Prisoners of Fear

Eugene confirms that the journal belonged to his father, Leonard Meltsner, who disappeared with Eugene's mother, Thelma, when Eugene was seven. Aman remembers Thelma as a loving woman and explains that Eugene's parents began by conducting archaeological work around the village. They have been gone for more than twenty-one years, since the event the Ashantis call the beginning of their curse.

During Leonard's stay, another American searched the area for gold. Dreams of riches drew many Ashantis away to form a new tribe called the Wolofs. Even Gobir abandoned Aman and joined them, claiming that he would return with wealth for his family. He eventually recognized what greed was doing to him and came home alone.

The stronger Wolofs later threatened to destroy the Ashanti village and mine its land. They offered peace in exchange for Morati. Leonard volunteered to surrender himself rather than allow the tribe to be attacked, and the Ashanti leader, Yosef, accepted the bargain. The Wolofs carried away both of Eugene's parents.

A storm destroyed many homes that night, convincing the villagers that their gods had cursed them for sacrificing an innocent man. Every attempt to leave across the rope bridge brought a violent surge down the river. The people eventually blamed Yosef for the curse and threw him into the current, believing he died over a waterfall.

Because no one has seen the Wolofs since the trade, Eugene realizes that his parents may have survived in captivity. The possibility is painful and uncertain, but for the first time since childhood his chance of finding them has risen from none to something. He insists on searching, and Katrina refuses to let him undertake the dangerous quest alone.

Aman gives them supplies but warns that the river will kill them. The water appears calm until Eugene steps onto the bridge; then a sudden wave roars toward him, forcing him to leap back to shore. Rather than accept the curse, Eugene notices something unusual about the current and follows a strong inner prompting to travel upstream.

After passing ancient burial grounds in the jungle, Eugene and Katrina discover a modern dam. Its position explains the changed river sounds and provides a safe route across. They walk over the top without any supernatural attack, proving to themselves that the supposed curse does not control the river.

On the far side, an armed man captures them and mistakes Eugene for Morati. He is Yosef, who survived the river but has lived alone for more than twenty years. Hoping to regain his place among the Ashantis, Yosef decides to take Eugene and Katrina to the Wolofs and exchange the younger man for Leonard.

The Wolof village is abandoned, but the archaeological dig reveals why they demanded Eugene's father: Leonard's skills helped them locate gold. Yosef last saw the tribe only a year ago, raising Eugene's hope that his parents may still be alive. Then Katrina finds a grave marked with Thelma Meltsner's name. Eugene's mother died two years earlier, and he resolves even more urgently to find his father, who must have been left alone.

At the end of a deep mining cave, they encounter a Wolof who still guards the site. Yosef offers Eugene as a younger replacement for Morati, claiming he can find gold. The guard decides to imprison Eugene, Katrina, and Yosef until the tribe's leaders return.

Eugene asks for Leonard, only to receive a second crushing answer. Morati died three months earlier beneath the rocks of a cave-in. The man orders the three captives into a holding cell, where the Wolofs will decide what to do with them.