Self-Review – African Escape

Let’s Look at African Escape

Originally, I had thought of African Escape as being a kind of prison break or a breakout from a POW camp. But after leaving it for over three years, I came up with a somewhat different, darker plot. Although the ending is somewhat hopeful.

Somewhat. Kinda.

I started this story during the third quarter of 2021. But I didn’t finish it until the second quarter of 2025.

Background

The original prompt word was Zanzibar. But I honestly had no idea what to do with this prompt (even though I was the one who wrote it, heh). I even had to look up where Zanzibar is on a map.

FYI, it’s an island in the Indian Ocean, and it’s part of Tanzania. Because it’s around 22 miles off the coast of East-Central Africa, paddling a boat there isn’t too unrealistic. But it’s just south of the equator, so it’s hot there a lot of the time.

Plot

Doctoral candidate Alicia Price has just started wrapping up a trip to Tanzania to find fossilized artifacts of the oldest humans ever. Her guide, Vic Van Maas, isn’t exactly one for doing everything perfectly legally.

And so, it comes as no great shock when Tanzanian residents start to object to their taking the artifacts.

Complicating matters is Alicia’s lover and mentor, Dr Philip MacLachlan, who sent her on the trip in the first place. And when Vic is killed as they try to flee with the artifacts, Alicia has to find a way to get back home to Philadelphia, preferably with the fossils.

Dr. MacLachlan is in Philly. But so is his jealous wife, Hazel.

With a clever talent for being able to assume just about any persona she can think of and putting on a fake name as readily as some people put on their shoes, Alicia just might make it.

Maybe.

Characters

The characters are Alicia Price, Vic Van Maas, Dennis Van Maas, Dr. Philip MacLachlan, Hazel MacLachlan, Godfrey Achebe-Makamba, Dr. Rose-Lynn Carter, and Captain Myron Juma. There are also Vic’s ex-wife Laura and their daughter, Kim.

Memorable Quotes

Once she was released, Alicia got herself a room at the smallest, cheapest, and most out of the way guest house she could find but could still walk to the beach. Her sole task was to retrieve the duffel. Returning to the scene, she found fishermen loading trawling nets onto a decent-sized motorboat. Alicia hiked up her skirt, wrung her hands, and did her best to play dumb tourist.

She approached the oldest guy she could find. “Excuse me, sir, but I was wondering if you could help me, please?”

“With what, Miss?”

“Well, it’s a little embarrassing, see.”

“I have no need to judge you, Miss…?”

“Marcia Ferndale.” Just in case you and my old pal Godfrey are buddy-buddy. “I was on one of those boat tours of the channel, you know the ones I mean?”

“Yes, of course. My first wife, she of blessed memory, used to work as a guide on those tours.”

“Oh, well, I am sorry for your loss, sir.”

“Captain Myron Juma.”

“Captain Juma, then. I had my duffel with me, and I was holding onto it. I really should be more trusting. It’s from living in cities for far too long, I believe. Anyway, I was holding it and leaning over the side when I spotted sharks! It frightened me so badly, that I dropped my duffel right into the channel.”

“Goodness, how dreadful,” said Captain Juma, but he didn’t sound convinced.

Rating for African Escape

The story has a K+ rating. There’s an onscreen death and a couple occur offscreen.

Takeaways from African Escape

Alicia isn’t Superwoman. She’s just trying to get from one point to another and then another. But just like a cat with nine lives, she kept coming up with a solution and landing on her feet. Does she finally make her African Escape?

Maybe.

Want to find out? You’ll have to read the story, of course.

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Want More of my Short Stories and Novellas?

If this story resonates with you, then I hope you will check out some of my other blog posts about my shorter works.

Short Stories

Finally, for a complete list of my shorter works, please be sure to check out the Hub Page—Short Stories.