Todd Dorf, champion of office efficiency, a title his co workers bestowed upon him, felt sore and melancholy after a long day of accounting company profits and recounting figures to make sure that everything was in order.  Often, Todd was elated by the progress he made in the workplace and prided himself in being indispensable to InkPen: a company who forged mighty pens. Todd Dorf, however, did not feel very mighty. Nothing was wrong. His relationship with his longtime girlfriend wasn’t crumbling like the old Roman Empire. He was on good terms with his parents who came to visit occasionally to see their one brilliant and handsome grandson. He was just sad. There didn’t have to be a reason why.

Todd slowly peeked his head over the grey flimsy cubicle barriers. He saw lonely chairs scattered throughout the dimly lit office. Their masters had left to seek refuge for the night. The slightly overweight janitor slowly perused the isles sweeping his mop back and forth occasionally dipping it in his yellow bucket. An old worn out man rested his head on a desk in the distance. The patter of rain and the occasional thunder added an ambiance to the dead atmosphere inside the office. “Maybe it’s my gloomy surroundings that has me feeling down” Todd reflected. He stood and slowly sauntered towards the vending machines. Click. Click. Click. The numbers were punched and the vending machine hummed as it prepared to move his Cheesy Chips to the tray. Todd reached in to grab his late-night snack.

Todd’s vision blurred and whirled as colors danced around his eyesight. He heard the patter of lightning and the thunder of rain droplets screaming in his ears. Or was it the other way around? Todd could hardly think. An intense pain slithered up his neck. He screamed in agony and fear. He felt the Earth pulling him through the floor, enveloping him, suffocating him. It was as if his atoms were being pulled apart. Finally, after what felt like eternity, Todd couldn’t feel anything. He felt nothingness.

Gleaming light trickled through the branches waking Todd up. ‘Where am I” Todd thought as he looked around the greenery that surrounded him. The temperature was sickenly hot for an afternoon in Boston. Especially since it was the middle of winter. Todd didn’t remember any National Parks close by to where he lived. He must’ve been really tired not to remember what happened last night and end up lost in the woods.

Putting his hand in his pocket, Todd was relieved to find his phone. It had charge but Todd noticed that he didn’t have any phone signal. Finding a road was a priority. He’d probably miss the game tonight, but he figured it was good to get away from electronics for a little bit. He stood and scanned the area trying to figure out where he was. Nothing looked familiar to him, he decided to camp out for the night.

Todd was never much of an outdoor person. There was no need to learn how to create a fire and hunt for animals when he lived in a large city. While many people felt like connecting with their roots, Todd was perfectly fine using modern convenience to the fullest. Why not order all your food from Amazon and have it shipped to you or warm your house with a thermostat? “It would be a waste” Todd thought “to not take advantage of what the modern world offered. Todd now wished he had maybe been a boy scout when he was younger.

Todd found an opening in the forest where the ground was flat and the trees were widespread. He cleared the area of debris. Branches of wood were broken off the trees and piled in the center of camp. Rubbing wood together didn’t seem to work as well as Bear Grylls’ T.V show made it seem. Unbeknownst to Todd, he needed to use dry wood rather than the damp, newly broken off branches he had harvested. This was not something Todd would figure out in a night so he spent the night cold and wet. A blanket crafted from leaves and a makeshift canopy were his only consolation.

The frigid night kept Todd awake, only occasionally drifting off to sleep. He woke up tired and battered. His feet were still numb from the cold air and his back was covered in bug bites that itched and oozed when pressed on. He was hungry and couldn’t wait to be reunited with his fridge. He was eager to find civilization so he got up early to hike, hoping to find a footpath or road that would lead him towards people.

The scenery was full of greenery. Walking through the jungle was very beautiful. Tumbling down hills and pushing his way through the thick foliage, Todd was bruised during his trek to find civilization. He was hungry.  He had come across Mangos, but had trouble eating them since they weren’t ripe. The long beaked song birds didn’t seem to mind, however; massacring the fruit as they shoved it down their gullets. He worried that there would be other birds that would consider him their mango. Flying creatures, after all, were apex predators.

It was strange. The world seemed very foreign. The organisms Todd came across definitely aren’t found in the United States where he grew up. The large fan leafed plants were things that belonged in a National Geographic article. Their wide blade like leaves bounced occasionally as the breeze blew through. Last night Todd, probably due to his lack of experience with nature, didn’t notice just how off his environment was. He may have been confused with the warm weather and the jungle like atmosphere he was placed in, but he didn’t think that he could have possibly left the United States in one night. He theorized he may have been drugged somehow and dragged into the middle of the wilderness. Why would someone do that? He had no clue but it was the only plausible explanation.

In the distance, Todd spotted an old man fishing in the river. He had been walking along the edge of the water to look for a relatively safe spot to cross the roaring rapids. The fisherman wore a dull plaid shirt tucked into leather waiters. Todd didn’t think leather was waterproof, but he was no expert when it came to fishing. The old gnarly man had a long grey beard that sparkled silver. It matched the net he was dropping in and out of the water. “Hey, over here” Todd yelled at the top of his lungs. The old man turned his head and stared at Todd. The fisherman started walking to the shore.