let out a muffled scream, as she grabbed Melanie who then did likewise.
Kevin whimpered and switched on the light. He pointed the beam in the
direction of the noise, but it only penetrated a few feet.
‘What was that?’ Candace demanded when she could find her voice.
‘Probably a duiker,’ Kevin said. ‘They’re a small breed of antelope.’
‘Antelope or elephant,’ Candace said. ‘It scared me.’
‘It scared me, too,’ Kevin said. ‘Maybe we should go back and return in
the daytime.’
‘We’ve come all this way for crissake,’ Melanie said. ‘We’re there. I
can hear the water.’
For a moment no one moved. Sure enough, they could hear water lapping
against the shore.
‘What happened to all the night creatures?’ Candace asked.
‘Good question,’ Kevin said. ‘The antelope must have scared them as
well.’
‘Turn the light off,’ Melanie said.
As soon as Kevin did, they all could see the shimmering surface of the
water through the vegetation. It looked like liquid silver.
Melanie led the way as the chorus of night creatures recommenced. The
path opened up into another clearing at the edge of the river. In the
middle of the clearing was a dark object almost the size of the garage
back where they’d left the car. Kevin walked up to it. It wasn’t hard to
figure out what it was: it was the bridge.
‘It’s a telescoping mechanism,’ Kevin said. ‘That’s why Alphonse said
that it could grow.’
About thirty feet across the water was Isla Francesca. In the fading
light, its dense vegetation appeared midnight-blue. Directly across from
the telescoping bridge was a concrete structure that served as the
support for the bridge when it was extended. Beyond that was an
expansive clearing that extended to the east.
‘Try extending the bridge,’ Melanie suggested.
Kevin switched on the flashlight. He found the control panel. There were
two buttons: one red, the other green. He pushed the red one. When
nothing happened, he pushed the green. When there still wasn’t a
reaction, he noticed a keyhole with the slot aligned with off.
‘You need a key,’ he called.
Melanie and Candace had walked over to the water’s edge.
‘There’s a bit of current,’ Melanie said. Leaves and other debris
floated by slowly.
Candace looked up. The top branches of some of the trees that lined
either bank almost touched. ‘Why do the creatures stay on the island?’
she asked.
‘Apes and monkeys don’t go in the water, particularly deep water,’
Melanie explained. ‘That’s why zoos only need a moat for their primate
exhibits.’
‘What about crossing in the trees?’ Candace asked.
Kevin joined the women at the riverbank. ‘The bonobos are relatively
heavy fellows,’ he explained, ‘particularly ours. Most of them are
already over a hundred pounds, and the branches up there aren’t nearly
strong enough to support their weight. Back before we put the first
animals on the island, there were a couple of questionable places so
those trees were cut down. But colobus monkeys still go back and forth.’
‘What are all those square objects in the field?’ Melanie asked.
Kevin shined the flashlight. Its beam wasn’t strong enough to make much
difference at that distance. He turned it off and squinted in the half
light. ‘They look like transport cages from the animal center,’ he said.
‘I wonder what they are doing out there?’ Melanie asked. ‘There’re so
many of them.’
‘No idea,’ Kevin said.
‘How can we get some of the bonobos to appear?’ Candace asked.
‘By this time they’re probably settling down for the night,’ Kevin said.
‘I doubt if we can.’
‘What about the float?’ Melanie asked. ‘The mechanism that pulls it
across must be like a clothesline. If it makes noise, they might hear
it. It would be like a dinner bell and might bring them around.’
‘Guess it’s worth a try,’ Kevin said. He glanced up and down the water’s
edge. ‘Trouble is, we don’t have any idea where the float may be.’
‘I can’t imagine it would be far,’ Melanie said. ‘You go east, I’ll go
west.’
Kevin and Melanie walked in opposite directions. Candace stayed were she
was, wishing she were back in her room in the hospital quarters.