Part 29 (1/2)
Candi reached up, self-consciously touching her hair. She knew it looked terrible. Sarah had suggested dreadlocks, and so far Candi had resisted. But she knew if she didn't make an effort to do something soon, she'd just have a matted mess and nothing to fix. She decided then and there to have Sarah put it in dreadlocks. When she got back home she could just cut them all off and start over.
When she reached the treehouse, she found Kevin chopping thin stalks of bamboo into short lengths. He already had about ten of them on the ground.
”Whatcha makin'?” asked Candi.
”I'm making the materials for a rat cage. I found more rat c.r.a.p down here by our fire. I thought we should try to trap some of them and see what's what.”
Jonathan and Sarah came through the trees to join them.
”Sarah, do you think you can make rat traps if I give you some specifications?” asked Jonathan.
”Probably, if you ask nicely.”
Jonathan just looked at her and raised one eyebrow.
Candi watched as they exchanged a look that told her things were getting steamy in the jungle. She looked over at Kevin, but he seemed oblivious.
The group spent the next hour debating the best rat trap design while Sarah built the box that was going to serve as a cage.
”I think the Wiley Coyote Looney Tunes style is the best,” said Jonathan.
”What the heck are you talking about?” asked Kevin.
”You know ... Looney Tunes? They're cla.s.sic cartoons. Old-school.”
”I don't remember an episode with rat trips ... sorry.”
”It was a Road Runner trap. Anyway, you have a box that's propped up by a stick that has a string tied to it and food attached to the string. The idea is that a rat will grab the food and run away with it, pulling the string, causing the stick to fall, thereby causing the box to fall down on top of the rat, trapping him inside.”
Kevin thought about it for second and then started nodding slowly. ”You really think that could work?”
”Yes. We've got the box.” He gestured to Sarah's newly finished project. ”So, now we just need to tie some fish guts to a string that's attached to a stick, and we'll be all set.”
”Well, I was going to go fis.h.i.+ng again anyway, so maybe today's a good day for all of us to have a lesson I've gotten pretty good at it, if I do say so myself,” said Candi.
”Yeah, maybe us men can give you some pointers down there while we're at it.”
Candi scoffed at Kevin's comment. ”Yeah, we'll see about that. Come on, let's go now.”
Everyone stood up and went over to grab a fis.h.i.+ng spear from the collection Candi kept handy and sharp. They waited for Sarah to stow her rat box and then headed down to the shallows as a group.
Candi had found an area that had several rocks scattered in shallow pools of water that deepened around the base of the rocks. These spots seemed to be the favorite haunts of the fish.
”Okay, first lesson don't let them see your shadow. And don't sing. I found out eventually that they don't like noise.”
Everyone got up on one of the big rocks in the water with Candi.
”Now you have to sit and wait for a fish to come. Sometimes they're hard to see, since they're basically the same color as the sand most of the time. Just look for movement. The only thing you can really see is the black of their eyes.”
”I can't see s.h.i.+t,” said Sarah.
”Yeah, me neither,” said Kevin.
Jonathan was staring so intently into the water, he looked like he was in a trance. ”Yeah, sorry, Candi. I can't see a thing.”
”Well, it's not like there are a million of them out here, you have to be patient. Oh, wait! Look. One's coming now.”
She gestured a little to the left, to an area that was near the deeper water.
”I still can't see s.h.i.+t.”
”You will. Wait until it's closer.” Candi had lowered her voice to a whisper. ”Now, when it's close enough, slowly raise your spear slowly they don't like sudden movements. And remember, the water distorts their actual position, so you have to aim kind of behind where you actually think they are.”
Candi stood poised on the rock, spear raised above her head. She was staring intently at the water. She could feel Kevin watching her from the other side of the rock.
She lunged. The spear flew out of her hand and sliced neatly into the water. Candi jumped in after the spear and quickly picked it up, lifting the tip towards the sky.
She shook the water out of her eyes and hair. ”You have to get the spear turned upside down pretty quick, otherwise they wiggle off the end and you lose 'em or you have to go running all over the place to chase them down.”
A s.h.i.+ny fish was flipping back and forth about five inches from the end of her spear point. Candi was smiling up at the group on the rock. ”See? Easy! Now you guys try.”
She climbed back up easily, the well-toned muscles in her arms and legs flexing with the well-practiced movements. ”We have to spread out, though. I've just scared the fish from this pool, so we have to move. You guys make sure you have at least one empty rock between you, that way you won't scare each other's prey away.”
They followed Candi's directions and spread out, examining the water for potential dinner candidates. The first one to try their hand at spearing was Kevin.
”I see one,” he said in a loud stage whisper.
”Okay! Remember to spear a bit behind where you think the fish is.”
”Raaah booyah!!!!” was the next thing they heard, then a big splash.
”What the h.e.l.l?” Jonathan turned around to see what Kevin was doing.
Kevin came up with an empty spear. ”Dammit, missed that sucker. Hmm.” He looked confused, staring into the water and then at the top of his spear. ”I think there's something wrong with my spear.”
Candi laughed. ”There's nothing wrong with your spear, it's your technique.”
Kevin looked hurt. ”What's wrong with my technique?”
”Maybe next time use a little less Rambo and a lot more stealth.”
Kevin frowned at her but didn't say anything.
Jonathan was next up, but he didn't have any better luck, even though he was less enthusiastic with his war cry.
”This isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be.”
Candi looked at him crossly. ”Of course it's not easy. Why do you think it took me two weeks straight to figure it out?”