Good Morning, Gorillas - Mary Pope Osborne [3]
Annie didn’t answer. Jack turned to her. She was grinning from ear to ear as she stared into the bushes. Jack followed her gaze.
A dark, shaggy little head was peeking out from a cluster of leaves.
“Bu, bu?” a small gorilla asked.
The gorilla’s fur was very black against the green leaves. She had large nostrils and small ears. Her bright brown eyes were full of mischief.
“Bu, bu, bu,” she said. “Bu, bu.”
“Bu, bu yourself,” said Annie.
The gorilla hid behind the leaves again. Then she poked her head out.
“Peekaboo!” said Annie.
The gorilla clapped her hands together. She stuck out her tongue.
Jack and Annie both laughed.
“Bu, bu, bu!” the gorilla said. Then she bounded away through the misty forest.
“Hey, Bu-bu! Don’t leave us!” Annie called.
Jack rolled his eyes. “Don’t name her Bu-bu,” he said to Annie. “You don’t have to—”
“Wait, Bu-bu!” Annie shouted. She took off after the small gorilla.
“—turn every animal into your best friend,” Jack finished. He shook his head. Then he made a list in his notebook.
As he wrote, Jack heard Annie laughing. But then he heard high shrieks.
He caught his breath. A leopard? he wondered.
Carrying his notebook, Jack hurried in the direction of the noise. He found Annie and the small gorilla perched in two trees.
“What’s wrong?” said Jack, standing beneath the trees.
“Nothing!” called Annie. “We’re just playing.”
The small gorilla screeched again. Then she scratched her head and hiccuped.
Annie screeched, too. She scratched her head and hiccuped.
While they played, Jack studied the gorilla a bit more.
He noticed she was about the size of a three-year-old kid. Her fingers looked like human fingers. They even had fingernails! He made a new list:
Jack heard the tree leaves shaking. He looked up. Annie and the gorilla had both climbed higher.
“Hey, come down, Annie!” Jack called. “You might fall. Plus, it’s getting dark.”
Jack looked around. Light was fading quickly from the forest. Is night falling? he wondered. Or is a storm coming?
The small gorilla screeched again and climbed even higher.
“Hey, Bu-bu! Where you going?” said Annie. She climbed even higher, too.
“That’s enough, Annie. Come down now!” said Jack. “I’m serious.”
To his relief, the gorilla settled on a branch. Annie did the same.
The gorilla broke off a piece of tree bark. She nibbled it like a candy bar.
Annie broke off a piece of bark. She nibbled it like a candy bar, too.
The gorilla threw down her bark. She grabbed a tree branch and swung to another tree.
“Don’t try it, Annie!” shouted Jack.
But his warning came too late.
Annie threw down her bark. She grabbed a tree branch and tried to swing to another tree.
Annie didn’t swing like a gorilla. She fell from the tree—and crashed down to the ground near Jack.
“Annie!” he cried.
Jack knelt beside Annie. She was gasping for breath.
The gorilla bounded down the tree and over to Annie. She bit her lower lip as if she were worried.
“Are you okay?” Jack asked Annie.
“Yes—” Annie panted, “just—got the breath—knocked out of me—”
“Wiggle your arms and your legs,” said Jack.
Annie wiggled her arms and her legs.
“Good, nothing’s broken,” said Jack.
Just then, he felt a drop of water hit his arm. The mist had turned to rain.
“Uh-oh,” said Jack. He threw his notebook into his pack.
“I better get our umbrella and flashlight,” he said. “I left them near that tree that looked like a chair.”
“I’ll come, too,” said Annie. She started to sit up.
“No, no, catch your breath,” said Jack. “It’s not far. I’ll be right back.”
He took off his jacket and draped it over her. “This’ll help you stay dry,” he said. He pulled on his pack and stood up.
The gorilla screeched.
“Stay with Annie!” said Jack.
Then he dashed back through the cloud forest. He looked for the fat tree with the wide limbs padded with moss.
As he peered through the growing darkness, Jack saw many fat trees. He saw many limbs padded with moss.
Soon he could hardly see trees at all. He realized that both a storm and night had come to the forest.
Forget the umbrella