Kong (A James Conrad Love Story)

Helicopters

*1973*

I stomped out of my hut at dawn, already waving at the mosquitoes. They had gone from bad to worse in the past week or so, literally millions of them spawning from the lake over the ridge. Some days, I felt like one huge mosquito bite.

I ducked into my storehouse, picking out a few bits of dried meat for my breakfast. I had been a strict vegetarian at the beginning of my stay, but it had become rather difficult to stay that way and not starve to death. All seemed peaceful- there were no distant alarm calls, no flocks of birds screaming in the canyon. I figured today would be a good day- no skull walkers to worry about. But then again, there were no guarantees. Not on this island. Nothing was certain here until it was already over.

First on the list of any day was to find food. No food, no meals. No meals, I die. So slightly important. Usually, food wasn't a problem. The trees nearby were usually laden with fruit unless the dactyls got to them first, in which case I just took what I could get. But I must say, half rotten fruit was not easy on the digestive tract. The nice thing about tropical islands- no winter. If there was, I would have been dead about two weeks after the first freeze. The dactyls weren't helping- they kept breaking into my storeroom and carrying off the meat.

I hauled my food outside and sat on the grass outside my door. No point in eating inside with such a view, I suppose. I looked up to see a few dactyls lazily floating above me, probably waiting for my scraps. They looked like vultures, and it sort of felt like it sometimes. We were only on good terms as long as I helped them. As soon as I showed weakness, I was sure they would snap me up in a heartbeat. Isn't that a lovely thought?

I looked at my small, slightly sad garden outside my hut. A water buffalo had accidentally walked through it on his way to the lake, trampling half its contents. I'd been up on the mountain when it happened, so I got a front row seat to it. Lovely. Everything was coming back, though, and just in time. I was out of pretty much everything. My garden contained food from all over the island, since there was no way I would schlepp all the way up the river just to get some stupid mushrooms or wheat. No, I would rather just be able to go outside and pick some. I was't suicidal. Just because I lived in peace with this small area did not mean the rest of the inhabitants would welcome me so kindly. Especially in the west. I hadn't been west of the river in months.

I heard giant footsteps behind me, and turned in surprise. I hadn't expected him this early. Kong came around the side of the mountain, trudging through the river. His feet made huge waves that sloshed all over the swamp. A gorilla as large as a skyscraper, he terrified me the first time I saw him. I nearly wet myself in fear, but he paid me a cursory glance and went on his way. I was of no interest to him. Since then, our meetings had been frequent, but only from a distance. I was perfectly happy with our arrangement, for I had no desire to be smashed into the ground like a pesky bug.

Actually, Kong was a fairly peaceful creature. I had never seen him attack another animal, apart form the skull crawlers. All of a sudden, I saw Kong's head turn to the south. He sniffed the air, and I could tell something was amiss. He knew the second something was happening, which was lucky for all the island's inhabitants. Just as I squinted into the perpetual storm encircling the island, a rare sight came into view. One that I had waited for ten years to see. I blinked, sure I was hallucinating. Clearly, they weren't here for me, but they were still here. Helicopters, heading straight for the island.