Page 85 of Storm over the Caribbean
Ha!
I grinned down at the pig, who didnotseem pleased about being thwarted.
“Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?”
“Ooooink!”
“I must say, I’m really enjoying the view from up here. Thanks so much for showing me to this nice tree.”
“Oooink!”
Was it supposed to be this amusing to make fun of a pig?
Probably not. But right now, I didn’t give a crap. Hugging the tree to me tightly, I grinned down at the annoyed truffle sniffer.
“Yes, areallynice view.” Smiling, I let myself relax against the tree, allowing myself to bask in the warmth of the sunlight on my skin. “I think I should stay here for a bit longer, don’t you agree?”
“Oiink!”
“I’m so happy you concur. It’s really nice to have pleasant people to chat with.”
After that, things sort of cooled down. The pig circled the splintered stump of the tree for a few more minutes, balefully glaring up at me. But once she realized I wasn’t coming down and was not, in fact, going to gobble up her kid in the foreseeable future, she turned around and cantered back into the jungle.
I waited for a long moment. Then another. And another.
“Phew!”
I had escaped! It was over!
Except…was it really?
Just then, my stomach rumbled. The grumble was almost loud enough to be mistaken for an approaching thunderstorm.
Still no food. Still no way to survive.
What did it really matter if the mama pig didn’t trample me? I was going to starve to death sooner rather than later. In spite of that, for now, I wasn’t planning on continuing to look for food. Getting chased by an enraged sow once a day was enough for me, thank you very much.
I licked my dry, parched lips.
Food could wait. For now, I had to get a drink and some rest.
It took about half an hour to find my way back to the pond. Apparently, running madly through the forest while being chased by a wild pig tends to make you lose your way. Who knew? When I finally came to a stop in front of the glittering pool, panting loudly, I was nearly ready to collapse.
“To think…I told…Mr Ambrose…pant, pant…how healthy exercise was…for pregnant women! Talk about…pant…putting your foot in your mouth!”
Not that I’d object to putting something in my mouth right now. But I’d very much prefer it to be something tastier than my own foot, thank you very much.
Well, for now, water will have to do.
When my breathing had finally calmed down, I knelt beside the pond. Bending down, I took a deep, soothing gulp of water, not even glancing at the beautiful fish swimming in the pond. I had more important things to think about. Like where to find food, and—
Wait a moment.
Fish?
I closed my eyes, counted to ten and opened them again. The fish were still there.
Fish in the pond. Fish as in food. Grub. Edible stuff. Frigging piles of it!
