Chapter 15
Short Straw: Monkey Spine and the Bamboo Forest
It was after school; I was riding back toward Fort Clayton.
I was on the part of the trip where the bamboo grew.
The forest was wildly unpredictable.
I had been warned not to go into it.
It was thick.
It was easy to get turned around and lost in.
It kept people’s dark secrets safe.
I was on the side of the road when my tire blew out.
Unprotected.
There were three men in a car that took a U-Turn.
They were headed back in my direction.
Mom had given me a great warning.
Everyone gets feelings.
Trust the icky ones.
I have an icky feeling.
The ickiest.
Don’t go into the bamboo.
Don’t take chances.
Don’t neglect icky feelings.
When the choice is only one,
No risk to weigh. It’s over. Done.
I dropped my bike…
I took three giant steps back.
Three steps were enough.
Three steps in could get me killed.
Three steps in—a person disappeared…
They are right here.
I can’t see them.
They can’t see me.
I can hear them.
English.
“Where is she?”
“She just disappeared.”
“That’s impossible.”
“We’ve got the bike.”
“They track the numbers on bikes.”
“Leave it.”
“But where is she?”
“It doesn’t matter now.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
I held my breath.
I was willing to take an extra two steps back, but not until I had to.
I didn’t have to.
They got in their car and sped away.
I stepped out of the bamboo and reclaimed my bike.
Its back tire was bent like a capital letter C.
I held it up on the one working tire.
I pushed it a quarter mile toward the gate guards.
Toward Short Straw.
There wasn’t an argument between the MPs at the Fort Clayton gate.
When Short Straw lost the first time, I was forever and always his responsibility.
He quickly stepped out of the guard shack.
“What’s happened Ma’am? Are you okay?”
“Thanks for asking, I’m fine. My bike just blew up on me.”
“Oh! I’ve seen this before. It’s your lucky day!”
“I don’t think so.”
I remembered the bamboo forest and shivered.
I didn’t mention it.
I had no proof it even happened.
I didn’t want to be questioned like I was being dramatic.
I didn’t see them.
I couldn’t even describe the car.
I chose silence.
“May I look at your tire?”
“Go ahead.”
“See here!
I told you that it was your lucky day.
This is what popped your tire.”
I was looking at a bleached rock, maybe?
“What is that?”
“It’s monkey spine! It’s supposed to bring wicked good luck.”
“So far, it isn’t working for me at all.”
“Can I keep it?
I think maybe I shouldn’t have told you that it was valuable and then ask for it.”
“It’s okay. Like I said, it may bring you luck, but I just don’t feel it.”
“Thanks!”
He looked at me going into my backpack.
“It’s okay, Ma’am. No I.D. today. I’ll catch you again tomorrow?”
I looked at the guard in the shack.
The other MP’s head was sticking out the door as he tried to figure out what went wrong this time.
“Are you two going to laugh at me again?”
“Oh, no ma’am. Not this time. Thanks for the monkey spine!”
When I got home, Robert was already there.
It takes considerably longer to walk a bike home than ride one.
He saw me coming up the drive.
“What did you do to that bike?”
“Thanks for asking. I’m fine. My tire just blew on me.
I caught a monkey spine in the back tire.”
“Can I see it?”
“I gave it to Short Straw.”
“Who?”
“Strawberry Short Straw—the red-headed gate guard.”
“What’s the name on his tag?”
“Idunno. I don’t look for names and ranks
But he liked the monkey spine, so I gave it to him.”
“I don’t believe it was a monkey spine.”
No proof, no belief.
“Of course not.”
“Replacing an entire rim is about half of what the bike is worth.”
“I’ll ride Jane’s tomorrow.”
What if my tire hadn’t blown.
Would I have noticed the U-turn if I was pedaling?
I had come out of the bamboo forest safe.
It may have been the luck of the monkey spine.
Daniel's Den 