AncilChapter 29: Web House
Bookman led everyone through the door and to the helicopter but Sara was missing. I had to go back for her quickly. I ran back into the house and up the stairs to Sara’s room. I didn’t bother to say anything. I just grabbed her and ran back down the stairs explaining everything to her on the trek. We hastily grabbed some food items that Sara and I had prepared beforehand in case of emergency then headed towards the door. Sam was at the door with her torchlight and led us to the helicopter until we got safely in. Strapped down and armed, we were ready for takeoff. Cornell hurriedly started up the engines flicking switches on the control panel. We couldn’t take off yet though. Sam wasn’t in the helicopter. There was absolutely no space for her but it didn’t matter, we would make space. Awaiting Sam to enter the helicopter we kept our focus on the lights that were approaching us. They were huge now and were getting close. It was time to go.
“Sam, jump in!” I shouted.
She stood there with her lips pursed, blinking continuously as though she wanted to cry. She gave a huge sigh then said, “Hope you all get to safety.”
“There’s still room, we could make it work!” I shouted over the loud noises that the helicopter was making.
“As you said before Jed. I’m the weakest link. I’m the ticking time bomb. I led them here. It’s only a matter of time before they find me again,” she said, the wind from the rotor blowing her blonde hair in the wind.
There was no time to negotiate. We had to leave. It didn’t feel right leaving Sam behind but it was what had to be done.
“Sara keep your brother and sister safe. I’ll tell Clive hello when I see him.”
Sara didn’t respond.
I couldn’t remember telling Sam about Clive though. Actually, I couldn’t remember telling her Sara’s name either. My mind was flustered. Too flustered to think straight
Sam disappeared into the darkness as quickly as she flicked the torchlight off. It seemed like the slowest ascent into the stars ever.
Sara sat in the back seat looking back at the house that was barely visible in the dark.
“We’ll be safe,” I said to Sara who seemed more concerned about Sam than anybody else.
“That woman….Sam. Who is she?” Sara asked.
“She was the Prime Minister’s wife. Do you know her?” I said.
“I don’t know. She looks familiar.”
“Small world, I guess,” I said.
“Small world……..indeeeeeed,” Bookman said with his large eyes fixed on Sara.
***
The morning sun found us still in the air. Cornell had been making circles over Caura so as to not reach the coast. It was a bit of a relief to see the sun and the green of forested areas below.
All that we could discern below us was green with the occasional red and yellow of parrots and kiskadees. The trees formed a canopy that completely blocked the forest floor, so much so that there could have been a war going on below and we wouldn’t even have known.
Cornell was able to find a safe area to land after scoping out the entire forest area. Our best option was to stay away from the towns. The forest wasn’t much safer but there was more cover and less jumbies. Douens however, predominantly stayed in the forest. They were already extremely horrifying and I feared that douens weren’t the only creatures lurking in the woods. We needed to find a place to hide.
Bookman had told us that he had a friend named Anansi living in the Caura area.
“Anansi, the spider?” Saraya asked Bookman.
“Yeeeesssss!!” Bookman said with his eyes opened wide, fixed on her. The way he did it seemed to have freaked Saraya out because she instinctively shied away and held on tightly to her sister, who continued to stare outside lost in her own thoughts.
“They does always run. Like if I looking like a beast or something. I just want to have fun. I just want to….” Bookman’s eyes opened wider. “Buuuuuubbbble!”
Bookman led us through the forest but it was no walk in the park. We walked for nearly an hour in our tired, droopy and hungry states until we finally found Anansi’s house. It was huge. It had the look of a mansion, towering as high as the treetops which reached up to 60 feet into the air. The house was made entirely out of dirty white spider webs. Only the door was made of wood.
