9. Evie

nine

Evie

Sniffing at the light tickle on my nose, I tried to wrinkle it away to continue my slumber. Rest was blissful, as every tendon in my body had been stretched beyond what I presumed possible. My ankles puffed from the miles of trudging, and my back throbbed out its own heartbeat of pain. Add the pure exhaustion, I had no plans to wake up any time soon.

Like a cat trying to nuzzle at my nose in a sweet Eskimo kiss, the tickling continued. I giggled, as it set my dreams to respond. Now I was seeing my favorite childhood cat, Princess Flufferson. She'd left this earth years ago, but lived in my dreams, where she was always warm and snuggly. I leaned into the softness, pining for a deeper caress.

Oh sweet, Princess Flufferson …

I sighed, missing her essence so much, I grew nostalgic remembering her white puff ball head.

Hisssssss.

My eyes sprang open.

A neon-snot-colored snake hissed directly into my eyes! His elongated form spiraled around the branch above me, and he flicked out his black forked tongue, narrowly missing the tip of my nose.

Sucking back a giant gasp, I flattened my body against the tree, trying not to make any sudden movements. " Jasper …" I whispered through clenched teeth, unable to create any more space. I shifted my gaze to both sides, but other than trees and vines, my peripheral vision was clear, Jasper was likely still gathering food, which meant I was stuck here alone.

Not alone.

Alone would be better than this!

I shifted my legs but returned them straight out when I discovered there was no way I could stand up with this serpent hanging directly above me. My best bet was to quickly—and ever so smoothly—shimmy to the side to get out from underneath it, and then bolt.

Where I would go wasn't a question I could answer. If I ran south, I hit the swamp. I also didn't know what direction Jasper was hunting, and I didn't want to wander too far off from base, because everything looked the same. There wasn't a way for me to mark my way back . . . I scanned the horizon, planning.

Hissss

Goosebumps spiraled all over my body, giving me the total creeps. Out came his tongue, so pointy and long, and I was gone! My leg jutted out as far as I could spread it, and I rolled out of his way, and scrambled to my feet, not taking the time to even figure out what direction I was running. I was smart though. I counted my steps. Fifty. Then I halted right next to another tree and vine. Yes, I doubled-checked that vine to make sure it was in fact a vine and not another snot snake.

As I rested my hands on my knees, I caught my breath and looked back the way I came. No snake following me. I must be safe. As a precaution, I cut a glance in the opposite direction. More trees and more vines, but no snake.

My gaze fell back behind me.

Or did I come from that direction?

Nah, I wagged my head, my brow furrowing. That way just had trees and grass and vines, and the other direction had…trees and grass and vines...

Oh no!

My bottom lip quivered as I turned in a circle, getting myself even further mixed up. I had no idea which direction I had come, which meant, I had no idea how to get back. But I knew my steps, and fifty steps weren't a lot.

Right?

I could pick a direction, run fifty steps, and if that wasn't the right direction, I'd come back and use this as my new base. I chewed the side of my cheek, my anxiety peaked. I'd needed to find a way to mark my trail, or I was going to continue to get deeper into the brush with no way back. I didn't have anything on me, but quickly came up with the idea to break a vine and tie it around a branch like a flag. It couldn't be too obvious, though, or it might give me away. It must be a low branch that's camouflaged, and only I know how to check it. I nodded, liking my plan.

It had to work.