Cherry Meets the Wild Thornberrys

chapter 15

Hours passed and it was now night time in the jungle. Debbie was still in the Congo-Com, but had trouble seeing as it got dark, this was going to be a long night for her. Especially when she ended up in the mud.

"Debbie, what are you doing in the jungle in the middle of the night?" Atticus's voice asked.

"What?" Debbie didn't recognize the voice at first. "Who said that?"

"Over here." Atticus's voice said.

Debbie then looked for the source of the voice and found Atticus. "Detective Fudo?" she asked in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question..." Atticus folded his arms at the teenage girl.

"Well, I'm here because I was looking for my sister and adoptive brother and her friends." Debbie told him.

"I was trying to find Tally and the Pokemon for them," Atticus replied.

"Well, did you find them?" Debbie asked.

"No, but I did find a village close by where we can spend the night." Atticus told her.

"Um... Okay..." Debbie shrugged, feeling she had no choice, but to join him.

A couple of warthogs snorted and glared to the trespassers.

Debbie fell in the mud and tried to scare them off. "Get out of here, Pork Chops!"

"Listen, fellas, we don't want any trouble." Atticus said to the warthogs.

The warthogs snarled, but a stick on fire jumped out in front of them and scared them off. The flame died out, making Debbie wonder where it came from. Atticus put his hand up and did hand gestures and a few strange noises that did not sound English. There came a native boy around Debbie's age, carrying a flaming torch in his hand, smiling once he saw Atticus and Debbie.

"Don't worry, Debbie, he's a boy from the village." Atticus said to the teenage girl.

"Um, thanks," Debbie smiled nervously to the native boy. "I don't normally look this bad, just so you know..."

The native boy then helped her up out of the mud.

"Which reminds me, have you seen, like a dorky girl with braces and annoying friends with her?" Debbie asked the native. "Oh, and a monkey wearing clothes and a wild boy?"

The native spoke in his language, not understanding what Debbie was asking him.

"Um, Detective Fudo, could you translate of what I just asked?" Debbie asked.

Atticus nodded and asked the native boy in his actual language, being fluent in many languages which was what helped earn him his job as a detective. After all, the Great Basil of Baker Street was a linguist himself.

The native boy frowned and shook his head, speaking again.

"Sorry, Debbie." Atticus said to the blonde girl, showing that the boy had not seen them.

"Oh, you have no idea what kind of day I've been having," Debbie sounded exhausted. "Do you have a sister?"

Before Atticus could translate, the boy spoke a word to her. "Boko."

"Is that his name?" Debbie assumed.

"Yes, that is his name." Atticus smiled.

"Oh, sorry," Debbie said to the native boy. "That was rude. I am Debbie... Hey, Boko, you don't have a premoistened towelette on you by any chance, do you?"

Atticus rolled his eyes, not even going to bother translating that, but he did say something in Boko's language to make it seem like he would. 'Could you take us to your village so we can have a place to stay for the night?'