IONA"S EDEN
Cornelius flipped through his journal, he was thrilled to have it even though he
knew it wasn't an exact replica of the original. The work of duplicating it was very
well done and when Iona gave it to him, he actually believed it was the real deal. But
the artificialness of the book was too obvious. But he was glad to have it. It was
familiar territory in an unfamilar universe. He sent an email to Iona thanking her a-
gain despite it being a fake. Iona responded by saying the original was worth too
much and even though she knew the journal was rightly his, she was more concerned
about her investments for her retirement someday and his journal was a big invest-
ment. The artifacts and relics she collected over the years would make her rich in her
old age someday. Cornelius was appalled at this, she should see more value in his
work. He groaned at the computer. Caesar started crying and Cornelius picked him
up and got his bottle. When he returned to the computer Iona had sent an email in-
viting the three chimps to visit her at her home in Florida. Cornelius told her he
would discuss it with Zira and get back to her.
Zira came through the door groaning. "Hours of spaying prissy persians!
Ahhh......I'm a scientist not a ..." She caught herself and sat down. Cornelius went
over to her, kissed her and handed over Caesar who was cooing loudly. Due to her
unhappiness at the animal hospital, Cornelius no longer asked her how her day was.
He didn't want to hear another tirade about pampered pets and snotty gorillas. Zira
gave Caesar the rest of his bottle, then burped him.
Cornelius was hesitant. "Dear..... ah Iona invited us to her home in Florida.
She said we could even bring Caesar along." "Why, my dear husband? Why would
we spend anymore time with that renegade, tiny, obnoxious ape? We know she is a
manipulative liar." A sigh came out of Cornelius. "I know you've had a hard day,
but think about this. She is the only one who has put us in contact with humans and
it looks like she is the only one who will ever help us in some way. We are so far in
the future and no one else seems to want to be bothered with us except for Iona,
Einstein and our lizard neighbors. So....she's somewhat shady." "Somewhat
shady! She's devious, she said she was going to give you your journal and you re-
ceived a fake." Cornelius nodded his head. "I know, I know. It is not the original
but at least Iona is passionate about saving humans. And this is a chance to get off of
this station." Zira burped Caesar again. "That is the only thing I give her credit for."
Her tone softened. "You say she invited us to her home? You know she has ulterior
motives. If she has any more artifacts from out time, she is not going to hand them
over." "At least we can get of this station and you can get a break from work. Fresh
air and sunshine will be good for all of us." Zira gave Cornelius a look of distress but
agreed about getting off the station. "Ask her when to expect us."
Cornelius received a quick reply from Iona and said they could visit anytime
within the next few weeks before she headed off for another expedition. Cornelius
was excited to go. He was tired of staying home and he found parts of this future
world exciting. He could tell by the look in Zira's eyes she had some dread about
going.
The following weekend Zira, Cornelius and baby Caesar boarded a shuttle
bound for earth, full of aliens and apes. One alien appeared to be close to human in
his facial features and Zira stared at him the whole trip. Occasionally she averted
her eyes from him but found herself returning the stare. Fortunately he was engrossed
in a book and never noticed her.
When the two chimps and their son exited the shuttle, Iona's driver was there
waiting for them. Zira ignored him but Cornelius nodded towards him. "Welcome
to sunny Florida!" The gibbon was glad to see them and escorted them into the limo.
He didn't seem fazed by the coldness of the two chimps. He chatted away as he drove
to Iona's house. "Fascinating, absolutely fascinating! The time period you come
from is Iona's and my favorite." Cornelius was quick with a response. "Why such
interest?" "Our interest in saving the humans. Your era was interested in slaughtering
them but you two rebeled." Zira spoke up. "You seem to know quite a lot about us
but we know very little about you." The gibbon laughed. "Oh, in time you'll learn
more. My wife and I are two complicated creatures!" Cornelius' eyes grew wide.
"You are married to Iona?!" "For twelve years now! Best decision I ever made was
to marry her. Been happy ever since." The two chimps glanced at each other.
The limo drove up to a gate which opened automaticly. The vehicle parked in
front of a house with many windows. The land behind the house looked like a jungle
reserve and Zira jumped when she thought she heard a lion roar. Cornelius put his
arm around her. "Is that a lion?" The gibbon smiled. "Yes and he is very friendly.
Don't worry, he is in his own area with his companions. Iona collects relics but my
passion is animals. I have an extensive collection. Especially those that are en-
dangered." His tone and face became serious. He parked the vehicle and escorted
Cornelius, Zira and the baby into the house. The rooms were spacious with leather
furniture. A black and white cat greeted the chimps purring loudly. A multi-
colored parrot said hello. A giant fishtank contained seahorses. Cornelius was
fascinated. Iona's home was probably much more interesting than the reserve on
Hawaii.
Iona's husband directed the chimps to a study where Iona was reading. She
leaped up enthusiasticly, overjoyed to see the chimps. Zira was slowly losing her
anger and surveyed the room. Iona jumped up and down. "You already know my
husband, Hector. The two gibbons gave each other a kiss. Corneluis also looked
the sudy over. He wondered if there were anymore items from his past but didn't
say anything. Books, artifacts and trinkets of all kind filled shelves and bookcases.
Zira spoke first. "We appreciate your invitation to come and get away for awhile. We
both need it. And it is great to be off the space station." Both gibbons jumped up and
down in unison. Their childlike behavior irritated both chimps but they didn't show
it. While Iona chatted away, the lion who was roaring, peeked in a window. Zira
didn't notice him but Cornelius did and he started to feel slightly faint. He opened
his mouth but nothing would come out. The lion looked bored and left the window.
Iona and Hector directed the chimps to the guest room and then to the diningroom for
lunch. Cornelius stuttered but finally got the words out. "I....I thought your lion
had his own space or something?" Hector reassured him. "Oh, he occasionally
wanders around the yard but he always returns to his favorite sleeping spot. Pasta
Anyone?" Iona placed a large bowl of salad on the table. She then poured ice tea
into glasses. The black and white cat wandered into the kitchen and observed what
was going on. Then a pygmy goat strolled through the kitchen into the livingroom.
Zira and Cornelius both watched the goat. Zira spoke next. "You two have quite a
few animals. They have the run of the house?" Hector was quick to respond. "Of
course! Our animals are precious to us." Zira started eating some salad. Cornelius
felt nervous. Maybe this was not a good idea after all, he probably should have paid
more attention to Zira's concerns. He didn't realize how whacked out these two
gibbons were. After pouring the ice tea, Iona got out a bottle of gin and poured some
into her own glass. She was about to pour some into Zira's glass but she stopped her.
"No thank you. Too early in the day for me." "Me too." Cornelius nodded his head
no. Iona shrugged her shoulders and poured some more into her own glass and put
the bottle back in the cabinet. Cornelius smirked to himself. Apparently hubby
doesn't drink he thought. Both gibbons gave him a surprised look as if they heard
him but quickly turned away to get more food. Zira and Cornelius continued to ex-
change glances while Caesar slept in Zira's arms.
Iona was still placing food on the table when a human female walked into
the diningroom followed by a gorilla. The woman sat at the table but the gorilla
picked up the cat and started petting her. Both chimps were stunned and speechless.
Iona made introductions. This is Rosalie and Eric. Eric grunted hello and continued
to pet the cat. Zira couldn't help but stare at the human female who had a striking
resemblance to Nova except she had streaks of gray in her long black hair and blue
eyes. Rosalie smiled at the two chimps and said hello in sign language. Hector
kissed her on the forehead. Rosalie put her arms towards Caesar and Zira gave him
to her. She didn't know why she trusted her, she just did. She gently rocked the
sleeping chimp. Eric finally took a seat at the table. "So you two are the chimps from
that ancient era when apes slaughtered humans. This must be a strange world to
you." The chimps ate some salad while Iona started chatting away. "I think Caesar
likes Rosalie, he is sound asleep. Eric is in charge of the animals, he operates the re- .
serve. One section is opened to the public for a fee." "Iona, have you seen Bill?"
Eric began eating some salad. "He was here, just a few minutes ago. It's almost his
naptime. He seems to have a need to get away from the pride today." Cornelius' eyes
grew wide. "Bill is the lion we saw?!" Eric looked directly at the chimp. "He is
very nosy and wanders off occasionally. He is harmless but I try to keep track of
where he is." Rosalie continued to smile and rock Caesar. Zira tried not to stare at
her. She glanced away but then got another surprise. Eric had green eyes. She never
saw a gorilla with green eyes. And he was gentle and quiet. Nothing like the gorilla
soldiers in her own time. Cornelius was curious about Rosalie. "Humans are en-
dangered. How come Rosalie lives here with you?" Iona sipped her ice tea.
"Rosalie had some medical problems and was only suppose to be here temporarily
while a local medical team took care of her. After her situation was resolved, the
state allowed her to remain here because we have a license as an animal sanctuary.
She likes it here and we became very attached to her, especially Eric. It was too hard
to send her back to Hawaii." Eric smiled at Rosalie and patted her on the shoulder.
Rosalie smiled back at him and said something in sign language. The thought
crossed Zira's mind she should learn sign language. There was so much to learn.
She felt overwhelmed.
Everyone consumed a hearty lunch which consisted of pasta salad, fruit, various
breads and cheeses. The gibbons chatted away, they loved to talk. Rosalie
ate and continued to hold Caesar in one arm. Eric was relatively quiet,
occasionally nodding his head and glancing at the two chimps. This made
Cornelius nervous. He was beginning to think they shouldn't have come.
Iona finished her tea. "We'll take you through the reserve, you'll like
the animals. Zira was concerned. "Is it safe?" "Yes, of course. We'll travel
in our jeeps. Most of the animals live in specific areas that are fenced in. We
only have a few lions, tigers, cheetahs, rhinos, giraffes etc. And many exotic
birds." Cornelius thought to himself, "we maybe eaten today!" Both gibbons
looked at him as if they heard him but again quickly averted their eyes and
continued chatting. "The animals are well fed." Eric munched on salad
and made the statement as if he were talking about the weather. Cornelius
was shocked. It was as if Eric heard his thoughts. He felt unsettled and
fatigue started to overwhelm him. "I..I am glad to hear that. Your reserve is
is quite beautiful, we are looking forward to seeing more of it."
The diningroom table of primates finished their midday meal. The gibbons
cleaned up while Eric and Rosalie escorted the chimps to the jeeps out back. Iona
and Hector practically flew out to the jeeps, they could hardly contain their excite-
ment. Iona directed everyone. "Eric, you drive the first jeep, Cornelius and Rosalie
go with him. Zira, Caesar and I will go with Hector." Everyone took their respective
places and the tour began. The first stop was a large area that was full of tropical
birds of all sizes and colors. A giant, multicolored macaw flew to Eric and sat on the
hood of the vehicle. "More friggin tourists! More friggin tourists!" Eric gave him
A piece of bread in the hope of quieting him down. The bird continued to eat several
pieces and Eric was getting nervous that the bird would never shut up. "It's a
fortune to come here! Full of surprises! Be prepared! More friggin tourists! You're
nuts!" This did nothing to calm Cornelius' nerves. Iona and Hector laughed at the
bird in hopes of drowning him out. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the
bird flew up into the trees. He still was babbling. "There goes those credit cards!
Plastic or paper?!" Eric quickly drove away to the next area. This was the area that
contained the big cats, most of whom were taking their midday nap. They were
fenced in but a large area of land could be seen behind them. Bill, the lion was
there snoring loudly. He never woke up. Some female lionesses gazed at the pri-
mates which was contributing to Cornelius now feeling like he was going to have a
nervous breakdown. He fought off his feelings of helplessness by asking questions
about the lions. "The females appear to be observing us." Eric turned around to
face him. "They are. The structure of the reserve is such that actually we are con-
tained in and the animals surround us. Their habitats are exactly as they would live
in, if they were still in the wild but much smaller." Cornelius forced himself to say
"how interesting" and then took a deep breath. Iona then gave a lecture on the vari-
ous cats and their personalities. Zira found all this fascinating and wasn't nervous
the way Cornelius was. She was finally starting to relax and enjoy herself.
After leaving the area with the big cats, the jeep travelled for quite some time.
The two chimps were not prepared for what came next and Iona anticipated their
shock and surprise. With mouths open, the chimps could not believe what they
were seeing. It was a replica of their homeworld, complete with the institute and
the large cage in front that had contained the humans. Iona jumped out of the jeep
and ran out in front of the cage. "What do you think? Is it the same or are we way
off?" Cornelius was quick to respond. "It certainly appears to be the same, your re-
creation is quite good." Zira had a frown on her face. "What is your point?" Iona
walked over to Zira and got in her face. "The point is I want to learn all I can about
your era. It is important to me, to all of us. What led to the bomb going off? Why
were the apes so afraid of humans? Humans raised my ancestors. All of this land
was given to my ancestors who kept it as a reserve as promised. Hector, Eric and I
do not share the animosity that raged against humans in your time. It is vitally
important that Simians study your time period." Zira sighed. "I agree with you,
Iona and I admire your willingness to learn. But my husband and I are having a
difficult time adjusting to this world. It's not what we expected. And it's not just
about humans and apes anymore. You have quite a few alien species living here
on Earth. And the animals. Something is going on with the animals. I can tell by the
way they were observing us, your lions. They were studying us.." Hector jumped in.
"That is why we need to study more about the past. We need to get along with others
whether we like it or not. The amount of trade we do with alien species is huge and
it is not going away. The animals on this Earth, like humans and apes are contin-
ually evolving. We suspect they are becoming more intelligent. And it will take
some time for you to get use to the advanced technology." Iona interrupted.
"Speaking of technology(she had what appeared to be some sort of remote control
in her hand) I hope this works." She pushed some buttons and a holographic image
of Dr Zaius appeared. He was quite angry, yelling and waving his arms. Zira shook
her head. "He wasn't that loud or undignified." Next Iona added some gorilla
soldiers. They were all females and walking on all fours. Zira spoke again. "Only
male gorillas were allowed in the army and they walked upright." Iona attempted
to stop the images but something was wrong with the controls. The gorillas and Dr
Zauis continued pacing and ranting. While Iona kept fiddling with the controls, Bill
the lion sauntered out of the woods and walked through the images, passing gas the
entire time. Eric and the gibbons started laughing. Cornelius mumbled he should
have drank some gin at lunch. Zira stifled her anger. Rosalie rocked Caesar who
started crying. She had a wide smile on her face. Hector now had the controls and
he was becoming more frustrated not being able to stop the images. Finally he threw
the contraption against a rock.
All the images faded and Nova appeared. She gazed back at the group. "Zira,
Cornelius, you know this woman. "We are pretty sure that Rosalie is related to her
but we are having a hard time tracing the ancestral line. We only know they share
similar DNA." Zira stared at Nova. It was comforting to see her. "I miss you, Nova"
she stated outloud. Cornelius blinked his eyes and silence hung in the air for a few
moments.
Iona broke the silence. She was firm and her tone was serious. Stay here with
us, Zira. You and Cornelius can raise Caesar here instead of a space station. In order
to recreate your time period we need you." Cornelius' eyes grew wide. "Live here
with you? And all these creatures? I am still nervous about the lion." Zira faced
Iona. "You're crazy! You and your husband are nuts! And I don't feel I can fully
trust you. But I would rather live here than on that spacestation!" She then turned to
Cornelius. "Well, dear husband. What do you think?" Cornelius shook his head.
He glanced back at Nova who was bending over some flowers. Unreal. She should
be running for her life. Not realistic at all. His thoughts now raced. Eric piped in.
"This holographic illusion is incorrect. We cannot improve it without both of you."
Cornelius continued his gaze at Nova. "Zira, wherever you go, I go." The warm
air and sunshine felt good despite the weirdness of the day. Zira patted his hand.
"How would we support ourselves?" Hector responded. "I don't think either of
you should work for awhile, it is tough enough trying to adjust to this new universe
for you. Part of our reserve is opened to the public and the revenues are quite good.
We can easily provide for you until you are ready to return to work." The chimps
put their arms around each other. "Well dear husband, this maybe our only oppor-
tunity to get off the spacestation. As long as we do not get eaten or attacked by any
of these animals, I am willing to give it a try."
Both gibbons jumped up and down with excitement. Rosalie said welcome
in sign language. Hector suggested they return to the house to get settled in and
have supper. Iona stated she would get out her best Bourbon and they could toast
the chimps' decision to stay. Zira and Cornelius continued to stare at Nova with their
arms around each other.
Cornelius flipped through his journal, he was thrilled to have it even though he
knew it wasn't an exact replica of the original. The work of duplicating it was very
well done and when Iona gave it to him, he actually believed it was the real deal. But
the artificialness of the book was too obvious. But he was glad to have it. It was
familiar territory in an unfamilar universe. He sent an email to Iona thanking her a-
gain despite it being a fake. Iona responded by saying the original was worth too
much and even though she knew the journal was rightly his, she was more concerned
about her investments for her retirement someday and his journal was a big invest-
ment. The artifacts and relics she collected over the years would make her rich in her
old age someday. Cornelius was appalled at this, she should see more value in his
work. He groaned at the computer. Caesar started crying and Cornelius picked him
up and got his bottle. When he returned to the computer Iona had sent an email in-
viting the three chimps to visit her at her home in Florida. Cornelius told her he
would discuss it with Zira and get back to her.
Zira came through the door groaning. "Hours of spaying prissy persians!
Ahhh......I'm a scientist not a ..." She caught herself and sat down. Cornelius went
over to her, kissed her and handed over Caesar who was cooing loudly. Due to her
unhappiness at the animal hospital, Cornelius no longer asked her how her day was.
He didn't want to hear another tirade about pampered pets and snotty gorillas. Zira
gave Caesar the rest of his bottle, then burped him.
Cornelius was hesitant. "Dear..... ah Iona invited us to her home in Florida.
She said we could even bring Caesar along." "Why, my dear husband? Why would
we spend anymore time with that renegade, tiny, obnoxious ape? We know she is a
manipulative liar." A sigh came out of Cornelius. "I know you've had a hard day,
but think about this. She is the only one who has put us in contact with humans and
it looks like she is the only one who will ever help us in some way. We are so far in
the future and no one else seems to want to be bothered with us except for Iona,
Einstein and our lizard neighbors. So....she's somewhat shady." "Somewhat
shady! She's devious, she said she was going to give you your journal and you re-
ceived a fake." Cornelius nodded his head. "I know, I know. It is not the original
but at least Iona is passionate about saving humans. And this is a chance to get off of
this station." Zira burped Caesar again. "That is the only thing I give her credit for."
Her tone softened. "You say she invited us to her home? You know she has ulterior
motives. If she has any more artifacts from out time, she is not going to hand them
over." "At least we can get of this station and you can get a break from work. Fresh
air and sunshine will be good for all of us." Zira gave Cornelius a look of distress but
agreed about getting off the station. "Ask her when to expect us."
Cornelius received a quick reply from Iona and said they could visit anytime
within the next few weeks before she headed off for another expedition. Cornelius
was excited to go. He was tired of staying home and he found parts of this future
world exciting. He could tell by the look in Zira's eyes she had some dread about
going.
The following weekend Zira, Cornelius and baby Caesar boarded a shuttle
bound for earth, full of aliens and apes. One alien appeared to be close to human in
his facial features and Zira stared at him the whole trip. Occasionally she averted
her eyes from him but found herself returning the stare. Fortunately he was engrossed
in a book and never noticed her.
When the two chimps and their son exited the shuttle, Iona's driver was there
waiting for them. Zira ignored him but Cornelius nodded towards him. "Welcome
to sunny Florida!" The gibbon was glad to see them and escorted them into the limo.
He didn't seem fazed by the coldness of the two chimps. He chatted away as he drove
to Iona's house. "Fascinating, absolutely fascinating! The time period you come
from is Iona's and my favorite." Cornelius was quick with a response. "Why such
interest?" "Our interest in saving the humans. Your era was interested in slaughtering
them but you two rebeled." Zira spoke up. "You seem to know quite a lot about us
but we know very little about you." The gibbon laughed. "Oh, in time you'll learn
more. My wife and I are two complicated creatures!" Cornelius' eyes grew wide.
"You are married to Iona?!" "For twelve years now! Best decision I ever made was
to marry her. Been happy ever since." The two chimps glanced at each other.
The limo drove up to a gate which opened automaticly. The vehicle parked in
front of a house with many windows. The land behind the house looked like a jungle
reserve and Zira jumped when she thought she heard a lion roar. Cornelius put his
arm around her. "Is that a lion?" The gibbon smiled. "Yes and he is very friendly.
Don't worry, he is in his own area with his companions. Iona collects relics but my
passion is animals. I have an extensive collection. Especially those that are en-
dangered." His tone and face became serious. He parked the vehicle and escorted
Cornelius, Zira and the baby into the house. The rooms were spacious with leather
furniture. A black and white cat greeted the chimps purring loudly. A multi-
colored parrot said hello. A giant fishtank contained seahorses. Cornelius was
fascinated. Iona's home was probably much more interesting than the reserve on
Hawaii.
Iona's husband directed the chimps to a study where Iona was reading. She
leaped up enthusiasticly, overjoyed to see the chimps. Zira was slowly losing her
anger and surveyed the room. Iona jumped up and down. "You already know my
husband, Hector. The two gibbons gave each other a kiss. Corneluis also looked
the sudy over. He wondered if there were anymore items from his past but didn't
say anything. Books, artifacts and trinkets of all kind filled shelves and bookcases.
Zira spoke first. "We appreciate your invitation to come and get away for awhile. We
both need it. And it is great to be off the space station." Both gibbons jumped up and
down in unison. Their childlike behavior irritated both chimps but they didn't show
it. While Iona chatted away, the lion who was roaring, peeked in a window. Zira
didn't notice him but Cornelius did and he started to feel slightly faint. He opened
his mouth but nothing would come out. The lion looked bored and left the window.
Iona and Hector directed the chimps to the guest room and then to the diningroom for
lunch. Cornelius stuttered but finally got the words out. "I....I thought your lion
had his own space or something?" Hector reassured him. "Oh, he occasionally
wanders around the yard but he always returns to his favorite sleeping spot. Pasta
Anyone?" Iona placed a large bowl of salad on the table. She then poured ice tea
into glasses. The black and white cat wandered into the kitchen and observed what
was going on. Then a pygmy goat strolled through the kitchen into the livingroom.
Zira and Cornelius both watched the goat. Zira spoke next. "You two have quite a
few animals. They have the run of the house?" Hector was quick to respond. "Of
course! Our animals are precious to us." Zira started eating some salad. Cornelius
felt nervous. Maybe this was not a good idea after all, he probably should have paid
more attention to Zira's concerns. He didn't realize how whacked out these two
gibbons were. After pouring the ice tea, Iona got out a bottle of gin and poured some
into her own glass. She was about to pour some into Zira's glass but she stopped her.
"No thank you. Too early in the day for me." "Me too." Cornelius nodded his head
no. Iona shrugged her shoulders and poured some more into her own glass and put
the bottle back in the cabinet. Cornelius smirked to himself. Apparently hubby
doesn't drink he thought. Both gibbons gave him a surprised look as if they heard
him but quickly turned away to get more food. Zira and Cornelius continued to ex-
change glances while Caesar slept in Zira's arms.
Iona was still placing food on the table when a human female walked into
the diningroom followed by a gorilla. The woman sat at the table but the gorilla
picked up the cat and started petting her. Both chimps were stunned and speechless.
Iona made introductions. This is Rosalie and Eric. Eric grunted hello and continued
to pet the cat. Zira couldn't help but stare at the human female who had a striking
resemblance to Nova except she had streaks of gray in her long black hair and blue
eyes. Rosalie smiled at the two chimps and said hello in sign language. Hector
kissed her on the forehead. Rosalie put her arms towards Caesar and Zira gave him
to her. She didn't know why she trusted her, she just did. She gently rocked the
sleeping chimp. Eric finally took a seat at the table. "So you two are the chimps from
that ancient era when apes slaughtered humans. This must be a strange world to
you." The chimps ate some salad while Iona started chatting away. "I think Caesar
likes Rosalie, he is sound asleep. Eric is in charge of the animals, he operates the re- .
serve. One section is opened to the public for a fee." "Iona, have you seen Bill?"
Eric began eating some salad. "He was here, just a few minutes ago. It's almost his
naptime. He seems to have a need to get away from the pride today." Cornelius' eyes
grew wide. "Bill is the lion we saw?!" Eric looked directly at the chimp. "He is
very nosy and wanders off occasionally. He is harmless but I try to keep track of
where he is." Rosalie continued to smile and rock Caesar. Zira tried not to stare at
her. She glanced away but then got another surprise. Eric had green eyes. She never
saw a gorilla with green eyes. And he was gentle and quiet. Nothing like the gorilla
soldiers in her own time. Cornelius was curious about Rosalie. "Humans are en-
dangered. How come Rosalie lives here with you?" Iona sipped her ice tea.
"Rosalie had some medical problems and was only suppose to be here temporarily
while a local medical team took care of her. After her situation was resolved, the
state allowed her to remain here because we have a license as an animal sanctuary.
She likes it here and we became very attached to her, especially Eric. It was too hard
to send her back to Hawaii." Eric smiled at Rosalie and patted her on the shoulder.
Rosalie smiled back at him and said something in sign language. The thought
crossed Zira's mind she should learn sign language. There was so much to learn.
She felt overwhelmed.
Everyone consumed a hearty lunch which consisted of pasta salad, fruit, various
breads and cheeses. The gibbons chatted away, they loved to talk. Rosalie
ate and continued to hold Caesar in one arm. Eric was relatively quiet,
occasionally nodding his head and glancing at the two chimps. This made
Cornelius nervous. He was beginning to think they shouldn't have come.
Iona finished her tea. "We'll take you through the reserve, you'll like
the animals. Zira was concerned. "Is it safe?" "Yes, of course. We'll travel
in our jeeps. Most of the animals live in specific areas that are fenced in. We
only have a few lions, tigers, cheetahs, rhinos, giraffes etc. And many exotic
birds." Cornelius thought to himself, "we maybe eaten today!" Both gibbons
looked at him as if they heard him but again quickly averted their eyes and
continued chatting. "The animals are well fed." Eric munched on salad
and made the statement as if he were talking about the weather. Cornelius
was shocked. It was as if Eric heard his thoughts. He felt unsettled and
fatigue started to overwhelm him. "I..I am glad to hear that. Your reserve is
is quite beautiful, we are looking forward to seeing more of it."
The diningroom table of primates finished their midday meal. The gibbons
cleaned up while Eric and Rosalie escorted the chimps to the jeeps out back. Iona
and Hector practically flew out to the jeeps, they could hardly contain their excite-
ment. Iona directed everyone. "Eric, you drive the first jeep, Cornelius and Rosalie
go with him. Zira, Caesar and I will go with Hector." Everyone took their respective
places and the tour began. The first stop was a large area that was full of tropical
birds of all sizes and colors. A giant, multicolored macaw flew to Eric and sat on the
hood of the vehicle. "More friggin tourists! More friggin tourists!" Eric gave him
A piece of bread in the hope of quieting him down. The bird continued to eat several
pieces and Eric was getting nervous that the bird would never shut up. "It's a
fortune to come here! Full of surprises! Be prepared! More friggin tourists! You're
nuts!" This did nothing to calm Cornelius' nerves. Iona and Hector laughed at the
bird in hopes of drowning him out. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, the
bird flew up into the trees. He still was babbling. "There goes those credit cards!
Plastic or paper?!" Eric quickly drove away to the next area. This was the area that
contained the big cats, most of whom were taking their midday nap. They were
fenced in but a large area of land could be seen behind them. Bill, the lion was
there snoring loudly. He never woke up. Some female lionesses gazed at the pri-
mates which was contributing to Cornelius now feeling like he was going to have a
nervous breakdown. He fought off his feelings of helplessness by asking questions
about the lions. "The females appear to be observing us." Eric turned around to
face him. "They are. The structure of the reserve is such that actually we are con-
tained in and the animals surround us. Their habitats are exactly as they would live
in, if they were still in the wild but much smaller." Cornelius forced himself to say
"how interesting" and then took a deep breath. Iona then gave a lecture on the vari-
ous cats and their personalities. Zira found all this fascinating and wasn't nervous
the way Cornelius was. She was finally starting to relax and enjoy herself.
After leaving the area with the big cats, the jeep travelled for quite some time.
The two chimps were not prepared for what came next and Iona anticipated their
shock and surprise. With mouths open, the chimps could not believe what they
were seeing. It was a replica of their homeworld, complete with the institute and
the large cage in front that had contained the humans. Iona jumped out of the jeep
and ran out in front of the cage. "What do you think? Is it the same or are we way
off?" Cornelius was quick to respond. "It certainly appears to be the same, your re-
creation is quite good." Zira had a frown on her face. "What is your point?" Iona
walked over to Zira and got in her face. "The point is I want to learn all I can about
your era. It is important to me, to all of us. What led to the bomb going off? Why
were the apes so afraid of humans? Humans raised my ancestors. All of this land
was given to my ancestors who kept it as a reserve as promised. Hector, Eric and I
do not share the animosity that raged against humans in your time. It is vitally
important that Simians study your time period." Zira sighed. "I agree with you,
Iona and I admire your willingness to learn. But my husband and I are having a
difficult time adjusting to this world. It's not what we expected. And it's not just
about humans and apes anymore. You have quite a few alien species living here
on Earth. And the animals. Something is going on with the animals. I can tell by the
way they were observing us, your lions. They were studying us.." Hector jumped in.
"That is why we need to study more about the past. We need to get along with others
whether we like it or not. The amount of trade we do with alien species is huge and
it is not going away. The animals on this Earth, like humans and apes are contin-
ually evolving. We suspect they are becoming more intelligent. And it will take
some time for you to get use to the advanced technology." Iona interrupted.
"Speaking of technology(she had what appeared to be some sort of remote control
in her hand) I hope this works." She pushed some buttons and a holographic image
of Dr Zaius appeared. He was quite angry, yelling and waving his arms. Zira shook
her head. "He wasn't that loud or undignified." Next Iona added some gorilla
soldiers. They were all females and walking on all fours. Zira spoke again. "Only
male gorillas were allowed in the army and they walked upright." Iona attempted
to stop the images but something was wrong with the controls. The gorillas and Dr
Zauis continued pacing and ranting. While Iona kept fiddling with the controls, Bill
the lion sauntered out of the woods and walked through the images, passing gas the
entire time. Eric and the gibbons started laughing. Cornelius mumbled he should
have drank some gin at lunch. Zira stifled her anger. Rosalie rocked Caesar who
started crying. She had a wide smile on her face. Hector now had the controls and
he was becoming more frustrated not being able to stop the images. Finally he threw
the contraption against a rock.
All the images faded and Nova appeared. She gazed back at the group. "Zira,
Cornelius, you know this woman. "We are pretty sure that Rosalie is related to her
but we are having a hard time tracing the ancestral line. We only know they share
similar DNA." Zira stared at Nova. It was comforting to see her. "I miss you, Nova"
she stated outloud. Cornelius blinked his eyes and silence hung in the air for a few
moments.
Iona broke the silence. She was firm and her tone was serious. Stay here with
us, Zira. You and Cornelius can raise Caesar here instead of a space station. In order
to recreate your time period we need you." Cornelius' eyes grew wide. "Live here
with you? And all these creatures? I am still nervous about the lion." Zira faced
Iona. "You're crazy! You and your husband are nuts! And I don't feel I can fully
trust you. But I would rather live here than on that spacestation!" She then turned to
Cornelius. "Well, dear husband. What do you think?" Cornelius shook his head.
He glanced back at Nova who was bending over some flowers. Unreal. She should
be running for her life. Not realistic at all. His thoughts now raced. Eric piped in.
"This holographic illusion is incorrect. We cannot improve it without both of you."
Cornelius continued his gaze at Nova. "Zira, wherever you go, I go." The warm
air and sunshine felt good despite the weirdness of the day. Zira patted his hand.
"How would we support ourselves?" Hector responded. "I don't think either of
you should work for awhile, it is tough enough trying to adjust to this new universe
for you. Part of our reserve is opened to the public and the revenues are quite good.
We can easily provide for you until you are ready to return to work." The chimps
put their arms around each other. "Well dear husband, this maybe our only oppor-
tunity to get off the spacestation. As long as we do not get eaten or attacked by any
of these animals, I am willing to give it a try."
Both gibbons jumped up and down with excitement. Rosalie said welcome
in sign language. Hector suggested they return to the house to get settled in and
have supper. Iona stated she would get out her best Bourbon and they could toast
the chimps' decision to stay. Zira and Cornelius continued to stare at Nova with their
arms around each other.