They peered out of the tunnel trail to see what looked like a small village of traditional huts with thatched roofs made from huge dried palm leaves. To Jonathan it was like stepping into a picture in a history book. To Molly it was like walking into her own past. Close by, a young man tended a crop of plants, but he was the only person in sight. He wore coarse clothing and had a mass of long, tangled hair. He spotted the movement in the bushes and looked up to see them peering out of the tunnel. He smiled as he walked towards them, nodding, as if he had been waiting for their arrival.
Their instincts told them they had found a friend, not an enemy, but Molly lit a mapacho just in case and Jonathan gripped the machete firmly. They put down their backpacks, exhausted with the effort and tension of the last few hours.
“Hello. We’ve been expecting you,” the stranger grinned. He said hello to the little monkey cradled against Jonathan, picked up their backpacks and led them into the village, chatting away like a tour guide. He excitedly described the crops that were growing and talked about the recent rains and the rising river. But he talked mostly about the insects. He pointed out trails of ants and showed them a huge spider’s web. Molly couldn’t understand why he kept talking about insects.
He introduced himself as Oscar.
“Oscar ‘Wild’, they call me,” he laughed. He had an unusual accent, and Molly wondered where he was from. But she was too tired to ask any questions and was happy to listen to him chatter.
The wooden huts were in a circle and all the buildings had steep thatched roofs of palm leaves. There was a smell of cooking, but no one was in sight. They reached a larger house with wide wooden steps that led up to a wrap-around balcony. It looked more like a communal house than somewhere just one family lived. Oscar beckoned them to follow him, and he threw open the door.
They were met by a smiling group of people, welcoming the weary travelers. As they walked in the group parted and there, in the middle, was Linorio. He looked surprised but gave them a huge smile.
“Heavens, Molly! What are you doing here? And who is this? You must be Jonathan, yes? I’ve heard so much about you from Molly. I’m so pleased to see you, but what on earth are you doing here? And how did you find us?”
Molly explained everything in one garbled sentence: the award, how they wanted to persuade him to return, how Jonathan found the reference to Puerto Verdad, and the old map she had found with the X marked on it.
“Incredible! We were expecting an entomologist and her assistant, not you two! What on earth were you thinking of? You’ll always have your jungle heart, Molly, but this young lad, with no experience! At least you have rubber boots, a machete, and mapachos. Let’s get you two washed and patched up. And we’ll get you out of those clothes! I’ll explain it all when you’re fresh. And there’s a party tonight. This is a time to celebrate!”
A young couple, Gracie and Josh, picked up their bags and took them off to an empty hut where there was running water, towels and a collection of sweet-smelling lotions made from fresh plants. The little monkey, whom they had named George, refused to leave Jonathan, and clung to him when they untied the sling. But he seemed to be happy sitting next to the shower as long as Jonathan kept talking reassuringly to him. Molly sat on the porch of the hut and lit a mapacho. This time, she luxuriously drew the fragrant smoke deep inside.
Gracie and Josh reappeared with a pile of clothes, a bowl of fruit and a quickly constructed 'monkey carrier' made from material and thick string. Jonathan emerged from the shower, wrapped in a towel, and Molly took her turn to bathe. She let the cold water run over her, and now she too wondered what on earth she was doing here. The landscape felt familiar, as though she was reliving the life she had known half a century before. So much had changed in the world, yet here she was in the midst of memories from so long ago. It made her realize how much she herself had changed.
Jonathan was covered in cuts and bites which Gracie had spotted with the deep red ‘dragon’s blood’ antiseptic. But he was clean and smelled sweet with the plants and lotions he had bathed in. He had been given a strange collection of clothes to wear. A modern pair of sports pants, a beautiful traditional shirt with colorful borders, and sandals made from a woody fiber, carefully woven with knotted straps. He was glowing. These had been the hardest days of his life, but he felt wonderful. He found it hard to grasp why, but he felt his life had changed completely. He felt alive and in touch with the world, in touch with the forces and energies of the jungle and filled with the spirit of adventure.
Molly had a marvelous outfit in a style she had never seen before. A blouse and skirt made of soft cotton, with delicate embroidery, and a pair of sandals the same as Jonathan’s. They both sat for a while on the porch, nibbling on the fruit while they talked over the events of the past few days, both puzzled by what they had walked into.