EXTRACT FOR
Arachnid
(Kay Nyne)

She had seen gloom and despair in their eyes when she broke the news, yet Professor Krugger had seemed almost reticent. Where his team had sat in sulky silence when Poppy broke the news that the petrol wouldn't stretch to running both the fridges and the radio equipment, the professor had nodded and smiled.

"Sensible girl!" he had added, "These people may all be brilliant in their respective fields, but they would never have considered saving the petrol for emergency use. They would have chilled their beers until morning then complained when they discovered that we didn't have power for the radio anymore."

Then he paused for a moment before nodding. "One time, probably about ten years ago I was stuck out here in a very similar situation... it took almost three weeks for the supplies to finally get through. So now I suggest we run the generator for no more than half an hour each day, just long enough to charge a few batteries and warm up the radio to contact the institute."

Despite being the original bearer of bad tidings Poppy also felt the weight pressing on her, she enjoyed a cold can in the evening, and one of the small pleasures she had was now being taken away from her, the ability to read in her tent. Every evening she would stretch out on her camp bed and lose herself in an alternate reality, the dimly glowing bulb overhead just strong enough for her to see the printed words. But no electricity equalled early nights, they would have to adjust to the natural cycle of life, rise at dawn and retire at dusk... and along with her more academic company she mourned the loss of small comforts.

But maybe not everything is lost she told herself as she felt his eyes on her across the fire. There was still Grant, the researcher from South Africa. He was studying spiders, or ants or some kind of bug, but for Poppy that was of little interest, what did excite her was his interest, in her. He was making it obvious, but with the expedition set to run for a minimum of six months Poppy was in no hurry. It was true that eventually she would probably let him catch her, but she had been holding him at arm's length, showing interest, offering small encouragements, then leaving him dangling on a promise.

And with fuck all else to do now, I might just let him catch me soon! She chuckled softly and saw him look away quickly as he pretended he hadn't been watching her.

She had been holding back deliberately, because it wasn't only Grant that had shown interest. Of course most members of the team were definite non-starters in Poppy's opinion. The Professor for one, he was ancient by her standards, over sixty which made him a veritable dinosaur in her eyes, there was also Tony. He was a handsome man in his late twenties, smooth, urbane, witty... he had eyes that pierced deep into Poppy's soul, he was perfect except for one devastating flaw, because Tony was gay, not overtly but definitely unshakable at the core. Alex was another that never figured in her thoughts, sure he was interested, and he wasn't that bad looking either, at thirty two he was still the right side of her upper limit, but much as he liked to gloss over the fact he couldn't deny that he was married, and a home wrecker Poppy certainly wasn't. And that's beside the fact that he isn't good looking enough to plan a future with. She didn't want to destroy a marriage for the sake of a few nights of meaningless sex.

Back in college she had experimented, so it didn't come as such a shock when she caught lepidopterist Dr Jennifer Rogerson eyeing her in a most appreciative manner. Jenny was a neat woman nearing fifty, she was married, but everyone knew that she and her husband led separate lives... and while she was sweating in the heart of Brazil's Amazon Rain Forest chasing moths and butterflies he was much further south studying fungi or lichens in Patagonia. Some said they really only got together at conferences and seminars, married to each other but more devoted to their work.

One evening during the second week in camp Jennifer had made her initial move, and feeling a little happy after drinking too much wine Poppy had agreed to sneak back to Jenny's tent with her as the others set up a game of poker. The middle aged woman had been possessed as she fell upon the pretty brunette chef, and Poppy had soon discovered why older women made better lovers. One after another her orgasms had come, each driven by an eager tongue and experienced fingers. It had been an unforgettable night, but the following day she had played the alcohol card when she explained that she really wasn't ready for a relationship... but just give her a little time!

And now I think the time to choose is getting close she told herself as she glanced from Jennifer to Grant and back. Maybe she could work it that she had both, that could be fun...

And it would certainly beat the tedium of early nights lying alone!

***

That evening felt more like a wake as the gathered academics mourned the demise of comforts and toasted their loss with the last cold beers, tomorrow would mark a new beginning, and a time of austerity.

Poppy retired alone, and as she lay awake listening to the snoring of her companions and the sounds of the surrounding jungle she planned her expedition into forbidden lands.

It's all mumbo jumbo anyway she told herself, stupid superstitions of the primitive and uneducated. 

Hairy forest monsters that trapped strangers in vast nets, monsters that would strip any human woman that they captured naked before stabbing her with a pair of wicked spears.

"What rubbish!" she chuckled, and rolling over onto her side she slipped into a deep sleep devoid of nightmares or monsters.