by Jaime Savage
SCENE: LOG CABIN
They arrive at a log cabin which would not look out of place in the Pacific Northwest. A stout, hard-nosed red headed man is standing there waiting to greet them.
RATHBONE
'Clyde Rathbone. And you must be Luke and Ava'.
They shake hands.
LUKE
'And where might that accent of yours be from'?
RATHBONE
'Well let me see. I was born in Germany, raised in Spain, schooled in South Africa, attended college in Australia and now call any country that will pay me my home'.
AVA
'A mercenary. You must be right at home'.
Rathbone is impressed with her wit.
RATHBONE
'Do tell me: what on Earth brings two lively looking professionals to death's doorstep'?
AVA
'We're here to save the gorillas'.
RATHBONE
'I'm afraid our definition of the word save are different. Taking wild gorillas out of their natural habitats and sticking them in some unnatural zoo is not saving them in my opinion'.
AVA
'And leaving them here-in this abominable war zone is what you call protecting them'?
Rathbone is noticeably taken aback by her reply.
RATHBONE
'You're tenacious, ambitious and a little too complacent for my liking. I suppose you would have to be, taking this assignment and all, but nonetheless try to be a little more respectful around these parts. Out here, you aren't at the top of the food chain any more. The thing we humans have to learn is that we are not quite the superior beings we like to make ourselves out to be. Take away our weapons and machines and we are nothing. Our biggest and strongest athletes are no match for the raw strength of some of the animals that reside here. In the same way our greatest intellects are no match for the cunningness and instincts of some of the other animals that live here'.
Rathbone stops talking and sizes them up for a few moments.
RATHBONE
'Nevertheless things are what they are, please come inside and have something to eat, showers and rest. We will find gorillas soon enough'.
SCENE: LOG CABIN (NIGHT)
Rathbone and Luke are sat on the front porch eating rice and curried beef. Ava opens the front door and joins them. Her hair is sobbing wet from the shower. Luke gestures to her plate.
RATHBONE
'We will leave here early tomorrow. It's a long drive ahead. As I'm sure you are well aware due to the landslide we will be forced to hike the final stretch of the journey to the holding area of the gorillas'-
Rathbone stops when he sees their reaction to this news.
RATHBONE
'You weren't informed'?
AVA
'They said there would be some light walking'.
Rathbone laughs incredulously.
RATHBONE
'They really threw you two in the deep end didn't they'?
He pauses for a few moments.
RATHBONE
'Prepared or not, given the state of affairs we cannot afford any mishaps. It may sound redundant but please do not attempt anything stupid. Always listen to me; this is not the place for stubbornness'.
Rathbone looks instinctively at Ava as he says the last sentence.
RATHBONE
'Once we get to the gorillas we may only have half a day at most. You do what you have to do. Check them out, sign the paperwork and then we're out of here. If war begins this is the last country that you want to be stuck in. Believe me; one cannot imagine the atrocities that will take place in the jungle over the coming months. It will make what Shier Khan did look like a misdemeanour'.
AVA
'Once we leave how will we know that the gorillas will be ok'?
RATHBONE
'They are being held in a very isolated part of the country. The landslide, as much of a pain as it is for us, may for them be their saving grace. It's unlikely it gets cleared up until after the war is over. Yes it might be a drawn out process, but I'm confident moneybags will get his apes when all is said and done'.
Luke looks at Ava. It's far from a perfect plan but it would have to do. What other choice did they have?
SCENE: BEDROOM
Luke lies wide awake in the dark listening to torrential rain fall down on the corrugated roof. The rainfall is briefly interrupted by the creak of the bedroom door opening-It's Ava. She tip toes her way across the floorboards and gets into the single bed with Luke. Not a word is spoken between them. They lie under the sheets, eyes wide open, and looking to the ceiling as the drenching downpour continues to fall. It's in this moment that the realization dawns upon them that they are in the heart of Africa, the oldest inhabited territory on Earth.
LUKE (whispering)
'We're in the motherland'.
Chapter 17
SCENE: RAINFOREST (MORNING)
The sun rises over the Central African rainforest. We see a jeep driving along a narrow logging road. Once glorious mahogany trees have been decapitated and now lie belittled lining the roadside. Deforestation is rife. Some of the surrounding land is blackened from the slash and burn mantra that has reigned supreme.
SCENE: LANDSLIDE
The landslide appears into view putting the already decrepit road they have been driving along for many miles out of its misery.
RATHBONE
'End of the line ladies and gentleman'.
They pile out the van and start to unload their supplies. Once everything has been unloaded, like clockwork the driver pulls a U-turn and is lost in the early morning mist.
LUKE (stunned at the speed of the driver's departure)
'Does he know something that we don't'?
Rathbone snatches a bag from the ground and tosses it at Luke who catches it.
RATHBONE
'Perhaps he understands that this is the land of malaria, the land of cannibals, the land of snakes and fires. He's no fool. Humanity evolved by staying alive through any means possible. If you want to stay alive around here you get the fuck out of the way'.
AVA
'I'm sorry?perhaps I misheard you but did you say that this is a land of cannibals'?
RATHBONE
'You didn't take history at high school'?
AVA
'I don't need to take a history class to know that cannibalism has been outlawed for centuries'.
Rathbone guffaws.
RATHBONE
'I've heard that argument that liberal arts degrees aren't worth the paper they're printed on and ordinarily I would agree with this but the centuries of human existence are littered with famous people filled with innate snobbery towards history. Hitler wouldn't have initiated Operation Barbarossa if he had read up on Napoleon, America would not have entered the Middle East if they'd seen what happened to the Soviets twenty fucking years earlier and God damn teams in the Superbowl would run and not pass when they are within yards of winning the game in the final seconds of the game'.
AVA
'You're certain civil war will bring this barbarism out'?
RATHBONE
'I have always been of the mindset that the phrase 'rules of war'' is an oxymoron. I mean do people ever read the instructions when they play Risk? You can be sure as hell that the players in this civil war won't be reading the rules either. This isn't professional sport; there are no zebras to official. You challenge a call out here and your left arm is sliced off. What's worse though is the fact that even the most basic laws of the land get thrown out the window. Murder, rape, poaching and the consumption of human meat will take place here just as it has in every previous civil war in this region. That may be the only certainty I can give you at the moment'.
Ava shudders in dismay.
RATHBONE
'Don't look so surprised; bad habits die hard in these parts. I mean even Canadians get sick of maple syrup'.
SCENE: RAINFOREST
The party march in single file through the rainforest. We see Luke negotiating his way around gnarled tree roots. He swats his hand at an array of mosquitoes in the process. An ever watchful monkey watches the party walk through as it chews on fruit. Intermitted beams of sunshine pour through openings in the forest casting impressive rays of light which contrast against the dark shadows of the towering trees.
SCENE: STREAM
The muddy, placid stream appears out of nowhere in the dense expanse of the rainforest taking them all by surprise.
RATHBONE
'This may be a good place to stop for lunch'.
Soaked by the wet foliage and fatigued from the morning's hike, Luke and Ava collapse of the banks of the stream. Rathbone lights a cigarette and paces alongside the banks of the stream. Their rest is to be short-lived for Rathbone soon calls them towards him frantically. Taken aback, Ava and Luke carefully make their way to the bank's edge expecting the worst. To their surprise they find firefly like insects emerging from the water.
RATHBONE
'Behold the mayfly'.
AVA
'The mayfly; the one day fly'.
LUKE
'The what'?
AVA
'They are truly amazing creatures'.
LUKE
'To think of all the animals that reside in Africa and you're excited about a fly'.
AVA
'These are no ordinary flies. They rise up out of the water and live for only half an hour before they die. They aren't born with mouths or stomachs or any bodily functions we longer living beings require to survive. Their sole purpose in their miniscule lifespan is to reproduce; they have half an hour and then that's it; they're gone; their life is over as soon as it started'.
LUKE
'Half an hour'?
RATHBONE
'They rise themselves up out of the water and fall back in as soon as they have risen from it. It is a sad thought, but then again we humans aren't too far apart. We might build our mega cities, manufacture our cars and spend our lives stockpiling our possessions while we comb across every inch of the globe interfering. We might act like we live forever, but we aren't invincible; in fact, we really are nothing in the wider scheme of things'.
AVA
'That's a rather depressing way of looking at it'.
RATHBONE
'I don't think it's depressing. Not a second is wasted; their life is lived to its fullest. It is a lesson we humans could take a few notes on'.
They sit on the banks watching the mayflies excitable, hypnotising movements.
SCENE: STREAM (LATER)
Just like that the end had come for the ill fated Mayflies. The casualties litter the stream. Rathbone stamps out his cigarette and strolls off bashfully.
RATHBONE
'The show is over folks. We must move out at once or we too will share the same fate as our late friends here'.
LUKE
'Good God, the rise and fall of the Mayfly did not even last the length of our lunch break'.
SCENE: AFRICAN FARM
Dusk is setting in. The sky is a resounding red flamed canvas. Rathbone is conversing with a farmer in a local dialect. Their conversation is very direct. Ava and Luke watch on anxiously.
RATHBONE (Turning to Luke and Ava)
'Our luck continues; Gnagne has been kind enough to let us pass through his land freely and undetected. His kindness will take many hours off our journey'.
Gnagne is a diminutive man who gives off a benevolent vibe with his perpetual smile. He ushers them to follow him. Gnagne leads them toward a terrace which gives widespread views of the surrounding hinterland backed by the ominous sky. Gnagne speaks to Ava and Luke.
RATHBONE (translating)
'You can almost cut the tension with a knife. War is rearing her ugly head once more in this troublesome land'.
A distant rumble concurs with Gnagne.
AVA
'Is that what I think it is'?
RATHBONE
'It could be any number of things. However, it's too far away to give us any immediate concern. If anything it's a reminder that we must be swifter in our proceedings'.
SCENE: DEEPER INTO THE FARMLAND
Gnagne guides them many miles through the dull land toward a meagre, barbed wire fence. Upon reaching the fence, Gnagne lets out a resounding whistle into the night sky. Moments later, a man appears at the excuse of a fence wielding bottles of obscure chemicals. The two locals speak rapidly in their native tongue for a few passing moments.
RATHBONE (Translating)
'We must wait here for the briefest of moments. Gnagne's neighbour is allowing you to pass through his land but he has many explosives set up at the moment; it's not safe to venture through until he has let off his detonation'.
LUKE & AVA
'A detonation'?
RATHBONE
'His land has been swarmed by the pesky quelea bird. There are over two hundred thousand by his estimates. Given that the sun has set they have returned to their nests to mate. Now is the time that he must strike'.
AVA
'So you're just going to blow them to smithereens? Is that really the answer'?
RATHBONE
'I don't think you understand. They multiply like rats. They ruin his farmland. If his land lies in ruins, he and his family will starve'.
Ava opens her mouth with the intention of continuing the debate further but soon gives up. She has no place preaching to farmers living in such harsh, inhospitable lands. In the distance we hear the bird's cheerful choir. The upbeat chirping seems to be the only thing that contrasts against all the doom and gloom.
AVA
'It's just sad. Knowing that in only a few moment's time these bird's lives will be cut short in such emphatically, brutish fashion. They don't know any better; in their minds they are only doing what they do naturally'.
There is no change of heart from the farmers.
GNAGNE'S NEIGHBOUR
'Three?two?one'.
('Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten by Arvo Part plays.)
And then there is death all around them. A series of intense fireballs can be seen. The fireballs are like a domino; one after the other. And as quick as it had started, it was over. The complete and unequivocal eradication of the birds is complete. Over a hundred thousand cleansed with one simple press of a button. There is a deep and resounding silence. It all doesn't seem fair. Rathbone ushers them forward but Ava has broken down. As they press on she sees a lone quelea returning to the scourged Earth.
('Cantus in memoriam Benjamin Britten by Arvo Part ends.)
SCENE: FARMHOUSE (NIGHT)
We see the silhouette of a man wearing a bush hat. The figure is standing nonchalantly on the front porch of his farmhouse. Trudging up the man's front drive in the darkness is a weary Luke, Ava and Rathbone.
SHADOW FIGURE
'Welcome'.
RATHBONE
'Hello'.
SHADOW FIGURE
'Mr Rathbone I take it'.
RATHBONE (shaking hands)
'Pleasure to meet you'.
SHADOW FIGURE
'My name is Carof and the pleasure is all mine'.
He introduces himself to Ava and Luke. They shake the good natured man's hand.
CAROF (laughing)
'Welcome to my impromptu hotel. You are the first and I imagine the only guests that will ever request a stay here'.
RATHBONE
'We're very grateful for accepting our offer'.
CAROF
'Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. You have certainly picked an amazing time to visit my country. Just in time for our quadrennial civil war'.
AVA
'Quadrennial'?
CAROF (chuckling)
'Every four years?well at least it feels like it. It's almost like the World Cup and the Olympics?every cycle a civil war seems to come around'.
RATHBONE
'You seem in good spirits though'?
CAROF
'I suppose one has to be at a time like this if one hopes to keep their sanity'.
RATHBONE
'You didn't think of leaving'?
CAROF
'It is very much like the bush fires that occurred so frequently in my youth. One only has two options in the event of a bushfire. You can either stay or flee. It's as simple as that. If you choose the former then you have to be fully committed to the unequivocal defence of your home. You must be organised, well planned and fearless'.
RATHBONE
'You will fight to the death'?
CAROF
'If need be. My son is here to help. Here, please enter my home and I'll introduce him to you'.
He leads them through to a living room where a teenage boy wearing a headset is sat working away on a computer. The young man is in the middle of a phone call but gives them a friendly wave.
CAROF
'He's into all of this telemarketing stuff now. Making a lot of money for himself too it seems. It's a bit beyond me but you see with the technology these days he can call any Westernised country in the world from Africa and the computer program filters his accent changing it to the country he is calling'.
RATHBONE
'Interesting'.
CAROF
'You'll be surprised how much more confiding and open-minded people are when they think they are speaking to one of their own kin. That's just the tip of the iceberg though. Things have changed drastically in the last couple of years. Africa is very much taking the role India once occupied prior to stepping into the developed world. If we can just get some stability in the region I'm very optimistic of what the future holds for us'.