Staying Dead

Grayson Marshall was flying over rebel territory in an observation plane. He had been recruited by the CIA from 5^th Special Forces where he was a language expert. He was looking for a cocaine operation run by a group of Communist rebels to fund their revolutionary activities. One area began to look suspicious. The foliage looked real but was different than the trees and brush around it. It made an almost perfect rectangle. If this was a cocaine processing lab, it was a big operation. Grayson immediately felt dread because big operations are well protected. The next thing he knew, a SA-7 Soviet Quail handheld missile was on its way towards the plane. They were hit on the pilot's side and started going down in a corkscrew circle. The pilot was dead. Grayson was able to parachute out safely but was quickly surrounded by rebels.

He didn't even try to deny he was CIA. They would have treated him the same regardless. Grayson just stayed quiet. By that it meant that he didn't answer questions. He was quite vocal when they were torturing him. Every curse word Grayson knew in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Swahili was used several times over. To stay alive, all Grayson had to rely on was his Jungle Survival Training and the memory of his wife and unborn child. Grayson's wife, Lori, had made him promise to come back because she needed a husband and their child would need a father. He had promised. At this point in time, he was afraid he had lied.

His initial torture only lasted a few days. It took that long for the rebels to dissemble the camp to move to a new location. They assumed Grayson had called in the coordinates before being shot down which was correct. The Columbian army, however, was not swift to send troops to such a dangerous place without the proper firepower. That was plenty of time for the rebels to disappear.

During the trek, his usefulness was discussed by the rebels. Some were in favor of an ISIS inspired beheading on video to show how powerful the rebels were in the war with US Imperialists. Others wanted to hold him for ransom to shore up their bank accounts. Given the disruption in funds because of Grayson's discovery and subsequent breakup of their cocaine factory, the ransom rebels won out. The beheading rebels were given the privilege of continuing his torture. Do you know what burning flesh smells like? Grayson found out. The rebels took great delight in branding him in weird patterns, using his skin as a canvas for their Picasso inspired painting.

They walked through thick jungle for several days. Grayson came to 'enjoy' the walking as stopping provided the opportunity for the rebels to have fun with him. He was surprised and disappointed every day he woke up. Grayson tried to convince himself that God was keeping him alive, so he could keep his promise to his wife. Eventually, they arrived at a spot where they would set up camp and begin construction of another cocaine lab. It only meant less walking and more torture for Grayson. He kept hoping he would reach the point where he had been tortured so much, it would no longer affect him. He never reached that point. It hurt every time. In fact, it got worse as his threshold for passing out became higher and higher, thus prolonging his agony each session.

With very little food and a lot of torture, Grayson's health deteriorated. He always tried to act more debilitated than he actually was. He was hoping to lull the rebels into taking chances in his supervision, so he could make a break. That was his Plan A, B, and C. Grayson had no particular place in mind to run to. He just wanted to get away from the rebels.

When the rebels knew they were close to making a ransom deal and replenishing their coffers, they decided to celebrate. They made their own brand of moonshine from a fruit Gray was not familiar with. It was likely to be around 150 proof. Within a couple of hours, there were only a few rebels awake and even they had had a few of the powerful drinks.

They told Grayson he would soon be released as his ransom was going to be paid. They had, however, told him the same thing several times before in order to laugh as his optimism was shattered. Every time they told him that this time it was really true. It was just one of their psychological torture tactics. This time it had the opposite effect. It made Grayson even more determined to escape. He would not be fooled into hopefulness again.

During the night, Grayson asked to use the slit trench. It was his custom to spend quite a bit of time expelling his waste as a means of delaying the next round of torture. Assuming a long wait, his guard sat down with his back against a nearby tree. Grayson waited. The guard's snoring was Grayson's signal to escape. With his training, he could move unheard in the jungle and did so. Once clear of the camp, he ran as fast as he could which was not close to how fast he ran when healthy. He kept running, jogging, and then walking until he could go no more. Exhausted, Grayson fell asleep in the jungle.

He awoke with a start but was calmed by the lack of any sound resembling a squad of rebels searching for him. Grayson hoped his absence had not been discovered by rebels until the morning. He knew however, they would be coming. Besides continued flight, his plan had to include finding drinkable water and food. Grayson selected one direction to run in. Rain and fruit blessed him with sustenance. Mosquitoes blessed him with the need to constantly scratch. As bad as the itching was, he reasoned that it was better than the branding irons.

For days he walked, foraged for food/water, and slept uncomfortably. Grayson never heard anyone after him. Sometimes he would worry about mistakenly doubling back and running into the rebels. The sun was his direction guide. His choice of path was frequently challenged by his ever-questioning, ever-fearful mind. The validity of path choice became increasingly depressing as food and water became scarce. He was wearing out. It became harder and harder to go on. After stumbling and not being able to get up, he came to a decision. The last night of his escape was to be that night. He would not be able to go on any more. He thought one last time about his wife and child. Grayson prayed she would forgive him for lying.

At first, Grayson was disappointed to have woken up the next morning. He had hoped and expected to just die in his sleep. His dreams had become nothing but weird hallucinations, and it seemed to him he was having one now. It appeared that he was surrounded by some group of indigenous people who were trying to give him something to drink. After drinking a little at a time, Grayson became more alert. The natives were speaking in their own language for a while but then the one who gave him the water started speaking to him in Spanish. Grayson tried to explain how he had gotten to wherever he was, but all he could ask for was help. Alphonso (the Spanish speaker) said Grayson would be taken to the elders for a decision on what to do with him. A litter was constructed for transporting him.

Grayson was taken to Alphonso's hut which included his wife, two daughters and a son. Most of the men were in what he learned was the communal hut where his fate was being decided. Two men were left to guard Grayson. He was in no shape to escape and had no doubt that if he tried, these hunter-gathers could have tracked him down quickly.

Alphonso came to Grayson after a couple of hours. He told Grayson that there had been a heated debate about what to do with him. One group wanted to kill Grayson because he was an outsider like the hated rebels who captured people to be their slaves, and the loggers who were destroying the forest. Another group wanted to kill him just on general principle. It was Alphonso who argued that since he was the one to bring Grayson to life in the jungle, therefore, his life was Alphonso's to do with as he pleased. Grayson was to be Alphonso's and his family's slave. If Grayson did not prove to be useful, he would be killed. Obviously, Grayson wanted to prove to be useful.

After initial recovery, Grayson asked Alphonso how he came to know Spanish. He told Grayson that he had been taken captive as a young man by another tribe. They had sold him to a group of Columbian gold miners who needed someone who could do hard labor. After several years, the miners had become to believe that Alphonso was content being one of them and let down their guard. He escaped and eventually made his way back to the tribe. His knowledge of the white man and the danger they posed led to the tribe going back to the ancient tribal territory because it had less of the gold and timber resources the white man wanted. It also had less of the game meat resources that the tribe needed. A harder life was the price for their safety.

So, Grayson became the slave of Alphonso's family. He quickly found out that the household was run by his wife. Alphonso, as with all the men, had to take care of food gathering. Women handled all else. Grayson was considered of lower status than a woman, therefore, he got the chores that women hated. For example, he was in charge of the trenches for human waste, digging them and removing the waste once the hole was full. Food waste was used for the dogs and human waste made up part of the compost for the tiny garden the tribe had. Gardening was not a frowned upon endeavor, but it was difficult because the jungle yielded few spaces for a garden to grow. Keeping the garden from being taken back from the jungle was difficult task. You guessed it, that was one of Grayson's duties also.

His white man's clothes were soon tattered beyond repair, so Grayson followed the dress code of the men of the tribe. Straps around the waist to help carry weapons, a pouch for necessities, and a little flap in front to prevent damage to one's primary appendage from thorns and such. The flap did not, however, prevent appendages from being seen. Nakedness was not seen as unnatural to the Ufuri as Grayson found out they called themselves. The opposite, in fact. He quickly found out that sex was natural too. It was also under the control of the females.

Grayson thought it was an interesting custom that any female who had gone through the ritual of puberty was allowed to take any willing lover they wished for a night. It was possible for the man to reject the offer or for the 'wife' of the man to object, but it was considered very rude and seldom happened. Alphonso said it became their custom when too many men had died due mostly to hunting accidents and an occasional war with another tribe. It kept the extra women appeased, but when the married women got jealous, the privilege was extended to them. In order to prevent too much jealousy, however, all the women used their privilege very sparingly.

Having white skin and an appendage larger than most of the native men led to gazing parties of women whom Grayson assumed were wondering how different sex with him would be than sex with one of the men of the tribe. According to Alphonso, the women were too afraid to be the first one to try "the white devil" or did not want to have sex with someone lower than a woman on the tribal scale. There was a debate over whether the burn marks on his chest and back were intentional or not. In either case they were a curiosity.

After many months, Grayson's strength returned, and he became able to complete more chores more quickly. Sometimes he was used to babysit the younger boys of the tribe. Little girls became helpers for their mothers and other women of the tribe. Little boys mostly played hunter and had miniature bows, arrows, and blow guns. In supervising the boys, Grayson was able to become proficient in the use of the weapons. His acceptance as part of the tribe grew even if it was still a lowly part. It helped that he had used his language acuity to become mostly fluent in the native language.

After several years, Grayson got up the courage to ask Alphonso if there was any chance for him to join in a hunt. Given the scarcity of game, food larders were almost depleted. Alphonso argued in front of the elders that one more hunter meant it would be more likely meat could be found. Most of the men refused to hunt with the white man. He was seen as bad luck. Alphonso's group took him reluctantly. Basically, Grayson was put on point to put distance between him and the other hunters. If he got lucky and found game, he was supposed to tell the hunters. Grayson was pleased as being the point was a role he had played many times with 5^th Special Forces. It felt good to him.

Grayson was out in front on a game trail when he saw what he had been taught were panther tracks. He froze. Killing a panther would be considered an honor above his pay grade as far as the tribe was concerned. If Grayson could get the panther to hunters, they would be able to kill the panther, and it would be more likely for him to be seen as more valuable than a slave. Grayson stalked the cat very carefully and before long saw the panther up in a tree. If the panther knew it was just one man, Grayson would be the meat and the panther would be a hero to his family. He decided to make the panther think there was more than one person. Once in the proper position, Grayson started making lots of noise. His plan was to chase the panther to the men and to let the men know something was coming.

His plan worked, sort of. The panther made its way towards Alphonso's group. Grayson was close behind continuing to make noise. Just when he began to wonder where the men were, they jumped out from cover and filled the panther with arrows. The cat went down in a heap. A celebration was begun but was stopped short as another panther appeared from the brush and leapt towards Alphonso. All the men were caught without their weapons at the ready. All but one. Grayson. His arrow pierced the lung and heart of the panther mate just before she made contact with Alphonso. The other men pulled the body of the panther off Alphonso who was scratched and shaken up but not hurt too badly.

At the celebration where roast panther was served, tales were told of the hunt. Grayson found out that the tribe had never killed two panthers in one day. By now, he did not need Alphonso to translate. Like the other warriors had done before him, he recalled the hunt and exaggerated his prowess each time aided by his drink of the local liquor. Grayson was given several drinks of the beverage that burned a trail from his mouth to his stomach. It didn't take long for Grayson to feel numb, numb but wonderful. He found out that the numbness was needed. Grayson had been granted the honor of a hunter tattoo. It was a dark blue wavy line across his forehead and down the side of his head. The symbol of a panther was etched on Grayson's chest.

Grayson's status with the tribe and Alphonso's family changed dramatically. No longer did he have to do women's chores, however, he continued to help some in appreciation for what Alphonso had done for him. Alphonso's wife, Somray, evidently decided the white man needed further rewarding for saving her husband. She selected Grayson to have sex. He was shocked when Alphonso told him of her wish. Alphonso was quick to say he would be offended if Grayson did not accept the honor.

Although she had had three children, Somray still looked like she was about 30 years old. Her breasts were large and hung down somewhat. Grayson thought he had gotten use to the nakedness of the women, but when he was told he might be having sex, his appendage responded. So, Grayson had the dilemma of having sex or not with a beautiful woman after more than a couple of years of masturbation only. What a choice. Grayson accepted the honor. Several times in one night. Faithfulness to his wife was a faraway concern. He could not see a return home in his future.

The honor Alphonso's wife bestowed on the white man opened the gates. Several of the women had heard, if now seen, his appendage in its full glory and the way he used it. Before long, almost a dozen of the women in the tribe had asked for Grayson who had answered them, happily. Within a couple of months, Alphonso had a talk with Grayson. Usually the men had no problem with a wife on rare occasion ask for sex with another man. Since Grayson was a white man with a large appendage, he was seen to have an unfair advantage over the men in the tribe. It was causing a dissent within the tribe. Alphonso's solution wasn't something Grayson could ever have suspected.

Alphonso's oldest daughter, her name was something like Mismi, was 15. She was almost an old maid by tribal standards. Her body was fully formed, and she was a sight for any man to behold. She had large breasts like her mother, but they were firm and stood out proudly without any support. Otherwise, she had a slender build and average sized butt. It was proposed for Grayson to marry her and basically add a wing to Alphonso's family. Grayson would not be allowed to have another woman during the first three years of marriage. That should mollify the men in the village for a while at least.

Good grief, it was tempting. Grayson knew it would be considered statutory rape in the United States no matter the willingness of the girl and the custom of the tribe. After what her mother had told her, Mismi was undoubtedly willing. For the first time in a while, the thoughts Grayson had about his wife and family overwhelmed him. There was a chance his wife had not given up hope and would be waiting for him. There was the child of his he had never seen. Grayson had to turn Alphonso down.

His rejection to marry Mismi led to the tribe's decision to exile Grayson. Although he was ready to go to find out about his American family anyway, leaving Alphonso's family and the Ufuri hurt. He had come to love all of them figuratively, and a few literally. Part of him did not want to leave. There were many tears within Alphonso's family and many of them were Grayson's. It was decided that he would be taken to the nearest foresting operation and seek help from the loggers. It took almost seven days of travel to get to the logging operation.

The loggers were startled when Grayson came out of the forest one day into their camp looking every bit a native warrior. Grayson was shot at by one of the guards but once he yelled out in Spanish, they let him approach. Given the tan he had, the lack of clothes, and the tattoo; it was easy to see why they might wonder about him. Grayson told them a little of his story and convinced them that a monetary reward would be paid if he could be taken to the US Consulate in Medellin. That began Grayson Marshall's trek home.

Grayson's story became headline news although there was no mention of his CIA connection. He had been kidnapped after having been separated from the hiking group he had been a part of according to the press. Then he escaped from the rebels and was taken into an indigenous tribe and eventually was able to make his way to freedom. Almost five years had passed by.

As soon as Grayson reached a semblance of civilization, he tried phoning home hoping the number was still in service. Instead of his wife, Grayson' brother Roy answered. "Gray, man am I glad to hear your voice. I am so glad you're alive. When we heard it on the news, we couldn't believe it. When are you coming home?" Grayson could hear his sobs and imagine his tears. After assuring each other of our relative health, Grayson asked to speak to Lori, his wife. "Well, Gray, Lori was so shocked at the news of your return that she almost had a stroke. Right now, she's sedated, and I don't think it would be good to disturb her." Grayson asked when he could talk to her.

"Well, a lot has happened since you were gone. Lori would like me to talk to you first. I have quite a bit to tell you about." Grayson felt a thud in his heart but said he would do that.