“That’s fucking unbelievable,” said Nine.“I’ve known men that could make bird calls, ducks, that sort of thing but he’s actually mimicking everything those damn birds do, to the note.Maybe we should rename him Tarzan.”
“Brother, I hate to break this to you but I’m not sure any of these kids have ever even seen the animated version of Tarzan, let alone the movies we grew up on,” laughed Ghost.
“That’s true,” he nodded.“Still, I can’t help but feel as though we’re witnessing one of those miracles that are so rare, so strange, no one would believe us afterwards.”
“They are miraculous, aren’t they,” smiled Mama Irene.
“Are we talking the animals or the children?” smirked Gaspar.
“Both, smart ass.”
“Mama!You’re cussing an awful lot these days.Isn’t that against ghostly rules or something?”
“Don’t get fresh with me, Gaspar.I can haunt your dreams for the next fifty years if you’re not careful.I’m just admirin’ these beautiful babies and how they’ve connected with all the animals.It’s truly somethin’ special.”
“Mama Irene?” asked Sutton.“Do the animals understand me, even though I can talk and hear?Is it only all of them that they connect with?”
“No, baby.It’s amazing what animals feel, no matter what kind.They all have the capacity for love and protection and they can all communicate with you in their own ways.”
“I can talk to Semu,” she smiled.“She’s very funny and thinks Mister Gaspar and Mister Luke are too…too…What was the word Semu?”
The big gorilla signed something to Sutton and she laughed.
“We are not tense!” said Luke and Gaspar in unison.
“I believe that proves her point,” smiled Mama Irene.Jagger walked toward them all and excitedly began signing.Elizabeth and Jessica laughed, nodding at him.
“He’s written a symphony of the animal sounds.He’s going to need some help with percussion instruments and a few others.Do you think you can get him the list of instruments he’s requesting?” asked Jessica.She handed the list to Luke and he frowned.
“What the fuck is a hurdy-gurdy?” he said looking at Jagger.The boy rolled his eyes, as if saying he should know what that is.“Never mind.I’ll figure it out.I don’t need anyone under twenty-five making me feel stupid.”
“You’re not stupid.Just not smart about music,”smiled the boy.He ran off toward the others as they walked further into the island with the animals.
“Should we follow them?” asked Ian.
“I don’t know,” said Luke.“I feel like maybe we should allow them this freedom.They’re very comfortable here and with the animals.”
“Jessica and I have planned an entire curriculum around learning about the animals,” said Elizabeth.“The children obviously are getting musical inspiration from them but we want them to understand where they come from, why they’re here and more importantly, why it’s important to save them.”
“I love that,” nodded Ghost.“I wish I’d known more about the animals we’ve encountered over the years.I probably killed things out of fear when I didn’t need to.Some of the spiders in the desert were fucking terrifying.I had no idea if they were dangerous or not.”
“Maybe you should come and sit in on the class,” smiled Elizabeth.“Tuesdays and Thursdays at ten a.m.”
“You’re funny,” he frowned.“I’ve done my time in schools of varying degrees of difficulty.I don’t really want to be made a fool in front of a bunch of fourth and fifth graders.”
“Actually,” said Ian rubbing his jaw, “it might be fun and we’d be able to connect more with the kids, learn about their gifts.I damn sure don’t have a lot going on.”
“You know, Ghost, he might be right.What if we all hung out more at the school, sat with the kids, like a foster-grandparent program or something?”
“That’s true,” he nodded.“What do y’all think?”
“We would love it,” smiled Jessica.“Your experiences could help these kids see the world through a different perspective, not just what’s written in a text book.”
“Alright,” nodded Ghost.“I’m in on that.But if we get in your way, just kick us out.”
“You won’t get in our way,” smiled Elizabeth.“In truth, we love having you around.It makes all the teachers feel better when you’re wandering the halls.Not that we feel unsafe, it’s not that.It’s just having the familiar booming bass voices.”
The four men laughed, nodding at her.
