As the sun rose in the now azure sky, a misty, gleaming haze began to form under the canopy of

the swaying, rugged Kapok trees. Curling and constricting around the thick spiraling arms of
the tress were vivid, green vines, which braced and creaked through the mid-morning air. Two
intrepid explorers strode through the seemingly endless jungle with sweat running down their
foreheads, stinging their eyes. Dangling down from the layer of moss, enormous, waxy leaves
flickered like flames in the growing bluster of wind.
The leader of the expedition, Simon Seward, was a towering, muscular man, who was famous
for discovering priceless hidden or lost artefacts. Messily, his auburn hair was tied back and his
piercing, green eyes constantly surveyed the jungle for impending danger. The mossy air blew
up Simon’s nose as he trudged through the terrain: uneven, rocky and treacherous. Simon’s love
of combat trousers and loose, cotton shirts was inspired by his father - a famous archaeologist
who had spent years working in the deepest areas of Egypt. As he grew older, in awe of his
father, Simon knew he would follow in his father’s footsteps.
“Simon! Over here!” terror filling the distant cry. A blood-curdling scream.
It was in this moment that Simon sensed something was wrong: the hairs on the back of his
neck stood up. He now understood that this place was as special as legends described; however,
it was for all the wrong reasons. In the chaos of the natural surroundings, (where the vines
choked the trees and gibbon monkeys howled their warning) he could now feel the eyes of the
forest fixed upon him.
“Oliver?” Simon yelled. There was no response.
A thousand thoughts buzzed inside Simon’s head; he couldn’t think straight. Bracing himself,
keenly aware of the threat approaching from all angles, Simon paused. Through a tiny gap in
the flickering leaves, two piercing, red eyes emerged. A gentle hiss. A threat.
“Hello?” Simon tentatively whispered, his voice trembling. “What do we hav…”
Two sets of razor-sharp ivory daggers interrupted Simon. Before he had a chance to flee, the
uneven floor beneath his feet gave way; he plummeted, into the abyss. Everything went dark.