Sunken Fish - Chapter 72
He pointed towards the rolling mountain peaks.
“That’s fantastic,” Wyatt almost jumped for joy. “I love seeing what people’s real lives are like.”
“Me too,” Vera chimed in, “the real life.”
Rupert suddenly asked, "Will we have lunch there?"
Black Dot smiled and replied, "Yes, a very special lunch is being prepared for you."
My friends looked closely at the truck. It had wide planks on both sides and a rubber-coated tarpaulin hanging from the top. Along the sides of the truck bed, rows of wicker benches were laid out, and in the center of the floor were two enormous twelve-volt batteries.
Heidi discovered with horror: "There are no seat belts here."
There are no seats available!
Vera was also complaining, looking at the low bench with a disdainful expression.
But Wyatt was still eager to try: "We might not have to go far."
Vera shook her head again: "I believe Bibi won't choose something that's neither fun nor safe."
Perhaps they pulled Heidi up to secretly admire the rise and fall of her breasts.
Meanwhile, the black dots and fish bones dragged the small boat out of the water and hid it in the nearby bushes, making it completely invisible.
They climbed into the truck bed with the veterans and seasoned pros, started the truck, and drove off.
Inside the truck's flatbed, travelers were jostled up and down, screaming in pain with each impact. They clung to the side planks. The huge black tarpaulin overhead blocked their view only from the rear: a dusty road flanked by lush green wild ferns and vibrant flowers.
After about half a mile, the driver suddenly slowed down. Accompanied by the rattling of gears and the frequent vibrations of the engine, the grandfather-sized truck began to laboriously circle the hill. My friends were tossed about like bowling pins, and Mrs. Massey grabbed the side of the truck and stood up to take pictures of the guys being jostled around like livestock.
She joked that the "super luxury bus" was going to take them to explore a "Christmas surprise".
Wendy screamed, "Then the surprise had better be something nice!"
Half an hour passed, then forty-five minutes, and my friends never considered the danger.
On the contrary, the unusual truck and the arduous journey only heightened their anticipation for a surprise. Such a surprise was certainly rare, a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most tourists. They disliked endless tourist shops and factories, or tedious museums and temples; they craved adventure and found their own unique paths, especially the men—except for Benny.
They shared water and sweets, pondering all the possibilities. A hidden ancient city in the jungle, Machu Picchu of the Lanna Kingdom! Or a village full of "long-necked women," famous in the area. Or perhaps a true "Shangri-La," its splendor and magnificence never before seen by the world…
The only complaint came from Madame Massey, who said sadly to the camera, "I want to see which direction we're going so I can film ahead."
Finally, the truck stopped. The passengers stuck their heads out of the window; the trees here were much taller, with very dense canopies, allowing only a thin sliver of light to penetrate.
The road continued to the left, and two men jumped out of the carriage and approached a thicket of bushes as thick as a mattress. The taller one let out a shriek, then together they grasped the vines and slowly lifted them up. The plant they had moved was actually a green doorway. Bush branches, ferns, bamboo, and grapevines were intertwined and wrapped around the not-so-heavy doorway.
My friends had climbed off the truck and they saw a leafy archway leading to an unknown world, like Alice's Wonderland.