Face to Face with the Gorilla King

Extrait gratuit

Face to face with the Gorilla King

An original short story by Ryan Cartwright

3rd ebook edition

CRIMPERBOOKS www.crimperbooks.co.uk

3rd Edition published October 2025

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

First published 2014-2015

This work is (c) Copyright 2014-2015 Ryan P Cartwright

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Now, on with the story...

Dedication

This short story is dedicated to somebody I could not be without; my wife Claire. x

Part One

“It’s not every day that a trip to the zoo can lead to you ending up on the other side of the Galaxy”

It’s not every day that a trip to the zoo can lead to you ending up on the other side of the Galaxy. I mean it’s not something you expect is it? One minute you’re looking at a very bored Tapir and the next you are standing in fantastic palace before a very grumpy gorilla sitting on a large, golden throne.

The day started out okay. Well it was a bit boring if I am honest. We got up, got dressed and had breakfast. I wore my “Nature is wild” t-shirt. It’s really cool with a picture of a small deer in the mouth of a large lion. Mum doesn’t like it but I insisted that this was the perfect day to wear it. We had breakfast and set out to catch the train to the zoo. Dad had taken the day off so the whole family could go, it being half-term and all. Mum fussed over whether I was warm enough and Dad strode off at a heck of a pace towards the station. All pretty much normal. The train journey was fairly uneventful as well. After a quick change onto another line we arrived at the zoo in good time. I was keen to see the lions but my sister, Jodie, wanted to see the penguins. The penguins were nearer to the entrance so we went there first. They were pretty cute I have to say and the way they walked was quite funny. They’re swimming was amazing, particularly when you looked through the glass walls into the tank. I guess I should have realised something was up though as at one point I crawled into a bubble window to see the inside of tank and suddenly all the penguins swam over towards me. For a second I thought they were pointing at me but as I turned to tell my Dad the keeper arrived with a bucket of fish and they all swam off towards her.

Something similar happened at the reptile house. When I looked into the Komodo dragon enclosure one of them spotted me and, quick as a flash, ran over towards me. Others spotted it and ran over as well. By the time we had covered half the zoo I was getting very worried. Not only were the zoo animals apparently attracted to me but there was a growing collection of seagulls, pigeons and insects all seemingly following me. We asked a zoo keeper what might be the problem but he just said the animals probably mixed me up with a keeper and came over for food. When I asked why the birds and insects were following me, he said I was probably imagining it and they often hang around the zoo.

If he had been with us at the Ape house he would have changed his mind. The pride of the zoo is a large silverback called Titan. You’d recognise him from all the posters, bags, t-shirts, caps, badges, stickers, mugs and stationery with his picture on. When we arrived he was sitting in a hammock strung between two trees. As soon as we turned the corner and could see him, he started staring at me. Then, slowly he got up and walked over to our side of the enclosure. Normally being approached by a gorilla of that size would be quite frightening but we had a wall and a deep, wide pit between us so I wasn’t that worried. I was surprised though because he wouldn’t take his eyes off me. Actually as he got close I realised he couldn’t take his eyes off my t-shirt.

“Do you like this shirt?” I asked in a patronising voice. The gorilla just stared at me then turned and walked away again. He disappeared into the buildings at the back of the enclosure and after a while reappeared with something in his hand. It looked like a brick but as he got closer I saw that it was a piece of carved, dark wood. I have to say I was transfixed. I stood there watching the huge, magnificent animal as it strode around the enclosure. He climbed up onto a platform and sat down. The wood was still in his hand and he held it up to his mouth as if to chew it. Suddenly he launched it high into the air and we all looked to see it flying towards us. It landed with a clatter behind me. Nobody spoke but some let out a grasp. The gorilla looked me in the eye and gestured towards the piece of wood behind me. Did he want me to throw it back? If so I doubt I could get it across the trench, let alone as far as the platform. I turned and went over to it.

“Don’t touch it!” Dad said, “You might catch germs from the gorilla.”

“Or pass some onto him.” Mum added.