Man In The Jungel

• Presley Dowsett, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2018

Boom! I hear a gun. I’m running as fast as I can. I hear something in the bushes. I step back, it's a raccoon. I crouch down and hold out my hand for the tiny creature to sniff. It’s nervous. Unsure if I am to be trusted. Eventually it gently takes some berries. I see a bear sleeping in it’s cave. Again, from somewhere in the distance a gun shot sounds, “Boom!” The bear stirs. Eyes open. Nostrils sniffing. I freeze. “Should I run?” my mind freaking out and my heart is pounding. “And who is shooting the gun?”
The bear seems to settle and I decide to make a run for it. But running backwards is a bad idea. I stumble on a branch. “Snap”, sounds the twig under my foot. The bear is now awake and heading my way. I turn and run for my life. Pounding behind me. Closer, closer! I stumble, scramble. Huffing and growling behind me. Hot breath breathing down on me, breathing on the back of my neck. Then I see it. A cliff edge. The river below roars as I leap and dive to the depths and safety of the rushing water. Current carries me from the danger of the bear. Though I struggle to swim, I manage to paddle my way to the water’s edge.
I walk back to camp. Back to the warmth and protection of the fire.