Evolution

Chapter 26

Chapter 26

 They say there is an invisible line between insanity and genius. I found out that same line can sometimes be more of a crossed verbal wire. What we view as mad can be  a deep understanding that is impossible to explain in a rational way. We sat around the camp fire eating Jedd’s “magical stew” and listening to him rant about dandelions. I tried my best to focus, I attempted to listen but failed. I was too aware of the churning of my stomach.

It tasted liked aged meat dipped in spoiled seafood and topped off with nice sprinkle of garbage. I did not care. I was so hungry that I tested my limits. I closed my eyes and bit down. Working the meat to slender portions ,I swallowed and felt it slide down my throat hole. 

I tried to block out the urge to vomit. The saliva trailed like oil on a string from my upper lip to my tongue, my vision blurred and water threatened. I hated this. It was survival in the most primitive and vile way.

I could see the same look on Alex’s face as she struggled with her own battle. Boomer didn’t even try. I watched him swallow one bite and dump the rest in the fire. I wanted to scold him, tell him he HAS to eat, but couldn’t bare to force this upon him.

As sickening as it was, I was intrigued by the juices that dribbled down Jedd’s chin. The slush in his mouth became visible as he spoke. Important nonsense spewed out of his mouth, but important none the less.

“Eat the stew, survive the dandelions. EAT THE STEW SURVIVE! Magic stew, stinky magic stew that they hate!.” 

His eyes darted back and forth once more, examining the look on our faces.  Disgust, confusion, and a morbid sense of curiosity is what he saw.

We could hear the wolves coming closer to our little sanctuary. Their howls filled the day with a sense of danger. Our hearts raced, our nerve ending shot electrodes to the already heightened fight or flight mechanism. 

Jedd didn’t even seem to twitch. His gaze was upon the ground. Watching. Watching something the rest of us must have overlooked. To my amazement, I witnessed the dandelions pop through the ground. One by one, the little creatures doubled in size and number. 

He stood, frantically kicking at them. His foot smashing through the yellow as if the color itself was the danger. The yellow grew thicker and thicker creating a endless layer. Tiny eyes, blinking randomly throughout. The sun reflected the amber of the eyes and tiny black noses dotted their faces. 

The thick mane and expressionless faces seemed to grow exponentially. The field of vivid yellow flowers became an entire pride of African lions. A mighty roar and the steady click of large nails puncturing the earth and wounding it was all I could hear. Before I could blink, before I could breathe, before I could even stand up in any sort of act of defiance they were upon us. 

I let out an insane little giggle. If this was my very last thought it was wasted. All I could do is whisper “the dandelion uprising” over and over to the wind. It became very clear to me in what I was very sure to be my last moments, Jedd was not insane. He knew something. 

I felt a shiver run up my spine as two of the creatures pounced. Their thick dry black nostrils flared. A blank stare emanated from within the creatures. Two very long seconds later, they turned their backs and all I could see was the swishing of their tails as they lay down soaking the suns rays deep into their pseudo hyde’s.

I took a deep breath and felt the over zealous beating of my heart bump in my ears. I looked over just in time to see Alex slam to the ground, passing out from shear terror. I tried to run but my own legs felt like fishing line weighted to the bottom of a lake. 

Jedd let out a bizarre vicious victory holler. His voice scattering all across his magical kingdom.

“MAGIC STEW! HA! MAGIC STEW! WASN’T EXPECTING THAT NOW WAS YOU? YOU JUST WAIT UNTIL PRINCE SHELDON RETURNS. WAIT RIGHT THERE, DON’T YOU DARE MOVE YOU MANGY CATS!”