I grasped the talisman as I ran through the jungle side. The stench of smoke still engulfed my throat. My hands were shaking, my heart pounding, and yet I managed to keep running. I jumped over fallen branches and rocks, the temple becoming farther and farther away. I heard someone yell my name, but could hardly tell from where. For all I knew the monkeys were playing tricks on me. I kept running, passing trees with hundreds of vines, the sticky jungle air beginning to feel normal. I looked ahead and noticed a stream. It looked far too pleasant to be here. The water was clear enough to see the bottom, with multicolored rocks painting the ground under the current. Though I wasn’t as interested in the stream as I was what was next to it, a hole. It looked big enough to fit me, and maybe small enough that no one would notice it. Either way, I was losing energy, so it was either the hole or hope the people chasing me lost their energy too. 

 I took a deep breath and plunged into the stream, wading up to the hole and climbing in. My hands clung to the dirt beneath me. It was hard to imagine myself anywhere else at that moment. I had been through far too much to even think about being somewhere safe or friendly. I tried to imagine myself sitting in a field of flowers, the sweet scent of pollen in the air. For a moment I could, but then the field flooded, placing me at the bottom of a deep sea. Out of fear, I took another deep breath. It relieved me a little, to know at least I can breathe. At least I’m alive. 

 Splash. I held my breath and tried to go as far back into the hole as I could as a man jumped into the stream, running right past me. Then two more followed. The last man hesitated. He looked around him before running down the stream. I could have sworn he saw me, but he looked ahead and followed the others.

 I waited until my eyesight turned blurry to breathe again. I knew they had to be far enough away. Even so, I was too scared to move. My limbs felt like glass that had been molded into place, one move breaking it all. I collapsed in on myself, laying back on the wall of the hole. 

“Why did I accept his offer?” I whispered

 My eyes felt heavier until they shut. Next thing I knew I was back in the alley with the man. 

“You truly wish to get your father back?” he bellowed, walking out of the shadows. I saw him clearer now. He was wearing a dark green suit, leaves sticking out of his pocket, a snake crawling between his fingers as he twisted them around. He reminded me of Medusa, a dark hat blocking his eyes which would have turned me to stone with one glance. I shook my head up and down, yes. His smile curled up in the shadow of the hat. He walked closer and whispered

“I thought so.” He circled me and handed me a bag. “This has all you need. Find what I seek and I will return the favor.” His smile sank.

“And one other thing, whatever you do, don’t open it…or you will lose more than our deal.” He gestured to a black door that I could have sworn wasn’t there before.

“Go. Now!” He yelled, pushing me towards it as it swung open, now releasing a green fog. I began to fall. There was nothing around me except for the fog. I tried to grab the air, to make anything stop me from falling. Nothing worked. I screamed, but couldn’t hear anything. The air turned toxic, every breath I took felt like I was dying. I finally saw something before me. A concrete floor I was seconds from landing on. Just upon impact I woke up. My heart had fallen out of my chest. I could hardly breathe. I clenched the dirt beneath me.

 I sat up, realizing that I fell asleep. The night had come. The stream now held sounds of crickets. It was even more peaceful than before. I slowly moved my legs and arms, making sure they were no longer glass. I moved forward, just enough to look outside. No one. Thank goodness. I quickly brushed my hair out with my hands, tucking it into my shirt to keep it from moving. I climbed out of the hole, trying to stay as silent as possible. I had no idea where those men could have gone, but I do know they are somewhere, and I need to get as far away from this place as I possibly can. I began to walk back towards the land. The colorful rocks of the stream now turned an iridescent blue, reflecting the moonlight. I waded through the water until I reached the shore. It had transformed at night as well. The sticky air became clearer, the sounds of the night creatures created a soft echo through the trees. For the first time in days, I felt safe. I decided to head perpendicular to the men, since they must have already realized I wasn’t there. I began to walk through the bushes and under the trees, guided by the moonlight. 

 After a few minutes, I was in a clearing. Realizing I hadn’t checked it in awhile, I clenched my pocket with the talisman in it, a sigh of relief when I felt its shape still there. This talisman had brought me more trouble than I could have expected. I pulled it out of my pocket to examine it under the moonlight. Its sharp stones glimmered, reflecting a blue light similar to the stream. Its carvings were in the shape of a star, yellow gems surrounding it with a larger blue gem in the middle. The star had many extra arms, looking as if it had burst. The weirdest part about it wasn’t the carving or the gems, it was the latch. It seemed to have some writing etched in, in such a small font I could hardly see it. The only warning the man gave me only made opening it even more tempting. My fingers slid along the latches groove, admiring the small letters. I could tell there was something powerful inside, something that wanted to be free. I began pulling slightly to see if it would open. The sound of a twig breaking took me out of my trance. I put the talisman back in my pocket and continued my trek. 

 Based on the map I found in the bag, someone is supposed to pick me up off this dreaded island tomorrow. Until then, I have to find somewhere better than my hole to hide and somewhere closer to where I am meant to be picked up though I’m not entirely sure where that is yet. The map is a little hard to decipher. It has many different markings from buildings to trees, and of course the main temple where I retrieved the talisman and met the lovely men. The only symbol I did not recognize was a giant star similar to the talismans that lost an arm everyday I have been here, which is where I assume I would be picked up as what else would it be counting down for. The star now looked more like a stick, but I still knew where it was, right by the temple, about a mile east… exactly the direction the men were going. 

 I swallowed my fear and began to go in that same direction. At least for now I have the cover of night to protect me. I walked up to trees, trying to stay out of the moonlight. After a while, every part of the jungle looked unique. Some trees had extra branches, others seemed to glow, and a few had creatures sleeping in them. It was like the jungle was thousands of individual lives all at once. It’s even weirder to think I’m one of those lives. As my existential thinking wore off, the sun began to rise. I was getting closer to where the star stick was, now able to see the tip of the temple through the trees. The liveliness of the jungle began to disappear as the animals awoke, almost as if the trees were the ones asleep now. I did not realize until I saw some bananas hanging from a tree just how hungry I was. Guided by my stomach, I ran over and jumped up for them, being sucked in by a net on my return to the ground. At least I was able to get the bananas now. I ate one and tried to see who had captured me. I looked all around but no one was there. The next thing I knew I could hear a helicopter, then voices. The helicopter was flying towards where the star was and the men I had escaped from were coming towards me. As they got closer, they laughed. I tried to break myself free with anything I could, making sure the talisman in my pocket was not noticed.

“Where is it?” One man yelled

“What?” I questioned with a slight laugh

“The talisman.” He said walking closer, he smiled. 

“I don’t know of any-”

“He said you would be hard to get to talk, but we have our ways.” 

“You-” I began to say as something knocked me out.

  Being knocked out really gave me some time to think back about my choices. I regret not following my dad to work the day he went missing. I regret accepting the offer from the creepy Medusa man in the alley. But most of all, I regret going after those damn bananas. 

 I was in and out of consciousness for a while after being knocked out. I remember being lifted into something. I heard someone say something about my dad. I felt them take my bag and search my pockets. Once I finally awoke I was laying down on a bunch of crates lined up together. My head throbbed. I searched my pocket immediately for the talisman, it was gone. I sat up and looked around. I was in a… plane?! I stood up and held my balance with the crates. I crawled to the door that led to the cockpit. There was a man from before flying. I turned around. The emergency exit, my only choice. I searched through the crates for a parachute, finding one by the door. I quickly read the back, tied it on, and used my last bit of courage to push the emergency exit button. Please work, I whispered to the parachute, walking to the end of the plane. I shut my eyes and let myself fall.