Good Morning, Gorillas - Mary Pope Osborne [8]
He tore out from the brush. Hooting like a silverback, he ran between Annie and the leopard.
Jack grabbed a tree limb and shook it. He ripped leaves from branches.
He cupped his hands. He beat his chest.
“WRAAGH!” he roared. “WRAAGH!”
Then Jack leaned over and charged back and forth past the leopard.
Finally, he threw himself on his belly. He began bashing the ground with his palms. He bashed and bashed and bashed.
“Jack!” Annie called. “Jack!”
Jack looked up.
“He’s gone,” Annie said in a quiet voice. “The leopard’s gone. He left a while ago.”
“Oh,” said Jack.
He sat up.
He pushed his glasses into place. He looked around. Then he smiled.
Jack couldn’t stop smiling. He had scared off a leopard!
Bu-bu and Ho-ho stared at Jack with awe. Annie looked at him with awe, too.
“When did you learn to do that?” she asked.
Before Jack could answer, he heard a rustling in the brush. Then Big Guy stepped out from the shrubs.
The giant gorilla walked silently over to Annie. He took Little Guy from her and put the baby on his back. Then he touched Annie’s cheek gently.
Annie grinned at him.
Bu-bu and Ho-ho ran to Big Guy and clung to his legs.
The giant gorilla barked at the small ones, directing them to come with him.
As he walked past Jack, Big Guy stopped.
Huh-huh-huh, he said in a low voice. He reached out toward Jack.
Jack ducked.
But the silverback patted him on the head. Then he and the small gorillas moved out of sight.
Jack felt as if the top of his head were glowing.
“Wow,” he whispered. “Did you see what he just did?”
“Yeah,” said Annie. “He must have watched the show you put on. He was proud of you.”
“Well, he was proud of you, too,” Jack said modestly.
Annie nodded, smiling. “I guess it’s time to leave now,” she said.
“Leave?” said Jack.
“We have to say good-bye now,” said Annie.
“Good-bye?” said Jack. He didn’t want to say good-bye to the gorillas. He loved them. They were totally great.
“Yeah,” Annie said softly. “Come on.”
She led the way back through the shrubs, around the trees, to the clearing.
They found all the gorillas awake. Some were stretching and yawning. Others were munching on grass or leaves.
The baby was back in his mother’s arms. Bu-bu and Ho-ho were chattering away to their moms.
They’re probably telling them what I did, Jack thought.
He and Annie walked over to Big Guy and stood in front of him. The other gorillas gathered around.
“We have to go now,” Annie said to all of them.
“We have to say good-bye,” said Jack.
“Thanks for letting us be a part of your family,” said Annie.
She and Jack held up their hands and waved. The gorillas looked sad. They murmured soft sounds.
Big Guy lifted his hand in the air as if he were about to wave. But instead, the silverback raised his thumb, his index finger, and his little finger.
I love you, the giant gorilla signed.
Jack couldn’t believe his eyes.
Annie signed back, I love you.
Jack signed, too.
The silverback stared at them for a long moment with a gentle, shy look. Then he turned away and gave a short bark to his family.
All the gorillas lined up behind him. The baby’s mother held her baby close. Ho-ho rode piggyback on his mom. Bu-bu held her mom’s hand.
The silverback started away from the clearing. The others followed.
Bu-bu was the only one who looked back. She screeched and waved at Jack and Annie. Then she walked away, out of sight.
Jack couldn’t talk. His heart was too full. He took a few steps in the direction of the gorillas.
“Hey—” Annie said softly. “You’re going the wrong way.”
Jack looked back at her.
“The tree house is over there,” she said. She pointed in the opposite direction—at the tree house peeking out from the fog.
Jack sighed. Then he turned and started to follow her out of the clearing.
“Oh, don’t forget this,” said Annie.
She leaned over and picked up Jack’s backpack from the grass. She handed it to him.
“Thanks,” he said.
They kept walking.
“And don’t forget this,” said Annie.