tensed when the starter turned over and kicked the Jeep’s engine to life. I do not remember getting my seatbelt on, and the faint coolness of shock washed over me. My forehead grew clammy and cold, and my hands shook uncontrollably. A sense of nausea rushed through my core, and the world around me spun out of control. I thought to myself, “I have to get it under control,” but my body failed to comply.
“Hot damn! That was neater than a skeeter’s peter,” my guide hollered jolting me back to my senses. “I have heard of snakes takin’ off with people in the night, but I never believed it could be true. Man! I can not wait to tell the boys back at the base about this. Did you git a picture? I didn’t even think to take one. Damn! No one’s gonna believe this shit without a picture.” He rushed, “I’m gonna have to get you to back me up! Those boys are always tellin’ tall tales. You’ll back me up, Pam, won’t cha?”
“Um-hum.”
“What’s the matter with you, girl? You look like you done seen a ghost,” he teased.
“I’m fine,” I replied and tried to further compose myself. “I’m just fine,” I reiterated in an effort to present myself as a strong soldier.
All of the training simulations and all of the endurance tests had failed to prepare me for that colossal snake. I could sharp shoot a target, but I doubt that I could have taken down that beast. It strikes me funny, today, to think of myself in my youth. I was cocky, young, and believed I could take on the world. That is until that creature humbled me.
©Pamela N. Brown
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