The Amazon Deaths

The reply always made his face screw up like a dried prune. Philop, the oldest of three children, was in charge. He was the most responsible and he knew right from wrong. The other cold in the room was 5 years old, Jane.

The time was 9:30am when the car rolled up. The sound of the monsterous commodore made the children race towards the old wooden door to meet their parents.

The next two hours brought good and bad news. Father told them about his work. He explained that in two days they would leave for South America.

The next day was the only time the children could say goodbye to their friends and learn more about the country they would live in.

It came fast - the time to go. Billy knew what it meant. He also knew the problems his family would face, but he didn't know the beasts that prowled the jungle in the deep Amazon Jungle.

The next day came fast. It was now 4:25am and the whole family was sitting in the boeing 747, waiting for the huge bird to take flight. This was the day they would leave America and probably would never return.

Billy met a boy in the seat behind him and was throwing his left over breakfast at him.

The trip took 8 hours and finally they caught sight of Droldin. Droldin was the capital of South America and was full of many shops and museums. Jane saw a doll that she wanted and Philop saw a car that he wanted and Philop saw a blonde European that interested him.

Soon the three children became a screaming disgrace. The father told them that if they carried on they were staying where they were. The kids settled down and the family headed towards the train station.

The train ride took 4 hours. The train took the family to Pingerlup. Pingerlup was the place where the father had organized a guide to lead them to Zoombarwey. The quiet, fat, mysterious, old man showed Mr Herd the car that would take them 200 miles inland. Actually, it was a poor excuse for a bomb, a Ford, but the price was low so the family agreed to go.

They took their supplies and started off. They were 40 miles from Droldin and very deep in the Amazon jungle, when Billy said he could smell a vulgar smell.

Then terror struck. When all was over the children were the only survivors. The half-bear, half-cougar that had killed the others was stalking them. They could not get the picture out of their minds. The picture of the beast coming from behind the seat, devouring human flesh and totally mutilating the bodies of their parents. Billy cried, "Maybe it won't kill us - maybe it will just hurt us." Whatever they said they knew that the carnivore was using them as sport.

The children were now deep in the jungle. The day was eerie, cold and windy. The wind had a bite to it. The three children looked around. All that could be seen for miles were trees. From the tree tops came the continuous echo of birds and monkeys. The sight and sound of the jungle almost made them forget the beast taht was somewhere behind them. Then a fierce roar made them remember.

The beast was now close behind them. The huge, white teeth glistened. Its mouth was panting, showing human blood. Its brown, creamy fur, a tangled mess. The eyes sparkled and its brain buzzed. Once again it craved the taste of a human.

The beast had lived in this place for 120 years, hunting and playing. Now it was the only one left. It was getting close. The children could smell the vulgar smell of the beast. They could also hear the pounding of the huge paws on the ground. For the children it was worse than the setting of a horror movie.

The three children were panicking. They had only run another 50 metres when Jane slipped and fell. She gave up. She was prepared to die. Even though she was 5 years old she knew the difference between life and death. She saw what the beast could do. Philop was determined to move on. He wasn't about to let the beast rob the lives from his brother and sister.

The beast had caught sight of the three children. It was ready - ready to kill its food. Hungrily it ran towards Billy. The creature lept on the helpless boy, its front legs crumpled the boy, taking off his head in one action. Blood was spitting out and the monster was lapping the blood and devouring the flesh, ripping and tearing and pulling every limb that was Billy.

Next the beast turn to Jane and rammed her against a tree. There was a loud thud as her head hit the tree. The beast attacked her again till she was finished and turned to look for Philop, but he had disappeared.

Picking up the scent the creature tore after him. Philop ran with his last breath. The pain in his chest was becoming unbearable and his eyes were full of tears making it almost impossible to see infront of him. Still he ran till finally he came to the edge. A few metres in front was a fast flowing river. Without any hesitation he launched himself from the bank. All was a blur now. The water was his blanket and the terror was over.

This story was a co-operative exercise in story writing. The ending was written by the classroom teacher.