Aquisitioner’s Entry 11: The allure of the mystic volcano
I think Karl gets a real kick out of bringing me back down to earth. “So what is it with Slider snakes?” I ask.
“Well, they’re hard to find to begin with. They love the volcano on this island. Most of the time they lurk in light brush. They like the protection the brush gives them and they also like the sun hitting their backs. At sunrise the frequently slither out on black volcanic rocks to warm up a little before breakfast.” Karl explains.
“I thought you were going to tell me some ghoulish story about being incredibly poisonous and having a particular hankering for people called V.” I say mockingly.
“Well…you’re at least half right.” Karl responds.
“They like people named V?” I ask with fake curiosity.
“I don’t know about that. I guess it’s possible. The more this job teaches me about animals the more amazed I become at their abilities…but, I was actually agreeing with the poisonous part. That’s kind of their specialty.” Karl says flatly.
“We’re trying to get to the east side of the volcano before sunrise. Our best chance is to find a big fat Slider baking in the sun. It’s too hard and too dangerous to hunt them in the brush. If we miss them today we just keep coming back until we find a sunbather.
Once I had to make 11 trips to the known site of a wild wahunga before I timed it right for a stuffocation. To get there was a 3 hour wade up to your chest in nasty smelling swamp water. Finn still owes me for that one! He said he had a special kid he wanted to help.” she sighs.
“In a few minutes we get to the hard part. There’s a rather deep gorge we need to cross. It’s not all that wide but I always get a little weirded out by the depth. You can cross by log or by a rope swing. Either way, you’re suspended over a 900 foot earth wrinkle long enough to question your sanity. Most of the time I swing.” she says just as we break into a clearing.
“We’re here. A few more steps in this darkness and you’d be surprised how long your little gravity test would seem to take.” Karl says as she carefully walks at an angle to the right.
“Usually I’m crossing with some very early dawn light. We made good time. It’s still dark. I suggest we use the log. It’s too dark to see the other side for a safe landing.
I’ll go first. Wait till I get to the other side. I don’t want to stress this log. It’s been here quite a few years. When I call to you, sit down on the log and use your arms to move your bum across. Sling your stuffocator over your back so you have both arms free. Sound okay?” she asks.
We both know there’s only one answer. I give it and Karl is off.
I can hear her making steady progress across the log and I also hear the faint sound of moving water coming up from the gorge. The shear blackness is a little eerie.
About 3 or 4 minutes later Karl calls out, “Okay, your turn.”
I sit down on the log like Karl described and slowly make my way across. As I get out over the gorge I can feel a cool breeze coming up from the total blackness of the bottomless pit. I can feel my pulse quicken and I inch along the log a little faster. A few minutes later I’m to the other side.
Getting off the log is harder than I expected, especially with my stuffocator and the other gear. I finally make it to a full standing position expecting Karl to say something sarcastic…but I hear nothing.
“Karl.” I say questioningly. Still nothing. A little louder, “Karl.” Her silence is unnerving. This time I call as loud as I can, “Kaaarrrrllll.”
The only sound I hear is the faint running water below.
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