It was a beautiful day in Uganda, and somewhere deep in the African jungle, a beautiful young woman was running through the lush, green fauna, looking for a place to hide. The pack on her back was filled with clothes, food and a few other supplies she would need for another day out in the jungle, but none quite so important as the silver flashlight she used to lure her favorite playmate out from his natural habitat. It was this bright signal of light that was used to rouse him out of hiding to come and find her. It worked every time.
Hiding behind a bush, the young woman crouched down, thinking the creature looking for her would never find her here. She listened for him, hearing soft growling and branches breaking, as something large came towards her. She kept her head down and stayed out of sight, hearing trees being pushed back and knowing the large, powerful animal was about to find her. His large shadow descended upon her like a dark storm cloud, but instead of fear, the young woman's face showed a smile. The animal roared to announce his presence, and the young woman jumped out from behind the bush and showed herself to the fifteen foot tall mountain gorilla.
"You found me!" Jill Young said to the giant gorilla named Joe, who grunted excitedly as his beautiful blonde friend hugged her arms around his massive arm as best she could, rubbing her head against his warm fur.
"Yeah, big guy, you found me", said Jill. "That makes me so happy. You want me to come find you next?"
Joe grunted happily and turned around to go hide while Jill covered her eyes and counted to ten.
"Ready or not, here I come!" Jill called out, as she went to look for the giant gorilla. "Joe?"
Jill searched around for a while before spotting Joe in a clearing, covering his eyes with one paw. The tree he was hiding behind barely covered one of his legs. Jill already knew where he was, but wanted to give Joe a chance for her to find him. It was almost impossible for him to hide anywhere because of his incredibly massive size.
"Uh-oh, I can't find Joe", said Jill, pretending to sound like she was still looking for him. She went over and approached him very slowly. "Where are you, big guy?...There you are!"
Joe uncovered his eyes, roaring with delight. He loved playing hide and seek with Jill. It was his favorite thing.
Jill chuckled and tussled the fur on Joe's arm like he was a big puppy, hugging him again. "That's right, Joe", she said, looking up into the gorilla's deep brown eyes. "You wanna come find me again?"
A playful grunt from Joe gave her an answer. "All right, Joe. Close your eyes...Ready?...Bye bye, Joe!"
Jill turned and ran to hide behind a tree. She peeked around to get a glimpse of Joe just as he opened his eyes and found she was missing. Grunting in eager anticipation to find his human friend, Joe started to search through the foliage for Jill, who stayed hidden behind the tree, watching the gorilla try to find her behind a different tree, then went to look for her behind a bush and pulled it out from its roots. He roared in disappointment.
Jill chuckled and peeked around the tree again, hiding behind it just as Joe turned his head and looked over in her direction. She heard him throw the bush down and the approaching sound of his footsteps as he ran towards her, roaring in excitement when he found her again. Joe and Jill continued their game of hide and seek for while before they stopped to rest at a waterfall.
Jill removed her backpack from her shoulders and opened it, taking out a banana and peeling it before walking over to Joe to offer it to him. "You hungry, Joe?"
Joe growled softly and opened his mouth as Jill hand-fed him the banana.
"That-a-boy, Joe. You want another one?"
Jill peeled and fed Joe another banana, then a second and a third before helping herself to a mango before they headed up further into the mountains.
"Come on, Joe", said Jill, putting her pack back on. "Let's go."
Twelve years ago, both Jill and Joe lost their mothers to the same poacher. The two orphans, a blonde girl and a baby gorilla, disappeared into the jungle right after Jill's mother was laid to rest. Jill remembered a trail her mother once showed her that led up to a secluded spot in the Pangani mountains. She headed up that same trail with Joe, taking him to the secluded spot where they could look down at the mountain valley and be alone.
"We're orphans now, Joe." Young Jill said to the baby gorilla. "We're all we've got now."
Baby Joe leaned his head up against Jill's shoulder, looking sad and depressed. Baby gorillas didn't stand much of a chance in the wild without their mothers. Luckily for him, Jill's mother was a primatologist and taught her all about gorillas. Poachers came every year, but Jill made sure Joe was never seen. She made a promise to her mother she would protect him. For twelve years, she kept that promise, and continued to do so.
As years went by, Joe continued to grow over three times more than the usual gorilla. Because of his gigantism, the other gorillas wouldn't accept him. Contrary to belief about giant gorillas being monsters, Joe was a gentle and friendly gorilla. The only time he was ever dangerous was when poachers came trespassing into his territory, trapping and killing the other wildlife for their pelts or to sell their body parts on the black market.
Jill headed up the mountain trail, looking back at Joe with an encouraging smile and continued running ahead of the big gorilla until he ran past her, and she was now following him. Joe used his massive muscles to run along the trail and came to a clear, secluded spot and stood looking out at the valley where he and Jill used to play together. It was right down there in the undergrowth where they first met as children. Joe would never forget the day he met Jill. Humans and gorillas weren't supposed to interact with each other, but back then, Joe was only a curious baby and wanted to play with the friendly blonde girl. They hid behind the bushes and started playing a game of peek-a-boo until their respective mothers called them away. Who would have ever thought a little girl would befriend a baby gorilla?
The trees bowed gracefully in the wind as the magnificent primate stood tall and proud, turning his head sideways to look up at the birds flying in the distance. Joe stared forward to look at the sun, which was about to disappear behind the mountains for the day, promising to come back by morning once nighttime was over. Jill came over and stood behind him, taking in the green scenery that was their home. This land was more than just a big backyard to them. It was their whole world, a place they could hide and not be disturbed by danger or worry. It was peaceful and quiet, a paradise untouched by men, somewhere nobody could find them.
Joe looked down at Jill and bowed his head to her so she could rub the side of his head and scratch behind his ear. He let out a low, guttural sound equivalent to a gorilla's version of a kitten's purr, then he turned and went over and sat down next to a tree, leaning against it. Jill went over and joined him, climbing into Joe's lap. Once she was settled, Jill laid her head down on Joe's left arm and watched the sunset with him. They usually came up here by the end of day to watch the sunset together, witnessing the way the sky painted itself in rich colors of red and orange with tints of pink and gold, like watching a canvas turn from a fiery blaze into a deep sapphire.
Jill stayed nice and secure in Joe's massive arms, feeling warm and safe from the oncoming cold night. She started humming softly, which then turned into song. Joe knew which song she was singing. It was the one about the wind, the same one she sang with her mother the night she passed away. Joe never forgot about the brave woman who saved him from those poachers. Jill might have made a promise to protect him and keep him safe, but Joe made a promise of his own to protect Jill. He didn't know what he would do if she were gone or if something terrible happened to her. All he knew was that his heart would break and he would lose the will to live.
Joe's big brown eyes looked down at Jill as she sang her African lullaby. He looked sad as he remembered that night, how he lost his own mother to those horrible poachers, but remained calm, not wanting to disturb Jill's beautiful singing. He felt her small, white hand rubbing his thick, black fur as she sang to him. In return, Joe caressed her right cheek with the back of his giant, leathery paw just as she finished the lullaby. Jill rested her eyes for a moment, sighing contently and not wanting to leave the warmth and security of Joe's arms. The gentle gorilla turned his head and lifted it upwards towards the sky to look up at the full moon and blanket of stars above them. It was so beautiful.
Joe looked down at Jill as she turned over and looked up at him with pretty blue eyes. He showed a soft smile back, knowing she would never leave him. They would love and protect each other until the day they died.