Jack sat up, faced Lewis, smiled maliciously, and said, “Hello, Lewis.”
Jack’s voice had always gotten on Lewis’s nerves. It was high pitched and breathy, and Jack spoke in a distant, insincere manner that made it sound like he was acting. Pointing at the door Lewis said, “Get the fuck out of my room.”
Undeterred, Jack said, “I heard that you are planning an expedition to Indonesia, and I am wondering why I wasn’t invited.”
“I didn’t invite you because you were worthless on my last expedition.”
Just then Lewis’s phone rang. He answered. “Ah! Hello... You have changed your mind? Excellent! Meet me at the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Airport, platform J at 10:50 AM. It’s a private airport.”
Lewis hung up his phone glowing with triumph, but was immediately deflated when Jack remarked, “That would be the scientist you got fired." Lewis looked at Jack, astounded. Jack continued in the same casually malicious tone. “It’s amazing what you can do nowadays. I hacked your cell phone and have been listening in on all your conversations. Lewis, why are you trying to ruin that poor scientist’s career?”
“That question does not dignify a response.”
“But I have you by the testicles.”
Lewis sighed. “Twenty years ago Dr. Stern possessed a brilliant mind. But his creativity was crushed by the arrogance of the scientific community. I am not trying to ruin Dr. Stern’s career. I want to save it.”
Jack took a tablet from the bathrobe’s pocket, turned it on, and handed it to Lewis.
Lewis took the tablet and saw a photograph of a giant green scale sitting behind exhibition glass.
Jack said, “Swipe.”
Lewis swiped and saw a diagram describing how to fabricate a giant scale. His heart skipped a beat. He swiped again and saw drawings that were concept art used to design the fake scale. Lewis swiped a few more times and looked up and said, “You aren’t supposed to have this. You were supposed to have deleted all of it.”
Jack said, “Oh, come on Lewis. Did you really think I wouldn’t keep the evidence, even if it were merely for the sake of insurance?”
Lewis said, “What do you want? I already paid you off.”
“I don’t want money this time. If it ever got out that you forged your famous scale from the Lake Champlain monster, nobody would ever believe one of your claims again. And unless you bring me with you to Indonesia as a member of your team, this will be all over the internet where anybody can see it.”
Chapter 5
Even deep within the jungle as they were, Linda did not have a single blond hair out of place beneath her pith helmet. Her makeup was perfectly applied, and she knew in her heart that the interns, the female ones at any rate, were jealous of her ability to keep her hair and makeup perfect in the humidity and sweltering heat of the rainforest.
Linda had a very particular style of leadership. When everybody under Linda was good, and gave her what she wanted, she treated everybody well. But when one or a few of those under Linda were bad, and did not give her what she wanted, she treated everybody horribly.
Amber and Martin were very bad. Linda wanted them to be here at base camp, but they had not returned yet from searching for ebu gogo. Because Amber and Martin were not here, and Bethany and Christa were, it was Bethany, a vaguely ethnic looking woman, and Christa, a brunette, who had to bear the brunt of Linda’s rage.
Linda screamed, shouted, and raged at her two interns in a profane rant. She cursed, she swore, and eventually, the two young women both broke into tears.
Bethany, through her heavy sobs, managed to say, “I have never been spoken to like this in my entire life!”
Christa said between her sobs, “I am completely humiliated.”
Linda looked unsympathetically at her two crying interns and said, “Oh come on, suck it up. So I said a few bad words. It’s not the end of the world.”
Bethany cried even harder and said, “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, she told me to suck it up!!!”
Christa looked up at Linda through her tears and said, “I can’t believe you said that!”
Linda looked at the two interns, confused. “Said what? ‘Suck it up?’ What’s wrong with ‘suck it up?’”
The two interns broke into even heavier sobs and both cried simultaneously, “Oh my God she said it again!”
Then, Linda heard a rustling in the bushes. She held up a hand and said, “Shut up.”
The interns sobbed even harder, held each other in their arms, and both cried together, “She told us to shut up!”
Linda held up her hand and said, “Shush. I heard something. I want to go investigate.”
The interns just sat there crying. Linda changed her tone and said, “Come on. Every moment we waste on something like this is a moment we are not searching for ebu gogo, and if Lewis discovers the ebu gogo before I do because I had to deal with your emotional needs, I am going to say a lot worse to you than ‘suck it up.’ Now let’s go.”
Linda went to the bush where she had heard the rustling. The two interns wiped their tears and followed Linda, who bent down and said, “Look at these tracks. Let’s follow them.”
Christa said, “But shouldn’t one of us wait here in case Amber and Martin return?”
Linda said, “No. We can look for them while we follow these tracks. Come on.”
Linda walked off following the tracks on the ground, and Bethany and Christa followed.
Soon, they came to a spot where six tiny spears stuck from the ground at acute angles. Linda said, “What the…”
Suddenly from all around them came the war cry of the ebu gogo, “Yeyeyeyeyeyeye!!!!”
Linda took out a recorder, pressed a button, said, “November twenty, 2:00 PM,” and held it up into the air. The war cry of the ebu gogo came again, “Yeyeyeyeyeyeye!!!!”
The call stopped and Bethany said, “What is it?
Linda said, “I don’t know.”
Then, about twenty little bipedal creatures rushed into the clearing from the jungle beyond and surrounded the three women with spears held overhand, ready to hurl them.
They were all three to four feet in height, and covered in orange fur. All were female. Linda said, “I don’t believe it. I’ve discovered the ebu gogo!”
The ebu gogo spoke excitedly to each other in their language as they separated the three human women until each woman was completely surrounded by ebu gogo.
The ebu gogo surrounding the vaguely ethnic Bethany spoke to each other rapidly and then poked her clothes with their spears, making little cuts in her clothes here and there.
Bethany yelled, “Shoot them.”
Linda said, “Keep calm!”
The ebu gogo made quick work cutting Bethany’s clothes, until she was completely naked except for her pith helmet and boots. Her brown nipples became erect and goose bumps formed on her olive-colored breasts.
Linda said, “They’re just curious. Don’t make any sudden movements.”
Then, three ebu gogo climbed all over Bethany’s body. Bethany trembled with fear. The three ebu gogo touched Bethany’s olive colored breasts with their little toddler-like hand and said, “Bee-bee. Ne bee-bee, ne.”
Then, they poked her vagina through its thick, black hair, shook their heads, and said, “Coo-coo. Ne coo-coo, ne.”
The three ebu gogo climbed off of Bethany’s body and then one of them looked at one who held a spear and said, “Doh tahr shak.”