The truck made a right turn and all of the sudden the road was smooth. It picked up speed again and Leah began to cool off, only now realizing how hot she had gotten. After driving for a few miles they came to a slow stop and did a three point turn to reverse its position before the driver turned the engine off. Leah heard the sounds of both doors slamming and several men exiting the vehicle. The severity of her situation occurred to her once again as she slid to the back of the cage, covering her nakedness with her hands.
They were speaking in Spanish to each other, but again too quickly for her to understand. She thought one of them said We’re just supposed to leave it here? and another man definitely answered Si. The straps above her slid away and her cage was hoisted over the edge of the truck and gently lowered to the ground. She tentatively peered out to see four men climbing into the truck before it drove away on a newly paved road as the sound of the engine disappeared into the forest.
Leah sat inside of her prison dumbfounded and frightened. For a few minutes, the only sound was her heavy breathing. The light began to dim and all of the sudden she heard the calls of birds and monkeys echoing through the forest. Fat raindrops started to fall on the canvas still covering her cage as the low rumble of thunder mingled with the animals’ cries.
The sound of the rain was actually soothing and Leah lay down on the mattress as water trickled onto her body through the cloth. She had now idea what to do, how long it would be until someone came for her, and she didn’t want to think about what they would once they did. Then she sat up with a fright as she heard voices coming towards her. Small brown fingers undid the ties on the covering and the canvas flowed freely in the wind. Leah began to feel lightheaded and thought that she would surely pass out as the panels were pulled away. There was nothing but iron bars between her naked body and whatever waited for her in the jungle.
When she opened her eyes, she looked up and saw the smiling face of the old woman that fed her on the ship. She was surrounded by 3 other women, all of them dark skinned and middle aged. The old woman dropped a large shirt through the top of the cage and Leah quickly put it on. Opening the door, the old woman looked at her sternly and motioned for her to put her hands out in front of her. For a moment, Leah thought about making a run for it, but where would she go? She wouldn’t last more than a day practically naked in the jungle and would surely be found.
When Leah complied, the old woman clamped a pair of iron shackles on her wrists and guided her as she stepped out of the cage. She got a full look at her surroundings, smiling as she took in the beautiful trees and vines that made up the forest. The clouds were parting and the rain slowed to a drizzle as the sun came out again. Vapor started to rise from the puddles next to the road, the sweltering humidity returning rapidly as they fastened a pair of sandals to her feet and tied her ankles together with a length of rope.
The women started walking down a path through the trees and the old woman motioned for Leah to follow. She obeyed. It felt wonderful to stretch her legs and move around outside of the cage. The ladies chattered in a language she couldn’t understand and every time she got distracted by something on the side of the path, the old woman give her a sharp poke in the ribs to move her along.
It was a short path, probably less than a half of a mile, until they got to a stream that had to be crossed on a long wooden bridge. On the other side, there was a clearing in forest with a small homestead surrounded by jungle. The main house was quite large and the other outbuildings had thatched roofs. There were several raised beds full of vegetables and fruit trees dotting the property. Everywhere she looked there seemed to a luscious, flowering plant. Leah couldn’t believe how perfect it was. This wasn’t anything like what she expected.
The ladies led her behind the main house along a stone walkway that ended at a granite patio surrounded by palms and flowering bushes. They walked through an archway and Leah breathed in the sweet floral scents. Living walls of greenery surrounded her but the ceiling was open and she could see the beautiful blue sky.
Pushing her along, the old woman motioned for her to sit on a bench. Her feet were untied and the sandals removed, but when the ladies went for her shirt, Leah resisted and hugged it against her body. The old woman made a scolding sound at her and said something to the other ladies, making them laugh. Then two of them grabbed her arms and pulled them over her head, fastening the shackles to a pipe overhead while the other woman took a pair of scissors and cut the shirt from her body. Leah looked up and saw that she was attached to a shower as water hit her in the face.
Two of the women rubbed a lovely scented soap over her skin, while the third started to wash Leah’s thick wavy hair. She couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable as foreign hands slathered her body, particularly when one of the women started to vigorously scrub between her ass cheeks. She let out a gasp as one of the ladies forced her legs apart and began washing her crotch, even sticking her fingers inside of her before using a detached showerhead to rinse her and then doing it again. A nauseating feeling crept over Leah as she realized how much time the woman was spending on the area and she realized that her body was being prepared.
After the soaping, the woman began rubbing her body with an oily paste that was incredibly abrasive, but smelled amazing. They scrubbed her roughly to the point that it was uncomfortable and her skin flushed pink. She was rinsed her off again and they turned off the shower, but left her tied with her hands above her head while she wobbled on her toes. They toweled her off and squeezed her hair dry, all the while chatting and giggling in an unknown language. One of the ladies finally untied her from the shower and sat her on the bench beside it so they could start filing and buffing her nails.
Her hair was still wet as one of the women began brushing a sweet smelling gel through it and hit briefly with a blow dryer, the harsh noise out of place in the natural surroundings. The women surrounded her and all began working on her tresses, separating them into sections and delicately tying small white flowers into the long golden-red waves.
The old woman gestured for her to stand and the other women held out a long white dress for Leah to step into. They pulled it up and tied the thin straps around her shoulders, her hands still bound by the iron shackles. The dress was very sheer and Leah looked down to see her pink nipples through the fabric as the ladies presented her with a very flimsy pair of silvery thong sandals. They fluffed her hair around her shoulders and the old woman stood back to take a look at her before she nodded in approval and aggravating giggling ensued.
Leah’s heart started pounding as she was made to walk out of the back of the patio and down another path, this one heading deeper into the jungle away from friendly homestead in the clearing. The woman kept pushing her forward as they walked along the dark trail and Leah started to hear the sound of running water. Her steps got shorter and slower from fear and anticipation until she was barely moving. The old woman shouted at Leah and hit her across her bottom with a switch several times to keep her moving along. As they rounded a bend, she saw light at the end of the path about fifty feet ahead when the ladies stopped walking with her and turned back. The old woman smacked her again when she stopped and motioned for her to keep going. Leah walked towards the light, her legs quivering. When she got to the end, she looked back at the old woman but she was gone, so Leah stepped into the light, desperate and terrified to finally learn her fate.