Return to Gorilla Island, Chapter 2

 

 

 

 

Arriving back at the cave after a short playtime with George, Linda noticed her mother's red eyes signifying that she had been crying.

 

"What's wrong? --  And were is daddy?" she asked.

 

"He just vanished," replied Mary. "It is as if they had called him back to our time and did not want us along. I can't understand why. Jim also had his weapon when he disappeared.  We have nothing but our bow and arrows -- not even a knife like Granny Lizzie Jane had."

 

She could see the worry in Linda's face as Linda replied, "Momma, I am scared.  I know I am here to pretend to be Granny Lizzie, but she was a brave woman and could do things that I cannot do. I can't even swing through the trees like it was said that she did."

 

Mary put her arms around Linda as she softly spoke, "I know."

 

"Momma, I am not brave at all. I am so scared. What can I do?"

 

"Honey, I am not brave either, but hold your chin up. We come from a line of brave women. Besides Granny Lizzie, there was also her grandmother, Ruth Ann Fortson. She stood up for the right things and gained a reputation as an expert female gunslinger in the early western United States. I heard that she was so fast on the draw that a man had the drop on her and, when he blinked his eyes, she drew her gun and shot him before he could get a shot off. I know that she always denied that, but many claimed it was true."

 

Linda smiled and looked up at the face of her mother.  "We do have a heritage to live up to, don't we? And here we are -- expected to follow in those footsteps. On top of that, it looks like we are put in a place where we will have to prove it."

 

"Yes," said Mary.  "Swim or drown."

 

"I am still scared. I know I will never have the stuff it takes," whinned Linda. "What do we do if the savages come looking for us?  I mean -- well -- I don't think I could fight a whole tribe of savages."

 

"I understand that Lizzie Jane found a lot of her weapons on the beach, so maybe we should look there for ships that have been wrecked from different times in history."

 

"Well, I am afraid to -- the savages -- they may come back and see us."

 

"True, but we cannot sit here and do nothing. We have got to stick our neck out -- at least as far as searching the beach."

 

"Well, maybe we can try -- tomorrow?" questioned Linda.

 

"Tomorrow morning early it is.  Maybe the savages will not come out early in the morning," suggested Mary.

 

Momma gorilla had been out gathering fruits and herbs for supper. Mary and Linda had not realized it, but they were very hungry, so the meal was delicious.  Night began to fall, so Marry checked the luggage they had and found something with which to start a fire. They bedded down on the beds that Lizzie Jane and the girls that were with her had constructed. After all, according to Jim's calculations, the girls had been gone for only a week.

 

The night was not peaceful, however.  Terrible dreams of things happening on the island disturbed both Mary and Linda all night.  It seemed like daybreak would never come, but eventually it did.

 

Mary found some eggs the girls had left and a frying pan, so Linda was aroused by the smell of a breakfast she could recognize. There wasn't any bread, but plenty of fruit. Also, Mary had located a coffee pot and coffee -- probably something the girls had picked up from shipwrecks along the shore.  That reminded her that is what was planned for today.

 

George seemed anxious to know what was going on, so Linda pointed toward her mother and herself and to the beach, which could be seen from their lofty height. George seemed to understand, so the three of them made their way down the slope and into the jungle. The women were armed with their bow and arrows.

 

They passed by some animals usually dangerous, but with George tagging along with them, not a single creature attempted to bother them. The animals had learned long ago that momma gorilla was the boss in this part of the island and seeing the females with George caused them to back away.

 

The beach was reached and the trio began to walk along the shore, keeping a sharp eye out for anything that had washed ashore that they could use.  They discovered some books (one was a Bible), canned food, and a couple of revolvers with ammunition, probably from the late 19th or early 20th century plus other items they thought useful. They loaded their sacks with whatever they could carry and headed back to the cave.  They were thankful that no sign of any savages could be seen.

 

The thing that was disturbing was that there were no people -- not any bodies -- but saw signs of where a fire had been built. The stories about the savages seeing smoke or the light of a fire at night and capturing people must have been true. 

 

They had gone just a few yards into the jungle when a rustling sound was heard in the bushes. The females stopped, frozen with fear.  Was this the savages?  Mary quickly checked the revolvers to be sure they were loaded and gave one to Linda.  They planned to be ready and fight their way out of trouble. 

 

A high pitched voice came from the bushes, "Please don't shoot."

 

"Come out so we can see you," demanded Mary.

 

A little girl about five years old appeared, holding hands with a little boy who looked to be about three. Their little faces were dirty and clothes tattered.

 

"Where is you momma and daddy?" asked Linda, even though she thought she already knew.

 

The little girl spoke. "Some mean men carried them away.  Me and little brother hid in the bushes."

 

"Were there anyone else with you?" asked Mary.

 

"Yes, my paw paw and grand-momma. Those big men got them, too." The little girl began to cry.

 

"Are you hungry?" asked Linda.

 

"Yes, we ain't had nuttin' to eat in a long time."

 

Linda reached into their bag and retrieved two chocolate candy bars. "Here.  These should hold you until we reach where we live. You can go with us.  We live in a cave with George here (pointing toward the small gorilla) and his mother. Now, don't be scared when you see her because she is the biggest thing you ever saw -- even bigger than those mean men."

 

Linda took the five year old girl by the hand and Mary carried the three year old.  This placed an extra burden on Linda, but she fastened the bags to her back so she would have one hand free for the girl and one to hold the revolver.

 

They slowly climbed the slope to the cave and, being very weary, they sat down as soon as they reached the ledge.  The children's eyes grew wide when they saw the giant momma gorilla.

 

Linda saw that and said, "There is nothing to be scared of.  She is taking care of us and George. Let me rest for a moment and I will get you something more to eat."  She handed them a piece of fruit and, after resting, she began to open some canned food.

 

Watching the hungry children eat, Linda said, "We will rest awhile and then we will go and play with George in the jungle.  Won't that be nice?"

 

But, the children were too hungry, tired, and sleepy to care. After eating their fill, they stretched out on the homemade beds and was soon sound asleep.

 

Linda said to George,."Well, I guess we will play tomorrow."

 

Strange as it may seem, George seemed to understand.  Perhaps he had heard Lizzie Jane talk so much that he understood quite a bit of English, even though some words and phrases had changed over the years.

 

Before going to sleep, Mary softly mentioned to Linda, "I guess we have some children to take care of now."

 

"Yes," replied Linda.  "I was thinking the same thing."

 

"Maybe it is best for them to be so young. George will have some more playmates and they will probably learn the jungle life a lot quicker than Lizzie Jane did -- or even you.  Looks like we may be here for awhile."

 

"You know, Grannny Lizzie Jane believed that she had a purpose in life and she went on to fulfil that purpose.  Maybe this is our purpose -- to rescue these children and more who may escape the attack of the savages. A child may slip through the battle and hide because of fear.  There isn't any telling of how many children may have perished in these jungles while hiding but eventually discovered and killed by the wild beasts."

 

"I wonder if their parents are still alive," said Mary.

 

"And if we could rescue them?" asked Linda.

 

"Well, first we need to find out how long ago the attack happened and we can go from there. I have no idea how we could successful rescue anyone, though."

 

"We have guns.  That is something Lizzie Jane did not have and she rescued one of her friends."

 

"Well, we will talk with the children in the morning and then we can decide what to do."

 

"Okay -- well, good night."

 

"Good night," replied Mary as she watched the coals of the fire glowing in the dark.  She thought how fortunate they were not to start a fire outside where it could be seen by the savages -- or was it fortune, or was Lizzie Jane watching over them from her lofty height in Heaven like she always thought her mother had watched over her?