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“Hup to it, soldiers! We need this fire roaring to get enough smoke to catch attention and warm up Julio here,” Marge called from the pile of wood we’d been gathering that she’d fashioned into a small firepit. Per Marge, just off the shore was the perfect place to hunker down. Surrounded by trees with large overhanging leaves for shelter, close to the river to flag down any potential passing rafters, and easy enough to access with a helicopter when they found us.
Ifthey found us.
It had been two hours since we’d washed ashore. Marge was still in full survival mode, barking orders and helping us do what needed to be done to ensure we made it out alive. We’d pulled palm leaves and made a temporary shelter, and now we were gathering dry wood for the fire she was starting with just two sticks rubbed together.
“A spark!” she shouted, and a moment later, a tiny plume of smoke billowed up from her little tinder pile. “Quick! More dry leaves!”
Doris hurried over and handed her some more crunchy, dried-up leaves, which Marge added to the small flicker of fire. When they contacted it, they burst into flames that started crawling up the wood she had in a teepee above them.
“Oh, yeah! I’ve still got it!” Marge grinned from her prone position by the fire.
Doris clapped. “Wow! You did it, Marge! We have fire!”
Alice appeared from the trees just outside our camp. “A fire? Really? You did it? Holy shit. We may actually survive.”
“I told you ladies, if we ever got lost, I knew what I was doing. I’ve got you, girls. We’re gonna get out of this alive.”
Her knowledge and words gave me hope we’d survive this debacle, but I glanced at the still unconscious Julio and worried he wouldn’t. Guilt slithered up my spine and settled. He was in this state because of me.
“And him? Is he getting out of here alive?” I asked Marge.
She glanced over. “He’s got a nasty bump on his head but no signs of hemorrhaging or brain bleeds. I think he’s just knocked out. He’ll likely come around soon. Try not to worry about Julio. I’m taking care of him. You worry about gathering dry wood. We’ve got enough water for the night with the jug we found in Julio’s dry bag, and I’ll work on sourcing fresh water after we get the fire going. Now off you go. We need a lot of wood to toss on this fire in a hurry if we see the search helicopters. We need big smoke.”
“On it.” I snapped back into action and hurried off to help Alice find wood.
Three hours later, our fire roared high, and the four of us sat around it under the slowly setting sun.
“How’s he doing?” I asked about Julio, who had woken up for a short while and soothed my guilt just a bit.
Marge paused from sharpening a large branch into a spear using the sharp rock she’d found. “He’ll be okay. Just has a bad headache and needs rest. He’ll feel better tomorrow, I’m certain.”
“That is if we make it until tomorrow.” Alice glanced at the darkening surroundings and scootched closer to the fire.
Marge gestured to our little camp. “We’ve got shelter, water, and fire. We’ll be fine for the night.”
Doris looked over her shoulder. “And the animals? Aren’t there dangerous animals out here?”
Marge grinned, holding up her stick that resembled a spear more and more with each swipe of her rock. “You’ve got me. I’ll keep you ladies safe. Bring it on, wildlife.” She speared the air with her stick.
Alice widened her eyes and blinked quickly. “Holy hell. You’ve gone full Rambo, Marge. Do you want me to get you some mud to smear under your eyes for the full effect?”
Marge pursed her lips together, spit on her fingers, and dipped them in the dirt. Then, while staring at a horrified Alice, she smeared the mud beneath her eyes, giving her a menacing appearance that would make Rambo run for his life.
I chuckled, and it helped slough off the tension tightening my shoulders.
Marge ignored Alice’s frozen stare and went back to sharpening her spear. “I mean, you may be a cougar, but you aren’t gonna hold your salt against a tiger, leopard, or jaguar. Joke now, but when it comes for you, it’ll be me you’re hiding behind. And speaking of leopards, do you know the difference between a leopard and a cougar?”
She waited, and finally, Doris said, “One has spots?”
Marge swirled the tip of her spear in the dirt and grinned. “A leopard can carry something twice its weight up a tree. A cougar can drag someone half her age into bed.”
I burst out laughing, and after giving her a glare, Alice joined her too. Doris chuckled a bit, but then her laughter petered off.
“Are there really big cats out here? For real?” Doris wrapped her arms around her knees.
Marge shrugged. “I mean, a cougar for sure.” She pointed at Alice and winked. “But there’s definitely a chance of others. Who knows what’s out there? Could be a thousand things lurking trying to kill us, even cannibals.”
I tipped my head and scolded her with a stare. “Marge, you’re scaring Doris.”
