An exciting adventure through the Amazon Basin where cannibals and headhunters still roam jungles filled with crocodiles, annacondas, pirannha, and the dreaded beast called Mapinguari.
Several of the Air Force’s top secret aircraft vanish over the Matto Grosso region of the Amazon Basin. A Marine detachment headed by six-foot-eight inch tall Staff Sergeant Nathaniel Smith, boards an experimental TR-3B.
The aircraft loses power and goes down in an area protected by the fierce Machiguenga Indians. The Marines set out to locate the cause of the anomalies, rectify the problem, then get the Air Force’s crew members and two civilians safely home.
Excerpt
Corporal Steiner eased the bushes aside and stepped through. Everyone followed in single file. As they walked, Steiner pointed out subtle clues such as freshly broken twigs and branches, and crushed ground cover. He pointed to another strand of the creature's hair that was clinging to the rough bark of a tree.
After about ten minutes of tracking, Steiner turned and whispered. "We're getting very close now."
When they came to a narrow clearing in the jungle, Corporal Steiner motioned for everyone to stop. He then dropped to one knee.
Captain Reddy eased up next to Corporal Steiner. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not sure, Captain," Steiner whispered. "First of all, I've lost both the scent and the trail. It's almost like they've just vanished." He pointed straight ahead. "Instead of a natural clearing in the jungle, there's a narrow band just ahead of us that is totally devoid of growth."
Captain Reddy inched forward and peered out. "It appears that if it continued on around, it would form an enormous circle."
Corporal Steiner nodded. "Exactly what I was thinking, sir." He looked out at the clearing again, then back at the Captain. "Captain, if this does form a complete circle, it would have to encompass an area of at least several square miles."
"That's what I was going to say."
Corporal Steiner looked straight ahead again. "There is something about the other side of this clearing that strikes me as being very strange."
"What do you mean?"
"At first appearance, it looks like the jungle simply continues on the other side. But there's something over there that just doesn't look right." Corporal Steiner looked at Captain Reddy again. "I'll be right back, sir. I need to get a closer look."
"Careful, Corporal," Captain Reddy warned.
Corporal Steiner cautiously eased out into the clearing. He crept over to the other side, then put one of his hands out in front of himself. His hand stopped, as if coming up against something solid. Suddenly, an electric-blue glow encircled his hand. An instant later, his hand faded from view. He snatched it back and stared at what appeared to be his normal hand again.
Corporal Steiner turned and looked back at Captain Reddy. He then stood upright and took a cautious step forward. His body seemed to stop momentarily, like he had bumped into an invisible wall. An instant later, the electric-blue glow encircled his entire body, then he disappeared.
Captain Reddy stood up and yelled out. "Steiner!"
This is your journal, for your writing. An interactive journal with historical tidbits designed to nurture creativity and self-motivation, features one side for drawings, sketches, or pasting personal pictures, and the other side lined for notes or j
