CHAPTER 3

Challenger looked at the child and he felt a chill run up his spine. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason, his instincts were telling him he wasn't safe. The girl's grin grew wider as the cave started to spin. "What the devil!"

Almost as quickly as it started, the spinning stopped. It took a moment, but his center of gravity returned and he was able to stand still without worry of falling over.

"George!"

Challenger stood rooted in place as recognition of the voice slowly came to him.

"George! George Edward Challenger! Are you listening to me!"

He took a deep breath and turned around slowly. There she was. Exactly as he remembered her. At first he didn't want to believe it was happening, but he couldn't dispute the facts. One look at her was enough to put a smile on his face. She looked absolutely beautiful even though the expression on her face was of extreme irritation. Challenger stood there and stared at her in open admiration.

"Well? Are you going to stand there with that look on your face or are you going to answer me, George?"

That's my Jessie. Challenger laughed and then cleared his throat. "Ahem, yes, sorry Jessie. What was it you wanted?"

Jessie Challenger put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "I knew you weren't listening to a word I said. Typical." She took one look at Challenger's smiling face and she sighed. "Oh all right, I am going to tea with Mrs. Williams and then I have some things to settle in town. Now George, I don't want you staying in that lab of yours all day. I want you to spend some time with Alex. It would be a shame for you to miss out on your child's life because you're working, wouldn't it?"

Jessie kept talking but her words didn't register. My child? What is happening here?

Jessie adjusted her hat and put on her gloves. "Now, I am all set. Please don't stay hidden away in your lab all day, George." She gave Challenger a kiss on the cheek and started walking towards the door. "If you happen to wander down into your lab for some reason that I'm sure to hear about later, please do try to leave the walls intact." She smiled and walked out. Challenger stood staring at the door in shock even well after she had left.

After a couple of minutes, Challenger broke out of his haze and his rational mind took over. "This looks like my home, that looked like my dear wife, but this couldn't possibly be real. I don't have any children. This must be another trick of the blasted plateau."

"It's not a trick, silly."

Challenger whirled around and came face to face with the child from the cave. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "So now you have something to say, have you? All right, I assume you have an explanation for all of this. You can start with who you are, it's very obvious that you are not an ordinary child."

The girl frowned. "Why are you being mean to me? I'm only helping you. You're not being very nice to me."

"I don't know what you are, but you are going to explain yourself this instant. What have you done!" Challenger stood staring at the child but did not move. Even though he knew the being in front of him wasn't actually a child, he still could not bring himself to do anything other than raise his voice.

The girl smiled. "I told you, I helped you. You said you wanted kids, now you do."

Challenger's jaw dropped. "Wh-what?"

"Papa?"

Challenger turned his gaze away from the girl and saw a young boy no more than seven years old staring back at him. Even a stranger could see the striking resemblance: the same fiery hair, the cool blue eyes, he was practically a mirror image of his father. The boy walked closer to Challenger. "What's wrong Papa? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Challenger spun back to look at the little girl only to find she had disappeared. He sighed but he wasn't surprised, he almost suspected it. He turned back around to the little boy he presumed was his son.

He cleared his throat and starting walking towards the boy. "So…Alex, how are you…son?"

Alex looked worriedly at his father. "Are you all right, Papa? You don't look good."

Well, it looks like I am stuck in this situation until I can deduce a way out of here. I don't know the first thing about children, what am I supposed to do? Challenger saw Alex was still staring at him waiting for an answer. "Oh, I'm fine, lad." Challenger glanced nervously about the house. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

The little boy laughed. "I had my lessons this morning, Papa, just like everyday. You know I don't go to school."

Challenger stroked his beard. What am I going to do with this boy? "Hmm….so Alex, what do you have planned for today?"

"Well, I was wondering…..maybe…." he looked down at his shoes and seemed to be debating something, "if I could come into the lab with you today? I promise I won't touch anything, Papa! Pleeeeeeeeeeeease?" The rest of his sentence came out in a rush and Challenger was barely able to understand it.

"Oh, I don't know, a laboratory is a very dangerous place, young man. Besides your mother would have my hide." He looked at Alex and saw his bright eyes practically begging him to say yes. Challenger was touched and didn't have the heart to turn him down.

"All right, Alex. You may accompany me for today. BUT, you will not touch anything unless I give you permission. I do not want you hurting yourself, understand?" Alex smiled widely as he excitedly nodded his head up and down. "And maybe it might be best we don't tell your mother about this." He winked at Alex and they made their way down to the lab.

- - - -

"….and once you add this chemical to the solution, it changes from the red color to a blue color. You see, Alex? Isn't that fascinating?"

Challenger picked simple experiments that would not put Alex in any danger and would also provide entertainment and fuel for a rapidly developing mind of someone Alex's age. "Yes, Papa, that was great! Can you do it again?"

Challenger looked down at the boy who was so eager to learn and couldn't believe what he had been missing out on for so many years. This boy idolized him and more importantly, he loved him. Maybe I did not make the right decision all those years ago. Alex is such a wonderful child, I'm already beginning to develop feelings for him even after such a short time. He sighed and looked at his watch and noticed the time. "Good heavens! Is that the time? I'm sorry my dear boy, but we will have to stop the experiments for today, it's almost time for dinner and your mother will be home any moment. Now go get yourself cleaned up, and remember not a word of this, all right?"

Alex hopped out of his seat and nodded his head up and down. "Right, Papa, my lips are sealed." He ran his fingers across his lips and grinned. He started to run up the stairs but stopped and turned around.

"What is it, Alex?"

"Thank you, Papa." He smiled and ran up the rest of the stairs.

Challenger cleaned up the rest of his lab materials and made his own way up the stairs. He asked a servant to prepare him a cup of tea and bring it to his study. After the servant prepared his tea for him, he sat down in his chair to enjoy it when he heard a knock and the door open. The butler walked in holding something in his hand. "A message for you, sir."

"Who's it from?" Challenger got up from his chair and crossed the room. The butler handed him a white envelope.

"The London Zoological Society."

Followed by chapter 4 on Wednesday, stay tuned. For those of you who don't know, I'm making my updates regularly on Sundays and Wednesdays to give everyone enough time between chapters. Drop me a line if you can please.