Jumanji and Theo were up and early the next day as the drums signaled the hunting party heading out.
"So, what do you do for fun?", Theo asked as he and Jumanji headed out into the jungle air.
Jumanji looked thoughtful.
"So, you want to play that game I told you about last night?"
Theo looked a bit nervous.
"Anything happen when you play?", he asked as Jumanji led him to a place where Theo guessed kids played.
"Not really.", Jumanji answered as he got a smooth rock used as a base, "We just make up rhymes as we move our tokens."
"What happens if you roll doubles?", Theo asked as Jumanji had gotten the wooden tokens out and the board was set up.
Jumanji looked a bit thoughtful.
"How about whoever rolls doubles gets another turn?"
Theo was on board with that as he looked thoughtful as well.
"What do you call this game?"
Jumanji shrugged and looked sheepish.
"We don't have a name for it.", he admitted, "We just think of it as telling the original story of our home."
Theo decided to drop it as he could start the game.
"Well, whatever you call it, who goes first?"
Jumanji looked sneaky.
"Well, we first pick our tokens.", he answered holding out the four he had, "Which one are you?"
Theo went with the elephant while Jumanji chose the monkey. After setting them on corners of the board, Theo took out the two plain white six-sided dice only now they looked like they had aged as if they were made of bone.
"Mind if I go first?", Theo asked.
Jumanji nodded so Theo rolled the dice and got a three and a five. He moved his token to an eighth mark and thought of a rhyme.
"Twist or squirm, just hold your time. I help to heal with teeth and slime."
Jumanji suddenly looked a bit and flinched.
"Is it leeches?"
Theo nodded.
"Bingo. Now you."
Jumanji then rolled the dice and got two fives and he moved to the tenth marker on his path.
"This will not be an easy mission. Monkeys slow the expedition."
Theo looked a bit surprised.
"Why tell something when the answer is there?", he thought.
He decided to drop it as Jumanji rolled again and got a one and a two before moving his marker three more spaces.
"A hill so high can shake with rage. A river brings death to break your cage."
Theo knew the answer.
"A volcano."
As Theo took up the dice, he had a thought.
"So, what happens when someone cheats in this game?", he asked.
Jumanji smiled.
"Then you have to act like the animal your token is.", he answered before he lifted his hand to show he was kidding, "Just joking."
/
Theo however looked more in thought.
"How about if someone cheats, they take on the likeness of the animal their token is?"
Jumanji looked on board right away, but a little confused.
"Can that happen?", he asked.
Theo now looked like he was joking.
"Hey, anything can happen if you believe it."
Just before Theo was about to roll the dice, some sounds of gunfire sounded off in the distance making everyone around them pause and look to see smoke rising over the trees. More gunfire sounded off and Theo instantly knew who it could be. Jumanji obviously did too.
"Van Pelt.", they said together.
People around them started to pack up as if they knew that something bad was coming. Theo and Jumanji ran to the hut to get the Amulet, but made a horrible discovery: the box was open and the Amulet . . . was not there!
"That is not good.", Theo said now getting worried, "Who was here?"
Jumanji thought for a moment and then looked more alarmed.
"Dad!"
Theo and Jumanji bolted into the jungle towards the smoky horizon and once they came to a clearing, they saw the band of warriors on the jungle floor dead and Ven Pelt standing over them with the Amulet of Africa in his hand that he held aloft while his fellow hunters raised their muskets while yelling in triumph.
"With this in hand, we will bleed this land of its resources and slaughter all in our way!"
Jumanji and Theo were watching in total disbelief as Van Pelt trudged off with the medallion still in his clutches.
"We have to get that back."
Jumanji nodded while looking angry.
"I'll bury that man underneath the jungle floor and toss what's left to the piranha in the river."
Theo quickly held Jumanji from charging in.
"Hey, if we get caught, Van Pelt will have us shot dead."
Jumanji tried to calm down. He knew that his friend was right. He then looked firm again.
"We have to keep Van Pelt from leaving the jungle.", he informed, "The Amulet of Africa holds powers that people like Van Pelt must never possess."
Theo looked a bit nervous.
"What kind of powers?"
"Make the jungle's forces become reality outside their natural part, make the jungle animals feral and attack whoever you choose, and make changes in the world."
"A force for those who seek to find a way to leave their world behind.", Theo said in awe as a thought came to mind, "We really need to get that back."
They then noticed Van Pelt's hunting party had left and luckily Jumanji was able to track them and into the jungle they went for not only the environment itself depended on them, Jumanji's home did too and the young warrior did not want to see another slaughter. As soon as they got a good distance from the band, they hung back so that Van Pelt wouldn't know they were following them.
/
As night began settling in, Van Pelt's band started setting up camp so they could rest for the road ahead. Jumanji helped Theo into a large tree with large leafy clusters so they could look out and spy on the camp without being seen.
"Any idea what we're going to do?", Theo asked quietly.
Jumanji frowned.
"We have to get the amulet and get it back before things get too out of hand."
Theo looked on board.
"We'll wait til they go to sleep, then we get it."
Jumanji couldn't help but agree. As night slipped in and as Theo tried to stay awake, Jumanji handed a large fruit to him.
"Eat this.", he said, "It'll wake you up in no time."
Theo bit into the fruit and was awake from how sour the fruit tasted. In time, the men started drifting off and were soon asleep. Carefully, Jumanji and Theo slipped into camp and while looking, they had a feeling Van Pelt slept in the tent.
"Quietly.", Theo hissed quietly.
Jumanji pulled back the opening to see a table up with a map of the area including the community on it, a large musket with a few crates of ammo, a cot with Van Pelt sleeping on it, but no sign of the amulet. As they crept closer, Van Pelt snorted and sat upright making Theo and Jumanji freeze.
"I had that rhino and you know it.", he said drowsily before falling back into bed and drifting off.
As he did, Theo saw the amulet around his neck. He had to get it off, but how. Jumanji then got out a weed and started lightly brushing it against his nose making the hunter frown and Theo got tense.
"Jumanji, you're going to wake him up.", he said quietly.
Jumanji ignored him and when Van Pelt raised his head, Theo saw an opportunity and took it as he undid the strap that held the amulet around on Van Pelt's neck. Theo eased away and Jumanji held his weed away. Unfortunately as they made their way to the entrance, Theo stepped on a trip wire and a loud bang went off. Theo and Jumanji froze and turned to see Van Pelt still sleeping soundly.
"Whew, that was close.", Theo stated plainly.
That was when Van Pelt woke up and looked angry.
"After them!"
Theo and Jumanji bolted as the entire camp woke up and were rushing to get their muskets while still dressed though Theo guessed they slept like that.
"I stole that fair and square Jumanji!", Van Pelt's voice roared in the air, "I'll slaughter every man, woman and child in your little village to get it again! You hear me?!"
/
Theo and Jumanji kept running and unfortunately, they didn't look where they were going and some flowers nearby opened and shot some barbs their way.
"Look out!", Jumanji screamed.
After narrowly evading the barbs, the duo kept running while the sound of muskets firing rang out behind them as well as the ground near their feet exploding now and then which only made them run faster.
"Does Van Pelt ever give up the chase?", Theo asked as they dashed across a stream.
"You can't lose him.", Jumanji answered, "He's like a shadow over your head."
"Um, I think you mean dark cloud.", Theo corrected.
"Whatever.", Jumanji stated, "Let's just get further before-"
He was cut off as the duo stumbled into open area. They were exposed and who knows what might come out? That was when the faint sound of rumbling came to their ears and they turned to see the stampede from earlier heading right for them!
"Keep running!", Jumanji yelled.
They bolted just as Van Pelt and his band came out of the brush with their guns aimed.
"Ready, aim, fi-", Van Pelt started before he heard an elephant and turned toward the sound.
The moment he and his band saw the stampede, they screamed and ran back the way they came. Theo would've cheered if he wasn't running and with an entire stampede at his heels. They had just about reached the safety of the jungle on the other side when Theo felt himself step into something soft and sink slightly.
"What the?", he asked looking down and suddenly looking horrified, "Quicksand!"
Jumanji had fallen in too, but unlike Theo, he wasn't scared.
"Not to worry.", he said holding the amulet aloft and said a slight chant and repeated it like he was in a trance.
Theo sunk a bit deeper, but then he felt the sand begin to become solid before lifting out of it. Jumanji kept chanting even though the stampede was almost upon them and soon, he and Theo were on solid ground. Theo noticed the stampede almost at them and closed his eyes as he braced for impact.
"Here it comes.", he thought as the sounds were now right in his ears.
Theo felt the ground shake underneath him, but no blows came. He did feel a hand on his shoulder that almost made him jump.
"Relax Theo, it's safe."
Theo cautiously opened an eye praying that the first thing he saw wasn't what he thought it would be. Luckily, it wasn't. The stampede ran around them as the amulet in Jumanji's hands glowed a bright green color. Once the threat had passed and the stampede was a good distance away, the amulet stopped glowing and he started chuckling.
"Did you see the look on Van Pelt's face?", he said smiling, "He screamed like a girl."
Theo couldn't help but laugh also.
"Yeah."
After a moment of joy, the duo continued on their way through the jungle trees and flora.
"You really saved our butts back there.", Theo commented.
Jumanji shrugged sheepishly.
"I used to eavesdrop on the elders as they practiced using the amulet's magic."
/
As fun as they had, when they returned to the community, they found Van Pelt's men around Jumanji's people with their guns ready to shoot making them pause in fright.
"Oh good, you came."
They turned to see Van Pelt strut up to them with a smug smile on his face.
"Now, to pay back that deal we made Jumanji.", he said holding his hand out.
"Deal?", Theo asked, "What are you talking about?"
Van Pelt looked Theo's way with a raised eyebrow.
"A while back, I was hunting an albino rhino that roamed this land. While I missed the beast, I did snare this whelp who begged for his life and I did on the condition of him bringing me the Amulet of Africa which his tribe held in their possession. A decent trade if I may say so."
Theo frowned.
"Hardly."
Van Pelt raised his other hand and his men cocked their muskets.
"Hand over the amulet, or they all die."
Jumanji frowned and started chanting grabbing Theo and Van Pelt's attention as the skies above grew cloudy and the ground began shaking.
"What now?", Van Pelt asked.
Then a strong wind picked up as if a hurricane was blowing through. Theo quickly grabbed the ground as the jungle itself seemed to shake and disperse while vanishing into the amulet. Van Pelt pulled out a pistol as he was lifted off the ground and tried aiming at Jumanji even though he was dissolving too. Before he did, he fired and Jumanji flinched as the bullet grazed his arm. Theo felt himself dissolving for a moment, but then the feeling went away as he noticed Jumanji look his way smiling before he dissolved like the rest of his clan, Van Pelt's men and Van Pelt while the land glowed like it.
"Jumanji, what did you do?", Theo asked over the rushing wind and loud sounds.
No answer came. There was only a flash of green light and after recovering from his blindness, Theo saw the amulet on the ground, but the community and everyone else that was there had gone. Cautiously, Theo picked up the amulet and then noticed four little tokens like the statues that were in the community. The monkey, crocodile, and elephant were black, but the rhino remained white. Theo picked them up and an idea came to mind as he set the tokens beside the amulet.
"Forces that existed since the dawn of time, create a realm where adventure and danger will occur through rhyme."
The amulet glowed again and rose up as wood from a nearby tree bent and folded as it formed a box with a set of dice forming that looked old and worn. Theo then smiled as the amulet took the center of the board with the tokens and dice going into a little compartment inside the box before it shut and Jumanji's name came across the cover.
"A game for those who see to find a way to leave their world behind.", Theo said as the magic finished setting in, "Now, who do I leave here?"
As if to answer him, some sparkles formed around him and the game before they disappeared.