Chapter 12 – Bowling for Laughter:

As the weeks past Jane started to slowly overcome the loss of her baby. She had begun to find pleasure in little things again like watching a blood red sunset, smelling the scent of her favourite flower or going for a quiet ride on Tantor's back. Her once pale and frail body now exuded a healthy glow and her lost curves had returned. She found keeping herself occupied with chores, finding food and sketching helped her greatly in maintaining a peaceful mind. She visited her baby's grave regularly which she decorated with fresh flowers and talk to her lost son about her day. She would always tell him how much she loved him and missed him.

Even though she was now talking again much to everyone's relief she did not chatter in the same lively and gay way that she once did. She smiled rarely and never laughed. It seemed that a new Jane had replaced the old one, quiet and reserved. Tarzan, relieved at first that his wife was speaking again was now starting to miss the fun Jane. Even though he loved her with every fibre of his being he wondered if she would ever return to her old self. "Would I ever hear her joyous laugh again?" he often wondered.

"There we go, that's the last one!" Tarzan beamed proudly as he put his rock knife down and handed the bat to the Professor.

"Splendid Tarzan!" Archimedes exclaimed as he inspected it, "Superb craftsmanship, you whittle well my son!" Archimedes decided to take it upon himself to teach Tarzan and the gorillas the glorious game of English cricket. However, after several frustrated and failed attempts of trying to explain the complex rules, Jane suggested to her father that maybe rounders would be a more suitable game for them to play.

Archimedes took on the project with gusto, drawing diagrams and writing dimensions for rounders bats, which Tarzan whittled once he found suitable pieces of wood. Jane assisted by sewing together scraps of leather and stuffing them tightly to make balls whilst Terk and Tantor took it upon themselves to find the perfect place to set up a rounders pitch.

"Tarzan! Tarzan!" Tantor shouted as he burst through the bushes and ran towards them, his trunk flailing wildly.

"What is it Tantor?" Tarzan asked as his friend struggled to get his breath back.

"Tarzan, I, I, have found the, most amazing, no, spectacular thing!" Tantor gasped, his eyes wide with excitement! "You've all gotta see this!"

"Show us then!" Tarzan demanded, finding himself getting excited by his friend's enthusiasm! Tantor led the way with Jane and Archimedes on his back carrying the equipment, Tarzan swinging on vines behind them and the gorillas following on foot.

"Isn't it amazing!" Tantor exclaimed as he showed everyone what he had found and everyone's mouth dropped in astonishment. It was a clearing in the jungle that was the perfect size for the rounders pitch and had impeccably flat ground. What was the delight was that the clearing was bordered with several fruit trees all groaning with ripe and delicious fruit. Mangos, melons, papayas, passionfruit, pineapples, bananas and many more.

"Tantor," Tarzan gasped as he gazed at the clearing, "there's enough food to feed us for several days!"

"I know! I am a genius!" Terk scoffed as she dropped down from one of the trees, banana mush all around her mouth.

"Genius!" Tantor replied scornfully, "I found this place actually banana brain!"

"Hey buddy if it weren't for me pointing you in the right direction we would have missed it so I deserve the credit!"

"You wouldn't have pointed us in the right direction if I hadn't smelt the fruit in the first place! After all I am the one with the super sensitive nose!"

"Well," Terk said defiantly, placing her hands on her hips, "let's see what you can smell when I take your 'super sensitive' nose and stick it up your big fat -"

"Perhaps," Archimedes quickly interrupted, "we should set up the pitch and get the game started eh?"

Once the rounders pitch was finished, using sticks for the posts and small pebbles to mark the lines, it was agreed that Tarzan and Archimedes would be the captains. "You choose first Tarzan," Archimedes offered as the gorillas lined up, waiting for the men to take turns in picking who they wanted on their team.

"I pick Jane," Tarzan said without hesitation, as his wife was finishing marking out the batting square.

"Oh, that's very sweet of you dear. But I think I better sit this one out. Besides, someone has to be the umpire."

"Excellent idea Jane," Archimedes nodded in approval, "So Tarzan who do you pick first?"

"Then I chose Gobu," Tarzan decided as he watched Jane sit down next to Kala with the older female gorillas and children, the sketchbook in her lap now to be used as a scoring book.

Quickly the two men picked one gorilla after another for their team until it was only Terk and Tantor left. "Well I know Tarzan is going to pick," Terk teased Tantor whilst the men deliberated, "I am his cousin and family comes first!"

"I chose Tantor," Tarzan announced, leaving Terk gobsmacked!

"Hahahaha!" Tantor crowed triumphantly. "You may be family but I swing the best! You throw like a crabby old baboon!" he said, referring to Terk's rubbish attempt at throwing a rock into the sea when Tarzan almost left for England.

"Oh that's it!" Terk snapped, "I will destroy you Tantor! You're going down!"

"No you are going down," Tantor growled, "way, way, WAY down!"

"Seriously guys, the trash talk is embarrassing!" Gobu exasperated, "Let's just get on and play."

"Remember hehe this is just a friendly," Archimedes added, trying to keep the peace. "Sportsmanship is vital to a good game." Jane took a farthing and flipped it, asking her husband and father to call heads or tails.

"It's tails," Jane nodded, "Daddy you win. Do you want to field or bat?"

"We'll bat first," Archimedes decided.

"Prepare for war Tantor," Terk scowled as everyone took up their positions.

"Bring. It. On!" Tantor seethed. Kala and Jane turned to look at each other and rolled their eyes. So much for a friendly game they both thought!

"Come on Tantor! You can do it!" Gobu shouted as Tantor entered the batting square. They had swapped over, Tarzan's team now batting. The teams were neck and neck, Tantor being the last batter and needed to get one more 'rounder' in order to win the game. Tantor gripped onto the bat with his trunk, his eyes glowering at Terk.

"Prepare to lose Tantor!" she taunted him and Tantor's eyes narrowed in determination. A gorilla named Kinani bowled and Tantor hit the ball with full force, sending it flying high through the air.

"I got it! I got it!" Terk cried as Tantor raced his way round the posts. As Terk ran backwards to catch the ball, her foot unfortunately braced on a discarded banana skin! Terk screamed as she zipped backwards at a fantastic speed, landing in the giant pile of fruit that gorillas had made to take back to the nesting area for later.

"Terk!" Tantor cried as they all rushed over. Tantor shoved his trunk into the fruit pile and delved around frantically. Everyone waited in baited breath before he eventually pulled Terk out. From the accident a pineapple got wedged on the top of her head, her eyes were covered with two mangos, a passionfruit on her nose and a banana wedged sideways in her mouth, giving her a ridiculously wide, yellow clown like smile!

After a moment of silence, a loud snort was emitted. Everyone turned round to see Jane's cheeks were turning bright red and her clenched mouth twitching. She instantly dissolved into a fit of loud hysterical giggles, laughing so hard that she could barely breathe with tears streaming down her face! Everyone stared in disbelief at the sight of Jane laughing before breaking into raucous giggles themselves.

As Tarzan laughed, his tears of laughter were mixed with ones of joy, Jane was happy again! He was hearing her delightful laugh again! As Jane continued to laugh and her ribs begun to ache, she realised that Kala was right. She would indeed laugh again, when something was really, really funny!