Splashy

A heavy sounding something rustled in the trees, so I snatched up my blanket and headed on out of the clearing.
I'd done all the socialising I could cope with for the morning and thought I'd have an investigate before returning to camp. The urges that had been stalking after me were now close and threatening, looming like some kind of lunch time bully after inner peace instead of dinner money. Perhaps exploring would help take my mind off things.

I followed the same path I'd bombed down previously, attempting to escape my birdy pal. To the right, the wide natural track – trodden down by animals I suppose – carried on past the tree where I'd rested, but within the undergrowth across the main path, I spotted a narrower route. I liked the look of it.

I wandered for quite some time along the curving track, as it ran through exotic trees and plants. There seemed to be a lot of plump fruit hanging about, so I grabbed a large avacado-pear looking thing to eat later.
After about quarter of an hour or so, the undergrowth became dense and humid, and a little darker.
At one stage I had to climb across a massive fallen trunk, which felt like more of an effort than it should, reminding me again that I wasn't in great shape. Smeggin' frustrating. Apart from the nagging demands, I guessed this was because I was still recovering from that stab-happy lizard bastard spearing me.
Shit, it was probably time for the staples to come out, I didn't want to remind Phi bu-

“Aaargh!”

I'd nearly walked into a grinning, skeletal, face.
Hanging upside down from a tree was the remains of what used to be a guy, tangled up in a parachute harness.

What the hell?
I didn't know how he'd got there, but then I didn't know how Molly had got here either, I just assumed the others knew what was going on in the 'people appearing' department.

I had a poke about nearby, and in some overgrown grass I found a sheathed knife.
You poor bastard.
He must have dropped it when trying to escape. Or maybe he was already dead when he hit the tree, and it had fallen on impact.

I wondered if I should pull him down and rifle through his pockets. They didn't look like they had anything in them, though, and it seemed a bit disrespectful so I left him.
“Maybe I'll come back with the others some time - see if you left anything else useful lying about.”
I could probably have pulled his shirt off and used it myself, but I didn't fancy it, to be honest. Besides, I had my blanket again now.
I thought I should probably say some words or something; maybe no-one else knew he'd died.
I looked around first, just in case anyone was listening.

“Dear Gods, uh, please look after this man. Thanks. Amen.”

It was a bit creepy finding him dangling there, and a bit intriguing too. Why would an apparently human someone be parachuting out here on this planet?
Maybe the EM field had fried his plane.
Plane!? Did he have a plane? Perhaps we'd find out.

I left the unexpected parachutist and continued through the trees.
After a while I could see that the way ahead was brightening up, and I soon found myself in a large clear area, framed by rocks, behind which I could see what looked like some hills and treetops.
I trapsed on, keen to investigate beyond the rocks. When I got around them I was very happy to find that across the way was a small waterfall, splashing and sparkling into a pool. That was a welcome sight, I tell you. I felt a rush in my chest like I'd taken a Lift (not an elevator – I mean those drugs they used to give out at school discos. I might have skipped school most of the time, but I did go to the discos). It was amazing, like something out of the books Dad used to read me and my little brother. Beautiful.

I forgot my aches and urges and – suddenly six - ran over to it.

The pool was fairly large and looked clear, and clean, and free of creatures.
I was thirsty and had already drained the waterskin, so I leaned over about to scoop up some handfuls, when I caught my reflection. (The camp lake being infested with monsters, I'd not really lingered over it long enough for a proper look).
“Ho-ly crap.”
It was as I'd suspected, maybe worse. Untidy hair, drawn face, scraggly stupid little beard and shadowed lack-of-sleep and lack-of-other-things eyes - what a mess. Tramp chic, without the chic.

It was time to smarten up.
The knife was in good nick but I sharpened it a bit on a stone from the pool bed anyway, then ate some of my greasy pear lunch before pulping the rest up to use as shaving cream.
I know my own face and have been known to shave without looking, but my hand wasn't feeling too steady, I had a tad more than the usual stubble, and the knife wasn't exactly my razor, so again I used the water as a mirror.
Easy does it.

Ten or so minutes and a few nicks later and I was on my way to being a new man.
Damn, that felt, and looked, a lot better. Not great, but better.

Not so Uncle Whateverhisnamewas, now.

I chucked my blanket and boxers in the pool and slopped in, myself, wading over to stand beneath the waterfall which had just become my new shower.

I had just started singing, when I saw what I thought was a meteor streaking across the sky.

<tbc>