by R. W. Ridley
“I’m cool with that,” Scoop-face says. I can hear the relief in his voice as he walks to the couch.
Scoop-face
THIRTEEN
“The gorillas had formed a highly organized ban. In fact it wasn’t just gorillas in their group. It included every kind of primate you can think of, chimps, baboons, orangutans, macaques, you name it. They lived in a well-defined order. The smaller monkeys were on the bottom rung. They served the bigger apes, scavenged for food, assigned to grooming duties. The macaques were next up. They kept the smaller monkeys in line. The baboons were the guards. They formed a primate fence around the perimeter of the encampment. They sounded the alarm when any unexpected visitors approached (such as us). The orangutans and chimps shared the next place in the chain of command. For lack of a better description, they were the diplomats and strategists, and they policed the others to make sure everyone (or everyape) was keeping to their assigned duties.
“The gorillas were very clearly in charge. They strolled through the outdoor citadel deliberately and proudly. The other primates moved out of their way without argument. It was a wonder to see. I expected to see a horde of inner species conflicts when we first arrived. But it was as if the apes knew they served a greater purpose. That’s not to say there weren’t any underlying tensions among the group. There were, especially among the baboons, the colorful ones, the mandrills. They were fierce looking creatures with canines bigger than my fingers. They greeted us with a frightening charge, teeth exposed, their short tales raised. They reluctantly calmed when Ajax stepped ahead of our group and signed to them that we were brothers. Warriors looking for a sanctuary. “A female chimp by the name of Kavi was called. The mandrill signed to her, all the while huffing and seemingly battling his inclination to call for an all out attack on us by the other baboons.
“Kavi signed back and apparently reprimanded the mandrill for what must have been his suggestion for a hostile resolution to what to do with the new visitors. The chimp knuckle walked to Ajax and sat in front of him. She signed something.
“‘What’s going on?’ I asked Lou.
“‘She asked Ajax his name.’
“Ajax signed back and the chimp bowed her head. “‘Is that good?’ I asked.
“Wes smiled. ‘Very good. Ajax is kind of a rock star among apes. Everyone knows him.’
“‘Nice,’ I said. I turned to April and Little Bobby and gave them the thumbs up. I heard the rustling of the trees beside me seconds before I was knocked to the ground. A large mandrill sat on my chest and peered down at me. It’s mouth in a toothy grimace.
“‘Archie!’ Little Bobby screamed.
“Ajax roared forth and knocked the mandrill off of me. The two apes momentarily squared off before the smaller baboon thought better of it. It backed away and eventually bowed its head.
“Wes helped me up. ‘What did you do?’
“‘Nothing,’ I said. ‘I just gave April and Bobby the thumbs up so they wouldn’t be scared.’
“‘Yeah, well I think it backfired on you. We all just about pissed ourselves,’ Wes said. ‘I suggest you not do that again.’
“‘Way ahead of you, pal.’
“Kavi guided us through the winding pathway to a clearing filled with hundreds of apes. We were at about 2,200 feet elevation. It made for chilly temperatures and the apes were all huddled together to give each other warmth. There was the remnants of an old cabin on the outskirts of the clearing. A picnic table or two was tucked away throughout the area positioned under towering hemlock trees.
“A large silverback approached. The gorilla was bigger than Ajax by at least fifty pounds. It surveyed our group with a stern, almost angry expression. Kavi signed to him. The silverback’s eyes widened, and it too bowed its enormous head to Ajax. The other apes all gathered around in a semi-circle and hooted and screeched. It was a celebration like I had never seen before. It was as if they had been waiting for Ajax.
“The big silverback’s name was Ariabod. He was the leader, and he ruled with an iron fist. I witnessed him charge other apes who didn’t give us adequate space, and even tackle a particularly curious orangutan to the ground. The orange, spindly-armed ape screamed bloody murder and hobbled off after Ariabod let him up.
“Ajax and Ariabod sat among a small group of chimps and blackback gorillas. They carried on a remarkable conversation using American Sign language, punctuated by the occasional grunt or screech. The humans weren’t allowed to participate in the conversation. Lou sat on a picnic table with Kimball lying at her feet. I joined her.
“‘I don’t get it,’ I said. ‘How do they all know how to do that? Sign language, I mean.’
“Lou kept her eyes on the chatty group of apes. ‘Don’t know. Not much use in trying to make sense of anything that goes on in this world. If you ask Ajax, he’ll tell ya’ they always knew how to do it. They just didn’t have any use for it until now.’
“‘You know what they’re talking about?’
“She narrowed her eyes and crinkled her nose. ‘I can pick up a word every now and then. Ajax is trying to find out where the cave is. Kavi said she knows of a cave. Ariabod is begging Ajax for his help.’
“‘What kind of help?’
“‘I can’t figure it out. Something’s coming.’
“I cringed at the thought. ‘Something like what?’
“‘Don’t know. Whatever it is has the big silverback pretty nervous.’ She leaned toward the group even though it served no real purpose. It wouldn’t help her ‘hear’ the sign language any better.
“‘What about the Keeper? Any word on that?’
“She nodded. ‘Ariabod knows where to find the Keeper. He’s trying to make a deal. He’ll take us to the cave and the Keeper if we’ll help him with whatever is coming.’
“‘Of course,’ I said sarcastically. ‘It can’t just be easy.’ I sat on the picnic table next to her. ‘So this something... this means we’re in for a fight, right?’
“‘It usually does,’ She said.
“Wes joined us. ‘What do you reckon has got that Ariabod all shook up?’
“‘Maybe it’s Bashir or Délons or Silencers,’ I said. ‘Pick your poison.’
‘Nah,’ Wes replied. ‘These monkeys can hold their own with the likes of them. They don’t need us for that.’
“‘Then Dacs maybe,’ I said.
“Wes and I talked and paid little attention to Lou. She stood and drifted closer to the group of apes without us noticing. We talked about the coming fight and the possible make-up of our as of yet unknown enemy.
“‘Humans,’ Lou said so softly we barely heard her.
“Wes and I were surprised she was no longer sitting at the table.
“‘You say something, sweetie?’ Wes asked.
“‘Humans,’ she said still staring at the apes as they signed. ‘It’s humans.’
“‘Humans,’ Wes said. ‘Like us?’
“She turned back to Wes and me. ‘Not like us.’
“‘Carl,’ I said.
***
“I left Wes and Lou once we had confirmed that it was Carl and his soldiers headed our way. A pair of spider monkeys had spotted them about a day behind us. They had been following us almost from the beginning. I tried to tell myself it was a bad thing, but the truth was I was glad. I owed Carl for what happened to Tank, and I was going to enjoy making him pay.
“As I plotted my revenge, Bobby snuck up behind me. ‘You going to hurt Mr. Carl?’
“I jumped at the sound of his voice. I placed my hand on my chest to feel my thumping heart. ‘I hope so, Bobby.’
“‘It’s not right, you know.’
“‘What’s not right?’
“‘Hurting somebody. My momma said God wants us to love each other. Even our enemies.’
“‘No offense, Bobby, but things have changed. There’s a whole new set of rules we gotta live by, and new rule number one is I get to hurt Mr. Carl for what he did to Tank.’
> “‘I don’t think that’s right, I mean about the new rules and all. It’s the same rules...’
“‘Bobby!’ I shouted. ‘Go away.”
“He shook his head. ‘I can’t. I gotta tell you about what’s in you.’
“I shivered at the statement. I imagined a sundry of different creatures crawling underneath my flesh. ‘Wha... What do you mean?’
“‘In the book, I was supposed to tell you after we had the noodles, only we never had the noodles cause Tyrone smashed them on a count he got that note from that lady. So, I forgot, but I figure if I tell you maybe the story will be back the way it’s supposed to be.’
“‘What’s in me, Bobby?’
“He motioned for me to lean in closer so I did. ‘Magic,’ he whispered.
“‘Magic?’ I said. ‘You mean I have magical powers, like a wizard or warlock or something?’
“Bobby smiled. ‘That would be really cool,’ he said excitedly. ‘Do you know any magic tricks?’
“I shook my head in frustration. ‘Whoa, wait, step back. You just said that there is magic in me. What kind of magic?’
“Bobby rolled his eyes back as if he were literally searching his brain for the answer. ‘I don’t know. I think I used to know, but the story changed and I don’t remember some things too good. All I know is the magic will go away if you hurt Mr. Carl.’
“‘What good is magic if I can’t use it to hurt the one guy who deserves it?’
“Little Bobby shrugged. ‘I didn’t know magic was supposed to hurt people. I seen a guy saw a lady in half before, but he put her back together so that’s okay.’
“‘Gee, thanks,’ I said. ‘This has been real helpful. You got any other useless crap to tell me. Maybe you want to tell my I’m part elf and Easter bunny, too.’
“Completely missing my sarcasm, Bobby shook his head. ‘Nope, I never heard that before. Just the magic thing. It’s supposed to help you.’
“‘Oh, yeah, you’ve been a huge help, Bobby.’
“Again, my sarcasm went over his head. ‘Thanks,’ he said walking away. I watched him in disbelief. I couldn’t wait to hand him over to his Keeper. He passed Lou as she approached.
“‘He’s right, you know,’ she said
“‘Right about what? He didn’t say anything.’
“She stood in front of me with her hands in her back pockets. She kicked at the ground as she talked. She looked her age again. “‘Yes he did,’ she said. ‘You just didn’t listen.’
“‘Telling me that there is magic in me doesn’t do me a bit of good. Telling me I can shoot death rays out of my eyes, or bench press 10,000 pounds, now that’s helpful.’
“‘You were chosen to be a creyshaw for a reason. There’s something in you that makes you worthy.’
“I waved her off. ‘Please, I drew the short straw that’s all. If I have anything in me, it’s a vein of bad luck a 100 miles wide. I’m magically unlucky.’
“She shook her head. ‘You’re wrong. I can see a lot of the same qualities in you that I saw in Oz.’ She paused after his name came out of her mouth. It pained her to hear the words. She Shook off the urge to cry and breathed in deeply. ‘Whatever. It doesn’t really matter what you think. It will all work out.’
“Kavi slowly loomed in from the brush behind Lou. The chimp positioned itself between us and scratched her hairy shoulder while she deliberately avoided eye contact with us.
“‘She want something?’ I asked.
“‘She’s here to take you to your Keeper,’ Lou said.
“‘Keeper? What now?’
“‘It’s your first priority.’
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. ‘Oh, no, no, no. I’m not going anywhere. We made a deal with Ariabod.’
“‘And we are going to keep that deal. You aren’t. Kavi knows where to find your Keeper. You’ll take Bobby to him.’
“‘Maybe you didn’t hear me. I said no.’
“She stepped forward, a steely look in her eyes. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘I didn’t mean to give you the impression that you had a choice.’
“‘Don’t play tough with me, Lou...’
“‘I’m not playing,’ she said. ‘You don’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation we’re in. You think the world ended and our only mission is to survive. Well, you’re dead wrong. Our mission is to do more than survive. Our mission is to make up for all the things that got us here. Your first step in doing that is getting Little Bobby to his Keeper.’
“I grit my teeth. A vision of Tank shuttered in my head. He was tied to the post. The lung locusts flew in and covered him from head to toe. He choked and struggled to breath. ‘He killed Tank,’ I said.
“‘And he’ll pay,’ she said. ‘I’ll make sure of it. I promise.’ Kavi signed. She repeated the same gestures several times while Lou studied them.
“‘What is she saying?’ I asked.
“Lou squinted and then smiled. ‘You don’t want to know.’
“‘Yeah, I think I do,’ I said.
“‘She thinks you’re cute.
“I almost gasped. ‘Oh... ewww...’ I looked at Kavi. ‘No offense, but... ewww.’
“‘Relax,’ Lou said. ‘She’s not in love with you. Cute can also mean stupid but in a harmless way. She says you have always been her favorite.’
“‘What is that supposed to mean?’
“‘The apes,’ Lou said. ‘They’ve always known about this. They have passed these stories down about this time, about us, about the creyshaw, the Destroyers, the Keepers, the Storytellers. It is apart of their folklore.’
“I shook my head. ‘That makes no sense on so many levels. First of all, apes can’t talk... well, not in the real world, the one where we come from.’
“‘Just because we can’t hear them doesn’t mean they can’t talk,’ Lou said.
“‘Okay, then,’ I said. ‘You tell me how they can know things that haven’t happened yet.’
“She smiled. ‘As soon as you explain to me why there are guys running around with purple skin and spiders growing out of their head, or how dead people eaten by bugs can get up and walk around or why the sky is purple...’
“‘All right,’ I said holding up my hand. ‘That’s enough. I get it.’ I looked at Kavi. ‘Why am I her favorite?’
“‘I don’t know,’ Lou said. ‘I’ll ask.’ With that, Lou clumsily worked through a series of signs.
“Kavi smiled and effortlessly signed back.
“Lou looked mildly stunned by Kavi’s answer. She seemed almost too embarrassed to tell me. ‘She... She says it is because of the way you love your son.’
“I stumbled back. ‘My son... she knows?’
“Lou nodded. ‘She says you keep him in your heart and that is what makes you a great warrior. You have two hearts.’
“I dropped to a knee. The guilt was consuming me. ‘I betrayed my son,’ I said quietly. ‘She’s wrong about me.’
“Lou cleared her throat. ‘Maybe the magic little Bobby sees in you is your son.’
“My stomach rumbled and turned. I felt as though I could vomit at any moment. ‘You’re not playing fair, you know.’
“‘I know.’
“I groan, mad because I don’t have a choice. ‘All right. You win. I’ll take Bobby to his Keeper.’
“Lou smiled. ‘You’re doing the right thing.’
“‘Yeah, yeah, whatever. So it’s me, Bobby, and Kavi.’
“‘And Anuenue.’
“The colorful mandrill that had attacked me earlier emerged from the trees behind Lou. It formed a comical grin and bared it’s imposing teeth.’
“‘Let me guess,’ I said. ‘Anuenue.’
***
“April begged to join Bobby and me, but I convinced her that she would be safer with the others. We were headed into a situation we didn’t know anything about. At least here, with the others, she knew what was coming, and she had an army to back her up. The more I spoke with her
the more I wished I was staying, too.
“Anuenue lead our small caravan followed by Kavi and little Bobby. I brought up the rear. As we headed deeper into the woods, I must have looked over my shoulder a hundred times. I wondered if the battle had started yet, if April was all right, if Lou had gotten back her sword yet. The farther we got from them the more I felt I needed to be with them.
“Little Bobby began to regale us with his unique rendition of ‘I’ve Got Friends In Low Places.’ Anuenue howled in protest after about the seventh straight verse. I sensed the baboon was about to carry his frustration to a new level at any moment, so I decided I better find a way to distract little Bobby and get him off the song.
“‘Yo, Bobby tell me about how you came up with the Bashir.’
“‘Huh?’ Bobby said.
“‘The Bashir, how did you come up with them?’
“‘I didn’t come up with the Bashir.’
“‘What?’
“‘No, that was Adwin,” Bobby said.
“I stopped and turned him by his shoulder. ‘Wait a minute... Wait a minute... You’re not the Bashir Storyteller.’
“He shook his head. ‘No, my friend is... Adwin.’
“‘I don’t understand. Lou said you were a Storyteller.’
“‘I am. I’m just not the Bashir Storyteller. Adwin is and he’s in Délon City... in jail or something. I’m not really sure what they do with us when they capture us.’
“By now Anuenue and Kavi figured out we had stopped so they backtracked to join us. Anuenue barked and displayed his huge fangs to try and intimidate us into moving. Kavi signed something of which I couldn’t even begin to understand. They didn’t like the fact that we had stopped. That much I understood.
“I stuck my hand out, palm down and motioned for them stay calm. ‘We’ll go in a second.’ To Bobby, ‘If you’re not the Bashir Storyteller, which Storyteller are you?’
“‘They are called Myrmidons,’ I heard a voice say. A horse trotted out from behind a thicket of trees with a single Délon on its back. His spider leg hair do was in tightly woven cornrows. His deadeyes beamed from their purple sockets. Behind him I could see dozens more Délons standing in neat military formation.