After thanking the hog Neema clambered silently to a spot next to Jambo and saw that they were above a road. By the side of the road was a burnt-out lorry and for one sickening moment she thought the children had been burnt. Then she followed Jambo along a broad branch stretching right across the road and linking with the trees on the other side. There, a few yards into the forest on the far side, was a small clearing in which a second lorry was parked. Around the clearing she could see leopards in the trees. They looked at her, but made no move either to threaten her or to pay homage to her. Then she heard voices and there in the clearing, sitting on a log and eating bananas, she saw a boy and a girl. As she inched nearer she realised they were speaking in English. She had no idea that she was gazing at her own sister and cousin. She called down:
‘Hello there!’
The children, startled, looked up and Sarah squealed in delight.
‘It’s Lucy!’ she shouted. ‘How did her hair get so long!’ And she and Ben jumped up and ran under the tree in which Neema was sitting. As they did so she felt something emanating from beyond them that she had never experienced before. It was similar to communication with the animals but much stronger and somehow pleasant and joyous and lovely. She shook her head and focused back on the children, smiling down at their upturned, joyful faces.
‘Who’s Lucy?’ she asked. The children laughed, and then their mirth turned to puzzlement as they realised from the girl’s expression that the question was genuine.
‘What do you mean?’ asked Sarah.
‘I’m Neema,’ said the girl in the tree. ‘Who are you? And who’s Lucy?’
‘I’m Lucy!’ The voice came from the other side of the clearing behind the children who spun round and then ran squealing with shrieks of delight into Lucy’s arms. Even as she hugged them she looked up into the tree and her mouth fell open. The girl in the tree was a mirror image of herself. As Ben and Sarah detached themselves and rushed to greet Clare and Clive, Lucy realised that the intense sensation she was experiencing had its source in the other girl who was now clambering down to the ground. Soon they stood looking at each other and an awed silence fell upon the scene as the bonobos stopped chattering and the birds paused in their song. Clive and Clare, their arms around the younger children, stood and gazed at the two girls, identical in height and shape, as they faced one another. Both turned down the “beacons” in their brains as the prodigious energy they felt radiating from the other threatened to overwhelm them. ‘Hi, I’m Lucy,’ repeated the Promised One. ‘Lucy Bonaventure.’
‘Bonaventure!’ gasped the Special One. The contents of her grandfather’s desk came flooding back to her. ‘You were born here – near here – in Salonga?’ she stammered. Lucy nodded, utterly bewildered. How on earth did this girl know where she had been born? ‘I am Neema – Neema… Bonaventure,’ said the other. ‘And I think… I think I’m your twin sister!’
Lucy felt faint. She sat down on the log where Sarah and Ben had been sitting and patted the space next to her.
‘You’d better tell us everything,’ she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. The others, speechless, came over and sat round the pair in a circle. Neema told them about her childhood and the discovery one day of her “grandpa’s” file. She could remember the letter almost word for word. She then told them of her discovery that she could speak to animals.
‘I’ve never told anyone about it before,’ she said, ‘but I can see that you’ve all been through this already.’ Lucy, Clare and Clive all nodded. Sarah and Ben looked puzzled and Clare leant over and whispered that she would tell them everything later. Neema then told them about the arrest of her family, her escape into the jungle with the bonobos and the story of how she had come to find the children. When she had finished Clare got up, gave her a long hug and kissed her.
‘You really must be our sister.’ she said. ‘This is a wonderful day for us all.’ There was much hugging and weeping and kissing as they explained to Neema who they all were, then Lucy said she would tell Neema her story.
‘First,’ she said turning to Ben and Sarah with a kindly and somewhat regretful smile, ‘I must tell you that some of this story will be a surprise for you. We were going to tell you the family secret when you were a bit older, but you now know so much already it would be unfair not to tell you the whole story.’ So then, as Lucy told Neema her tale, Sarah and Ben heard everything about Lucy and the animals and all kinds of things that had puzzled them over the last two years suddenly became clear. When Lucy had finished Clare then told Neema and the children all that had happened in the last few days. Suddenly Neema gasped.
‘Your parents! …my parents…our parents.! They must be the people the bonobos told me about. I didn’t tell you that bit as I didn’t realise it was important.’ She then told them of the couple who went to her cabin every day in Salonga and called her name.
‘But why would they be looking for you?’ asked Clive, with puzzled frown. ‘They don’t know about you.’
‘Of course they know about her!’ interrupted Clare with a laugh. ‘She’s their daughter! We’re the ones who didn’t know about her. For some reason they must have decided to come here to look for her. Our African holiday was obviously just an excuse for the trip, but they didn’t tell us the whole story in case they couldn’t find her.’ They all fell silent as they thought about what she had said, then nodded in turn. It made perfect sense. Neema was the first to break the silence:
‘I must send them a note and tell them I’m OK.’ She paused. ‘Oh, sorry,’ she said, ‘I’d better explain. I’ve found I can send notes using the animals.’
Clare, Clive and Lucy looked at each other and smiled.
‘Been there, done that,’ said Clare with a grin, and then explained to Neema how their lives had been saved by Lucy’s animal notes on more than one occasion.
‘Now,’ said Neema, ‘about this note to…,’ she hesitated, ‘…Mum and Dad.’ She smiled. ‘Funny – that’s the first time I’ve ever been able to say that. Or…,’ she frowned and looked at the others, ‘…or should it be “Mummy and Daddy” – or “Mother and Father”?’ They all laughed and Clare said,
‘Whatever. They’ll be so pleased to hear from you, you could call them anything.’ Neema pulled a pencil and paper from the belt round her waist.
I’ve met up with Lucy and the others. Everyone is OK. Stay in Salonga. Keep visiting the cabin every day and we’ll all come and join you.
Lots of Love
Neema (Grace in English).
X X X X”
She showed the note to the others. ‘Do you want to add anything? Oh, and by the way I’ve decided to call myself Grace from now on. It means the same as Neema, and if I’m going to rejoin my family I think I should have an English name.’
They all scrawled their initials with a kiss and then Grace folded the note, tucked it into a palm husk and gave it to a bonobo. She adopted the expression Clive and Clare had seen so often on Lucy’s face when talking to animals and they exchanged a smile. For Lucy the experience was even more fascinating for she could actually hear Grace giving her instructions to the ape. She told Grace after the ape had swung off and they both giggled.
‘We’ll have to have a pact to filter each other out when we’re together,’ said Grace,‘so we don’t know what the other’s thinking.’
‘It’s a deal,’ said Lucy, grinning, but they both knew that they shared a power that would be extraordinarily useful in the future.
‘Look,’ said Clive. ‘We’ve got lots and lots to talk about. Why don’t we set up camp, make a proper meal and sort out what happens next?’
They all readily agreed to this and set about preparing for a reunion barbeque. Clive drove the Land Rover off the road into the bush so as not to attract any unwelcome visitors and after a wonderful dinner they sat round the fire on logs and camp chairs from the lorry and started to swap stories.
‘Let’s hear from you and Ben first,’ said Clare to Sarah. ‘I’m dying to know what really happened.’
The children told them everything from first seeing the lion cub until finally seeing Grace in the tree. They interrupted and corrected each other constantly as they babbled excitedly about their adventure, and the others were fascinated by their tale.
‘So you really did nearly get eaten by lions,’ said Clive,‘and the men really did save you. I wonder what made them decide so quickly to kidnap you rather than hand you in to the park rangers?’
‘Well they were obviously poachers,’ said Clare. ‘We know that from what Sarah and Ben have told us about all their guns and stuff.’
‘True,’ said Clive, ‘but they could still have dumped the children in a town or somewhere safe without identifying themselves. And why have they crossed three countries and come into the depths of the jungle? It’s almost as though they’ve another mission and took the children along as an insurance policy – to use them as hostages to get out of a police trap, for instance.’
‘I think that they are doing something special,’ said Ben excitedly. ‘The professor kept talking to Sid about exact locations and stuff and they were always looking at the map. Sometimes with a big magnifying glass.’
‘The professor?’ Clive interrupted. During their story the children had been referring to him as Luke. ‘So Luke is a professor?’ The children looked at each other in amusement and nodded. Clive looked at Clare and Lucy. ‘Tell us a bit more about him.’
‘He’s had all kinds of exciting adventures in the Amazon,’ said Ben, ‘– and he’s got a massive scar on his head where he got hit by a plane as he escaped from a tiger.’
‘– or leopard or whatever,’ corrected Sarah. ‘Oh,’ she continued, ‘and he and Sid and Fred were always talking about someone called Chopper.’
‘…and Sam,’ added Ben.
‘Oh my God,’ whispered Clive. He clutched his head between his hands. ‘It’s got to be him, hasn’t it?’ Clare and Lucy nodded.
‘I take it this is someone you know and don’t much care for,’ said Grace, hesitant to seem to be interrupting.
‘It’s a long, long, story,’ said Clare. ‘Clive and I never met Sid and Fred but we know the professor and Lucy can fill you in on the others.’ She looked at Sarah and Ben. ‘You’ve learned a lot of new things today and, I’m afraid, you’re about to learn some more. She was about to tell Grace and the children about their adventures in South America when Clive lifted up his head and interrupted.
‘Sorry, Clare, I’ve just got to ask Ben and Sarah something before they hear what you’re going to say.’ The children looked curious.
‘In all the time you spent with the professor,’ he asked, ‘did you notice anything… funny about him. Did he do anything like …magic tricks?’
The children thought.
‘Well, he kept suddenly disappearing,’ said Ben ‘–but we thought it was because he was a coward, not a conjuror.’
‘– and there was that weird footprint in front of the snake,’ said Sarah, ‘that was more like a conjuring trick.’ Clive groaned.They had said enough.
‘I can’t believe it,’ he said despairingly. ‘The ******* has somehow got hold of another robe. We’ve got to stop him or heaven knows what will happen!’
‘Sorry to seem stupid,’ said Grace, ‘but what on earth are you talking about?’
‘Let me start right from the beginning,’ said Lucy who had been silent so far, ‘and unbelievable though it may sound, all will become clear.’ They sat until almost dawn over the dying embers of the fire, listening to each other’s tales and discussing their future plans, then collapsed in the lorry to sleep, exhausted after one of the most extraordinary days in their extraordinary lives.
They rose late the next day and the bonobos brought them a “brunch” of delicious and exotic fruits. After they had eaten they put their new plans straight into action. First Lucy and Grace stood in the middle of the clearing and called the animals. Lucy had lent Grace some clean clothes from her bag in the Land Rover and Clare had cut her hair and given her some shampoo. They now stood alongside each other looking like peas out of a pod. Clare nudged Clive and whispered:
‘If anyone had any doubts about Grace’s letter, they wouldn’t have them any longer looking at those two, would they?’ Clive grinned and agreed. The two “special ones” had decided the previous night that rather than “share the throne” and risk confusion, Grace would remain affiliated to the “Greater World” and Lucy to the “Lesser World”, but they would make it clear that they acted in unison in all things.
As they called out together a vast procession of animals appeared from the dense and seemingly impenetrable undergrowth. Forest elephants, hippos and pygmy cape buffaloes jostled for space among giant forest hogs, red river hogs, bongos, okapi and crocodiles. In and around their hooves and feet clustered countless smaller animals: duikers, pangolins, otters, jackals, cervals, golden cats, mongooses, civets and porcupines. Leopards appeared in the trees, surrounded by pottos, tree pangolins and monkeys of every size and shape. Snakes and various reptiles slithered and crawled to every spare spot and birds of every description appeared, from bustards and buzzards to peafowl and parrots. At the centre, closely surrounding the girls, was a cluster of bonobos. Clare, Clive and the younger children stood in amazement at the sight. They had no concept that such a bewildering number and variety of species could possibly exist in the immediate locality and Sarah and Ben, seeing Lucy’s power in action for the first time, were completely overawed. Grace was the first to speak to the assembled throng:
‘Welcome all ye creatures of the forest. I have great tidings for thee. The Promised One of the Lesser World is here and she is my sister, born in the same brood.’ She put her arm round Lucy. ‘You have all waited countless moons for us to come and now we start to restore the ancient ways. First there is to be harmony between the creatures of the Greater World and the Lesser World which will, henceforth, be called the Inner World and the Outer World. Animals will, of course, chase and kill and eat each other as they have done since the beginning of time. The clawkin devours the clovenkin and the great eat the small. This is right and has always been so. But there must be no distinction henceforth between the junglekin and those outside. The junglekin will speak once again the common tongue when they meet with those who know not the forest tongue and there is to be no strife between the two worlds.’ Then Lucy spoke.
‘Hearken all ye denizens of the Inner World. I too desire that the ancient enmity between the Inner and Outer Worlds should end.’ She held her arms outstretched in front of her and the two eagles she had brought with her fluttered down on to her wrists. ‘See, I now send the raptoquills yonder to the Outer World to proclaim peace. The tuskikin, the greatkine, the manefang and the Dreadful Ones who even now gather in great multitudes to slaughter the junglekin will now return to the plains and mountains and swamps whence they came.’ She lifted her arms and the eagles flew up above the canopy, then separated, one to bear the message to the north and west, the other to the south and east. A wave of sound rippled through the assembled junglekin as the animals growled and grunted and chattered in approbation. Then Grace spoke to them again.
‘Now go quickly and tell all thy kin these tidings. And you –,’ she looked up at the canopy, ‘– you jungle fledgiquills must fly with haste to the edges of our kingdom, as do the raptoquills, and tell the junglekin to leave in peace those who now turn away to return to the plains and swamps.’ There was a clatter of wings as dozens of birds of every description took off and flew in every direction.Then Jambo spoke.
‘The legends that our mothers spoke of have come true, and we are fortunate indeed to see this day. Now go all of thee, and do the will of the Special Ones.’ The animals dispersed with surprising rapidity and Clare grinned.
‘It’s going to be fun for the next few weeks listening to all the animal and climate experts telling us exactly why all the animals suddenly decided to turn round and go back this morning.’ They all laughed.
Lucy then took Sarah and Ben to the Land Rover to see the bees and snakes that had protected them on their forest journey.
‘I bet our snakes are bigger than yours,’ said Ben as they went, and they all laughed.
As soon as the younger ones were out of earshot Clare turned to Clive, who had been looking pensive ever since his conversation with Sarah and Ben about the professor.
‘OK, come on,’ she said, ‘what’s on your mind?’ He gave a rueful smile.
‘That obvious, is it? Well we had to discuss it soon and it may as well be now.’ He was about to continue when Clare interrupted.
‘It’s all right, I can guess. You want to go and find him don’t you?’ Clive gave a resigned shrug.
‘I don’t think we have any option. He’s obviously got an invisibility robe and as long as he’s got it he’s a danger, not just to us but to anyone in the world. The power it confers on him is simply unimaginable – and we’re probably the only people who can succeed in getting it off him. We’re the only ones who know he’s got it, for a start, and only somebody with Lucy’s power could hope to go up against him, with any chance of winning. This has got to be the best – probably only – chance of anyone stopping him.’ Clare nodded slowly.
‘You’re right of course,’ she said, ‘and we’ll need Lucy, but I don’t want the younger ones involved in this in any way.’
‘I agree absolutely,’ said Clive. ‘I was thinking about this during the night and I think we should split up. If you’re happy for Grace to look after Sarah and Ben, she could take them back to your mum and dad at Salonga, while we go with Lucy to sort out the professor.’ Clare thought this was a good plan and over coffee she and Clive discussed it with Lucy and Grace, while Sarah and Ben played with the bonobos. Soon Grace called the pair over.
‘Now I know you two have had a pretty dull time recently,’ she said mischievously. ‘How do fancy coming with me for a really exciting adventure?’ A few moments later a delighted Sarah and Ben, each with a rucksack, were sitting astride okapis. Grace, revelling in the company of her new-found family, called the bonobos together and the expedition set off on the jungle journey to Salonga – a magical experience that Sarah and Ben would both remember in vivid detail for the rest of their lives.