The Amulet

Chapter 5

Today's the day I meet my Uncle Felix, my Auntie Julietta made me quite a hearty breakfast that could easily by me over till tomorrow morning! She made me pack up some rice and other things just in case we couldn't hunt for our food so at least we had something to sustain us for our trip. My auntie phoned for a local to drive me to my uncles hut, that's what my auntie described his place as.

There were a few tears in our goodbyes, but I gave her my number so we could still keep in contact and she was forever grateful for that. As much as my dad told her about me, it's much different to hear about someone than to meet and talk to them in person.

I feel like I've been in this car for hours, shifting my bottom as it's starting to go numb, and getting a tingly sensation through my body, don't know if it's being excited or nervous at this point but it's making me feel really nauseous.

We finally arrive to a place even more secluded that my Aunties house, I pay the man for his time. I head towards the trees but I don't see no doors, no gate or fences? Until I look up, there's a makeshift stair case going round a tree trunk, and in the trees a simple tree house, much more than one would of gotten my parents to build in the back yard. I climb the stairs, and find a man sat on a deck chair just outside.

"Hello, Uncle Felix?"

"Who are you? What are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"Uncle Felix, Auntie Julietta told me to come here? She phoned you last night? It's me Zara, I'm your niece?"

"Oh yes! Sorry my fault! Come in!"

For a quick second I thought oh.my.god. I've gone to the wrong place! He does look like a younger version of my dad, chesnut brown hair, bright blue eyes.

"Sorry Zara, you caught me abit off guard, I didn't realize the time I should've been expecting you! How was the drive?"

"It was long" as I laughed.

"Oh yes, I know the drive! Your proberly wondering why I live like this? In a treehouse that is?"

"Yeah, why do you live in a treehouse? Wouldn't it be easier to live like on the ground?"

"Well, being up here in the trees gives me an advantage for anyone coming onto my land, plus the breeze is lovely up here!" He giggled at the end.

I'm thinking why would anyone come on your land? But then I remembered what my Auntie said about the amulet, making them live in a very secluded areas and being in hiding.

"The breeze does feel alot better up here! I love it! I've always asked dad to build me a tree house but we've never got round to it"

"Oh of course your dad's not one for building things, that's me, I mean he can camp, hunt and fish but not as good as me"

"Was you and dad competitive at all?" As I raise my eyebrow at him, he looks and smiles and nods.

"Right, this is our plan for our hike, we leave tomorrow after breakfast, we head west and we can camp close to the river but not too close, where you want to go is at least a 2/3day hike just there and I'm sure we will make it"

"Okay that's fine with me, I'll just follow you then."

My uncle shows me to his extra room as I set my things down, quickly give myself a wash and get in the covers.

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I wake up to the sound of many birds singing away in the trees. Now I could get used to this, the peacefulness out here. I shower and get dressed and ready for the hike, I pull out one of my uncles chairs to sit and eat some of the breakfast goodies he has laid out, I pick up one of the pastries and some fruit in a bowl and I pile it down myself, I've been waiting for this moment for so long.

My uncle comes out with his back pack and a machete. My eyes widen at this sword, looking so shiny but rusty at the same time. He looks at me and says "Zara the jungle is very dense, there are unwanted animals that can harm us, and where we're going there's no footpath, or anything so we need this for our protection" I just nod and gulped down a glass of water, ready to set off.

We climb down his staircase and start going forward, watching his tree house go further and further behind us. My uncle is swiping the plants down with one hit making a path for us, but sometimes he would just push everything out the way, clearly not wanting people to follow the beaten path we have made. I start to hear the rush of water, running over rocks while the birds are up in the trees singing or talking I'm not sure but it's beautiful, my uncle makes a path towards the river, he turns and says 

"Zara we must be careful around here, there's caimen around, we must stick together please." I simply nod, knowing how dangerous it is around here I don't think I want my uncle outta my sight. Watching the river rush past, flowing down and so peacefully it is breathtaking, especially seeing the contrast of the river water running and the tall trees, the water has made some of the trees roots exposed, looking like veins going down trying to suck up the water. The sun beaming down on us, the heat and the sweat is dripping off both of us, as we find some rocks to have a sit down and water break, watching birds fly above our heads, and seeing the fish going with the flow of the river below us. We continue walking through the jungle and come to a stop, "We will set up camp here, I'll collect some wood for a fire, you just stay here and set up everything, if you need me just yell" I nod knowing the seriousness in his face. 

I put up my hammock tying it between two of the trees, then I put my uncles hammock next to mine, I grab some rocks to put in a circle to contain the fire were going to make, I set up some of our camping chairs we've brought along next to the circle I have made so we can stay warm. I sit down in one of the chairs, and I notice something crawling across the ground, my instinct was to just scream! My uncle comes running through the bushes and sees me screaming, he drops the wood, runs over to his machete and whack down on the animal that scared me so much. It was a tarantula. I covered my mouth. My uncle just looked up at me and laughed, and shook his head, he went back to the wood and put it down in the pit I had made. My uncle lit the fire, and made us some of the packet noodles that my auntie had packed for us.

"Sorry about the screaming, I didn't mean to alarm you."

"It's fine, I know girls don't like spiders, he was harmless anyways"

"Oh really? I thought most things out here were poisonous?"

"No not much is poisonous, just things that will harm you if you cause them harm, nothing will hurt you intentionally, only in defense, just remember if you respect the jungle the jungle will respect you"

"Okay, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes of course you can Zara?"

"What is it like? Like being the only people that know about where this amulet is? Do you have anyone you can trust other than family? Are you lonely?"

His face dropped, he had sadness in his eyes as he told me,

"It's horrible, I can't trust no one apart from my brother and sister, people will try to befriend you because of your power not because your a good person, I don't feel lonely because I am in the trees so I have my animal friends but then abit of human contact would be good now and again, I would love to see my brother again, I've missed his face" I grin at him, I get out my phone and show him a recent picture of my parents on graduation day, his face went from a frown to a small smile. My uncle told me stories of how my dad used to be the overprotective brother, he even told me he used to put a cape round his neck and pretend he was a superhero, protecting the village and his family. We laughed, we cried then we said goodnight and climbed into our hammocks ready for bed. I let the sounds of the jungle lead me to my slumber.