A Wish So Deadly

A narrow dirt path curls through the jungle ahead of us. Roots and vines twist along the edges, coiled tightly together as if choking the very air around us. The canopy overhead is dense, allowing only fractured rays of sunlight to pierce through.

I drag my feet through the undergrowth, each step heavier than the last. It feels as though stones weigh me down, but, at the same time, I’m so tired I’m weightless.

Finally, the greenery parts to unveil a clearing. A campsite with six cabins positioned in a semicircle, their wooden frames gleaming with moisture from the humid jungle air.

In the centre of the clearing is a blazing fire pit. Tall flames lick at a bubbling cauldron suspended over them, painting the late afternoon sky with coils of smoke.