Into the Jungle: A Novella

Chapter 1

Her heart was throbbing. She was holding her breath.

Ruby didn't know why she was so scared to creep through the jungle. Maybe it was because her father wasn't there. He'd know what to do if she tripped up, but she was on her own today to hunt for whatever food she could find. If she counted correctly, this was the seventh time hunting without him. A shiny blowgun made from hollowed bamboo was in her hand, and each time Ruby looked at it, it reminded her of her daddy.

At least, she wasn't completely alone. Ruby glanced over her shoulder at Iris her sister. She had told the kid to be quiet lots of times that morning, and Iris was doing good today, except for the occasional sneezes and leaf crushing she did on purpose. Ruby tried to get over it; the kid wanted to have fun, but Ruby touched her shoulder for the tenth time and whispered, "This takes great concentration and skill. If you make the slightest sound, it will scare the monkeys, and no monkeys mean no food for your tummy." Ruby gently poked her sister's tummy with the blowgun, making them quietly giggle. Then she stepped forward, remembering to walk from heel to toe like her father taught her.

Iris grabbed her sleeve and yanked it twice. Ruby looked back with a questionable face. Then Iris pointed upward and whispered, "Can I scare that bird away?"

Ruby quickly covered her sister's lips with one hand and looked up. Indeed, there was a bird high in the tree above them, and she could see its bright orange beak. Ruby always thought the birds were lovely. But who cares for that when my stomach is growling at me?! She eyed her sister and said, "Don't scare him, okay?" Then she grabbed a skinny wooden dart from a pouch on her waist and loaded it into the gun. Her mother taught her how to weave the pouch with tree bark and vines, and it was strapped to her waist with a vine belt.

She was about to aim when Iris said, "Googoo!"

The bird flew away, and Ruby eyed her sister with anger, put a finger to her lips, and mouthed, "Iris, what did I say?" She had mouthed that phrase so many times that Iris understood what she said.

Iris questionably put her arms out like an innocent kid and asked, "No googoo?"

Ruby sawed at her neck with one hand. "No googoo. That was our food, and you scared him away."

"Sorry."

Ruby pointed into the woods. "Let's get that monkey we were tracking earlier."

Time passed, and Ruby repeatedly peered into the canopy, hoping to find the black fur of the monkey. Suddenly, she heard a sound—branches crackling. Ruby held her breath and looked up to see two monkeys swinging from branch to branch via the vines. She wasn't close enough to shoot them, so she motioned for Iris to be super quiet, and then they crept closer.

Through the giant ferns.

Past thick trees covered in green moss.

Prickly vines were an occasional pest; Ruby had to push some aside with her machete before stopping just close enough to make a kill. She tapped Iris and mouthed, "Stay here and watch." Provided her sister wouldn't scare them, Ruby would proudly bring home at least one meal. She walked some distance from her sister, squatted, and held the blowgun to her lips. The monkeys were in the same tree—one on the left, one on the right—on different limbs. Their black/gray fur made them blend into the jungle, but Ruby learned from her father how to adjust her eyes and spot them. Oh! I don't think I can get them both. But like my parents say: just try.

Ruby aimed for a while, the fear of missing torturing her thoughts. Then she fired and gave a long, quiet sigh of relief when one monkey twitched with pain. To her surprise, his partner wasn't startled; he curiously looked, happy he wasn't experiencing discomfort. Ruby was about to change that. She fired another dart and hit him, too. Then she sat down and waited.