CHAPTER 7:

THE BIG SQUEEZE

Night soon fell over the adventurers. While Rapp and Sue went to bed, Justin and Feena stayed outside the tent to talk.

"Hey, Feena," Justin said, pointing to the night sky. "You remember that star up there?"

"Of course! It's the one that you promised we would go to someday, back in Gumbo."

"Yeah, you're right. You think we ever will?"

"I don't know, Justin. It's kind of hard to reach, don't you think?" Feena replied, playfully.

Justin laughed. "I know, Feena. I know. Still, it's not entirely impossible, is it?"

Feena smiled. "Justin, if there's one thing I've learned from going on adventures with you, it's that nothing is impossible!"

"You're right, Feena." Justin looked skywards. "Making it through the Misty Forest, crossing the End of the World, navigating the Sea of Mermaids, they were all thought to be impossible. Like my father always said, 'Never say that something can't be done. Someone might just interrupt you by doing it.' And that's exactly what happened whenever people doubted us!"

Feena suddenly grew silent. "Do you remember your father?"

"Kind of. I mean, I remember what he looked like. I don't remember what he was like, though. I was pretty young when he died, you see."

Feena grew silent again. "Justin," she began. "H-how did your father die?"

"I...don't...really...know. All I remember is someone coming over to the Seagull Restaurant and telling Mom and me that he had died. Whatever happened to him, his body was never found."

Feena put her hand on Justin's shoulder. "I-I'm sorry I made you tell me that."

"It's okay, Feena. He's not really gone. He's with me right now. I just can't see him."

Feena leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Well, it's getting late. Let's go to bed."

"All right."

They both crept quietly into the tent, careful not to wake Rapp and Sue, and crawled into the same sleeping bag.

"Goodnight, Feena."

"Night, Justin."

Then they kissed, and fell asleep.

The next morning, Feena woke Justin up. "Justin. Justin!" she whispered into his ear.

"Hmm.... What is it, Feena?" he asked, groggily.

"Come on, get up. And be quiet!"

Justin looked over his shoulder, and saw that Rapp and Sue were still asleep. "Feena, why are we getting up so early?" He nodded towards Rapp and Sue. "Shouldn't we wake them up?"

"No, Justin. I don't want to wake them up yet."

"Why not?"

"Well," Feena began. "The reason is, uh, d-do you want to go swimming with me?" she asked, smiling.

Justin's eyes opened wide. "Uh...well...oh...o-okay."

They stepped into the morning sunlight. The fog was still visible over the river.

Feena took her stockings and shoes off, and waded in.

Justin pulled his shirt over his head, and went in after her.

Feena swam up to Justin and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing her forehead against his.

Justin placed his hands at the sides of her waist. She's so beautiful, he thought. So beautiful, like Mother Nature took earth, air, fire, and water, and molded them altogether to form her.

This was the first time Feena noticed that Justin had a growth spurt during their first month together. When Feena met him back on the steamer, Justin was two inches shorter than her. Now, he was two inches taller than her.

After a few more moments of caressing and kissing, Justin broke away. "Feena, I'll go get breakfast ready this time."

"Are you sure you can handle it?"

Of course! How hard can it be? You coming too?"

"Well, I think I'll stay in the water. I needed a washing off."

Justin went back to shore. It turned out that making breakfast wasn't all it was cracked up to be. When he tried to fry the eggs, the eggs wouldn't cooperate. On his first attempt to crack an egg on the skillet's edge, it splattered all over the place, not to mention all over himself. "Hey Feena," he called, holding another egg to his ear. "I think these eggs are bad. One of them is making a 'peeping' sound inside."

But there was no answer. All Justin heard in reply was a very loud 'splash'. Much to loud to be made by Feena simply falling in the water.

"Feena? You alright?"

There was still no answer.

Justin stood up to look at the water. Feena was nowhere in sight. Bubbles were coming up from one spot in the river. Justin kept his eyes on these bubbles. They steadily grew larger and larger. Suddenly, Feena surfaced, screaming, in the spot where the bubbles were coming up, and when Justin saw her, his blood ran cold. Feena was struggling with an enormous 40-foot snake! The snake had its coils wrapped around her entire body, and was constricting the life out of her. Its jaws were latched onto her face as she continued to try to pull the reptile from her body. She was having no luck, however. The snake was extremely strong. Justin quickly ran into the tent, grabbed his sword, and ran back out into the river, towards the screaming girl. Justin reached her, and plunged his sword into the body of the snake. The water immediately ran red with blood, and the snake now had a very deep cut. However, the snake didn't take any notice of the sword, or Justin. It kept on constricting Feena. Justin struck again, and again. The snake's internal organs were now visible, but it continued to constrict. This isn't working, Justin thought. He continued to cut at the snake anyway, desperate to free Feena. Soon, however, Justin noticed that Feena had stopped screaming. He kept watching her, as she nodded her head and fell unconscious from the snake's continued squeezing. The snake's jaws released Feena's face, and its head moved up to the top of Feena's. Justin then watched in sheer terror as the snake's jaws unhinged, and began to walk the girl down its throat. Justin reacted quickly. He raised the sword and swung it down at the base of the snake's head, decapitating it. Finally, the snake's coils around Feena relaxed. Justin caught her as she fell into the water.

"Feena!" he cried, shaking her. "Feena, come on!"

Desperate, Justin quickly dragged her back to shore, and began performing mouth-to mouth resuscitation. To his great relief, after five attempts, Feena coughed and opened her eyes.

"Th-thank you, J-Justin," she said weakly, gasping for air.

Justin pulled her up into a tight embrace, and smiled as he rubbed his face in her hair, relieved that he was still able to do so.

TO BE CONTINUED