A Brown Leather Hat

Twigs snapped underfoot as Tony trudged desperately through the gloomy rainforest. Tony was a tall, well-built 18-year-old. ‘Great,’ thought Tony, ‘I’m stuck in the middle of the Columbian rainforest with no compass, no map and no idea of where to go.’ Not knowing what else to do, Tony broke into a small jog. Suddenly the ground gave way. He screamed in pain, as he struck his head at the bottom of the pit. As Tony begun to lose consciousness, he saw two figures standing over the pit.
When Tony woke up, he was dazed and confused, and his head was throbbing. He went to feel his head only to realise that he could not move his arms. Tony looked up to see the gravel of a hard path passing by only inches from his face. Looking around he realised he was hanging upside down; he was tightly bonded to a thick piece of bamboo by jungle vines. Two strange looking men carried each end of the bamboo pole. ‘Native Columbians,’ thought Tony, intrigued.
A few days earlier Tony’s Dad went missing in this exact rainforest. For his birthday Tony had bought him a dark brown, leather hat with his name inside. He loved it and he wore it everywhere. He had heard of a hidden civilization somewhere in the rainforest. He ventured out to find it. After a few days Tony went in search of him, in fear that his Dad was lost or worse, injured.
Tony realised he was being carried up the side of a volcano. “I’m a h-h-human s-s-sacrifice,” Tony stammered to himself, fear gripping his chest. The natives were almost at the top of the volcano. ‘In no time at all we will be at the top,’ thought Tony. He slumped; realising he was going to die and that no-one would ever know what happened to him. Then suddenly a glimmer of hope! The knot which tied Tony’s hands was working loose. Tony had a chance, a slim chance. Before the natives realised, Tony slipped his hands free and untied his feet. He jumped up and sprinted towards the top of the volcano. The natives chased after him. Tony whipped out his phone and had just enough signal to call for help. The two natives circled him aggressively. One lunged forward, pushing Tony down to the molten lava below.
Tony screamed as he fell. He flailed his arms desperately, catching a tree branch. He pulled himself up onto the branch, shaking by his near-death experience. As he clung to the branch, he saw it…a dark brown, leather hat caught amongst the branches. Tony now knew what happened to his father. Through his tears Tony realised the branch that had saved his life also saved his last memories of his Dad.
Minutes later the helicopter rescue arrived, lowering Tony down a ladder. Tony clambered on exhausted, clinging tightly to his Dad's brown leather hat.

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