Monkey Island

George floated to shore. Anna Jane patted his stomach.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Meep!” George said. Anna Jane climbed off the creature. Everyone else followed behind. It felt good to be on land. Anna Jane stretched her arms above her head.

“Ah! It feels good to be on land!” she said. The squawking gulls above seemed to agree.

“There’s no one here,” Vivian said as she looked around.

“I wouldn’t be too sure,” Sgt. Ripley said.

“Huh?” the geisha asked. The sergeant pointed up at the distance. Sgt. Patel paused as he remembered his history of the islands. His eyes slowly widened.

“Everyone,” he said. “Be on your guard.” Sgt. Ripley turned to him.

“What do you mean?” she mouthed.

“Look,” he mouthed back. His eyes moved upwards. She looked up with him.

“Oh…” Sgt. Ripley said. Anna Jane turned her head.

“What?” she asked. The sergeants looked at each other. What should they do? Do they tell her?

“Is something wrong?” Logan asked. The sergeants didn’t speak. The children eyed them intently. Sgt. Patel lifted his chin.

“We’re in enemy territory,” he said.

“What?!” the kid asked.

“Who?” Vivian asked. Sgt. Patel tried to stay calm.

“The Monkey Army,” Sgt. Ripley said.

“They are a nasty piece of work,” Sgt. Patel added. “We can’t stay long.” Vivian and Logan looked at each other. Anna Jane had no emotion on her face.

“It’s fine,” she said. Everyone looked up at her.

“What are you saying?” Vivian asked.

“We will be fine,” the little girl said. “They won’t harm us. We’re supposed to be here.” She turned and walked into the woods.

“AJ!” Logan shouted.

“Meep!” George cried. She didn’t stop. She didn’t turn around. Anna Jane kept walking,

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She’s on the move! She’s on the move!

What should we do?

Keep watching.

What?

We don’t have time!

She’s killing us! She’s killing us!

I know.

So why?

No answer came. But they already knew why.

We will watch her for now. Some didn’t like this. But what choice do they have right now?

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The Panda Army is getting closer. They are brace for attack. Their commander stood at the front of the ship. His radio crackled to life.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“They’ve landed on the island,” the monkey commander said. “They are heading into the forest.” The panda commander grinned.

“Excellent,” he said. “We’re on the way.”

“We’ll keep tracking them,” the monkey commander said. “Over and out!” The radio clicked off.

“Roger!” the panda commander said. He placed his radio back by his side. The commander grinned to himself. The deserters and Chronus would all be his. The panda cackled to himself. His army pretended not to hear him.

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The monkeys knew about the guests on short. The army wanted to attack. Just one problem. Anna Jane and her friends were on the peaceful side of the island. They couldn’t attack there. The interlopers needed to leave that territory before they could act. How do they get them to the main part? There was one way. It would be a gamble, but they had to try. The panda army would be here any moment.

Meanwhile, an old monkey lady woke up in her hunt. She trained her ears to the silence. She smiled as she waited. Their journey would end here. And she was going to help them.