Too Young (The Jewel Project #1)

Chapter 6.2 - Sunglasses and Screwdrivers

Once darkness settled and the group set up camp, Sam found himself unable to sleep. Though he shared his tent with Jerry and Kyle, he still felt unsafe. Only a piece of canvas stood between him and all the weird and threatening noises out there. He jumped every time he heard something close by, whether it was a croak or the innocent sounds of bugs.

He wasn't sure Kyle and Jerry were sleeping. Actually, from all the fidgeting coming from Jerry's corner of the tent, Sam could tell he was just as awake and as scared as he was. But even so, he couldn't open his mouth to speak.

Morning found him with his eyes wide open and stinging from the lack of sleep. Over breakfast, he could see that the others looked just as tired except for Kyle and the guides.

Over the course of the day, as they continued their expedition, Sam found himself dreading the darkness and having to try and sleep again. He could see it on Jerry's face that he felt the same. But night did come and Sam was once again cuddled in his sleeping bag, trying to block out the sounds from outside. The burning campfire reflected on the tent's canvas and he could see Carlos, the plump guide's silhouette as he sat slouched, his hat over his face, a rifle in his lap.

How could the man sleep outside? Sam decided to ask, so he crawled out of the covers and sneaked out. Carlos indeed seemed to be sleeping, but at the sound of the crunching dead leaves under Sam's boots, he raised his sombrero with his thumb.

"What is wrong, señor Sam?"

Sam looked on the ground to find a safe place to sit, then sat in front of the guide. "I can't sleep with all the noise."

"What noise?"

"This." A frog croaked and something seemed to be yelling further away.

Carlos gave a low chuckle. "That isn't noise, señor, that is nature. It shouldn't scare you."

Sam wanted to argue that he wasn't scared, but he didn't see the point in lying. "It does. I keep thinking about everything out there that could kill us."

"Most animals are harmless. For instance, that screaming, grunting noise we hear now – monkeys. Most of the croaking – frogs. Even if you hear the distant roar of a jaguar, it will not attack a large group of people, especially if there is a fire going. Even the snakes and spiders don't attack unprovoked."

"Yeah, you have a point." Sam did feel a bit better.

"Now, knowing nothing will hurt you, listen."

Sam tilted his head, but focused his attention on the choir of noises. After a while, they didn't sound threatening anymore. "They're quite relaxing, actually."

"Yes. It is hard for me to stay awake at night in the jungle. The noise puts me to sleep." Carlos laughed and Sam smiled at him, feeling much better. And once he crawled back to bed, he let the sounds of the jungle lull him to sleep.

The following morning, well rested and with a clear head, Sam started enjoying their trek through the luxurious vegetation.

Carlos and his assistant, Pedro, proved to be a live encyclopedia of Mexican traditions and legends, and Sam could spend hours listening to them. They enjoyed talking to him, too, since they could speak Spanish to him. Sam rarely had to ask them to translate anything. The two Mexicans especially enjoyed scary stories, the most frequently recurring one being 'The valley of the dead'.

"Gente no se mueren. They come back as ghosts. Algunos trficantes han construido una choza hay y las fantasmas... how you Gringos say it, haunt the place." Carlos waved his arms dramatically.