chapter two fo the Drew Oliver story

Copyright nclee October 2012
Chapter two The Drew Oliver Story







Alex closed the door of his bedroom behind him and heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately for him the cows and bull had been lying up beneath the far boundary fence and had not seemed to notice him at all as he picked his way carefully around the field edge to the gate. It was a good half mile back round by road to the front of his house and he had run into his mother in the hall.
Where have you been Alex?
She asked him in astonishment. I thought you were in the garden.
I was mumbled Alex. I er just popped out……. He trailed off lamely but fortunately she had lost interest.
What’s that smell she asked sniffing and looking around
Her eyes suddenly beamed in on him. You haven’t trod in anything have you she asked suspiciously Both Alex and his father had a tendency to find unsavoury things and tread in them often unknowingly, bringing them in to the house. It tended understandably to make them unpopular with his mother
No said Alex defensively though he was not at all sure
. He lifted up both shoes to show her.
Mmmmmm said his mother. Alex shoes were a little muddy but nothing worse seemed to be sticking to them.
It’s a real animal smell. Can’t you smell it
Alex thought for a bit
I ve been in the cow field Is that it?
His mother regarded him thoughtfully
Why?….. she began but then the phone rang and she headed off to answer it
Not cows she called back to him
Smells like the zoo
Alex froze and sniffed himself
Nothing from his shoes definitely but on the front of his jumper where he had climbed the fence with the stepladders was a smattering of dark and silver hair. He stroked the hairs off his jersey and held them to his nose. A fetid smell of male primate assailed his nostrils and he recoiled a little. It did, as his mother said smell like the primate house at the zoo. The movement reminded him of the sketchpad in the front of his waistband and he headed up to his room for some privacy. Sometimes he loved being an only child.

Once in his room he took out the sketch pad. It was plain on the front and just told him that it contained 150 leaves of paper for free hand drawing.
Alex flipped the first page. There were indentations on the page of what appeared to be a racing car. Boring thought Alex and moved on to the next page. This one had been scribbled over very hard and it was difficult to make out what was underneath the scribble, he turned to the next page and stopped again. This one was easier to see.
It was the indentation of a roughly drawn gorilla. Clearly full grown and male mostly black with a smattering of silver hairs on his chest. It seemed to be the gorilla that he had seen in the garden. Not that he was an expert on gorilla’s thought Alex. What was going on ? The boy hadn’t ripped out the drawing of the gorilla and made it bigger and that was what I saw was it?
No he thought remembering the expression in the eyes and the hairs on his jersey. It was definitely alive. Wasn’t a hologram or a computer-generated image projected on the fence. So what was it.?
Did the boy have a pet gorilla?
No thought Alex I’m sure you can’t keep a gorilla as a pet even in the country. They have to be in cages and things for safety. He was glad about this on the whole. His encounter with the gorilla the other side of the fence had been a bit too unnerving.
H e though of trying to ask the boy again, but remembering this morning’s encounter with him didn’t hold out much hope. He didn’t seem particularly friendly he thought. Then he remembered that he had startled him and how he didn’t like that much himself. He also recognised the look in the boy’s eye, It was how he felt when he had been caught out doing something he shouldn’t
Up to no good His mother called that look.
What is he up to? wondered Alex and knew he would have to find out somehow
Then he looked down at the sketchpad and remembered he had to all intents and purposes stolen it and gulped.
That wasn’t a good basis for getting someone to talk to you he thought.
copyright nc lee October 2012


end of chapter