by Jared Martin
“I miss you so much,” Peter confessed with a look of profound longing.
“You do not have bad breath anymore. Did you go and see the dentist that I told you to?” The Princess chuckled.
“Yes.”
“I heard that you make your pirates brush their teeth three times a day. You bad boy.”
“That’s right. They like to eat garlic bread so much that they stink whenever they open their mouths! I even make them bathe three times a day,” Peter laughed heartily.
The Princess chuckled too.
“They hate me to the core for these, even went so far as to plot a mutiny.”
“Is that so?” She was surprised.
“They planned to master the ‘Invincible Whacking Pole’ Formation to counter my Terror Whip, those imbeciles! They did not know my Terror Whip can strike at eight directions on one plane. With three planes on our physical universe, eight to the power of three, that works out to 512 directions in total.” He explained further, blowing his own trumpet in full blast, his male ego inflated to the point of bursting!
“What if we quarrel, would you use your whip on me?” The Princess asked.
“Of course not! Why would I do a stupid thing like that?” Peter denied vehemently. He went on to display his woebegone facial expression in front of his lover and tried hard to regain her confidence, sorely afraid she would be displeased with him.
“I just want to be a good boy to you,” Peter affirmed.
“Then marry me,” she replied shyly.
“Are you serious? Oh! I’m so happy. Let’s get married tonight!” Peter said eagerly.
“Now, now. First, you have to get well from your injury. Then you must help me to fight my enemies and recover my throne. We need to prepare a grand wedding. All these will need time, my darling.” She smiled and lowered her head.
“At your commands, my dear darling.” He held her hand tightly, so afraid that he would lose her again. The Princess rested her head on Peter’s chest and snuggled close to him. They became oblivious to the world around them. After a while, the Princess sat up by the side of the bed and lifted Peter’s left arm. She then took out her wedding ring and put in on her lover's finger. Peter gave out a long-drawn howl. As was the usual Aldebaran tradition, it was common for lovers to exchange wedding rings and the husband-to-be was supposed to howl with all their might!
All the rest of the pirates at the command deck heard their chief howling.
“Suffering migraine, what was that?!” Karl asked.
“Holy Mackerel, did you hear that?!” Jared echoed.
“I did. I did,” chorused the rest of the other pirates.
“I think our problem has been solved. Our chief is now in the seventh heaven. He would/will be too busy to give us any more trouble.” Victor chuckled.
Every pirate clenched his right fist and did a back-jab with his right elbow. A chorus of “Yes!” followed. This action signalled victory on their plan to subdue their chief. Next, they imitated their chief by howling long and loud.
"I think we should call ourselves the 'Seven Wolves of Aldebaran'," Karl chuckled.
"I agree totally," Bronto said in jest.
Chapter 12
In the Taurus star system, on a remote planet Remon, there existed a tall mountain called Nutmeg Mountain. It was more than one thousand metres tall. This mountain was situated near the planet's equator and it was covered by tall trees. Thick vegetation grew in abundance at the foot of this mountain. Many strange species of plants could be found here, some of which were carnivorous. These carnivorous plants resembled terrestrial Venus fly-trap, with two leaves that opened most of the time and closed in fast motion in order to trap insects. The only difference was that the plants that grew here were very much bigger.
On this mountain, a large number of white-faced Capuchin monkeys made their homes here. This species of monkey has long prehensile (grasping) tail, appears all black except for the face and chest region and can climb trees well. They belong to the New World Monkey. For the Old World Monkey, many do not have a tail, even if the tail is present, it is not prehensile.
Taurus was just peeping out from the horizon in the early morning. The air was fresh. Many dew-drops could be found on leaves. Many Capuchin monkeys had woke up from their slumbers. They put out their heads from their various houses and looked at the world outside with curious eyes. They had built comfortable homes for themselves, unlike terrestrial species which continued to lead nomadic lives. Most Capuchin monkeys lived in tree-houses on top of tall trees, while others lived in caves and near river-banks. Long, dangling vines were commonly found growing on tall trees. Capuchin monkeys used these vines to swing from tree to tree and also to go up or down a tree in the fastest way possible.
This was the summer season on Nutmeg Mountain. The temperature could easily reach thirty-five degree Celsius during noon. Many butterflies flittered from flowers to flowers. Many rare species of multi-coloured flowers grew here. Bees were flying all over the place. A bird chirping in the distance could be heard. A wood-rat stuck its head out from the ground and surveyed its surroundings. A large mountain condor glided gracefully across the early morning sky.
A yellow bird perched on a branch on top of one of the many trees in Nutmeg Mountain. It had found a fat, white caterpillar hiding in its hole. This bird tried to pull the caterpillar out by all kinds of ways. It poked its beak into the hole but its beak was too short. It used tiny leaves, but these were too soft. Next, the bird used a small twig but this twig could not get inside the hole either. Out of frustration, the bird threw away this twig. All of a sudden, the worm poked its tail out of the hole and shot an oily black jet at the bird. The predator screeched in surprise and flew away in a hurry.
Not far from Nutmeg Mountain, there was a natural waterfall about one hundred metres tall. From this waterfall, large volume of water gushed down from great heights. A small pool was formed at the foot of this waterfall. Mist and water vapour combined to make rainbow a permanent phenomenon in this scenic spot. Many tall trees grew around this area with dangling vines. At this moment, several monkeys were swimming and playing in the pool. A few of them were splashing water at each other, chattering all the while. Out of a sudden, a mischievous monkey swung on a vine and when it reached the middle of the pool, it let go of the vine and landed right in the water. It caused much laughter and uproar among the monkeys in the water.
Somewhere near this waterfall, there lived a family of monkeys. They lived in a charming tree-house. There were father-monkey and mother-monkey, twin sister-monkey, Rena and Rona and little brother-monkey, Bingo. All of them were having breakfast at the table. Mother-monkey had laid many fruits on the table.
"Don't move dear! How am I suppose to catch all the fleas on your back?" Mother-monkey chided father-monkey for moving unnecessarily. She was helping to catch fleas on her mate's back. Usually, fleas were found in large numbers on almost all adult monkeys.
"You know, there's this legend about the Horok. How it loved to eat monkey tails," father-monkey told his family.
"Good gracious, how awful!" Mother-monkey was terrified.
"Exactly," father-monkey agreed totally.
"How are we going to face the world without a tail?" Rena asked.
"It is possible for Old World monkey not to have a tail. But, we are New World monkeys. New World monkeys must have tails," Rona said emphatically.
"No one has seen the Horok. It's just a legend," Rena was sceptical.
"Maybe it's true," Rona was more trusting by nature.
Bingo ate little.
"Dad, mom, I'm going out now. Bye!" Bingo dashed out of the house to meet his friends.
Many adult Capuchin monkeys were ready to go out and look for a mate. Usually the male monkey would take the initiative and swing from tree to tree using vines. If it saw a female monkey which it liked, it would do all it can to attract attention from the opposite sex. Anything from the ordinary to the extreme hilarious could b
e expected in this first encounter.
An imposing male monkey, Tango, stood silently under a big Angsana tree. There was a tree-house up here on this tree. Rena looked out of the kitchen window and saw Tango below. She was stunned for a while but quickly composed herself. She had seen him for many days already and was quite annoyed to find him waiting below her house. Suddenly, Tango disappeared behind one of the trees and reappeared later with a basket of exotic fruits. He kept pointing at the basket of fruits and then pointed at her. His intention was clear, he wanted her to have this basket of fruits which he had taken much trouble to prepare.
"Mum, he has brought a basket of fruits again!" Rena told her mother. She came back to the dining table and sat down.
"How sweet of him, I thought you like fruits," mother-monkey replied.
"I don't like him. He has been doing this for the past two weeks, so dumb!" Rena said firmly.
At this time, Rona got out of her chair, walked towards the kitchen window and stared out of the window too. When she saw Tango, she felt so happy. She fell in love with him the first time she saw him two weeks ago. He looked sheepish and was scratching himself all over then. She smiled and waved at him now. Tango saw Rona and smiled and waved his hands too. He was puzzled as to why the sudden change in behaviour from his object of desire. He scratched his head and disappeared into the jungle. He went on his way to take part in the Power Glider Race, with his power glider slung over his shoulder.
"But he always bring exotic fruits. So sweet of him," Rona defended Tango.
"That's right. Rena, you have got to learn to be appreciative of other's good intention," mother-monkey taught her daughter.
"I don't like him!" Rena said positively. She was eating a bunch of bananas all by herself.
There was a sudden commotion in the forest, many birds were disturbed and flew away. A monkey in the next tree-house laughed loudly. Rona giggled. Rena rushed to the kitchen window to take a look outside. She stood beside Rona. What she saw outside made her giggled too. Father-monkey and mother-monkey also rushed to the window to take a look. A big male Capuchin monkey was hugging a tree trunk. This was an old tree trunk with rough barks. Soon, this monkey could not hold on any longer and began to slide down the rough tree trunk!
"Argh, argh..." the male monkey groaned.
This family of monkeys laughed so loudly that more monkeys came out from other tree-houses to take a look. Eventually, the sliding monkey reached the ground. When he looked up, he was very surprised to find two identical twin monkeys up in the tree-house. It was one of them, Rona, who had caught his attention and made him bang against a tree while swinging on a vine. This big Capuchin was Bongo, on his way to take part in the Power Glider Race. He grinned sheepishly and waved at his object of desire. After hesitating for a moment, he went on his way.
"Must hurt a lot," Rena told Rona. Both monkeys giggled helplessly.
"Let's go take a look at the Power Glider Race. It will be starting soon," said Rona. She was harbouring thoughts of seeing Tango, her ideal mate.
"Wait, let me finish eating this banana first," said Rena who had gone back to the table to finish her breakfast.
Somewhere near the foot of Nutmeg Mountain, a group of young Capuchin monkeys were getting ready to go on an adventure. They carried their makeshift canoes with them, which were carved out from the tree trunks of the Angsana tree. Bingo was among them. They walked along the river-bank going upwards. They wanted to float down the Grand River in their canoes. After walking for close to one hour, this group of monkeys decided it was far enough.
They floated their canoes on the river and jumped into it. Very soon, the current was pushing these canoes down the Grand River. All the monkeys chattered and pointed their hands in all directions. Some waved both hands above their heads. A few scratched their bodies. Some stamped both feet, making the canoe bobbed up and down in the river. It was fun and exciting to travel down this river with a group of friends. There was so much to see and chat.
It took more than half an hour to reach the foot of Nutmeg Mountain. There was a sharp river-bend when they were getting close. A few protruding rocks stood in the way of the canoes. Bingo's canoe crashed onto one of these rocks and capsized. He was submerged in water. Fortunately, he was a good swimmer. The other monkeys were overjoyed to see him in the water. They jumped up and down in their canoes, waved their arms and gibbered. Suddenly, one of the canoes rocked too much and one monkey fell into the river. The others laughed and gibbered. The wet monkey poked his head out of the green water and then swam towards one of the monkeys who laughed the loudest. When he reached this canoe, he grabbed hold of the sides and started rocking it. He shook so hard that before long, this dry monkey on the canoe also fell into the river. The other monkeys laughed even more. The two monkeys in the river then took out their betel nuts and aimed at the other dry monkeys. They threw with all their might. Two of the monkeys in canoe were hit on the head and fell into the river. They, in turn took out their betel nuts and threw it at other dry monkeys. Very soon, all the monkeys were in the river having a great time!
Further down along the Grand River was the start-point of the Power Glider Race. There was already a crowd of monkeys gathered there. They were waiting impatiently for the race to begin. The Power Glider Race was an annual event organised by the Nutmeg Space Control Station. The top winner of this race would be awarded a premium tree-house on top of the tallest Angsana tree. He would also be eligible for the alpha-Hawk trainee pilot course. It was the dream of many monkeys to win the top prize in this race. Apart from the attractive prizes, the top winner would also draw the attention of many female admirers. Many monkeys also took this opportunity to look for a mate in this annual gathering. Many of them came with their friends and were gibbering happily. Others were busy searching for their life-partners!
The glider race was about to begin. The entire river track stretched for four hundred kilometres. It began at the foot of Nutmeg Mountain and ended at the mouth of the Grand River. Along the track, several obstacles were erected to test the contestants' reflexes.
Bingo and his friends were rowing their canoes towards the start-point of the glider race. All of them had got back on their canoes after playing in the water for some time. When they got closer to the start-point, they saw a rope stretching from one bank of the river to the opposite bank. This would be the start-line for the glider race. Many tall trees grew near the river. A few monkeys were up on the trees. Without any warning, these monkeys jumped and landed right in the river. They gibbered and made so much noise in the water that every monkey laughed. A few more monkeys followed suit and jumped into the river. More laughter followed.
At the start-point of the race, Tango was bent over busily checking his power glider. He made sure that the backup power generator was working perfectly. He did not want a repeat of last year's incidence whereby his power generator went out of order at the last minute and caused him to fell into the river. That mishap cost him dearly - he lost his sweetheart to the champion!
At this time, an imposing adult Capuchin monkey arrived in a speedboat. He was the Chief Monkey of Nutmeg Mountain and also the commander of Nutmeg Space Control Station. He stepped out of the speedboat onto the river-bank. He walked towards a big boulder, climbed on top of it and told all the monkeys that the glider race would be starting soon. He had a booming voice.
"Where are all the monkeys taking part in the glider race?" Chief Monkey asked.
"Tango."
"And Bongo from Nutmeg Mountain!" Bongo cut in.
"Bistoon and Koen from Evergreen Grove."
"Visor from Black Forest."
"Madwolf from Lone Hill."
"Sian and Relag from Timberland."
All the contestants reported at the start-point. They took out their life-jackets and began to wear them. All of them activated their power gliders, after which they stepped onto their gliders and began to take up position at the start-line. Each contestant occupied a fo
ur-metre wide water lane which had been assigned to him beforehand. Every spectator on land waited expectantly for the race to begin. The Chief Monkey was holding a red flag in his hand. He shouted at the contestants to get ready and then raised the flag. The deep humming sound of the gliders could be heard. When the Chief Monkey brought down his red flag quickly, all the gliders dashed off into the distance. Each glider was specially made with regards to design and propulsion system. All contestants moved like the wind.
At the start, all gliders moved forward neck-to-neck. At the 100-kilometre mark, the first obstacle appeared. It was a transparent, winding tunnel, about two kilometres long. All the gliders entered their tunnels at about the same time. Once inside these tunnels, some contestants could not swerved in time when rounding sharp bends and their gliders crashed. Gliders belonging to Bistoon and Visor were damaged. They could no longer carry on with the race. They carried their damaged gliders under their arms and walked till they reached the end of the tunnel. From here, they swam to the river-bank.
The other six contestants sped on in the race. At this point in time, Tango from Nutmeg Mountain was clearly in the lead followed by Bongo, Madwolf, Sian, Koen and Relag. It was competitive. Every monkey tried his best to outrun his rival.
When they reached the 200-kilometre mark, the second obstacle appeared. It was an elevated slope at an angle of forty-five degrees to the horizontal. Further away from this slope, there stood a big hoop which was covered by a thin polystyrene board. Each contestant had to penetrate his hoop and break the thin polystyrene board, failing which he would be disqualified from the race. All six monkeys finally went up the slope but only four managed to penetrate the hoop, they were Tango, Koen, Madwolf and Relag. Bongo and Sian missed the hoop by a big margin, so they could not continue with the race anymore.
Rena and Rona were watching the race on top of a tree at this spot. At first, they could see the river, but later more monkeys came and it was impossible to watch the race from ground level. So Rona suggested to Rena to climb a tree. When Rona saw Tango leading the pack, she was so excited and yelled at the top of her voice.