The sun rose once again on the Great Swamp’s campsite. As part of your daily morning routine, you open the curtains, eat a small granola bar as your breakfast, jump into the shower, and pick out some clothes that are suitable for tropical weather: a durable gray T-shirt, some khaki pants, long, knee-high socks, and some big, brown hiking boots. As you leave the wooden house you’ve called home for several days, you walk out into the western part of the Central Plaza. To the south of you is the garden, where Fiona is usually busy at work with the unusual plants that grow within the Great Swamp. To the east is the spa and the main building, where people sign up for tours across the Great Swamp. To the west of you is one of the many gates that act as the border between the campsite and the rest of the swamp. Usually, these gates are kept sealed by a padlock, but to your amazement, the padlock was gone, and the gate was slightly open as if someone had gone off onto the trail beyond and forgot to close the gate behind them. You look up at the sign that says, “Danger! Visitors are strongly advised to stay within the perimeter for their safety unless accompanied by a certified TGS guide.” As you look at the path beyond, your curiosity is nudging you into the unknown. You’ve never left camp alone before, but you knew you had to start somewhere one day. Steeling your resolve, you open the gate and walk onto the trail beyond.
After about an hour of walking along the dirt trail, your newfound confidence began degrading into both anxiety and loneliness. You’ve been walking on this trail for what has felt like an eternity, yet several hours of daylight remain. Contemplating whether or not you should call for help, you suddenly see what appears to be a tall, naked woman who has a black hair tie worn on her right arm like a bracelet in front of you, with tanned skin and dark magenta hair. Sneakily, you walk closer, hoping not to get her attention. You continue walking through the jungle foliage, pursuing her yet remaining out of reach to ensure she doesn’t notice you. Soon, her movements become more erratic as she walks off the trail into more dense terrain. As you pursue her, you walk into very tall, sharp grass, which slashes you with each of its caresses. Rather than cut your losses, you continue to push forward after the girl, who had disappeared into the tall grass. Despite everything, you ignore any danger and continue with your single-minded determination. After about ten minutes of trudging through the needle-like grass, you come across a small clearing of dark brown, innocent-looking dirt, almost reminiscent of gardening soil. You choose to cross it in your single-minded foolishness or attempt to. Your trudges through the thick, deceptive soil are slow as you sink to your knees. It isn’t long before you are stuck fast and sunk to your thighs.
Trying to struggle against the mud holding you in its grasp, you look around for lifelines you could use to pull yourself out. Sadly, there don’t seem to be any as you slowly sink to your butt in the bog. You sigh as you realize the only way out of this mess is by calling out for help, which likely means getting the attention of the woman you “stealthily” pursued. After taking a deep breath, you screamed for help, hoping that someone could hear you. Initially, there is no response, just the usual sounds of the jungle all around you. You try again, this time sounding more desperate in your voice. It is only then that the nude lady that you had been pursuing makes her appearance on the other side of the bog.
“You know… I heard you the first time you yelled out for help,” the lady says playfully, smirking deviously down at you as you’re sunk to your stomach, “I just wanted to hear you sound like a genuine damsel in distress.”
“How did you know I was following you, miss?” You stutter, looking at her beautifully tanned body, teasing you by covering up both her bouncy breasts and her special area.
“Well, first, my name is Suzi, not ‘miss!’” the naked gal replies, mockingly laughing at you, “Second, I’m not exactly deaf. I heard you walking behind me for almost an hour.”
“Well… why didn’t you say anything if you knew I was behind you?” You asked as you sank to your ribcage in the thick, goopy bog.
“Oh, so I should have said something?” Suzi said, a little appalled but still keeping her playful attitude. She didn’t seem that offended by you trying to shift the blame onto her. “Back at camp, I’ve heard stories that sirens would roam the jungles, luring people into bottomless bogs, where they would sink to their dooms.”
“Right… how am I supposed to know you’re not a siren yourself?” You ask, rolling your eyes in disbelief.
“Yet, you still followed me!” Suzi replied, wagging her finger in disapproval the way one would to a dog who had urinated on an expensive rug.
“Ugh… whatever… could you at least help me out?” You begrudgingly asked as you sank to your chest in the bog, still holding your arms above the surface. Upon hearing your request, Suzi’s playful disposition turned to that of something more sinister. You both knew you were at her mercy, and she wanted a little payback for your relentless stalking.
“Tell you what! I’m willing to help you out of that mud and even accompany you back to camp…”
‘I feel a ‘but’ coming…’ you mutter to yourself.
“BUT, when we return, you must announce to everyone that you were stalking me while walking by yourself in the swamp. You won’t get booted since there’s nowhere else to go in this wilderness, but people aren’t exactly going to like having you around.”
“What happens if I refuse?” You ask Suzi, attempting to sound all cocky.
“Then I leave you here, and you just become a number on the list of those who left the camp alone and didn’t survive to tell the tale!”
“What if I were to try and get out on my own? Then what would you do?” You asked, trying to find holes in Suzi’s plan.
“I don’t think that’s possible…” Suzi snickered, pointing to your shoulders as they slowly sank beneath the thick mud. As much as you refused to admit it, she was correct. With how deep you were, it would be impossible for you to escape alone.
“Fine… well, if I’m just gonna die here when you return to camp, could you tell everyone that I thought you were gorgeous?” You ask, trying to be humorous in this dire situation (at least for you.)
Suzi sighed, her patience tested as you sank to your chin. “Come on, be serious. I don’t want to walk up to Aiko and tell her some idiot ran off into the jungle and got themselves killed.”
“Ugh… fine, just… lend me your hand…” You reply, rolling your eyes as you lend the naked Amazon in front of you your muddied-up hand. With a small eye roll, she grabs it with both hands, pulling you out with as much strength as she can muster. Not helping matters was how heavy your clothes, especially your boots, were. After a few minutes of struggling, you were finally free of the bog’s grip. You lay on the bog’s solid edge, looking up at the naked lady peering above you, waiting for you to recover.
“When you’re ready, I’ll take you to get cleaned up,” Suzi replied as you sat up, looking over at the bog that nearly swallowed you. The two of you, coated in mud, stood up as you left the perilous bog behind. A little later, after walking for some time, you ask Suzi where she’s taking you, having not recognized the trail ahead of her.
“Well, first thing’s first, we must get you cleaned up!” Suzi winked as the two of you came across a pond filled with clean water, “Go on…” she beckoned as she stepped into the cool water herself. Rolling her eyes in annoyance, you strip off your crusty, muddy clothes, leaving you bare-naked for your rescuer to see. You step into the pond, getting your entire muddy body wet as the goopy peat washes off you quickly. Soon, both you and Suzi are soaking damp but clean of any mud that was once on you. Suzi then takes the damp hair tie that was on her right arm and uses it to put her hair in a wet bun.
“Now… I’m no guide, but I’ve been to this pond before. I think I know my way back to camp from here.” Suzi replied as she began walking Eastward, with you following behind her.
“What about my clothes?” You asked, pointing to the muddy set of clothing at the pond’s edge.
“Nope, we’re going to do things my way now!” Suzi giggled as she escorted you back to camp. Sighing in despair over being forced to leave behind your clothes, especially your expensive hiking boots. But alas, you follow the wet, naked gal in front of you as you brace yourself to face judgment for your foolish actions today.