Final Challenge (17 page)

The walk
was slow and hard, but with everything that struck them most was the confidence with which young natives progressed. They could not understand how without the reference of the sun and inside a jungle so thick that it made
them feel a sense of anguish, of oppression, choking and shor
tness of breath, were able to navigate, especially considering that environment seemed to be always the same for them, monotonous although its undoubted environmental wealth. Souza made
it cl
ear to
Marvin when he decided to ask
"I guess our guides could
think the same if we left them in the middle of one of the cities where we were born. Surely they would be unable to distinguish a few blocks of each other, let alone navigate. However, we probably wouldn't have major problems, right? Same thing happens to them. This forest is their home, they known it as the palm of their hand, is full of nuances and details that go
completely unnoticed for us
"
,
Souza
argued
before the
ir attentive listeners.

 
When they had walked for about four hours, Kelly noticed
the presence of a snake of considerable proportions coiled
to a branch above her head, which
stood motionless, apparently limited to its role as a mere witness of her pass. But could not prevent to feel a seizure and motioned it to Hanson. Souza also noticed and looked askance at it.
At very low voice advised them.

- The best thing you can
do is go slowly, making as little
noise as possible. Don’t worry,
it will not attack if you don't give it any reason to do it.

Hanson grabbed Kelly by her hand and began to move very slowly, but when they were just below the sna
ke, Hanson was tempted to keep
his glance on the reptile, which began to move slowly toward him. Hanson was frightened, sped the pace and left behind the snake.

- I could not say anythin
g because probably it had
been the excuse, the final trigger needed by the animal. But will not happen again that you stare fixedly at a snake, and less at that distance. It could take it as a symptom of attack and can turn against you in a split second - Souza reproached him visibly angry -

- Excuse my ignorance, I promise that will not happen
again - apologized to Souza -
Then
he turned to Kelly dropping
a joke in an attempt to help her relax from the tension generated by the bad times and recover from the shock.

- I never thought that I had so challenging look.

- You
've got a very dangerous
look
,
I can attest it as woman - Kelly
said sententiously
smiling and in the same tone -

- Perhaps it was then a male snake  - replied Hanson smiling  -

They d
ecided, by mutual agreement at the reques
t of Marvin, prolong their progress
for a period of time larger than originally planned, until almost begin to dusk. That way they could achieve their goal in half a day
earlier than planned by Souza.
They followed up the demanding pace for almost
other two hours
, Kelly could barely hide his exhaustion. Hanson had long been noticed it,
but also was aware that Kelly
didn't want anyone to help her. He tried to make conversation to keep her entertained, so at least the effort would not be so uphill.

- Kelly, we've talked about many topics, many, du
ring these days, but curiously
you never have told me some details about your professio
n.  I’m not able to imagine you
in a laboratory surrounded by test tubes and geek genius.

- Not all scientists respo
nd
to that stereotype, Hans.

Hanson looked her from up to
down.

- I don't know  ... maybe with a gown and goggles ...

- There were many people with that same thought at the University of Berkeley, but then had to get used to the idea. Look to you, I'm sure you ever thought that you would take part of an expedition to the Amazon.

- Right ... And what
do
you like most about your job, the facet of research
ing
or the scientific one?

- Do not forget that science is closely related to the investigation. So I feel so passionate about my current job.

- I imagine that biotechnology offers in this sense an immense field.

- Of course, unimaginable, full of possibilities, of universes to discover...

- For your speech, I get the impression that yours with biotechnology was a love at first sight.

Hanson had unconsciously put again the finger on the sore. At one point came to her mind many memories, behind which there was a name. She looked down instinctively and sought the best possible way out of that compromised situation.

- There was someone who had much to do ... someone who ... encouraged me to follow this path. 

Hanson noticed Kelly's reluctance to give a more specific answer and tried to change the subject.
Kelly, inside, was grateful.

- Do you know what we are facing?

- No.  A lot of thoughts have passed through my head but none of my guesses fits in the puzzle. 

Kelly interrupted her reply to notice that one of t
he guides was saying something
to Souza, after which he addressed to the group.

  - We are relatively close - started telling. Everybody sighed when they heard those words, and especially, Kelly

- In fact we are so close that they could
detect us. And I remember you
that
,
after their recent e
xperiences, white men bring
them more bad memories than good.

- Wh
at do you suggest then? -
Marvin
asked
–

 
Souza, before answering,  left his backpack on the ground
, a gesture that all imitated soon, and breathed deeply.

- I will go wi
th one of our guides to the village
, although we have to do part of the route by night. We will try to convince them to provide us the information we are looking for. Anyway, without trying to be alarmist, I would like to put you on notice. 

These words created a climate of general uncertainty until Kelly broke the silence.

- How? What are you trying to say?

- I hope and
trust that everything is ok
. However, it is my duty to warn that there is always a small chance they get nervous and undertake against us - Souza wielded as an argument -

- So ... the more reason for we don't let you go alone! - Kelly exclaimed -

- Rather, it is our only chance. I'm not going to go alone, our guide Kakuva will be my best ambassador. Listen, it's starting to get dark and you must be tired.
Prepare the camp for the night.
Untai, our other guide will help you. In the case that we haven't returned morning at noon, you must go back. Untai will bring you back to the village.

- Do not pretend to ask us that we leave you exposing you to your fate! Never! - Marvin ratified in decided tone -

- Dear friends ... I beg you please respect my little authority in this jungle, at least to where it will go. My decisions are not free, are based on experience, I assure you I have no intention to sacrifice myself - he paused and looked at them one by one, in the
ir
eyes - So promise me, for the safety of the whole expedition, that you will do exactly what I'm proposing you.  

Marvin and Hanson stood looking at each other with a face of resignation, then Marvin said the words that Souza was demanding.

- Okay. We promise. Souza made
a sign to one of the g
uides and were lost in the forest
in seconds, disappearing into the undergrowth as if literally the jungle had swallowed them. Kelly retained in her retinal the final image of the Brazilian police in or
der to keep it forever as the
possibility of not e
ver seeing him again passed by
her head.

XXV

 
They succeeded, not without some difficulty, to set up the camp just before the nig
ht had seized of the jungle. The
three had some experience mounting camping, but lost somewhere in memory, especially in the case of Hanson who had the opportunity to remember his years as a Boy Scout, but this new environment presented some additional problems, the most important one was to accommodate the site. The guide and Marvin took a while to clear the thick vegetation with machetes, until getting a small clearing in which mou
nted a frame as a shelter tent
upon which tended a mosquito net, which was essential to not be physically attacked by the bites of insects. Then they set the fire. Kelly and Hanson prepared a frugal but grateful din
ner to which Untai did not join as
he ventured into the bush to find
his own one.
When he returned,
half an hour later,
he
offered to share his dish
without much success
, a sort of giant spiders which se
emed to be a delicacy for him.

  They agreed
that Hanson made the first watch, Untai the second and Marvin the third. It took time to convince Ke
lly she didn't make any watch,
she would not want to have any prerogative by virtue of being a woman, but all agreed that she was tired and needed rest more than anyone. At the end she was forced to reluctantly agree, when Hanson, who was beginning to know her, acted as seasoned psychologist to put her between a rock and a hard place, citing the argument that she could pay such effort the next day slowing the progress of the group as consequence.

Marvin retired to his sleeping bag just after he finished his dinner, Untai also got  immediately a site next to a tree, but Kelly and Hanson decided to stay a while chatting around the campfire.

- It's not fair, you should consider me one more for all purposes. Get some sleep, I'll be watching - told Kelly -

- Do not be stubborn. You hea
rd it, we all agree, I thought it
was clear. It is you who should rest, though - Hanson paused in his response to be dazzled by those wonderful green eyes that looked at him sweetly - you know perfectly well that I love to chat with you, I could spend hours with you without perceive how time goes by.

  Kelly smiled and grabbed his arm, shaking him.

- For the more reason for me to stay by your side. So it will be shorter for you. 

The silence only
was disturbed by a recit
al of sounds that
they
had never
before experienced elsewhere. Both were startled to hear a strange noise that stood out powerfully over others to the point that for a few seconds, the forest was submerged in the deepest silence. Its origin, like the rest, was all a myster
y to them. Too bad Souza wasn
't there, he had been the ideal companion who would have taken out of doubt, as he had done for much time of the trip with Marvin, explaining fascinating details about the fauna and flora of that special place that showed not only his acerbic and restlessness cultural but
an excellent knowledge of his
environment. Hanson made
a thinking aloud.

- I think everything is lived more intensely here.  All the springs are shot  - then smiled at seeing the concern reflected in Kelly
's face - you know? It has its
own advantages.

- Are you referring to our state o
f tension that allows
us to get out
the best of ourselves? ... I remember
you
that modern man lives immersed in the daily stress - Kelly replied -

- Yes, but different.
T
his habitat that would be so familiar to our ancestors (you only have to look how Untai is sleeping peacefully), is new
f
or us
, unknown.

- Yeah
, I agree
. In our present life, having gained the supremacy of the species, we just fight to progress in a social and
labor
way, our opponents are ourselves, whether at the level of countries, communities or even coworkers.