The Yucatan Adventure

The Yucatan Adventure -Raakhee Suryaprakash The young girl dressed in cargos and a stylish yellow shirt was totally out of place in the tropical jungle somewhere in the Yucatan Peninsula. Rosalind Lucard, Rosa to her friends, a seventeen-year-old first year entomology student had come for a field trip to the Yucatan jungles, but now she was all alone … she was lost. Although Rosa was equipped to survive at least two days she was petrified and praying hard. God, the patron saint of lost souls, and the one for fools all figured in her jumbled prayers to comfort herself. Each student also carried a tracking device so that they can easily be located if they got lost. But even remembering this fact didn’t reassure her because it was nearly six hours since she had wandered away and still nobody had found her. Introvert that she was Rosa worried that her tendency to blend in with the background would ensure that nobody notices that she was missing till too late! Feeling worn out from her pessimistic thoughts and the sapping heat of the tropical jungle Rosa decided to take a nap, perhaps staying put would ensure that her professors would find her soon. When she opened her eyes, seemingly moments after closing them, it was dark. Checking her watch revealed that she was dead to the world for two solid hours—eight hours since separated from her group and they still hadn’t come for her. She decided to check her immediate surrounding thinking that perhaps a little activity would keep her from going insane with worry. But first she lit a fire in order to both keep the fauna away and attract the search party. After wondering for about fifteen minutes Rosa came across a cave, she was about to hurriedly walk past it to avoid any sheltering animal when she witnessed a confrontation between a Coyote and a quivering Puma cub. The Coyote had backed the cub into the nook beside the cave entrance. Forgetting all instructions to never interfere with the jungle law, Rosa threw a stone she picked up at the Coyote. The predator immediately turned to face her…a new prey! Her brain finally caught up with her adrenalin-fuelled actions and she switched on her high-beam torch and momentarily blinded the Coyote, simultaneously she roared loudly. Startled by the roar the Coyote abandoned its prey and rushed away, its tail between its legs. Rosa watched the dazed cub move a little unsteadily and immediately rushed to pick it up—it was all skin and bone and completely docile. She decided to take the cub where she had left her provisions, near the fire to escape other predators. Greedily the cub lapped up the concoction she mixed up with the milk powder and water she carried. Almost simultaneously a fierce growl shattered the silence of sundown. Rosa was shocked out her wits, the mama of the cub she had presumed to be an orphan had come to reclaim its kid. She was in BIG TROUBLE. Even as Rosa watched the puma stalk into view the cub, revitalized by her cuddling and the milk rushed to its mama. The Puma’s attention which had been fixed on Rosa was immediately diverted by its young

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one. Even as she watched helplessly the two animals nuzzled each other, the cub mewled piteously and the adult Puma purred…a sound that made Rosa feel all warm and fuzzy even as she was scared out of her wits and then before she could collect herself the two cats wandered away. With the cats out of the picture mobilized Rosa and she hurriedly picked up her backpack and torch, put out the fire and rushed away to put more distance between the pumas and herself. When she had finally settled again it was pitch black and he luminous dial showed the hour to be nine at night. Just as she gave up hope of being rescued that day, she heard the whirl of helicopter blades, Rosa immediately started yelling her location. Within minutes her professor Mrs. Palermo appeared and relief made the girl fling herself into her professor’s arms. *** Back at base camp, the introvert was unusually holding court. She explained how she had gotten lost trying to net a rare butterfly and then with much embellishment recounted her encounter with the coyote and pumas. Her classmates applauded her unusual chattering but good naturedly told her that perhaps the Yucatan jungles had fuelled her imagination into causing her to dream up the entire encounter. Despite her avowals they refuse to believe that a girl as timid as Rosa had saved a cub from a Coyote and faced down an adult puma. And after a few protests she gave up…she knew the truth and those pieces of bravery and luck warmed her up and bolstered her confidence a lot more than being able to recount the entire tale without stuttering when she was the centre of attention for the few hours since return. She had survived the jungle and saved a life…considering the basic law of the jungle that ensured survival of the fittest, Rosa realized that she had gained a lot confidence since surviving alone in the midst of the Yucatan for a few hours. An unexpected adventure with unexpected rewards! (880 words) * Originally written in school, updated in first year of college (2000-2001) and final version for a short story Workshop completed on 24/4/2009.

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