Forest Fire

by J. Burchett

  “That was close!” breathed his sister, scrambling up as high as she could. “I thought we were safe with our scent dispersers on.”

  “Crocs have really acute hearing,” Ben told her, as he looked down at the enormous scaly creature that was still searching for its prey. “We weren’t exactly silent back there. Did you know,” he went on, as they climbed towards the platform, “the saltwater crocodile can grow up to seven metres long?”

  “Fascinating,” panted Zoe, following on behind. “Plenty of room inside for a couple of kids then!”

  At last they were on the platform. Down below they could see the distant shape of their attacker sliding back towards the dark sweep of the river that lay beyond the trees.

  “This will be a good place to try the call,” said Ben.

  He pulled out his BUG and pressed some buttons. A loud chirruping noise filled the air and echoed far into the trees.

  “It would have been better to do this in the day when Kawan was awake,” said Zoe.

  “We’ve got no choice,” Ben replied. “And I’m sure he’ll forgive us if it means he comes home.”

  They sat as still as they could, carefully scanning the area through their goggles.

  “Fruit bats, otters and one or two monkeys,” reported Zoe. “I think they were silvered langurs. No orang-utans.”

  Ben played the call again and again.

  “Looks like we’re going to be unlucky,” he said at last. “Perhaps we should be making our way back –”

  He stopped. There was a rustling in the branches above their heads, followed by a loud chomping sound. Zoe quickly held out her BUG towards it to analyse the sound. “It’s an orang-utan!” she whispered.

  “I’ve read about their vocalisations,” said Ben. “That sound means it feels threatened.”

  “Keep still then,” said Zoe. “It has to be Kawan, doesn’t it? He’s responded to the call. And after all we’re in his territory so none of the others would dare to be here.”

  “Goggles on zoom,” Ben reminded her, adjusting his as he spoke.

  “Wow!” murmured Zoe. “He’s right above our heads.”

  A dark shape was stealing through the high branches.

  Ben wriggled round and held his BUG above the leaves, activating its camera function. “Got a photo,” he whispered. They peered down at the screen. The face of a familiar-looking young orang-utan stared back at them. He had a distinctive tuft of hair sticking up on one side of his head, just like they’d seen in the film.

  “Awesome!” breathed Ben. “It is Kawan!”

  CHAPTER

  SIX

  The young orang-utan sat in the branches above their heads, gazing at Ben and Zoe, his eyes flickering nervously.

  “I’ve got a rusk in my backpack,” Zoe said quietly. “Let’s see if we can tempt him down and make him feel safe in his territory again.”

  “Mat’s going to be so happy,” said Ben.

  Moving in ultra slow motion, Zoe stood up and held the rusk above her head.

  Kawan began to swing gracefully down from branch to branch. He waited just out of reach, hanging from one long, shaggy arm and gazing around as if searching for somebody. He looked tense – ready to escape at the slightest threat.

  “Do you think he’s wondering where Mat is?” said Ben. “I hope he doesn’t leave when he realises Mat’s not here.”

  “Come on, Kawan,” said Zoe gently. “Here, boy.” She waved the rusk.

  Kawan hesitated, then extended one leathery hand and took the rusk. Eyes firmly fixed on them, he solemnly nibbled at the treat, dropping the crumbs around their feet.

  “He still looks very nervous,” said Ben. “Those loggers must have really scared him.”

  “I think we’ve got his trust or he wouldn’t come so close,” said Zoe, pulling out another rusk ready to hand to the young ape. “Something must be telling him we’re OK. Maybe it was Mat’s call.”

  Kawan put out a crumby finger and touched Zoe’s cheek. Zoe sighed with delight.

  “I can see why Mat’s so fond of him. He’s adorable.”

  Kawan dropped down on to the platform and reached out for the second rusk.

  “Good boy, Kawan,” whispered Ben.

  At that moment, the sound of an explosion filled the air. Without thinking, the children threw themselves down on to the wooden slats.

  With a terrified shriek Kawan was off, swinging away through the trees. Soon he was out of sight.

  “Was that a gunshot?” Zoe said in horror.

  “I don’t think so,” said Ben. “But I’ve heard that sort of sound before somewhere.” He gripped her arm. “Someone’s down there – heading through the undergrowth.”

  They peered down over the side of the slats. A shadowy figure was hurrying along the ground.

  “It’s a man,” hissed Ben. “What’s he doing here at this time of night?”

  “Let’s follow,” said Zoe.

  Moving swiftly along the swaying walkway, they followed the sound until they reached the next platform.

  “This is where we saw Lola and Kiki,” whispered Zoe. “The walkway after this is much higher, remember. There’s a ladder somewhere here.” She flinched as another sharp bang filled the air, followed by frightened animal cries. “What is that?”

  Zoe found the top of the ladder and climbed up to the next platform, feeling for each rung in the dark.

  “Hurry,” hissed Ben. “He’s getting away.”

  Zoe didn’t need telling twice. She set off ahead of her brother along the wobbly wooden slats of the new walkway.

  CRACK! There was a loud splitting sound under her feet. She heard Ben’s cry of alarm as she felt herself falling.

  Zoe flung out her arms and grabbed desperately at the broken walkway. Her hands closed round a wooden slat and she felt her arms being almost jerked out of their sockets as she stopped falling. She gripped on with all her strength, not daring to look at the ground.

  “Hold on,” Ben called, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

  “I’m not planning on going anywhere,”

  Zoe puffed. Especially not down! she thought to herself. She could just see Ben crouched on the walkway, one hand reaching out to pull her to safety.

  Then something else caught her eye. The ropes that supported the slatted walkway were only holding by a single strand.

  “Get back, Ben,” she shouted. “The whole thing’s going to give way!”

  There was a ripping sound as the last strand of rope began to fray, and Zoe felt herself jolting downwards, legs swinging.

  Then the rope snapped and Zoe began to fall.

  CHAPTER

  SEVEN

  Ben had a split second to react. He slammed the button on his belt and felt a cord shoot out from his boots towards the trees, as he dived off the platform. He grabbed hold of Zoe by the straps of her backpack and together they tumbled through the air.

  For a second, a whirl of dark undergrowth flashed in front of their eyes as the ground came towards them at a dizzying speed.

  Then suddenly they were jerked upwards again.

  “Good old Uncle Stephen!” Ben yelled in Zoe’s ear. They finally came to a halt dangling above the ground, twisting slowly. “That certainly tested out his EEL.” Ben checked the terrain below. “Not a crocodile in sight. Prepare for landing.” He put his thumb over one of the buttons on the gadget at his waist and gradually lowered them both to the ground.

  “So for once you were listening when Erika told us about our new gadget!” puffed Zoe, staggering as Ben released her from his grip. “I’m glad I had my backpack strapped on securely.”

  Ben flipped the far end of the EEL line off its branch, and retracted it. Then he looked up at the broken walkway dangling high above their heads.

  “We’ve lost our prey,” said Zoe crossly. “He’ll be far away now.”

  “But at least we know what he was up to,” said Ben grimly.

  Zoe looked at him, puzzled.


  “There’s no way that was an accident,” Ben said solemnly. “When the wood cracked I could see it had been sawn almost through – just ready to break with the weight of a person.”

  Zoe gasped. “He must have cut through the ropes as well.”

  “Those walkways were fine when we were here this afternoon,” said Ben. “And I wonder if he had something to do with the explosions as well – whatever they were.”

  “Our mission’s not going to be as straightforward as we thought.” Zoe sounded worried.

  “You’re right,” said Ben. “Someone’s targeting the reservation.” He had a sudden thought. “And maybe the booking cancellations weren’t just a mistake. Do you think those loggers who scared off Kawan are behind it all?”

  “Whoever it is,” said Zoe, “I reckon it’s someone who knows Mat.”

  “How can you be sure?” asked Ben.

  “Mat said he takes the same route every day to call Kawan. Only Mat’s friends and people who work with him will know that. He would have stepped on the sabotaged walkway and fallen – without an EEL to save him.”

  “Do you think Mat realises someone’s after him?” asked Ben.

  “If he does, he’s not going to tell us, is he?” said Zoe. “He thinks we’re just visitors.”

  Ben nodded. “We must speak to Mat about the walkway straight away.”

  “And admit we’ve been out on our own in the night?” scoffed Zoe. “How’s that going to look?”

  “You’re right,” agreed Ben. “He’ll see it in the morning anyway.”

  Zoe suddenly bent down and picked up a silver strip of paper from the ground. She held it out towards Ben triumphantly.

  “It’s a chewing gum wrapper,” said Ben with a shrug.

  “And it could be a clue,” replied Zoe. “Whoever sabotaged the walkway must have dropped it just now.”

  “How d’you figure that out, Sherlock Holmes?” scoffed Ben. “It could have been here for days!”

  “That’s where you’re wrong.” Zoe grinned. “This wrapper’s perfectly dry. It rained before we came out, so it must have been dropped after that. And who else would be out here in the middle of the night?”

  “Good thinking!” exclaimed Ben. “You’re not as dopey as you look.”

  Zoe slipped the chewing gum wrapper into her pocket. Then she rubbed her shoulders under the backpack straps and stretched painfully. “I thought you were going to pull my arms out of their sockets when we fell!”

  “Sorry,” grinned Ben. “I’ll remember not to save your life next time!” He took his BUG and pressed some buttons to bring up the satellite map of the area. “Let’s get back before it’s light.”

  They set off, pushing through the undergrowth, but they hadn’t gone far when Zoe suddenly went sprawling.

  “Ow!” she groaned, rubbing her shin. “There’s some sort of rock or something in those ferns.”

  Ben took a look and gasped. “I knew those explosive noises sounded familiar. We heard them all the time on that farm near Gran’s cottage.” He parted the leaves to reveal a small metal box. “It’s a bird scarer.”

  “We saw how terrified Kawan was just now, and no wonder Lola and Kiki were looking so nervous earlier, if this thing has been going off every night. Someone is deliberately trying to frighten the orangutans,” exclaimed Zoe.

  “For all we know, Kawan might have come back before, but been scared off each time,” said Ben.

  “I’m going to put a stop to it,” said Zoe through gritted teeth, giving the box a hard kick. “Ow!”

  “That won’t do it,” said Ben. He put his fingers under the edge of the metal cover and prised it open. Inside was a battery and a timer set to go off in the early hours. He wrenched the wires off the battery and put the cover firmly in place. He grinned at his sister. “Better than breaking your toes.”

  The birds’ morning chorus filled their ears as the children crept back through the courtyard.

  The air had become very hot and still. The minute they closed their door a sudden flash of light lit the bedroom. Thunder crashed overhead and a torrent of rain began hammering down like a deafening waterfall outside their window.

  “We’re back just in time!” said Ben.

  “Glad we didn’t get caught in that!”

  “I hope that despicable man did!” said Zoe, pacing up and down. “We have to find out who he is.”

  Ben gave a gaping yawn. “But not now.”

  He lifted the mosquito net and flopped on to his bed. “Got to get a few more hours’ sleep.” Ben dozed off almost immediately, but Zoe lay for a long time, imagining how terrified poor Kawan must be feeling right now. At last she fell into a troubled sleep.

  CHAPTER

  EIGHT

  “Daud, Talib!” Mat’s distant voice broke through Zoe’s dreams. She heard some words in Malay and slipped her translator into her ear. “Come quickly,” she heard, “and bring your tools.”

  She gave Ben a shake, then pulled on long trousers and a T-shirt and put her BUG into her pocket. She crept out. Ben staggered along behind, blinking sleepily in the daylight. They hovered unseen in the doorway that opened on to the compound. Yasmin was standing barefoot amongst the steaming puddles. She looked wide-eyed and anxious as her husband ran up to her. Biza clung to her neck, rubbing his cheek against hers as if to reassure her.

  “It’s OK.” Mat put his hand on her arm. “One of the walkways has broken.”

  “He’s found it already!” Ben whispered to his sister. “Maybe now he’ll begin to realise there’s something funny going on.”

  “It was probably the storm earlier,” Mat went on. “I am so thankful it didn’t happen when anyone was on it.”

  “Are you sure it was just the storm?” sighed Yasmin. “We’ve had such bad luck lately. Do you think it could be the loggers from before?”

  “They wouldn’t dare,” said Mat calmly, as Daud appeared with the tools. “Try not to worry.”

  He spotted the two children standing in the doorway and came over. “I’m sorry, Ben and Zoe,” he said in English with a regretful smile. “I must make some emergency repairs to one of the walkways this morning. But I’ll be back this afternoon, and I have a surprise for you. In the meantime, Yasmin will look after you.”

  He turned to Daud and told him what had happened in Malay. “Where’s Talib?” Ben and Zoe heard him ask.

  “He was chopping wood just now,” said Daud. “I don’t think he heard you call.”

  As he spoke, Talib sauntered round the corner behind him, carrying a pile of logs. A strange expression flashed across his face when he saw his employer.

  “That’s odd,” muttered Zoe, as the two workers followed Mat into the forest. “Did you see how Talib reacted?”

  “Probably annoyed that he’s got some extra work,” said Ben. Mat’s wife turned dejectedly towards the door where the children were standing.

  “Is everything all right?” Ben asked innocently, holding the door open for her to go through. “You all look so worried.”

  “Just a broken walkway,” said Yasmin. She gave a weak smile and the children realised she didn’t have her husband’s cheerful, optimistic attitude to the recent events. “Would you like some breakfast?” She showed them through into the kitchen. “We have nasi lemak. That is rice boiled in coconut milk – it’s quite delicious. But I must ask a favour. Could one of you hold Biza for me while I make it? He is such a naughty boy and stops me getting on.”

  Yasmin peeled the baby orang-utan off her and held him out.

  “That’s Zoe’s territory!” Ben laughed. “Get ready for the oohs and aahs.”

  Zoe grinned and stepped forward. The little ape looked doubtful for a moment, but climbed slowly on to her shoulder. Zoe could feel his breath on her neck – and then his hand pulling her BUG out of her pocket! Zoe gave a cry and quickly snatched at it before it had made its way into Biza’s mouth. As she tussled with his surprisingly strong hands and tried to block the shrieks
in her ear she heard the sound of deep laughter from the doorway. Mr Ostrander came in, tucking his sunglasses into the top pocket of his shirt.

  “You’ll never get the better of Biza,” he said. “He rules the roost here. Isn’t that right, Yasmin?”

  Yasmin looked up from the cooker. “Morning, Pieter,” she said with a smile. “Yes, he may be the smallest but he’s definitely in charge.” She waved him to a seat. “You remember Ben and Zoe.”

  “Good to see you again,” said Mr Ostrander. He turned to Zoe, who was still struggling to put her BUG back in her pocket. “Be careful, or that little fellow will make off with your pocket gamer thing – and it looks too valuable to lose!”

  Zoe grinned. If only he knew how valuable her BUG was!

  “I’m afraid you’ve missed Mat,” Yasmin told Mr Ostrander. “He’s gone off to make some repairs to one of the walkways.”

  “Storm damage?” asked the plantation owner. “It was a fierce one last night.”

  “Probably,” said Yasmin, putting the nasi lemak on to plates for the children.

  Biza finally gave up the struggle for Zoe’s BUG, dropped to the floor and made straight for Mr Ostrander’s boot lace. Yasmin scooped him up. “Come on, you little devil. Time for your sleep.”

  “What have you two got planned today?” asked Mr Ostrander.

  “Mat’s prepared a surprise for us this afternoon,” said Zoe.

  “But we’re not sure what’s happening this morning as he’s busy right now,” added Ben. “How big is your plantation, Mr Ostrander?” Zoe asked suddenly. “Do you know how many trees you have?”

  “That’s a difficult one!” Pieter Ostrander replied.

  “And what size tractors do you use?” Zoe persisted. “Bet they’re awesome!”

  Ben stared at her, wondering why his sister was suddenly interested in the details of oil palm farming.

  “Tell you what,” said Mr Ostrander with a smile, “as you’re so keen to find out about my land, why don’t you come and look for yourselves?”