The pain in my leg was getting worse, and because the ATV was on top of it I couldn’t even look and get a sense of the injury.
“My phone,” I gasped, suddenly realizing.
I felt in my pocket, but it wasn’t there. It must have flown out when I hit the air.
Staring at the sky, I let the tears come. This vacation was supposed to be a palette cleanser, a start to a new life following the breakup with Mike a month earlier. But now here I was, trapped and all alone.
Something scuffled close by, and I turned my head to see the lizard disappearing into the underbrush.
“At least one of us is all right,” I said through my tears.
CHAPTER6
GEORGIA
“Olá.”
Turning my face up, I blinked at the figure blocking out the sun. It crouched in front of me, revealing itself to be a boy.
“Are you okay?” he asked in Portuguese.
“I’m hurt,” I rasped. “I’m stuck.”
His eyebrows knit together in concern. Finally getting a good look at him, I could see he couldn’t be more than ten. What was he doing up on this mountain alone?
“I will get help!” He stood and, before I could respond, took off running.
Curses bubbled up my throat. Could I trust this kid to even do what he said? Then again, what other option did I have?
Once again, I tried fruitlessly to wiggle out from under the ATV. Once again, I was rewarded with a jolt of pain in my leg.
The sound of voices caught my attention. The boy was back, along with a woman who looked to be in her sixties. He pointed eagerly at me as he led the way to my side.
“I have called for an ambulance,” the woman said in English.
“Thank you,” I rasped, trying not to think about how long it would take for an ambulance to reach where we were.
The little boy crouched next to me. “Would you like some water?”
Before I could answer, he pressed a water bottle to my lips. I took what sips I could while lying flat on the ground.
“Thank you.” I cringed. Even talking was hard. “Will you take my helmet off? It’s really hot.”
He did as I asked. “I am Sebastián. Melba is my nanny.”
“Georgia.” I forced a smile, trying my hardest to ignore the pain. “Thank you.”
He pointed at my leg. “It looks like you hurt it.”
“Yeah. It sucks.”
“Can I tell you a story? My dad tells me stories when I am hurt, and they make me feel better.”
“Sure.”
Sebastián took my hand in his and sat cross-legged in the dirt. “There once was a tiger…”
From there, the story became rambling. It was hard to keep up, especially with the main character changing every few minutes; I was sure Sebastián was making the story up on the fly.