Marc had dreamed of the Amazon Rainforest since he had learned of its existence. He and his sister Kira had talked about going together “one day” for the longest time but it remained a dream, not soon likely to become reality. Little was he aware that the dream would become a reality sooner than expected. Unfortunately, opportunity arose from an unfortunate event; Kira’s wedding was called off due to her (now) ex fiancé having a girlfriend! Rather than wallow in self-pity, she chose to use the money she had saved for her wedding and treat herself and Marc on their dream vacation.
They arrived in Peru on a cool, dreary afternoon. The anticipation of locating their lodge consumed Marc as they boarded the second and final boat that would deliver them to their destination. Marc and Kira exchanged glances, eyes filled with enchantment as they watched the gleaming water ripple away under the weight of the boat. Two boat rides and a crowded van ride later, they came to rest just outside their lodge.
Emotionally drained, Kira was overcome with exhaustion and decided to retire early, in hopes that she would wake rejuvenated and ready to explore the next morning. On the other hand, Marc couldn’t wait to get out and tour the forest and opted to take a quick stroll, in spite of warnings to stay out of the forest without a guide. It wasn’t until his stomach began to grumble along the way, that he realized he hadn’t eaten in over six hours. *Maybe he should have stopped to eat at the lodge before running off in excitement.* he thought. Then, along his chosen path, as if it was left there just for him, sat a small bush full of lush berries, dark pinkish purple in color. As he’d seen the guide on the boat eating some that looked identical not an hour before, he felt safe in snacking on a few… He devoured a few in one sitting, then grabbed a small handful for his journey and headed off.
He wasn’t sure what to expect as he entered the forest but figured he should stay close by the lodge, just in case he got into any trouble. Still, he ventured forward along a well trodden path, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. Birds flew across the path as his eyes took in what he could only guess to be hundreds of different plants and the air heavy with moisture filled his lungs.
Just as he began to think he should return to Kira and heed the advice to stay with a tour guide for all outings, a young girl came gleefully running along the path, hand in hand with a small monkey. “Good evening.” Said the monkey as they skipped on past. *I must be more tired than I realized.* thought Marc as he mumbled “hello”. *Did that monkey just talk to me?* Intrigued, he carried on down the path where he’d seen the little girl disappear just a moment before.
Not 20 feet down farther, he heard a conversation just off the beaten path. “Of course a lowly creature such as you can’t beat me in a race. One step forward for me must be hundreds for you.” Peaking through the brush, he couldn't believe his eyes; right in front of him, there was a huge elephant arguing with what appeared to be a bug on the ground, if anything at all. Okay Marc, get it together. *There is NOT an Elephant standing there talking in front of you.* He swiftly decided he should get some rest and turned back down the path in the direction from which he had come.
He began to wonder how much further it was back to the lodge when he heard a woman crying just over a small hill. As he topped it, he was frozen in place. A tiger stood in front of a cave, accompanied by a young woman, dressed in a wedding gown. And was that tiger wearing… a bow tie around his neck? “Please wife, don’t embarrass me in front of my friends. Go and start dinner right away and when I return with my friends, we can celebrate together. Give me the chance to show you my kindness.” said the tiger. And with that, Marc had had enough and took off as fast as he could, without looking back.
Sweating, panting, clutching a stitch in his side, he emerged behind the lodge. “Kira!” he screamed, “Kira! We’ve got to leave, now. Something crazy is happening!!”… “Kira, WAKE UP!!!” He burst through the front door and Kira came running from her bedroom, struck with fright. “What are you on about?!” breathed Kira, exasperated. She’d barely drifted off to sleep before she heard his screams. “There. Are. Talking. Animals and. And.. a girl who’s married to a tiger... And. And…” With that, he fainted.
He woke to Kira slapping him in the face. His eyes sprung open and he couldn’t believe it; Kira was hysterically laughing at him. “What is so funny?” he demanded. To which, “You believed there were talking animals in the forest and a human girl married to a tiger but of course, such things aren’t real.” She paused for another fit of laughter before explaining, “Lucky those berries you ate were hallucinogenic, rather than poisonous.” Then, to Marc’s ever more confused look, “You dunce, they’re listed in this pamphlet they gave us at the registration office saying DO NOT CONSUME as they will cause incredibly vivid hallucinations. It was rather stupid to eat something you knew nothing about, especially out in the middle of the forest all by yourself…” “Take some aspirin and go to sleep you goof,” she giggled “maybe that will teach you not to eat things when you don’t know what they are.” Then, quite thankful for the brief comedic relief, she sauntered back to bed in search of some much needed sleep.
Authors note
The inspiration for this story came in large part from my own inability to comprehend any of these stories. I felt oddly perplexed as I read most of them and, although I tried, I couldn't really make sense of most of them and the ones that I could see a purpose in, didn't inspire me to write. So, I decided to pull from my own reaction to the stories to make mine. "The Monkey and the Girl" is where I took the bit about the little girl running with the monkey. Although I was confused by this story, I loved how the girl sacrificed herself because she was so committed to the monkey. So, I decided in my story, they would be happily running along in Marc's hallucination. Then, I wrote in the talking elephant from "The Elephant and the Ants" mostly because I love elephants and the idea of an elephant arguing with and being tricked by two tiny ants made me laugh. The elephant in the original story died, so I decided to change his fate! :) Finally, I took the part about the tiger and his bride from "The Tiger's Bride" because I couldn't help but imagine a tiger in a tux and bow tie when I read this story and it also made me laugh. My hope in this story was to inspire laughter with a light hearted comedy about a foolish boy who unintentionally takes a hallucinogenic trip through the rain-forest.
Sources
Santal Folklore, recalled and translated to English by C. H. Bompas,
online source.
