Movement from higher up the tree made me look up, and I was relieved to spot the second bird. None of us moved as we watched the two juvenile Potoo birds inch their descent. As the lowest bird reached my shoulder level, it turned its head to look at me, and suddenly I was staring into two bright yellow eyes that were very curious. I could feel our baby girl moving excitedly in my tummy.
“This is the coolest moment in my life ever!” April breathed.
“You like animals?” Abigail asked quietly.
“Yes, I’ve always loved animals,” she answered, “That’s one of the reasons I hated being in care because I couldn’t have a pet,” she said sadly.
“We love animals too, and we had lots of pets,” Abigail told her, “no wonder you’ve fitted in so well with us all. You were meant to be our sister.”
“Thank you, sis,” April said a little tearfully.
I didn’t need to look behind me to know that April had tears streaming down her face, and she was probably in Abigail’s arms having a hug.
The Potoo bird squawked again, but this time, its squawk was at me as if it was trying to communicate with me. I trusted my instincts and my baby girl, as I raised my arm to offer it my forearm to mount. Without hesitation, the bird hopped from the tree and landed on my arm. He or she was a beautiful bird, and as it sat on my arm, its head began to tilt sideways, one way then the other as if it was sizing me up.
Not being able to resist; I raised my other hand, and I started to stroke the Potoo bird from its head to its tail. It raised its head, which made me realize that it was enjoying the attention.
“The other bird is coming closer, baby; you need to place that one in the box quick,” James told me, snapping me out of the affectionate moment.
If I hadn’t known how valuable and limited our time was, I might have been pissed off. However, I knew that we had to act quickly, and I gave myself a proverbial kick up the butt.
When I turned around, one of the red-headed angels raised a hand to me and then opened the container box he was carrying. I walked over slowly, so as to not scare the bird, and I continued to stroke down its body while telling it that everything was going to be fine. The bird was calm, but when I tried to place it inside the box, it didn’t want to go in.
Instead, the bird literally walked its way up my arm until it was resting its head against my breasts. I was so taken back by the look of affection in its bright yellow eyes that I instinctively brought up my other hand to hold it. James cleared his throat as if to say, ‘get on with its woman,’ and again, I told myself off while giggling.
“You have to go into the box, little one, the monsters are coming, and we have to keep you safe,” I told the Potoo bird, “I will come and see you when I can,” I added as I stroked it again.
I had no clue if the bird understood a word I said, but I think it sensed what I was saying. So, when I tried again; this time, it allowed me to place it inside. As I stood up, the angel closed the door on the container, and he instantly vanished.
“Ok, let’s get the other one,” I said, feeling a bit more business-like.
I walked back over to the tree as the other Potoo made its way down. It was slightly smaller than the first, but there was still no way to tell if it was male or female. It was certainly a lot more sure of itself as it reached me, hopping straight into my arm and affectionately rubbing its head against my bare skin.
“Affectionate little thing, aren’t you,” I told it.
I walked straight over to the next waiting angel with her hand raised, and she smiled as I placed the bird inside the box. In a second, the angel and bird were gone. I walked over to James, who was grinning from ear to ear.
“I’m actually quite jealous that you’re getting to do this, baby,” James said, feigning sad puppy eyes.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him tightly as I knew that he really was disappointed. James was always the biggest animal lover between us all, which is why he wanted to be a vet now.
“I’m sorry, James; I know it’s not fair, but it’s not me, remember; it’s the baby,” I reminded him. “So, when the baby is born; it’s going to be something that you can both share together. A daddy and daughter thing,” I added.
Abruptly, his eyes lit up as my words registered.
“Wow, I didn’t even think of that,” he said, suddenly excited.
He turned his head to look at April.
“April did you hear that!” He asked her, “We’re going to be able to look after the animals with your new baby sister,” he said, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
I knew he’d said that to April to make sure she knew she was included, and I loved him for it, and so did our baby girl, who was now wriggling like crazy. Pulling back from James, I placed my hand on my bump, and I could feel our daughter’s anticipation.
“I think something else is coming,” I said aloud.
All of us stood still and stayed silent as we looked for the slightest movement and listened for the tiniest sound. Before long, we could hear twigs breaking on the rainforest floor and rustling of leaves as something moved through the vegetation. As it neared, it definitely sounded like a larger creature.
When the animals broke through the undergrowth, we all nearly took a step back. There were two of them, and they were the strangest animals I’d ever seen. It was as if Mother Nature couldn’t decide whether to make a zebra or giraffe, so she did half and half.
Their thick zebra-shaped bodies and large ears were a deep brown, which lightened as the sun hit, but their legs, from their bodies down to their hooves, were striped just like zebras. Just like the Potoo birds; they also looked like juveniles. They didn’t seem as timid as the birds and the slightly bulkier one huffed and scraped at the ground, not in an aggressive way but more of a hello.
James and the kids came closer to me, moving slowly so as not to frighten the creatures.
“What are these animals called?” I asked as I reached out a hand to the closet one.
“They are called Okapi,” Christik told us all.
“They are so cool,” Harrison said as he inched closer to the other Okapi.
I was half expecting the Okapi to back away, but there was no fear in them at all.
“They aren’t afraid of us like I thought they would be,” I said as I turned to James.
Evest glided forward to stand next to James and me.
“There are no predators here as yet, so these creatures have nothing to fear,” Evest explained, “When we repopulate an animal kingdom, we always release the insects first, then the birds and plant eaters. When they are thriving, we then release the meat-eaters.
“That way, nature is in balance and stands the best chance of success,” Lindaz added.
“Well, that makes sense,” I told them.
I took another step forward and started to stroke the Okapi before me, and its coat felt similar to a horse, only softer and thicker. Harrison followed my example and did the same. Before long, we were all petting the Okapi, and they certainly liked the affection we were showing them, especially the large male that I was petting.
“As much as I’m enjoying this, we need to get them in their boxes,” I said.
I could feel our baby beginning to get anxious as we were wasting time.
“Come on, boy, come with me,” I said, as I beckoned the male by clicking my fingers.
As I walked towards the angels with the largest containers; the male Okapi started to follow, and then the smaller female began to follow us both. Once the male gingerly entered his box, the female got into hers and, apart from a slight huff, they settled quite quickly. The angels disappeared before our eyes.
Within a couple of hours, we had ten different animals already boxed and taken, and we were just waiting for the last two, which were Capybaras, to get into the containers. Apparently, they weren’t very keen, and Evest ended up using his power to gently persuade them from their rears.
All the animals had been very st
range looking compared to what we were used to, and the Capybaras were no exception. They almost looked like giant guinea pigs with longer legs, and the girls thought they were very cute.
When both of the Capybaras were boxed and taken, we all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. This was short-lived when we remembered that this was just the first location. Our baby girl had settled once the last two animals had been taken, and it was quite a relief for me. I was starting to feel quite drained as the excitement was wearing off.
“On to the next,” Christik said as she waved her arm toward the waiting craft.
James walked over to me and wrapped his arm around my waist.
“You both did a great job, beautiful,” he said as he kissed my cheek.
“I think it was all this little one,” I told him while tapping my bump, “she certainly knows her own mind already.”
As we boarded the craft, our kids were all talking about the animals and which ones they liked the best. April was still full of excitement and was asking the elders about not only the animals we’d seen but also creatures on other planets that they’d been too.
The elders began to describe some of the creatures to the kids as Christik connected to the craft and began to take off. I tried to keep up with the conversations between the elders and our kids, but I was so drained already from what we had done and the nightmare I’d had that my eyes became heavy, and as soon as I rested my head on James’ shoulder, I was gone.
I didn’t wake until James very gently stroked my face and softly called my name. It took me a couple of minutes to wake up properly and get my bearings again, remembering that I was still on the craft. I sat up and looked around, and I saw that all eyes were on me. I felt a little embarrassed, but the sleep had done me a world of good.
“Was I snoring?” I asked, suddenly aware that my mouth was really dry.
“No baby, you weren’t snoring,” James said, rather unconvincingly.
Out of the corner of my eye; I could see the kids all nodding.
“Liar,” I scolded him with a giggle, “I really need a drink and maybe some food before we start again. How long before we land?” I asked.
“We are already here, Mel,” Lindaz said with a smile, “We can eat before we disembark.”
“The animals will be making their way to you already,” Nalik added, “They could probably sense you and your daughter as soon as we got close to the area.”
The angels with their usual thoroughness had stored both food and drinks on board before we’d left the main craft. To be honest, food and drinks for the journey hadn’t even entered my mind, as I’d been so concerned with saving the animals and making sure the bad dream didn’t become a reality.
I was very grateful to the angels for being so thoughtful because I knew that if I was hungry, then the kids would be ravenous, especially the boys.
We all ate and drank our fill, and I felt so much better after eating. I could feel my energy levels rising, and I was ready to start again. The kids were raring to go as well, which was good. Thank goodness, we were a family of animal and nature lovers.
“So, where have we landed?” I asked as we finished the last of the drinks.
“We are now in India,” Christik said as she put away the trays and cups, “we have six animals here to collect.”
“I always wanted to travel when I was older, but I didn’t expect it to be like this,” Anthony said to Christik with a smile.
“I am pleased that you are all able to experience this,” Christik told him, “I believe the first two animals are arriving,” she added.
Knowing that two of the animals had already reached us had our butts moving. Christik opened the craft door, and we all quickly exited into another moist rainforest, and it was just as lush as the first. The temperature was different but not by much, and it was very dark. I couldn’t tell if it was late at night or early morning. Six angels were there waiting for us with their containers ready, and all dipped their head in welcome.
Just as we were about to reciprocate the gesture, something big glided through the air straight at me. Not knowing what it was, I instinctively turned my body and raised my arms to shield my face. I couldn’t help the loud shriek as I felt it land on my raised arms, and I heard James and the kids yell and shriek too.
When I started to wonder why no one was coming to my rescue, the giggling started. I turned my head to whatever it was that was clung to my arms, just as the giggling turned to belly laughter.
“Mel, you seem to have a big flying squirrel on you,” James said through his laughter.
I was suddenly eye to big beady eye with the flying squirrel, and it began to rub the side of its face on my hand. I couldn’t help but smile at the squirrel; it looked so content to be near me. Rustling in the nearest trees made me act quickly. I wanted to be prepared for the next flying squirrel. I quickly walked over to the green-haired angel, who had her hand raised and her container open ready. I’d literally just managed to get the flying squirrel inside the box when the other decided it would glide through the air and land right on my back.
“Oh, my god!” I shrieked when I felt it land on me with a thud.
I could feel its front paws gripping around my neck and its back legs splaying across my back. The kids and James were laughing so hard that I was surprised they could still breathe. I straightened myself up and looked at the female angel, whose container I’d just closed with the first squirrel inside. She looked at me with a face that was trying to be serious, and she was definitely trying not to laugh too.
In good humor, I raised my eyebrows, and I tried not to laugh myself. I turned around with a serious face and glared at James and the kids with the squirrel still attached on my back. It was starting to nuzzle into my hair; surprisingly gentle considering how large it was.
“So, you think it’s funny, do you?” I said firmly, glaring at them in turn.
Abruptly, they all stopped and looked at me like they were all deer caught in car headlights. I couldn’t hold my laughter in any longer.
“Ahhh, I got you!” I said through my laughter.
The look of relief washed over their faces, and then the laughter came again.
“Mom, you had us worried for a minute there,” Anthony said, through his giggles.
“I know, honey, I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist,” I told him, “Can you remove the squirrel, so we can put it inside the container?”
Straightaway, Anthony and Harrison came to my rescue, gently detaching the squirrel, who seemed most put out. I stroked the squirrel’s ear before Anthony put it inside the next box. Both angels vanished with smiles on their faces.
Before long, we had managed to retrieve all six animals, and we were back on the craft to the next location. Between us, we had rescued two lion-tailed macaque monkeys and two purple frogs, as well as the two flying squirrels. The purple frogs were the most unattractive frogs I’d ever seen, but James, Anthony and Harrison thought they were very cool.
We were feeling really proud of ourselves as we traveled to the next location. It was amazing to see and handle so many different animals that we wouldn’t have probably seen under normal circumstances, let alone met in person. As we travelled, I could feel a sense of pride forming, ‘We are doing an amazing thing right now,’ I thought.
Chapter 8
It felt as if we had only just taken off and when we seemed to be descending again. ‘Surely we can’t be at the next location already,’ I thought, as we all looked at each other; obviously, we were all thinking the same thing.
“We must have been quite close to the next place,” James said, with his eyebrows raised.
“That's good,” I told him with a smile, “it means we’ll get our task completed sooner.”
I should have known that we were already arriving; our baby was already starting to do flips, and I could sense her anxiety level going up. ‘Don’t worry, baby girl; it's not going to take long,’ I assured her as the craft landed softly.<
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“Which country are we in now?” April asked.
Her eyes were filled with excitement. In fact, James and all the kids had the same excited look in their faces.
“I believe we are now in China,” Evest told her. “We always had a good relationship with your ancient Chinese ancestors,” he explained.
Christik’s glow was beginning to dim as the craft started to power down, and the vines were quickly receding back where they came from before disappearing completely.
“The Chinese had the utmost respect for their country and the natural balance of nature. It was a great shame that they let their leaders slaughter your creatures for vanity,” Lindaz added. “So many creatures were killed for their body parts because of false beliefs that they were medicinal. No one needed those body parts apart from the animals they belong too.”
“We could not agree with you more, Lindaz,” I told her, “that is something none of us could understand, especially when scientists could prove there was no benefit.”
“We will make sure that it never happens again,” James told the elders.
His face was so serious that I knew he’d make it his life’s mission to protect the animals, and I also knew that I’d be right by his side. In fact, we would all by his side as we all felt the same way.
The elders both dipped their heads to James in respect.
“We know you will, James,” Evest said.
“Are we ready?” Christik asked everyone as she glided towards the craft door.
“Born ready!” The kids all said in unison.
They all looked at each other with smiles on their faces. Even Nalik and Christine had said it at the same time. All of a sudden, the craft was full of laughter. Anthony clapped Nalik on the back as he stood from his seat.
The Marilians Page 8
