seat belt wasn’t helping. ‘The last thing I’d want to do is get stuck
out here.’ She glanced out the side window at the inky black jungle and
shivered. It was eerie. She couldn’t see a thing despite patches of
luminous sky above. And then there was the noise. Just during their
short visit with Alphonse, the night creatures of the jungle had
commenced their loud and monotonous chorus.
‘What did you make of the things Alphonse said?’ Kevin asked finally.
‘I’d say the jury is still out,’ Melanie said. ‘But they’re certainly
deliberating.’
‘I think his comment about the bonobos being bipedal when they come to
get the food is very disturbing,’ Kevin said. ‘The circumstantial
evidence is adding up.’
‘The suggestion that they are communicating impressed me,’ Candace said.
‘Yeah, but chimps and gorillas have been taught sign language,’ Melanie
said. ‘And we know bonobos are more bipedal than any other apes. What
impressed me was the aggressive behavior, although I stand by my idea
that it might be from our mistake not to have produced more females to
maintain the balance.’
‘Can chimps make those sounds that Alphonse imitated?’ Candace asked.
‘I don’t think so,’ Kevin said. ‘And that’s an important point. It
suggests maybe their larynges are different.’
‘Do chimps really kill monkeys?’ Candace asked.
‘They do occasionally,’ Melanie said. ‘But I’ve never heard of a bonobo
doing so.’
‘Hang on!’ Kevin shouted as he braked.
The car lurched over a log strewn across the track.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked Candace, while glancing up into the rearview
mirror.
‘No problem,’ Candace said, although she’d been severely jolted. Luckily
the seat belt had worked, and it had kept her head from hitting the
roof.
Kevin slowed considerably for fear of encountering another log. Fifteen
minutes later, they entered a clearing which marked the termination of
the track. Kevin came to a halt. Directly ahead the headlight beams
washed the front of a single-story cinder-block building with an
overhead garage door.
‘Is this it?’ Melanie questioned.
‘I guess,’ Kevin said. ‘The building is new to me.’
Kevin switched off the lights and the engine. With the clearing open to
the sky the level of illumination was adequate. For a moment no one
moved.
‘What’s the story?’ Kevin asked. ‘Are we going to check it out or what?’
‘Might as well,’ Melanie said. ‘We’ve come this far.’ She opened her
door and got out. Kevin did the same.
‘I think I’ll stay in the car,’ Candace said.
Kevin went to the building and tried the door. It was locked. He
shrugged. ‘I can’t imagine what’s in there.’ Kevin slapped a mosquito on
his forehead.
‘How do we get to the island?’ Melanie asked.
Kevin pointed to the right. ‘There’s a track over there. It’s only about
fifty yards to the water’s edge.’
Melanie glanced up at the sky. It was a pale lavender. ‘It’s going to be
dark pretty soon. Do you have a flashlight in the car?’
‘I think so,’ Kevin said. ‘More important, I have some mosquito spray.
We’re going to get eaten alive out here unless we use it.’
They went back to the car. Just as they arrived, Candace climbed out.
‘I can’t stay in here by myself,’ she said. ‘It’s too spooky.’
Kevin got the mosquito spray. While the women doused themselves, he
searched for the flashlight. He found it in the glove compartment.
After spraying himself, Kevin motioned for the women to follow him.
‘Stay close,’ he said. ‘The crocodiles and the hippos come out of the
water at night.’
‘Is he joking?’ Candace asked Melanie.
‘I don’t think so,’ Melanie said.
As soon as they entered the path, the illumination fell considerably
although it was still light enough to walk without the flashlight. Kevin
led while the two women crowded behind. The closer they got to the water
the louder the chorus of insects and frogs became.
‘How did I get myself into this?’ Candace questioned. ‘I’m no outdoors
person. I can’t even conceive of a crocodile or a hippo outside of a
zoo. Hell, any bug bigger than my thumbnail terrifies me, and spiders,
forget it.’
All of the sudden, there was a crashing noise off to the left. Candace