You Are Not Ape

Chapter 8

If Mary had hoped to be able to slip back in to the city with no fuss, and even less notice, like the rest of her hopes and dreams, this too would be dashed. But at least the letdown was of a gentler nature, and not so dire this time.

"Maurice?"

Mary stopped as she and her two Uncles heard the Orangutan's name being called. She watched as Maurice fell back a little, then the sound of low human voices came to her and Luca's ears. After a few moments, Maurice gave a low grunt. She and Luca turned, and Maurice beckoned Mary back to him. She looked questioningly at Luca, but the huge silver-back just shrugged.

She was in a hurry to get back to Hope and Lake, not wanting to stick Lake with the human baby's care for longer than necessary. Still, curiosity getting the better of her, Mary walked back to where Maurice stood with three humans. As she drew closer, she saw it was Malcolm and Ellie and Malcolm's son. All the human's eyes were very wet. Ellie was still weeping a little.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked out loud.

"They heard your song," Maurice signed to the young Ape girl. "Just a warning, if they heard you, then I'm guessing a lot of the Apes did, too. Our hearing is sometimes a lot better, you know."

Inwardly, Mary groaned.

Maurice patted her shoulder as Malcolm stepped forward. He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Ellie rushed ahead of him, and flung her arms about Mary.

"That ... that was the most beautiful thing I ever heard," the human woman sniffed. "I am so sorry, Mary."

Mary gently returned Ellie's hug. When she reached up and put a hand on the back of the human's neck, Ellie allowed the young Ape to gently draw their foreheads together. When they drew apart, Mary was amazed by the tender expression on Ellie's pretty face.

"Uh, Alexander has something he wants to give to you," Ellie told her quietly.

Mary looked away from Ellie, and caught the human boy's eye. He was smiling at her shyly. She returned his smile, then she released Ellie, and walked slowly towards him.

"Hi, Alexander," Mary carefully pronounced the boy's name. "What ... what do you have for me?" she went on quietly, very curious now.

Back home and through Maurice, she had had some good conversations with the boy, mostly about his art, and that Mary liked to draw as well whenever she had the time and the equipment. But they had never spoken to one another without Maurice in the middle before now. The boy had been too shy, and Mary had feared her Father's wrath if he caught her mingling too much with the younger human. He had attacked Alexander once before for no good reason. Unless Mary suspicions were right, and he had done it because of her.

Looking around, Mary was slightly annoyed to see that all four of the adults, Alexander's Father, Ellie and even Maurice and Luca, had drawn away a little as if giving the youngsters some privacy. Alexander caught her looking, and followed her gaze. She thought he was annoyed by the adult's actions, too.

She waited for the boy to speak, but his shyness seemed to be taking over again. With all that happened recently, Mary thought she had some idea how he felt. She did not want to talk to other Apes nearly as much as she used to, either.

Slowly, Mary held out her hand to him, and waited for reaction.

He placed a long round tube of paper in her hand.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Open it," the boy encouraged her.

Very carefully, Mary unrolled the paper, and gave a small cry of joy when the drawing unfolded. It was a remarkably life like drawing of Ash and herself. She clutched the drawing to her chest, and beamed at Alexander.