Trouble Comes in Threes

By Lee Kendrick

It started off as a joke. There were four of them around the table in the local pub all drinking pints of beer and eating the traditional English Sunday roast. As middle-aged traders trading for over ten years in the Stock Exchange in London, each of them had made quite a bit of money, having their pulse on the right stocks and shares to buy and others to stear clear of.

Besides being traders they were also trained in survival techniques and had skills in… Climbing, sailing, scuba diving and cave exploring. Some of these survival skills will be invaluable in the coming days.

It was Rob who came up with the idea whilst the four of them tucked into their meals and beer.

“So what do you think of the idea guys?” He asked.

There was a long pause, then Johnathan answered: “ Well, sounds good to me!”

“Yer, I'm in!” Smiled Terry.

“Keith, what about you?” He looked around the table at the other three then turned to Rob…

“ What a bloody good idea mate!”

“Are we all agreed then?” Rob asked, looking around the table at his three friends.

Finally, they all shook hands and had a good laugh.

“ Yes, it will be fun and exciting, but guys, remember it could be dangerous too!” Rob said in a sober voice.

“So, have we all agreed to start this adventure next month?” Everyone agreed.

They had all planned for an adventure for two weeks in … South America, where they will meet their guides to take them for a long trip into the Amazon rainforest; This would be particularly testing for Johnathan as he has a phobia of snakes and large insects among other creatures.

The team of four flew from London to Manous, Brazil, after a long flight of around 22 hours.

After a day's rest from ‘jet lag’, they met their guides, Pedro and Carlos, outside their hotel. Being the “Gateway to the Amazonian rainforest" from Manous it only took some 15 minutes to get there in their two land-rovers.

The guides had planned out a particularly hardous route for the team to test them.

Pedro and Carlos, using machetes, started hacking their way through the dense jungle while the party of four traders followed closely behind them.

As they trekked through the forest In they could hear various exotic birds calling.One of these was particularly noisy... the White Bellbird producing a call so loud at 125 decibels... It is the equivalent of a rock concert... deafening. In between its call they would occasionally hear another bird ... The Horned Screamer, with its alarm and trumpet-like calls. Throughout the jungle they also heard and saw in the trees: Macaws, Parakeets and many other birds.

After walking two hours, in the sweltering heat...feeling like they were in a sauna the party had only travelled about a kilometre, finally stopping by the river.

“ Senhor, Carlos and I suggest we make camp here for an hour's rest!” Pedro said, wiping his brow, as beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

The party all sat down close to the river, drinking water from their canteens and eating some chicken.

“Pedro, where are we going next?”Asked Rob taking his karki coloured hat off to wipe the sweat from his brow.

“Si Senhor, it's a, how do you say… a surprise… we think your team will like it!” Said Pedro, rubbing his hands together, smiling in excitement.

After an hour passed they all gathered up their packs and started walking along the river. Pedro and Carlos told them they would be walking upriver for a few miles until they reached a bend.

The sun was quite high now, and its hot rays were becoming unbearable, burning the men's skin. The men finally came to the bend after a couple of hours of trekking… Carlos suddenly lifted up his hand signalling for them to stop.

“Okay men, we make camp here!” Said Pedro as he opened up his canteen for some water. Just then there was a loud roar...Pedro grabbed his rifle and scanned some bushes.

"What is it Pedro?" Asked Rob panicking a little.

"No problem senhor I have my rifle it might be a wild pig!" He said, playing things down so as not to unsettle the men... When really he heard a Jaguar!

By the time they'd set up their tents the now blood red sun was sinking down the horizon.

Three tents were now pitched on the rich dark soil, under a canopy of trees...two men for each tent.

While the men rested in their tents Carlos quickly gathered some wood and lit a fire,

“Well senhor, how do you like it so far?” Pedro turned to Rob.

“Urm, I'm surprised how cold it has suddenly gotten from that heat we endured earlier today!” Said Rob.

“Si senhor, it's just one of the many surprises the Amazon has for us,” Pedro replied.

As they all sat around the fire eating and drinking coffee in the moonlight, Kieth asked Pedro and Carlos if they had any true accounts of anything living in the Amazon rainforest.. like the Yeti or Sasquatch ... Both Pedro and Carlos stared at each other for a second,

then…Everyone sat around the fire captivated as they listened intently to Pedro talking about a mysterious beast...

“Si senhor!”, answered Pedro. There is such a beast…the Mapinguari, a tall bear-like creature with red or black hair and monkey-like features. The native Indians also call it… “ the roaring animal!”. Some say an Indian werewolf shaman had discovered the secret of immortality and paid a terrible price by being transformed into this hideous monster...the Mapinguari.

By now the fire was fizzlinouand ghe men were yawning and tired.

“Alright, thanks for that wonderful tale, Pedro; I just hope we all can get a good night's sleep after that! Chuckled Rob.

"Let's all turn in now, we've got more travelling to do tomorrow…With a bit of luck, we might bump into the Mapinguari!” He laughed Going into his tent with Johnathan.

When morning came:

“Rise and shine!”Pedro Shouted, popping his head in the tents to wake up the four travellers, while Carlos made some coffee and bacon sandwiches for everyone.

As the men came out of their tents…

“You can give yourself a quick wash and brush your teeth by the river!" Pedro said.

After breakfast everyone packed and were ready for the next leg of their journey.

“We will keep to the river because the forest is quite dense here. Let's go men." Said Pedro.

As the hot sun climbed higher the party started struggling in the heat. After over two hours Pedro told them to rest.

“We will rest here for a while, men. Make sure when you drink water, please don't gulp it down!”

“ Senhor, on the tree branch next to you is a red and black dart frog. Take your hand slowly away and move from the tree!” Carlos said quietly.

Keith turned and saw the frog now croaking just inches away from his hand; he jerked forward, stretching away from the branch, his heart racing as the warm sweat on his forehead turned clammy and cold.

“Are you okay Senhor?” Carlos asked.

“ Yes, thanks, Carlos” Keith answered breathlessly.

“The frog is very poisonous, senhor; The native Indians extract the toxin from its skin to use on their arrows to kill prey for food.” Said Carlos.

“Maybe this will be a good time to take a rest hey Pedro?” Asked Rob.

“Sure, senhor, 30-minute break, then we'll carry on walking." He said.

“Pedro!” Carlos said pointing to the sky.

“Everyone, we better put our tents up now. Carlos thinks it will rain soon!" Pedro shouted.

“Make sure you zip up your tents fully so no water gets inside your tents! We will let you know when the rain has finished!” Carlos said.

Moments later, there was a bright flash of lightning and a loud clap of thunder. Moments after, torrential rain came flooding down.

“Wow listen to that rain come down!” said Jonathan.

“I guess we'll be in the tents a while now." Answered Rob.

The rain ping-ponged off the tents as it increased its velocity. An hour passed, and there was still no let-up with the rain. It actually increased its downpour, becoming more ferocious as a strong wind accompanied the rain… blowing the tents so strongly that it threatened to unpeg them!

The whole party had resigned to the fact they were stuck in their tents at least until morning. They lay in their sleeping bags waiting impatiently for the rain to stop. Meanwhile,as the rainforest birds quietened they were replaced with a noisy chorus of insects churping away.

By now it was nightfall and most of the men had fallen asleep. Finally, morning arrived.

“Bloody heck! Screamed Keith... he noticed he was covered in mosquito bites then he felt something on his shoulder he saw a large, dark brown, aggressive-looking ant and quickly brushed it off.

“We've only pitched our tent on an ant's nest…They are everywhere, Terry…Quick we've gotta get out of here!” The both of them got out of their sleeping bags covered in ants and rushed outside.

Carlos, Pedro, Rob and Johnathan rushed out of their tents to see what all the commotion was about. They saw both Keith and Terry frantically brushing ants off their bodies. Then Carlos checked inside Keith and Terry's tent.

“Hurry, get your stuff together now. men.These are Army ants and they can be dangerous…especially now you pitched your tent on top of them…You've made them mad!”

“Damn, they're everywhere!” Shouted Rob

“What are we going to do?”

“Senhor! There is only one thing we can do, run to the river!” Pedro pointed in desperation.

They all raced to the banks of the river and watched to see where the army ants would go.

“Carlos, do you think they will follow us?” Pedro asked.

“Yes, I can see them coming in our direction, Pedro!”

“Quick men, everyone in the river, walk along the edge. Said Carlos.

“Surely, the ants won't follow us now?” Said Rob.

“I wish that was true, senhor; look in the water in front of you!” Pedro pointed to dozens of yellow and green leaves, in the river moving in the fast current towards them… Carrying hundreds of army ants!

“This is my worst nightmare!” Shouted Johnathan, his insect phobia just increased tenfold.

Gradually the menacing army ants in their flotilla sailed closer to the adventurers. Now, just some twenty feet away, they prepared to board the men.

Suddenly, Carlos spotted a black object in the water torpedoing towards them. It then surfaced under the leaves, causing the army ants' makeshift boats to capsize, throwing the ants into the water…causing them to drown! Whatever it was, the men couldn't restrain their excitement; they cheered on their saviour and turned to climb the river bank to escape when…

“My God!”Shouted Pedro… “That was no saviour, it's a Caiman crocodile and it's hungry for meat!”

“Move men, move!” They pulled themselves up onto the river bank, but Rob slipped and fell back into the water. The Croc opened its immense jaws ...ready to snap at Rob's left leg.

Suddenly, there was a whoosh sound, and an arrow had pierced the beast's jaw, forcing it to submerge and flee. A few yards away from the party were two Indian natives with bows and arrows. They went in and pulled Rob on the river bank to safety.

After Rob got his breath back he thanked the natives for saving him.

For some reason, Pedro and Carlos looked concerned. And they had good reason to be… the Indians were… Cannibals!

Pedro knew some of their language and he thanked them for saving Rob's life. They smiled and pointed to some rocks fifty yards away. A dozen more Indians appeared Carrying spears and rushed over and grabbed the men tying them up.

“You come with us now!” Said the native who had saved Rob earlier from the crocodile.

It seems the Indian saved you, Rob, for his own selfish reason, said Kieth, laughing uncontrollably.

“Is there anything we can do to change their minds, Pedro?” Rob asked in desperation.

“No, Senhor, its near their dinner time I'm afraid! Pray to your God. Only he can help us now!” Replied Pedro resignantly, as the Indians walked them further into the rainforest.

An hour later, they arrived at the cannibal's settlement, where the Indians forced them into a straw hut. Pedro overheard what the Indians said.

We are to stay in the hut until the Indians have everything ready.

“ You know the saying “trouble comes in threes!” Said Rob; well, look what has happened… Firstly we had the army ants. Secondly, we had the crocodile, and now, thirdly, we have Cannibals! This must be the end of all our problems then, don't you think so men?" He chuckled.

An hour had passed when the hut door opened.

"Come white men, we are ready!" Said the native.

Half a dozen Indians grabbed them and pushed them towards three giant pots.

They then lifted them inside each pot hands still bound still bound.

"Remind me Pedro, you said you had a surprise for us ... if this is it...I don't like it! He shouted as a native started lighting the fire wood around the pots with a big flame torch.

The water in the pots the men now stood in was quickly warming up.

Moments later some near-naked women smiling and giggling started dropping various vegetables in the pots.

By now the pots were bubbling up and the men were feeling uncomfortable... as they sweated and groaned.

The flames under the pots were steadily growing taller,as the men boiled.

"Roar!" "Roar!"

"What the heck was that?" shouted Rob.

Suddenly, the Cannibals started screaming and running away in panic.

The men in the pots now had something else to worry about as their hearts already thumping madly were ready to burst!

There now in front of them was a very tall, dark figure... walking towards them.

Pedro shouted it:

"It's the Mapinguari!"

The men waited their fate as he came behind them. Suddenly Pedro felt the monster untying his hands. Then in a moment the fires under each pots was extinguished. Each man was then unbound and lifted out of their pots.

Then a growling voice said:

"You are safe now, your curse of three troubles completed... go home!"

As the men turned to the creature they caught a glimpse of it transforming from a...Werewolf to a Shaman ... Then it vanished into the forest!

Ends