MYSTERIOUS ISLES

I’m alone in an ancient world on one of the most isolated scraps of land on earth. All I can hear, as I follow a narrow mud path through densely thicketed jungle, is the steady dripping of water on leaves from an overnight rain squall, and my own heartbeat. Every other noise — birds, wildlife, insects — is muffled by the thick foliage all around.

Suddenly, there’s a deafening blast of sound. I stop dead in my tracks. I can feel my