It's Expensive

"Do you have that spear made yet, Gilligan?"

"Aye aye, Skipper!" Gilligan saluted and the spear fell against the skipper's belly.

"Oof!" Skipper exclaimed. He jumped back, shaking in anger. "Gilligan!"

"I'm sorry, Skipper." Gilligan winced. He'd done it again. He always managed to make Skipper angry somehow.

"Gilligan, how would you like a spear through YOUR stomach? Be more careful!"

"I said I was sorry."

Skipper grabbed the spear off the ground. "Never mind. I'm going to see how everyone else is doing. Get back to work."

"Yes, Skipper." Gilligan obeyed, his young face cast down. Why was he always messing things up?

As he sat back down on the table, blood seemed to pulse in his ears. Only it wasn't blood, but the pounding of the drums in the distance. Gilligan shivered and fastened the blade to the bamboo pole faster as he remembered what the Professor had told them. Cannibals were approaching. Whatever approaching meant, it didn't sound good.

"How are those spears coming along?"

"Just fine, Professor." Gilligan turned to face the college teacher and almost poked him in the gut with the spear.

"Gilligan!" Professor reprimanded.

"Sorry."

"Well, that's all right." The professor said. He scratched the back of his neck. "How many spears have you made?"

"A lot. Look." Gilligan turned, a smile of pride on his face, and gestured to weapons leaning against the table.

"That's good, because we'll need them."

"Professor," the smile left Gilligan's face and he looked up with big eyes at the professor. "The cannibals won't actually... eat us, will they?" his voice ended in a squeak.

"They will, unless we fight or run."

"I'll run." Gilligan jumped to his feet but Professor pushed him back down.

"Now there's no need to worry." he reassured.

"But you said the cannibals would eat us!"

"Calm yourself, Gilligan! We've been in these situations before."

"Ya," Gilligan agreed. "But it's still scary."

"Is he giving you any trouble, Professor?" Skipper asked, walking up.

"No, nothing to worry about, Skipper."

"There's always something to worry about! He's a walking disaster area."

Gilligan sunk low in his seat and stared at the table.

Skipper looked at the spears leaning against the table. "Those look ok. Good job, Gilligan."

Gilligan cast a shy smile up at the skipper. He had finally gotten some praise out of him.

"It's a good thing we have these spears." Professor stepped up to examine the weapons. "We could really need them."

Gilligan shivered and he clutched the edge of the table.

Skipper looked in the direction the professor was studying. Over the jungle trees, where they couldn't be seen, cannibals beat on their drums. Somehow Professor had defined a special rhythm in the beat that revealed they were cannibals. Though it didn't matter what kind of savages they were. They were getting closer.