12
As dusk settled, the last of the tourists began to leave.
When Monkey Mountain was finally deserted, a panting Red returned. “My Queen, the hole is open!”
“Excellent.”
Without a second thought, I ran to the opening and squeezed through. I was in the gorilla enclosure. The gorillas were heading back to their dens
for the night. When they saw me, they went wild, beating their chests and hooting with excitement.
Flingo himself came tumbling over, rubbing his giant head against my chest like a cat. He had nearly starved to death back in the day. The zoo
was poor, food was scarce, and his massive appetite meant he was always hungry. I was the one who had tossed him extra food every day, winn-
ing his loyalty.
“Flingo,” I said, pointing to a large tree just outside the enclosure. “Throw me. Like I’m a piece of poop.”
I needed to get to that tree.
Flingo looked at me, then glanced back at his own butt, confused.
I smacked him on the head. “Come on, don’t tell me you can’t do it.”
That did the trick. He beat his chest, spun around in a full circle, scooped me up, and with a mighty heave, launched me into the air.
I sailed over the fence, landing perfectly on a branch.
was out!
Below me was the main path for tourists.
Just then, Echo appeared, looking for me.
I leaped from branch to branch, grabbing him in mid–air.
He squawked in terror. “Bloody hell, who’s there?!”
“It’s me,” I said, smoothing his feathers. “Where’s the girl?”
“Your Majesty! You scared me half to death! I thought you were a ghost!”
Echo had done his job. He had led Dr. Reed’s daughter into a secluded bamboo forest, By now, the zoo was in chaos, with the entire staff searchi-
ng for the missing child.
Dr. Reed herself was a wreck, sitting on a bench near the big cat enclosures, trembling so hard she couldn’t even stand.
I clung to a branch directly above her, hidden in the shadows. Echo perched beside me, awaiting his instructions.
I whispered my plan to him, and he nodded eagerly.
Then, from the dark branches, he called out in a strained, eerie voice, “Evelyn Reed… I died in such misery…”
Parrots, as it turns out, can be excellent mimics.
Down below, Dr. Reed jolted, her eyes wide with terror as she scanned the darkness.
“Evelyn Reed,” Echo continued in his ghostly tone, “you murdered me. I hate you so much. If you don’t confess, I will devour your daughter…”
Dr. Reed let out a shriek that tore through the night. She looked up and saw only a dark, inverted silhouette hanging from the branch.
That was me.
She completely lost control, a dark stain spreading across her pants as she collapsed to the ground.
“Stella Hawthorne? No… please… I’m sorry… spare me…” she babbled, her mind clearly broken.
I swayed back and forth, letting out a sharp, chilling monkey cackle.
Hee hee–hee–hee.
Chapter 2
That was the last straw. Dr. Reed’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted.
Echo and I were both stunned.
Was she really that much of a coward?
09:33
Just as I was about to climb down and check on her, a group of zookeepers came running up, shouting, “Dr. Reed, we found your daughter! She’s
safe!”
But Evelyn Reed didn’t move. She was out cold, scared half to death.
