For what felt like hours, but was only twenty minutes, I enjoyed the treehouse. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of nature. The gentle breeze rustling the surrounding trees. The snorts of the surrounding hippos. I took a few deep breaths and tried to remember the last time I had smelled air so clean. Maybe when Pops took us on summer drives around his house in the country, too many years ago.
I opened my eyes and marveled at the clarity of the night. The land below me basked in the light of the full moon. I looked up and watched the twinkling stars. A shooting star shot past and I made a wish. The one that was lingering in my mind while I tried to pretend this was relaxing. That I’d make it through the night alive.
What was I thinking coming out here by myself? Pride. Stubbornness. Stupidity. Even if Dr. Higgins hadn’t died, by the hand of hyenas or by a person, I would have been scared here by myself. Miles away from anyone, who could relax? Even with Charlotte, I don’t think I would have enjoyed this. But others must enjoy this solitude, because the lodge charged a lot of money for the experience. The travel agent had been immensely excited when the lodge threw it in at no charge.
I climbed into bed, pulling the netting securely behind me. Fully clothed and laying on top of the covers, I told myself it was time to sleep. A bug—who knows what it was, other than ugly and scary—flew into the netting and latched on. A few of his friends joined him and I missed the four walls that should surround me when I sleep.
Looking to my left, I saw the phone and the walkie-talkie on the night table. Close but not close enough. I tapped the mosquito netting a few times and the bugs flew away. I reached out of the netting and grabbed the phone and the walkie-talkie. On the lower shelf, I saw a flashlight. I grabbed that too and closed the netting before anything could fly in.
Lying in the middle of the bed, I pulled the phone and walkie-talkie close to my side. The flashlight I clutched at my chest.
Adrenaline—or fear?—had me wide awake. The winds started to pick up, causing the lit lanterns to sway. I wondered how secure they were. Could they fall and set the treehouse on fire?
I looked at the phone and thought about calling reception to ask. They probably had a pool going for how long I’d be out here before I called for help. I considered taking the lanterns down but figured that would only get them closer to the wood floor, which the flames could ignite. Another gust of wind shook the lanterns.
I wondered if a storm was coming. What would I do if it rained? The mosquito netting wouldn’t keep me dry. Or worse, what would I do if there was a thunderstorm? Trees were lightning rods and I was among the tallest target in the area.
I’d arrived here thinking the killer on the loose was my biggest concern. Now, nature was after me too.
In just twenty minutes, I had envisioned my death via fire, lightning strike, huge disgusting insects smothering me, wild animal, and of course, by the hand of the killer on the loose.
I surveyed the sky and decided I didn’t think a storm was brewing. I scratched death by lightning off my list. I started to get out of bed to blow out the lanterns and check off death by fire from my mental list of fears.
But then I’d be left in the dark, the only light being the moon. I also didn’t want to open the netting again. Many different types of bugs were now collecting on the outside of the netting. An entomologist’s dream and my nightmare. I did not want to open that netting again for fear a bug, or all of them, would enter. Then where would I sleep?
None of the options sounded good and I looked at the phone again.
I bet Charlotte had started a pool with the fellow travelers. She’d probably started it the moment I left for the room. Her wager would have been I wouldn’t have gone at all, the rest betting at various times I’d call the lodge for help. I doubt anyone had me making it through the night.
Except me.
I dozed until I felt something gently shake the treehouse. I felt it again. It was on this floor. Very soft but perceptible.
It was the killer. He, or she, had come to get me. He must have overheard me talking to Charlotte, must have seen me sneaking out of Dr. Higgins room, must have seen me observing them and trying to decipher who the killer was.
I knew I’d locked the doors. But it was a simple latch that anyone could open.
I kept my eyes closed, pretended to sleep, until I hatched a plan.
In one quick movement, I jumped up and turned the flashlight on, hoping to blind the intruder. Nothing was hovering in front of the bed. I scanned to my left, in the direction of the stairs. Nothing. Something rustled to my right. I snapped to the right, aiming the light at the height I expected the killer’s eyes to be.
My “AHHH” was met with an equally loud shriek or whatever noise a monkey makes. It echoed through the night. I wondered if they heard me at the lodge.
I mumbled profanities and put the flashlight down. The monkey was trying to open the cooler, which I hadn’t fully secured after peeking inside it upon arrival.
I knew the dangers of the other wild animals on the trip—the rhinos who could ram you, the elephants who could charge at you, the crocodiles who would snap at you with those ferocious teeth. But the dangers of the monkeys I didn’t know. Could he carry rabies? Would he bite? Could he scratch me to death?
With a thin layer of netting between us, I didn’t want to agitate him and find out. This monkey called out. I heard monkeys return his call in the distance and I became more anxious. “This is not a party,” I told the lone intruder. “More like a 7-Eleven. Take your snacks and leave.” I put the flashlight back on him and shooed him away.
I was thankful when he left, bag of nuts in his hand. I counted to five. None of his friends had arrived, so I got up and closed the cooler. I double-checked the latch before returning to bed. At each entrance and exit, I closely held the netting firmly, ensuring no insects got into the bed. The flashlight had only drawn more insects to the area.
I lay back down on the bed, still waiting for the time when I would enjoy my complimentary treehouse experience. I closed my eyes and took five deep breaths in hopes of calming myself down. My breathing and heartbeat returned to normal and I opened my eyes.
I stared through the sheer mosquito netting up at the night’s sky. The winds had died down and there were no clouds in sight. The sky glittered with hundreds, thousands, of stars. The brilliance of the Milky Way, something I had never seen at home, shone above me.
Finally, I learned why someone would want to sleep outdoors in the African wilderness.
It was priceless.
I awoke to the lightening sky, a light pink starting to appear on the horizon. The first hints that night was leaving and the day was beginning.
The bugs were gone. The monkey hadn’t returned. The killer had never arrived. And I had never called for help. I had made it through the night.
I got up and saw again why someone would want to stay here. A hippo and its calf walked along the river’s bank. The pinks of the sun’s approaching rays were lighting their way.
I sat in one of the chairs and watched their progression until they were out of sight.
I enjoyed nature for what I thought was five minutes, but was really half an hour, until my ride arrived.
“Time to go,” Sonny yelled up.
“Do I have to?” I asked.
“Thank God you’re back!” Charlotte yelled as I opened our room door. She ran up to me and hugged me. “I’ve been up all night.”
I had five minutes until we had to meet at reception for our morning game drive. I had not budgeted time for a big reunion. I’d been gone less than twelve hours.
She pulled back and looked at me. “I was so worried about you.”
“I think you were worried about you too.” She was right. She hadn’t slept. Her eyes were puffy and red.
“Yes,” she admitted. “I…I think you’re right. I think Dr. Higgins was murdered.”
She glanced at her watch. “We have to go. We’ll talk about it after breakfast. Just act normal.” She grabbed her bag and made for the door. “Well, normal for you.”
I ran into the bathroom and did a quick wardrobe change. Fearing a nighttime visitor (or killer), I’d slept in my clothes. And I looked like it.
“Hurry up!” Charlotte yelled. I could hear her pacing back and forth.
I slathered on sunblock, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, without brushing it, and slapped on some lipstick. Not vacation photo ready but presentable.
She grabbed my arm as I left the bathroom and pulled me toward the door. There was a chair sitting next to the door. It usually sat by the desk.
“Did you sit by the door all night waiting for an intruder?” I asked. I looked around to see what she would have used to defend herself.
“No, I put it under the doorknob to block the door.”
I laughed. “That whole wall is glass,” I said, pointing to the far wall. “If someone wanted to get in they would have.”
She ignored me and we ran to reception.
We arrived just as Sonny was calling everyone out to the cruiser. I followed Charlotte and climbed in behind her. I started to sit next to her.
“No,” she hissed. She pushed me toward the last row. “We can’t sit together.” Lowering her voice, she added, “He’ll know.” I nodded and stood to move. “Or she. I don’t want to be sexist,” she added.
Now who was the paranoid sister? Two sisters sitting together was not suspicious, but I obliged and sat in the last row. Charlotte remained in the front. Normally, I would have been pleased to be away from her but I was intrigued. I wondered what had spooked her. Something had to have made her, one, change her mind and two, agree with me.
Sabrina climbed into the truck and sat next to me, followed by Zonah. I started to get up and waved at Zaden. “You can sit here,” I told him.
He had his earbuds in and didn’t hear me. Sabrina grabbed my arm, with more force than I expected. “Don’t worry. Just stay here.” Zaden sat next to Charlotte in the front. “Like your sister, I don’t think he wants to sit next to his family.”
Zonah stared at them. Was he jealous of his brother’s spot next to Charlotte?
I shrugged. I really didn’t care who I sat next to, as long as I could see the animals.
“All we do is love them and all they do is push you away. Am I right?” she said.
I looked at her, not knowing how to respond.
“Sorry, that’s a little deep this early in the morning.”
I smiled and nodded in agreement. Yes, that was way too deep for me before a cup of coffee and cavernous considering she was basically a stranger.
“You still love me though, right?” She kissed Zonah and mussed his hair. He gave a meek smile. I still couldn’t figure those two out. And that gave me the heebie-jeebies. If I went somewhere with my father, I couldn’t imagine someone thinking we were dating. Anyone could see based on our body language, how we spoke to each other, any number of ways that we not dating. Same with my brother.
Not once had I heard Zonah call Sabrina by her name or “aunt” or “mom.”
The cruiser jerked and I turned my mind to the stunning views.
Ray subtly guided Sonny through the seemingly endless dirt roads. We stopped and Sonny pointed to our right. “It’s a black rhino!”
Sabrina leaned toward me and whispered. “Is that different from the ones we saw yesterday?”
I shrugged. They looked the same to me. It wasn’t black, but a dark gray. Same as the ones yesterday. Two small birds, with taupe-colored bodies and red beaks, sat on the rhino, picking off insects off his tough hide. A symbiotic relationship, my sister would likely point out.
After snapping several photos, Geri turned around. “Yes, there’s two types of rhinoceros here. The black and the white. The black are almost extinct.” She said it with a disturbing amount of glee. “We’ve only seen a few of them on our other safaris. This is very exciting!”
She returned to facing forward and kissed Jack on his cheek. Like the rhino with birds on his back, he didn’t seem to notice. Geri settled back into her usual position, holding Jack’s hand.
It saddened me that this black rhino was near extinction. Geri’s glee seemed morbid. Did she have other morbid interests?
I also still couldn’t tell a difference between the two types. Charlotte couldn’t either and asked Sonny, “How are they different from the ones we saw yesterday?”
He pointed at the black rhino. “See the pointy upper lip. The white ones have more of a square lip.”
Charlotte nodded, as if she understood. I still couldn’t see it. I’d have to compare the photos later.
“They are considered critically endangered. I haven’t seen one in about a month,” Sonny continued, looking for confirmation to Ray, who nodded. “It looks prehistoric, doesn’t it?” Sonny asked.
During our game drives, most of the animals ignored us. Sonny had assured us that while we were in the four-by-four the animals considered us part of the landscape. But this one took notice of us. Maybe because Sonny pointed at him? I didn’t know.
An uneasy quiet came over us, until Charlotte asked, “Shouldn’t we leave?”
“No,” Sonny answered. “In the animal world, retreating is a sign of weakness. We have to stand our ground.”
The rhino continued his stare in our direction. Most of us stared back, unable to look away from an animal that weighed over a ton. He huffed and, to my horror, charged at us. Sabrina screamed and clutched my hand.
Sonny and Ray started yelling and clapping at the rhino. He stopped but continued his glare at us. He kicked dust up as he plotted out his next move.
“Can we go now?” Hazel asked.
“After everything, this is how I’m going to die,” Colin mumbled.
What did he mean by that? I wondered. The rhino snorted and I returned to our current peril.
“When he concedes, when he turns around, we can go,” Sonny told her. “Don’t worry. He’s more scared of us than we are of him.”
“I don’t think that’s true,” Sabrina mumbled. I agreed with her.
The rhino charged again and Ray and Sonny yelled at it again, this time in English and in other languages, words that I assumed also meant “Stop!”
It stopped once more and made a quick turnaround. A cloud of dust surrounded him. White air puffed out of his nostrils as he snorted. He shuffled from side to side, rousing more dust. His trumpeted ears wiggled front to back.
From only fifty feet away, he glared at us again before a final charge. Louder than before, Ray and Sonny yelled at it. After closing half the gap between us, the rhino turned and ran away. Sonny turned the cruiser on and took off.
While the rest of us caught our breath, Zaden marveled at his phone. “Cool,” he announced. “I got it all on video!”
“That was a little too life-or-death for me,” Sabrina said.
But that was what this vacation was becoming.