Chapter IV: Grass

" Dear uncle Nurk ,

By the time you read this i would be kilometers ahead of the trek, you are welcome to follow the path i made. I left early because your stories about the time you lived with the kudaza tribe in the desert is getting repetitive and annoying. I left my share of the jerkies in a pouch inside your dufflebag so you'll have more energy to carry everything else. I'll already have built a fire by the woods by the time you catch up.

Your Favorite Nephew, Jean"

The burly man with slicked back blonde hair and beard reads as he takes a swig from his metallic mug filled with coffee.

" This youngblood had me fucked up" he chuckles.

He stands to look around their tent and sighs at the amount of luggage he has to carry. He chugs the whole mug bottoms up.

Then he notices another fold in the letter and spreads it with his thumb leisurely.

" PS

I'll tell aunt about the time you met with madame Lenn from the news station if you don't catch up."

He chokes and coughs up some of the coffee like a cliche.

" GOD DANG IT JEAN!!! " he grunts as he crumples the letter. He chuckles like an old man who just heard a great banter from an old buddy.

" I raised this boy a little too well " he thinks to himself while uncontrollably grinning.

Several minutes later, He takes his safari hat off a wooden log and brushes off the dust on it. With everything packed into his comically large backpack strapped to his deceivingly muscular frame.

" I hope my wife doesn't find out , she'll never forgive me if she does, that means no more sunday night playtime. "

Every step leaves a bootmark as the weight of his backpack would burden even a donkey. Still, he follows a trail of chopped assortment of bushes and tall grass.

" Aah, i miss my boat, this boy said we'd be camping for a few days but it looks like it's gonna turn to a whole week. "

Several hours later and the sun is at it's peak. Despite the lush vegetation the air felt arid, not a single bird flew the cloudless blue sky.

" Damn, this is starting to feel like that time we hunted for Baboons in the desert, those kudaza tribesmen would barely be sweating in this heat... but look at me, i am soft, weak and getting old. " he thinks as he trudges on. he's zoning out via the train of thought he has, like a window's blind folded halfway.

He continues the trek, until he emerges from a green shrubland with tall trees to cross a creek into a field of dry tall grass and dandelions, the winds carry them from one side to another with a succession of light breezes.

The blinds reopen, he looks up to peek at the clear blue sky with the sun beaming early past noon.

The heat was getting to Nurkel, his face was flush and his festive buttoned down polo was wet with sweat. He has the hundred yard stare in his eyes as he takes occasional swig of water from a flask strapped hanging from his neck. He was beggining to get overheated.

" aaaah yup i gotta stop for a rest " he finally takes off the backpack and places it down gently. he feels great relief as the breeze lifts his drenched top

" yeeeeh " he smiles whilst holding the seams of his shirt to the breeze. he looks around for a suitable shade and spots a sole tree atop a small hill near the cleared path. " hell yeah~ i'm gonna eat there like it's a picnic uumm uhm uhmm "

he grabs the bag by the top strap and clenches then drags it towards the tree making all sorts of clanging noises from the pots banging together and sloshing noises from canisters unopened, to him it sounded like cheery instrumentals egging him on to eat festively. he whistles till he reaches just below the tree and sets there to eat.

His face lightens up like like buddhas face, he cooled himself down by pouring some of the water fron his canister to his face then he wipes all the gunk stuck to his face. His eyes shift in focus and his sight is at full capacity. " This field deserves to be painted! " he exclaims.

" I bet that young-un didn't even stop here, i'll rest here for 20? no 30 hmm... 25? yes... to fully enjoy this moment, gotta enjoy the little things! " as he laughs like a bear with arms akimbo.

He sets everything up piece by piece to have a decent meal. Protein bar: Strawberry flavor for appetizer, Jerkies hydrated in a bowl full of heated canned soup.

As for dessert: " Hmmm... since this place is great, I'll spoil myself a little" smoking a whole roll of cigar from his bag instead of the unfinished one he sparingly indulges in.

This old man had the demeanor of a guy fine dining at a nice restaurant. After an hour and a half of a nonchalant but well deserved rest and dine, he finally noticed something odd and he can't put a finger on it.

He feels a subtle static in the air, a feeling that can only be described as disturbing, cold sweat drips from his face.

" I can't understand this... Why do i feel this way? " anxiety veers, slowly tearing the subtle sense of comfort he had for the meal.

" Wait, were those cigars?? "

Yes... they were cannabis. Turns out, Jean didn't only leave beef jerkies for his uncle.

This phenomenon is called a "bad trip" , when a person goes through emotional or mental lows from ingesting or inhaling mentally altering substances.

Unfocused...he feels drowsy, the dosage was too strong for someone unaquatinted with this type of substance. He sits stoned like a melted crayon on a curb for a few minutes until he passes out.

Hours had passed and It's getting late now, the sun glows orange and the light directly hits him, it illuminates this old bearded man's face sleeping like a toddler.

Then suddenly...

The ground trembles and along the trembling are sounds of creaking alike to hinges of creaking doors only this one feels like it comes from a gigantic one. The vibrations steadily grew and the all the utensils started making sounds. He becomes conscious for a split of a second, he opens his eyes then closes.

His body resists but his mind came back, He feels like a newborn and all the fatigue from his body is gone. He yawns and sits up straight a he stretches his relaxed limbs. His eyes still blurry but he feels the weakening vibration.

He clasps at his face and wipes off the drool and gound.

for a brief moment, he saw a shining black dome from the blurry horizons and his eyes widen. He rubs his eyes one more time and the thing is gone and the vibration also stopped.

" Damn, am i old or am i seeing things now? the fuck was in that cigar? "

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