Swing Into My Heart

I’m flying through the air – doing my usual morning rout.

I quickly wave to the alligators, before I grab onto the next liana.

I smile to the group of toucans that is resting in a tree. They just woke up. Lazy buggers. The birds at my place always wake up at the crack of dawn. How do I know this? Well; they always wake me up!

I swing to the next liana and then onto an abandoned branch. I stretch my arms and legs and toes. Holding onto lianas is hard work!

Suddenly I hear a noise I’ve never heard before. It sounds like a mix between a choking bird and a sick hippo.

I cock my head to the side and stick my one ear into the air.

I frown deeply.

I don’t recognize the sound at all. I’ve never heard it before. My intuition tells me that it’s not an animal, but I have to make sure.

I grab onto a liana and stand still. I listen for the sound – trying to figure out where it’s coming from.

Left.

I throw myself off the branch and fly through the air. My hair whips against my neck, bare back and shoulders. After 15 years of it, I’ve gotten used to it.

I stop at another branch and listen for the sound again.

Straight ahead.

I swing through the dense jungle trees and leaves. A huge leaf slaps me square on in the face, and I manage to slap it back before I’ve passed it. It should know better than to slap me!

I land on a branch and dust the greenflies off of me face. Stupid leaf!

Suddenly the sound gets louder and I almost lose my balance. I grab a hold of the stem of the tree and look around.

Where is that sound coming from?

I look up at the sky, but it’s a peaceful blue and the sound only fades when I look at it.

I look down.

My eyes widen.

An ape is…dancing.

I cock my head to the side.

His fur looks weird. It’s black – just like dad’s fur – but it’s not…furry. It’s sleek. It’s thin and short. It’s very close to his body. Only the fur on his head is long and…furry.

The ape dances lively – swinging his hips.

The sound is loud. I look around – lean myself forwards on the branch to see past the leaves – and see something that looks like a widened elephant’s trunk. Or like a snail’s house, only much, much bigger.

It’s where the sound is coming from.

Underneath it a black, flat rock is turning around and around and around and around.

The ape keeps dancing. I smile. I can’t stay still.

The ape shakes and twists his hips. I do the same, though it’s hard when I’m squatting.

The ape is dancing right underneath the branch and I stand up – still able to see him.

I twist my hips the way he does. It’s fun!

The ape beneath me is waving his arms around in a funny way – both from side to side and away and towards himself.

I let go of the tree and do the same. I twist my feet around the branch to keep a firm footing.

The ape shakes his hips again and I copy.

I smile wide and grin softly. This is way fun!

The ape keeps dancing and I try hard to keep up with all of his movements.

He lifts his one leg and twists it around in the air and I follow.

And I fall.

I slowly start leaning forward – too much. I try to turn around and grab onto the branch, but it’s too far away. The foot that is still wrapped around the branch slides off to the side and down to the bottom of the branch. I can’t hold on any longer.

I fall – very fast.

I hit several leaves. They all hit my bare back.

Oh, I swear; I’ll get them all back!

I raise my fist in the air threateningly, but I hit the ground before I can shake it threateningly.

I groan.

A scream resonates throughout the small clearing.

I groan even more.

I slowly sit up and rub my lower back.

That’s gonna hurt for more than a week, for sure! It’s gonna be worse than the time that I fell stomach-first into the river down by the waterfall.

I look up and see a shocked, scared face.

I smile through my pain and then wave at the ape with the hand that’s not currently rubbing my sore back.

The ape’s eyes only widen. His face then moves – closer to me. He studies me intently. His head fall to the side.

I roll my eyes.

For fun, I start copying him.

This only shocks him further and he pulls back quickly. His eyes scan my full body and stop momentarily between my spread legs.

I look down.

Ah, fuck! I seriously gotta get a new loincloth! This one keeps loosening! I’m just glad none of the other apes are around to see me right now. They always laugh at me. They always tell me it’s not normal having to wear a loincloth to cover up those parts. My fur is supposed to fully cover it up and not just cover half of it. The same goes for the rest of my body.

I tie it back up, before I look timidly up at the stranger.

He’s biting his lower lip. It’s looks quite attractive, I must say.

“Who are you?” he asks. For some reason he speaks very slow. I smirk friendly.

“Frank!” I say and my smirk turns into a wide grin.

The stranger looks shocked and taken aback.

I giggle.

“Gerard!” I look to my right to see another ape come running towards us.

I smile widely at him as he approaches.

“Gerar-“ He stops abruptly – a few feet away from us.

I’m puzzled.

He looks scared, yet intrigued.

He too scans my body, but his eyes don’t stop at my loincloth. I’m pleased with this.

I get up – my back still hurting.

Suddenly they both take several steps back. The black-haired one runs over behind the other one. The other one’s hair is short and brown – all over. He’s wearing something funny-looking on his face.

I step closer to look at it – to touch it – but they both step away.

I stop and frown questionably at them.

I look behind me, but there’s no lion or puma or snake.

I look back at them and shrug.

I take a step forwards, but they take one backwards.

I grin.

I take step forwards and they step backwards.

I laugh.

I take a step forward.

They stay still.

I pout and my shoulders drop.

No one ever wants to play with me.

I look off to the side and see the snail-formed elephant’s trunk. I tilt my head and stare at it. Sound is still emitting from it – a loud sound.

My jaw drops in fascination.

I walk over to it slowly – carefully in hope that it won’t suddenly attack me.

I reach it and gently touch it.

It’s smooth.

I run my hand down its body and towards the moving, black, flat rock.

Suddenly the thing screeches like a hurt mouse and I pull my hand away quickly.

I frown at it in anger. It doesn’t like me!

I slap the thing and it screeches again.

“No!” I quickly turn my head to see the dark-haired ape coming towards me.

The brown-haired grabs a hold of the other’s arm and stops him.

“Gerard, don’t!” The black-haired looks at me with hurt eyes – then down at the black, flat rock.

“But-“ He looks frustrated and sad.
“He’ll break it!” I frown and look back down at the weird thing. Breaking it? It’s not an animal?

What is it?

I poke it gently and I hear a whimper. It’s not from the thing, though.

I turn around to face the black-haired ape.

His eyes look straight into mine – begging.

I smile softly.

His face softens up and I see a spark of friendliness in his eyes.

I grin.

I wave at them both.

“Hi!” I say.

The black-haired ape smiles back, while the brown-haired one widens his eyes.

“It talks!” His outburst is somewhere between a question and a statement.

Uhm, excuse me; it?

“Of course I do!” I say – insulted.

The brown-haired ape’s eyes widen even move.

I grin.

His face turns to utter confusion.

My grin turns to bellowing laughter.