Coffee Addict
Chapter 16 – Created By Man
‘Michelle Thorpe was helping to burn and bury the huge wolf like creature. Until that beast had turned up and killed two of them, Michelle was largely unworried about any kind of attack. Now she had her supergun in her hand and ready to use, at the slightest strange noise anywhere near them. Luke seemed immune to her anxiety, but Jess was helping and she was decidedly jumpy.’
Σ
Lidia Fernandez liked the apartment above the Doc’s old surgery. It was far nicer than the accommodation arranged by Jorge Alvarez, the local police chief. Teresa had invited her to move in, to sleep there seven nights a week. That might cause problem though, when her official address was somewhere else. Lidia didn’t mind the occasional complication in her love life, but moving in with Teresa felt a bit too much, too soon. Teresa hadn’t seemed at all annoyed, when she’d asked for the invite to be put on pause….
“Until we know each other a lot better.” Lidia had said.
“No problem………..Consider it an open ended invitation.” Teresa had replied.
The third night in a row she’d been there. Lidia was looking at the back of Teresa’s head, as the morning sun began to make the bedroom curtains glow. It was a nice head and it was always nice to wake up with it on the pillow next to her. Lidia did like the idea of them living together, but not yet. The girl had a reputation and at her age…..Lidia was determined not to be yet another fling for Teresa Correa. She sort of drifted between sleep, being awake and a weird dream about parking her car somewhere and not remembering where. When Lidia finally fully woke up, the sun had been making the curtains glow for a while. Teresa coughed and rolled onto her back.
“Are you awake ?” Asked Teresa.
“Yeah, but I was having a weird dream.” Said Lidia.
“I could feel you fidgeting.”
“Sorry, did I wake you ?” Asked Lidia.
“Nothing wakes me.”
They kissed, braving the mutual bad breath that wasn’t too bad. The kissing became touching, intimate touching. Lidia always loved the moment when the sheets were pushed back. Teresa only ever wore knickers to bed and the rest of her was there, naked and wonderful. There might have been a lot of adventurous morning sex, if Lidia hadn’t noticed the clock.
“Crap……I have to get up and into the shower.” Said Lidia. “I’m showing the cops from Bogotá around the village today. I’m supposed to be meeting them at nine.”
“You’ll never make it by nine; call in sick.” Said Teresa.
“Tempting, but Cesar will be there and he is the plantation hero.” Said Lidia. “I feel a need to be there to support him.”
“Fine……….I’ll dig out your clean uniform, while you shower.” Said Teresa.
Teresa hurtling about in just a pair of black knickers, was too much of a temptation. Lidia did a quick run into the bathroom and into the shower. Another advantage of the Doc’s house was a decent boiler. There was always enough hot water. No spending ages washing her hair, just a quick rinse and she was out of the shower.
“My turn…………Your clothes are on the bed.” Said Teresa.
Teresa behind a bathroom door was ideal, it took away the temptation to say to hell with Cesar and enjoy some more morning sex. Her uniform and all the extras that went with it, were on the bed. By the time she was dressed, Lidia felt differently about the world. She was a professional police officer and the Colombian police motto was ‘To protect and serve.’ Being in her uniform always made her feel very serious about that motto. Teresa had a large bath towel wrapped around her, as she came out of the bathroom.
“You look good in uniform.” Said Teresa. “Are you coming over tonight ? After Rocky has been fed, we could go to Café Loco for a meal…..if you like the idea ?”
They were known to be a couple, but a meal at Café Loco was still a bit daring. Luckily just about everyone who might disapprove was up on the high plateau with Julie Yago, Teresa’s mother. Julie did realise they were sleeping together, according to Teresa. A nice night with almost zero chance of being glared at, or being given the stink eye. It was too good an opportunity to miss.
“Burger and fries at Café Loco, sounds perfect.” Said Lidia.
There was more kissing and a little more touching, though it was Lidia who insisted on leaving. She just couldn’t arrive late when meeting Cesar. He was the big hero of the plantation. There was the usual ‘Love you,’ exchanged between them as she left Doc’s old house. Was it a ritual, or did it mean something.
“The trouble is……….I might be falling for her.” Lidia muttered, as she started her car.
There was time to get to the mobile headquarters; the cops had driven in from Bogotá, without being late. It’d be close, but she was a cop after all. Using the siren to speed and avoid being late, was an unofficial perk of her job.
“They do wonderful coffee……….Hope there are nibbles too.” She muttered.
At twice the speed limit, Lidia hurtled through the streets of the village and then the rural roads at its edge. She slowed down just in time to enter the car park, at a sensible speed. They were there, the convoy of powerful SUVs, being used by the cops out of Bogotá. All parked up in a row and not so much as a speck of dust on any of them.
“My training partner always said.” Muttered Lidia. “A clean cop car, is a sure sign of a lazy cop.”
It was one minute before nine, when Lidia opened the door of the mobile cop vehicle, they were using as their temporary headquarters. There had been talk of them using Doc’s house, but Luke had said no to that. Officially because the house was still essential for its medical facilities. Lidia suspected that Luke was thinking about Teresa and what Julie might say about her daughter keeping Rocky as a pet.
“Ahhhhh, always nice to see a face I recognise.” Said Cesar De León.
She hadn’t known Cesar that long and only remembered a handful of call outs where they’d worked together. It was nice of him to say it though; it made her feel more relaxed. The rest of the trailer was filled with male cops from Bogotá. All of them staring at her, as if trying to work out if she likely to be alright, or bad news.
“We’ve a quick run through of the mission, then we’ll be on our way.” Said Mateo Rodriguez. “There have been rumours of something nasty in the part of town where Doc used to live. Someone even found their lost dog, with signs that one of the creatures had found it first and killed it. Just a small terrier, but the owner was badly upset. We’re going to search the area and knock on a few doors.”
“Sounds a good opportunity to make a few friends in the community.” Said Cesar.
“And what do you think, Lidia ?” Asked Mateo. “Worth the effort, or are we wasting our time ?”
They were going out in their clean and shiny vehicles, to hunt for Rocky. Someone had found their dead dog and Rocky had killed it. Teresa wasn’t that careful on occasions and someone might have seen her carry Rocky out into the woods. So easy to say it was a waste of time, but the cop side of her wouldn’t let her lie. Not that Mateo was likely to cancel the mission on her say so.
“It sounds a great use of police resources.” Said Lidia.
~ ~
Julie Yago realised that talking to angels and Gods had its own problems and quirks. Time had moved strangely the last time, so there was no logic to thinking it’d behave this time. The immortal, omniscient and omnipresent worked to their own set of rules, which were different to those of humans. Time for normal people was linear and on the whole; it passed at a steady rate from the day they were born, to the moment they died. After death ? Julie suspected that if there was an afterlife, it wasn’t a place with twenty four hours in the day, seasons and three hundred and sixty five days in a year. Why would it be ? Those were only valid for planet Earth and any heaven or hell, was unlikely to exist on somewhere like our globe. Chad was sat on the ground not far away, with his head down, as if he was examining his shoes.
“Are you alright, Chad ?” Asked Julie. “That was ……….It was pretty intense.”
“I remember things I know……….I never saw them, but I remember them.” Said Chad. “This is a crazy place, Julie.”
“I’m the same, memories that don’t feel like my own.” Said Julie. “I can hear the angel talking, but have no recollection of time passing. What did you hear the angel say ?”
Poor Chad, he was staring at his boots again. The whole conversation with an angel had confused her and it wasn’t her first time. She could understand that Chad might take a while to get over the shock of it all.
“They said a lot, though I can’t remember most of it.” Said Chad. “The one thing I’m certain of, because it was mentioned so often; the creatures attacking the plantation have nothing to do with Muisca. They’re all definitely man made.”
“Yes, I heard that.” Said Julie. “I’ve heard that before from an angel. If there is a difference between the angels and deities of Muisca ? I feel they’re all the same.”
“I felt that too.” Said Chad. “In the Muisca religion; Gods and angels are the same divine beings.”
It was probably the same day, though there was no being certain. There had been hours of talking, which seemed to go on into the night. Yet it was daylight and her watch was still showing the date for when they’d set off. It was as if all that conversing with Gods, had taken no time at all. Julie grabbed Chad’s arm and helped him to his feet.
“We can talk on the way, but we have to go back.” Said Julie. “I don’t think the helicopter crews will abandon us, but I can’t guarantee it.”
“I just feel so tired……Deep fatigue.” Said Chad.
“We’ve been with beings…..I think they took us to their world.” Said Julie. “We’re humans and our bodies aren’t intended to exist there.”
“Let’s get back to camp.” Said Chad. “I just want to get home; to the apartment I share with Kate. I’ve had enough of the extraordinary and crave lots of the ordinary.”
“Me too, Chad………….Me too.” Said Julie.
There was a sword on the grass, a long and very sharp looking sword. Not the sort of thing to be dropped by accident; Julie chose to view it as a gift. She picked it up and swung it a few times. Despite its size and weight, she could swing it around fairly well.
“You’re going to take the sword ?” Asked Chad.
“I think it was left for us……Do you want it ?”
“No, if it was left for anyone…..They’ll want you to have it.” Said Chad.
No carrying it all the way to camp, Julie managed to use straps, to fix it across the top of her pack. She’d be able to remove it quite quickly, if one of the creatures attacked.
“I think it’ll be useful………….If we run into trouble.” Said Julie.
Chad sighed, as he seemed to reluctantly put one foot in front of the other. By the time they’d reached the ground floor of the pyramid, he was back to being more like his old self.
“How much do you intend to tell Ana and Gustavo ?” Asked Chad.
“I don’t remember much of it.” Said Julie. “I’ll tell my husband everything I can remember….After all, he is my husband and father of my children. As for Ana…….I still need to think about what to tell her. Maybe everything, or perhaps very little. What will you tell Kate ?”
“Everything…..I’ll tell her everything I remember.” Said Chad.
If he actually did that, Julie would be amazed. It didn’t fit the Chad vibe; the way his personality worked. Julie was still feeling a bit different after talking to an angel and Chad seemed to be affected worse than her. Not that the feeling would last. She’d have bet lots of cash, that Chad would end up telling Kate very little. By the time they were back with Gustavo and Ana, Julie felt much more like herself and Chad was humming something by Black Sabbath.
“We’re all packed up and ready to go.” Said Ana.
“You should have warned us……Gone for three days, it’s a bit much.” Said Gustavo.
“Sorry…..How long were we gone ?” Asked Chad.
“Three full days.” Said Ana. “I just hope the helicopters are still waiting for us.”
“We’ve had to ration the ration packs.” Added Gustavo.
~ ~
Michelle Thorpe was helping to burn and bury the huge wolf like creature. Until that beast had turned up and killed two of them, Michelle was largely unworried about any kind of attack. Now she had her supergun in her hand and ready to use, at the slightest strange noise anywhere near them. Luke seemed immune to her anxiety, but Jess was helping and she was decidedly jumpy. The helicopter crews were going to do the shovel wielding to bury the incinerated corpse of the enormous creature. It had been noted by quite a few people, that the crews had stopped threatening to leave; once there was money to be made while staying.
“Oh, the carcass stinks of decay and aviation fuel.” Said Jess. “I’m not sure which is a worse smell.”
“Once it’s covered in soil, it’ll quickly decay away to bones and a bit of fur.” Said Luke.
Julie and the others were back now; packing up to leave had slowed down, but had speeded up again. There were two bodies to be taken home, which were currently in body bags. It was hot on the high plateau and Michelle thought the bodies would be in a fairly grim condition, when they arrived in the plantation.
“If we come here again…….We need to bring a small earth digger with us.” Said Gustavo.
“I don’t think we should ever come here again.” Said Michelle.
“Julie seems happy, waving her sword about like some Viking warrior maiden.” Said Jess.
Julie Yago was showing the Raiments to anyone who asked and she was carrying the sword just about everywhere with her. Chad had even joked that she probably took it into the toilet with her. She’d want to return again one day, but no one else seemed keen. Two deaths relatively soon after arriving……It was certain to put people off. As Jess had said, quite a few times.
“Personally, I think the helicopter crews demanding to leave is a good thing.”
Most seemed to agree, apart from Maria and the other younger members of the expedition. On the whole, people were happy to be going home and there was no talk of coming back one day. Julie claimed to have spoken to one of angels of Muisca for hours, but no one had seen it happen, other than Chad of all people. No one was going to call her a liar; there was the sword after all. A few had quietly muttered that Julie could have found that anywhere. Olie the cop had muttered to a few, that the sword might have been brought with them, though he never actually accused Julie of bringing it in one of her bags. A large group with good morale had arrived on the high plateau. A cynical and disillusioned expedition were about to leave and go home.
“I still believe.” Jess had said to a few. “I just don’t believe in the Yago version of Muisca.”
The helicopter crews wanted the money, but didn’t seem to be happy shovelling dirt over the burned and smouldering body of the creature. It was hot and humid, so Michelle couldn’t blame them. The job had to be done though. They could hardly leave a huge, decaying carcass where the beast had died. Luke still wasn’t sure if the body might be a potential biohazard.
“How much topsoil do you want shovelled over the brute ?” Asked one of the helicopter crew.
“A lot more yet………..Enough to cover its fur at the very least.” Said Michelle.
The crew member sighed and gave her orders to his colleagues, who all glared at her. Even Luke seemed to be looking at her sideways, though she might have imagined it.
“Do you think I was too hard on them ?” She asked Luke.
“No, not at all………….I just realised there’s a tough side to you.” Said Luke. “I hadn’t noticed it before. If I need someone told off, I’ll send them to see you.”
Michelle liked the sound of that, though she hadn’t deliberately set out to change her attitude to the helicopter crew; or anyone else for that matter. It was always going to be a shallow grave; they’d have needed a large digging machine to bury the beast good and deep. She kept the helicopter crews at it though, until the low mound in the field gave no clue that a ton of wolf creature was buried there.
~ ~
Yoon had let her pilot go home, after being offered a place on one of the expedition’s helicopters. Liam had people who’d worry if he seemed to vanish for days and the giant double rotor helicopter was likely to be more comfortable than a small propeller driven plane. Kate was a friend now and she made sure the invitation was agreed by Julie Yago, who seemed to run everything. As for her hired car ? Liam had promised to get someone to drive it over to Café Loco in the village.
“It’ll be there when you get back.” Liam had told her.
Which was good news, as she’d left a few personal possessions in the hired car. That was one of her things, leaving her possessions in cars, rented apartments and hotel rooms. It was like leaving part of herself, almost as a guarantee she’d return one day. She’d forgotten about leaving an entire bag of clothes at the Hotel Du Pont in Wilmington, Delaware. She’d booked in there again a year later and the staff had presented her with the bag of clothes, as though it was some kind of priceless artefact.
“How are you enjoying staying at Café Loco ?” Asked Kate Doyle.
Yoon could have easily carried her own things from the tent city to the helicopter, but Kate had insisted on helping her. She was that kind of friend, the type who will help you move. Kate even spoke a little Korean, from when she’d worked in Seoul for a while. Yoon could see them being best friends, by the time she had to get on a plane to somewhere else.
Looking for Chad had been a personal thing really, though she hoped the Korean government agreed to paying most of her expenses. Soon they’d want her to fly somewhere, to help with a science project someone was having problems with. It was what she did……Sort out problems, and she was pretty good at it.
“The Café Loco suits me, but the rooms are a bit small.” Said Yoon.
“Small but clean and comfortable.” Said Kate. “I was there for two weeks, until my company found me a proper apartment. I loved it……….All that coffee and nibbles downstairs.”
“Oh yes, the food is really good.” Said Yoon. “The guy who owns it, but pretend to be a waiter. Now, that is really weird.”
“Yes, everyone loves Howard.” Said Kate. “One of the great village eccentrics……Café Loco wouldn’t be the same if anyone else owned it.”
They were about halfway to the helicopters, when Yoon had to stand and stare for a moment. The way the sun shone through the high clouds; the huge flock of birds flying over the trees. Not that Yoon had any idea what the birds were, but it was all so……
“That view………….It’s so beautiful.” Said Yoon.
“It is and I’d intended to take lots of pictures.” Said Kate. “Sadly, with everything that’s happened, I didn’t get a chance to use my camera. A few snaps on my phone and that’s it.”
“Ana got some good pictures of flowers in the jungle.” Said Yoon. “Ana is here to represent the church……..I think I got that right ?”
“You did and in theory, Ana is in charge.” Said Kate. “But as Julie Yago has paid for just about the entire expedition, everyone treats her as the boss.”
“Yes, Kate……I noticed that.”
The sky and the birds were too tempting. Yoon used her phone to take several picture of the wonderful sky. Such a remote spot, it was humbling to think how few were likely to have seen the sky over the high plateau.
“One day I will come back here…………With a decent camera.” Said Yoon.
“There’s mine, a pretty good Nikon.” Said Kate. “It’s in my bags on the helicopter, but we can easily dig it out. I’ll even give you the memory card with your pictures on it.”
“Thank you, that is so generous.” Said Yoon.
Kate was now that sort of friend, the kind who’ll loan you expensive camera kit. They hurried the rest of the way and Kate’s Nikon wasn’t the latest tech, but it was a superb camera.
“Oh, I’ve used one of these before.” Said Yoon. “A really great digital SLR. Many have tried to copy it and all have failed.”
Yoon was tired, she’d never quite found a quiet spot to sleep in the tent city. A lot had happened and sometimes it happened; she lost focus on the here and now, which was bad.
“My ex bought me that.” Said Kate. “Poor Peter, it was a present on my birthday and I dumped him a month later. Not that I intended to behave like a complete bitch.”
“I took my Nikon to the dinner party with Chad.” Said Yoon. “That was a birthday gift from my mother. I think talking about my camera broke the ice. Strange, I really never did intend to go back to his hotel with him, but I can never resist a fellow camera nut.”
“You………….You were with my Chad at his hotel ?” Asked Kate. “Was this in Bogotá ? I knew he was different when he was back home.”
Yoon felt her body temperature go crazy. A hot flush and they weren’t just for menopausal women. Panic attacks had the same effect on Yoon. She wanted to die on the spot, but there was no merciful God around to answer her silent prayer. She looked at Kate’s anger filled face and realised that their friendship was probably over.
~ ~
Gustavo Correa was looking forward to the helicopters rising into the air and taking them home. He suspected most of those packing the camp up, were likely to be feeling the same way. Jess had been telling everyone the high plateau was safe and Ana had been singing the same tune. Two of their number were going home in body bags and the idyllic camp site and ancient temple seemed far less appealing than they had. There had been a certain romance about the place. That had ended when the huge wolf creature had attacked.
“I still want to come back.” Said Julie. “Maybe next year and with a much smaller group, but I feel a need to return to the temple.”
“We could hire some professional bodyguards to protect us.” Said Gustavo. “Not a huge number, just a few from an agency Jaimie knows. Then we can leave any…..unpleasantness, to them.”
“Yes, a few mercenaries, all armed to the teeth.” Said Julie. “That’s a really good idea.”
It wasn’t what he’d meant, not really. That was happening a lot lately. He’d say something and his wife would either mishear him, or twist it about in her mind. Not that he was ever going to mention it to her. Julie was about the only person to get something out of their trip, apart from a few decent pictures of the jungle. She’d spoken to an angel and expected to talk to them again. Now all that had been ripped away from her. Gustavo could understand why his wife was acting a little strangely. It didn’t really concern him, until the times when she began waving the sword about.
“Is there any packing I can help you with ?” Asked Gustavo.
She was getting it done, but very slowly and the helicopter crews were threatening to leave by mid-afternoon. Gustavo could understand their attitude, but it was another thing he’d never admit to his wife. The helicopter crews had signed up for a trip to a high plateau jungle. The only perils should have been mosquito bites and bad guts from an iffy ration pack. They had never agreed to risking being torn apart by strange megafauna.
“Just…….Just heap my clothes into my cases.” Said Julie. “Don’t worry about creasing anything. I’ll sort it all out when we get home.”
He had no idea why she’d packed so many of her best dresses. It wasn’t as if they were doing the circuit of the best families in Bogotá. Gustavo was careful, but he did squash her clothes into half the cases his wife would have used. It took him half an hour to pack everything they’d brought with them. It was quite sad to see an empty tent, with just a pile of cases outside. He was so into making sure they hadn’t forgotten anything, that he took a moment to notice Julie was crying. He hugged her, really tightly.
“Hey, it’ll be alright……….I promise that if you want to return, I’ll be by your side.” Said Gustavo.
His wife never cried, ever. Once or twice a single tear perhaps, more like a bit of dampness on her cheek. This was a full on deluge of tears that tasted salty as he kissed her face.
“I thought I’d see so much more of them……The angels.” Said Julie.
“Then we’ll come back………….In the spring, the perfect time.” He said. “We can begin organising it as soon as we get home. We will definitely hire some heavily armed body guards.”
“You promise ?” Asked Julie.
“It will happen, I promise…………I love you.”
By the time Olie and Julian turned up with a trolley to take their things to the helicopters, Julie was pretty much back to being herself. She muttered to Olie about not getting her bags wet, or worse still, muddy. Olie gave her a promise, but rolled his eyes at Julian as they left. Julie Yago was back to being the woman you didn’t want to annoy.
~ ~
Maria had liked Alfonso; he’d always seemed like someone she could trust. When it looked like the Muisca brats visiting the temple would be an all-girl affair, she’d been thrilled when Alfonso had asked to go. Not that Maria fancied him or anything. Him being there stopped it being all teenage girls. No adults were talking about gender diversity, but it was a huge thing at their school. All girls, was as bad as all boys…..And Alfonso had stopped them being all girls. Plus Tilly quite liked Alfonso and was really pleased he’d be with them on the high plateau.
“Lots of nights with just about zero parental supervision.” Tilly had said. “Who knows what might happen ?”
There’d been conversations about condoms and only ever having protected sex. Tilly was all for it, but it seemed Geena didn’t need the safe sex lesson for newbies. She’d already had a few passionate nights with one of the boys her brother knew. As for Greta ? The whole thing seemed to be far too embarrassing for her to deal with. All should have been well, Alfonso liked Tilly a lot and she seemed to really like him.
“You bastard !” Yelled Maria.
They were on one of the helicopters and about halfway home. Maria had just hit Alfonso really hard, a massive slap across his left cheek. So hard that there’d be bruising for days, maybe weeks. As she brought her hand back for a second go, Alfonso jumped backwards and away from her. Maria wasn’t normally a violent person, but Alfonso had crossed so many lines. Luke was there as she tried to get closer to Alfonso. Ana tended to deal with discipline among the young, but she was on the other helicopter. Luke was alright though; he seemed to understand people her age.
“No more……….Calm down, Maria.” Said Luke. “Why did you hit him ? What has Alfonso done to you ? We all know hitting isn’t allowed.”
“He knows what he’s done.” Said Maria.
Tilly and Alfonso had begun something that might, or might not, last beyond the expedition. There had been a lot of snogging and touching, which soon became the main event. Always protected of course, they’d begun to have sex on a sleeping bag in one of the storage tents. No problem, it had been expected and if it was going to last, was their business. Then Alfonso started to show an interest in Geena. That changed everything, especially after they slept together. Maria had decided to keep out of it. It was obvious that Geena was as keen on Alfonso, as he was on her. It seemed he never looked twice at Greta, maybe she wasn’t his type ? Or he might not have been hers ?
Maria had decided none of it was her business. Then the night before they were due to leave; Alfonso had invited her to have some fun with him, on the sleeping bag in the supply tent. Maria had declined and a rage had built up inside her. The rage was still there and she really wanted to strike him again.
“She’s crazy.” Said Alfonso.
“What did he do ?” Asked Luke.
“He’s a scum bag.” Said Maria. “He knows what he did.”
Word would spread and some of those at their school would view him as some kind of hero, but most would think of him as a sex predator. Not that he’d broken any laws, but it might do him good to get treated as an arsehole for a while. Luke was still trying to talk to her, as Maria walked away to the other end of the helicopter. All the time she could hear Luke asking Alfonso what he’d done.
“Come and sit next to me.” Said Jess. “I promise not to ask you any questions, but you need to sit down and relax a little.”
“Yes, thank you.” Said Maria.
Maria sat next to Jess and closed her eyes. She’d never been one for napping, but once her eyes were closed………..She woke up about half an hour later, feeling fairly well rested.
“Feeling better ?” Asked Jess.
“I am……As though I had eight hours sleep.”
“Good……..Just don’t hit him again.” Said Jess. “He probably deserves another slap, but I think you’ve made your point.”
~ ~
Jaimie Gosse had flown in all sorts of aircraft, from single prop Robin trainers to Russian helicopters twice the size of the helicopter he was in now. He wasn’t a nervous flyer by any means, but he had a quirk, a foible as a few of his close friends called it. Julie Yago and her daughter knew about it of course. Teresa had teased him about it a few times.
“Think of it as something you have in common with Yolana.” Teresa would say.
Yolana was his huge mountain of a dog, who seemed determined to eat him out of house and home. A good hooligan deterrent was Yolana, she’d chased off quite a few undesirables from his garden and the avocado plantation which was making good money. What was the foible Jaimie shared with his dog ? Neither of them were happy in any kind of transport, if they didn’t have a window to look out of. Yolana had once whined pitifully for two hours, while in the rear of a small plane, with no windows. Jaimie felt like whining if there was no window, but felt it was undignified and always resisted the urge.
Most planes were fine, plenty of windows. Helicopters though, could be a little troublesome. There were windows in the twin rotor helicopter they were heading home in, but none were near any of the seats provided. The crew didn’t like him standing in front of a window for the entire journey, but Jaimie didn’t care much about whether they didn’t like it. He didn’t pace or anything, he just stood with his face to the glass.
“Alright Jaimie ?” Asked Olie. “At least it’s not a long haul…..We’ll soon be in the village.”
“Yeah……I’ll be fine, once we’re on the ground.” Said Jaimie. “Hey, have you got your phone on you ?”
“No, why ?” Asked Olie.
“Look……Look at the woods we’re flying over.” Said Jaimie. “You’ll want a few pictures of it.”
A bit loud, he was still feeling a bit nervous and generally edgy. A few people were looking out of the row of small windows. They were halfway home, which meant they were flying over the wetlands, the mixture of jungle and woodlands to the west of the Yago Plantation.
“I still don’t……….Crap, that thing is huge.” Said Olie.
“Do you see it now ?” Asked Jaimie.
“Yes……I see it.” Shouted Olie. “That brute has to be the biggest yet.”
Just about every window had several people, trying to see out of it. Most had phones capable of taking reasonable pictures, while a few had expensive professional quality cameras. In the trees below them was one of the lizard type creatures. It was big, maybe fully grown…..Jaimie hoped it was and wasn’t likely to get any bigger. Strangely it still looked slightly comical, as it crashed its way through the trees. If Jaimie had realised, he was looking at the adult, fully grown form of Rocky.
“I don’t like to worry anyone.” Said Julian. “But…….That monster is heading in the direction of the village.”
“Nahhh, it’ll stop somewhere before it gets there.” Someone said.
“The special operations cops are guarding the village.” Said Jess.
“Yeah…….The plantation and village will be safe.” Added Jaimie. “Bound to be.”
~ ~
© Ed Cowling ~ September 2025
