The Hungry Garden

Chapter Two: Into the Jungle

As we arrived for work the next day Susan told Chris and I to go see Uncle Morbid, who would tell us about our roles going forward. I was seeing her with new eyes now she'd dropped the clueless boss act, even though very little about her actual demeanor had changed. In light of Uncle Morbid's revelation that real death was possible here when we stopped choosing life, coupled with Susan's barely concealed glee at burying us alive, I was forming suspicions about what her actual role was.

When we got to Uncle Morbid's office, there was someone else there with him. It was the man I'd seen watching us the previous day.

"Hi Lexie, Chris, thanks for coming by," Uncle Morbid began. "To begin with, I'd like you to meet Wilco, he's an artist and effects designer you'll be working with going forward. He's been with our organisation for many years but has been away on business much of the time you two have been here."

As we shook hands, I remarked that I'd noticed him.

"Yes, sorry I didn't introduce myself, but you were busy getting buried," he said. "You did great, by the way, it looked amazing."

He gave me a conspiratorial wink.

"When did you realise the breathing tube didn't actually do anything?" he asked.

"I had my suspicions," I replied. "But it's not the sort of thing I would have put to the test on purpose."

"That's how it works here, they put you in positions where you'll figure out the next level stuff for yourself," Wilco explained. "It keeps the universe interesting."

"Are you like Uncle Morbid, or Susan?" asked Chris.

"A custodian, you mean? No, I'm a mortal spirit like you," said Wilco. "Nice to meet you, by the way. I've heard you're a bit of a tech wiz."

"Wilco has been working on developing the Jungle for us, you can think of him as our head gardener," said Uncle Morbid. "Amongst other things he's been working on some animatronic creatures to dot around. So far they haven't done a lot besides move a little and add to the scenery, but we're gradually making them interactive, and carnivorous. I'm hoping to combine Wilco's designs with Chris's tech skills to make this happen. And I want your input too, Lexie, because you and Maise have an incredible sense of drama and psychology. I'd like to see how you apply that to people-eating monsters."

Wilco took Chris and I to see his workshop, which was set up in a small building out on the edge of the woodland area known as the Jungle, reached via a dirt track which we drove up in Wilco's pickup truck.

"How much of the Jungle have you guys seen?" asked Wilco.

"I got here halfway through last season, so I saw a bit of it," said Chris. "Scott was going to show me how to prep the quicksand pools for this season. I don't think Lexie's been yet, though."

I confirmed that this was true.

"Well, it might have changed a little since you last saw it, Chris," said Wilco. "To tell you the truth, the Jungle is a work in progress. What we had last year was basically the main area by the lake, the quicksand pools and a couple of clearings where we ran deathplays. But this year we want to turn it into something incredible, and you two are going to help me do it."

Wilco's workshop looked like a regular artist's studio, with dried paint dotted about, hand drawn plans scattered about the walls and mesh mock-ups of various animals on the shelves. One of the plans was for a serpentine sculpture headed with the title "Sadie Coils". There was a large map of the area dominating one wall, scrawled over with notes and concept drawings.

The Jungle covered about 700 hectares of woodland, with a small lake at the centre fed by a stream flowing through a boggy area on the northwest side, flowing out again down a weir on the south side to join a channelled stream off towards a nearby river. There were wooden walkways all around, which led us through an area of boggy woodland to a wide open area by the side of the lake. There was a log cabin bar area surrounded by cabanas, with a small building tucked into the trees – this turned out to be a toilet and shower block. There was a paved area in the centre of the square and a small pier leading off into the lake with winch arms set up on the end.