A large, gurgling pit of quicksand. Many adventurers and poor critters lie at the bottom of the pit. The pit is surrounded by an extensive swampland and is shielded by the many trees and shrubs that surround it.
Quicksand Pit, Swamp
a child
adventurer
I am a thrill seeker. I have never liked academics. My family accepts that I do not want to have a normal career.
Come child!  Time to learn how to leap over quicksand.  If you wish to become an adventurer like me, you will need to learn this valuable life skill! I see, this must be an important skill I am ready. Remember, leap, and try not to get stuck if you don't quite make it.  The more you struggle, the faster you will sink. -makes an agile leap over it- LOOK I DID IT! Congratulations lad!  Now try it again, only this time imagine that there is a hippo trying to eat you as you pass aover. A bit strange but alright....-makes another jump across- Lad, hippos are some of the most dangerous animals that inhabit quicksand pits.  Naturally buoyant, they are in no danger themselves, and their ferocious bite will tear a limp off if you get too close. Are they really? I have never heard of such a thing... And they are quite hungry, ever so hungry!  Hungry, hungry hippos they are sometimes called.  But another animal you should fear is the anaconda, another inhabitant of this swamp. I could picture them traversing the quicksand a bit easier than a hippo. Yes, though just under the surface.  A ripple and then . . . before you can blink you lie in the belly of the beast. How awful that does sound though.