The Day I Became A Man

I waved as I stood on the shore, watching the boat speed away.  Why my family decided to leave me stranded on an uncharted island I’ll never know, but I guess they only did it to make me stronger. You’d think they’d have left me some sort of instruction manual for life, or at least checked up on me once in awhile.  It’s hard when you’re thrown into the wild on your own, especially at the age of twelve.

Fortunately it wasn’t long before a young native girl discovered me.  She looked pretty cute, and I was sure that my dashingly good looks had drawn her attention.  As I approached her, she screamed real loud, and within seconds I was surrounded by warriors.  These men were very strange, cause instead of threatening me with their spears, they all seemed fascinated by my pale complexion and they began to nibble on my ears.  She’d tricked me! The little temptress had played with my emotions, and then gone straight for the throat. 

I wish I could say that this was my only experience with cannibals, but amazingly enough I’d frequent many Man-Eating Camps throughout my life.  To clarify, I don’t mean “frequent” in the way a fat man frequents a buffet, but more in the way a chicken frequents that same buffet. 

I didn’t know how I was going to get out of this situation, but I knew that I wasn’t about to die as a tender young boy, although that’s exactly what they wanted.  Suddenly it hit me, they’re looking for a perfectly cooked meal, seared slightly, but not burnt.  I may have only been twelve, but I sure had a big brain up in my head.  I managed to untie the ropes around my wrist and I began to dangle my arm down in the fire.  They all began to hoot and holler making angry faces at me.  I’d done it!  I found their weak spot.  Soon I had both arms swinging in the flames.  Some of the old ladies were crying because they knew that they’d probably be getting last dibs since they moved a lot slower than the younger natives, and nobody wants burned sloppy seconds.  It didn’t take long before the entire tribe was holding me back with all their might, as I attempted to throw myself into the fire.  They pushed me out of their village and back into the jungle.  I was alone again, only this time I had 3^rd degree burns, and had learned some basic survival skills.  I was like a Preying Mantis; dwelling in tropical climates, ambushing the enemy with my mind tricks, and acting in a pseudo cannibalistic manner.  On that day I realized I was no longer a boy, but I had become a man.