The Legend of Barnaby
By the time the tour group returned to the base camp that evening, the story of the rebellious gorilla had already spread among the rangers. It turned out Barnaby was famous for his antics.
“He grew up around the research teams,” the head ranger explained over a cup of hot coffee. “He thinks he’s one of you. He copies the hand gestures he sees the younger tourists making when they think we aren’t looking.”
“So he knew exactly what he was telling me,” Bob laughed, looking down at his clean, sparkling wedding ring.
“Oh, absolutely,” the ranger smiled. “He thinks it’s a human greeting. Either that, or he just really dislikes cameras.”
Bob looked back at the digital screen on his camera. The image was flawless. The sharp focus captured every detail of Barnaby’s expressive face—the slight smirk, the intelligent, mischievous gleam in his eyes, and that perfectly extended middle finger pointing straight at the viewer against the lush, green backdrop of the African jungle.
“Are you going to enter it into the wildlife photography competition?” Sarah asked, leaning over his shoulder.
“Are you kidding? It would win first place for personality alone,” Bob smiled, saving the file to three different backup drives. “I think I’ll title it ‘The Critic’.”
The Forest Remembers
Late that night, long after the tourists had gone to sleep and the sanctuary gates were locked, the deep jungle remained alive with the sounds of the night. High up in the safety of the nesting trees, Barnaby curled up against a sturdy branch, watching the distant lights of the ranger station flicker through the leaves. 🐒
He looked down at his empty hand, flexing his fingers in the moonlight. He didn’t have the shiny silver ring anymore, and his father had made sure he knew his place, but the young ape felt a distinct sense of victory.
He had made the loud, hairless giants run, scream, and fall in the dirt. And tomorrow, he knew, another van would arrive with more cameras, more bright hats, and more opportunities to show the world exactly what he thought of them.
