Hello everyone! Glad you are liking the story, I am really enjoying writing it. Here's the next chapter and please review! xxx

Chapter 23 – The Fruitful Adventure (Part 1)

The morning seemed to continue the depressed mood of the night; the sky was filled with a thick grey cloud and the sun failed to penetrate with its rays of watery light. In the gloomy treehouse Jane groggily sat up in bed, her eyes almost glued together with sticky crusts of sleep. As she rubbed it out with her ball up fists, her head began to throb with a dull and irritating ache.

Jane cursed herself for having such a rigid body clock as the pain started to pound hard at her temples. She and Tarzan had eventually gone back to bed at 3 o'clock but she had slept very little in those four hours. Jane held out her arms and sounded out a big yawn whilst stretching out her back, sore from constant tossing and turning. When she finished she noticed that her daughter was also awake and sitting up in her truckle bed.

Jane smiled at her daughter's dishevelled yet utterly adorable appearance. Her white cotton nightgown was all creased and crumpled whilst her hair that had been plaited for sleep was coming undone with the hairs on top of her head standing up in a rather mad halo! Both mother and daughter smiled as they silently mouthed "Good morning" to each other before going about their morning routine.

As they got out of their beds, a slight breeze past by the treehouse creating a chink in the curtains. A patch of light hit Tarzan's face causing him to stir. Annabelle stifled a giggle as her father gave out a loud groan before burying himself under the sheets and patchwork quilt. Jane made a tired smile; normally Tarzan would be bounding out of bed at the crack of dawn whatever time of year, always fresh as a daisy. Maybe age was finally catching up with him, maybe now being 36 was making him slow down!

Jane shook at her head at the notion, Tarzan was just as strong and healthy as he was when she first met him. Apart from an ever so slight thickening of his jaw and a couple of faint lines in his forehead, he looked virtually the same as he did when he was 21, the age that they deemed him to mostly likely be. Archimedes did annual check-ups on his son-in-law to see if there was something in his diet or something he inherited that made him seem almost ageless. Jane would often secretly look in her silver hand mirror, checking for grey hairs or worse, wrinkles and lines! She panicked at her ageing whilst her husband seemed to be almost immortal. One time Tarzan caught her looking and Jane had to give in and admit her concerns.

"Jane you are as, no more beautiful than when I first met you," he reassured her as he gently cupped her face in his hands, "Jane is the best!"

The women went about their early morning routine, done so many times that they could do it blindfolded! Jane lit the range whilst Annabelle went down to feed the animals and collect any eggs. Jane filled with the range with a small pile of logs and kindling before getting out a small, used tobacco box containing the steel and flint. She knelt before the range and struck the flint against the steel and very quickly sparks formed which lit the wood easily. As she waited for it to heat, she went to the window nearby and winched up a bucket of water.

Many years ago, Archimedes together with Tarzan had built a giant wooden water butt at the bottom of the treehouse. It regularly collected rainwater and had a winch system with a bucket attached like one on a well so that they had a consistent supply of fresh water without having to constantly go and up down to collect it. This was an absolute godsend, especially when they needed large amounts for washing clothes, bathing or cooking.

Jane poured half the water into the copper kettle and the other half in a large pan and placed them on the range to heat. By the time Annabelle came back up with the eggs the water in the pan and kettle were gently simmering away. Jane carefully placed the eggs in the pan before giving Annabelle slices of bread to toast in front of the fire of the range, both of them performing their chores in a quiet and harmonious silence, working like a well oiled machine.

"Good morning sweetpeas!" Archimedes beamed at the women, tying the belt around his paisley patterned dressing gown as he entered into the kitchen area of the treehouse.

"Good morning Daddy," Jane replied as her father pecked her fondly on the forehead whilst ruffling his granddaughter's hair. She smiled a little as the kiss seemed to ease the pain in her head.

"Morning Grandpa!" Annabelle grinned before turning her attention back to her toasting duties. She carefully picked the lightly golden slice off the toasting fork so that she could toast the next one.

"Anything I can do to help ladies?" Archimedes asked as Jane bustled about putting some loose tea in the teapot with the kettle starting to whistle.

"Yes, yes you can, you can set the table please Daddy," Jane nodded as she poured the water from the kettle into the teapot, "then the tea will be brewed, eggs cooked and the toast done."

"Righty ho then!" Archimedes set about laying the table with mismatched plates, cutlery, glasses, cups, the butter dish, salt and peppershakers as well as a bowl of fruit in the centre and an assortment of homemade jams.

"Tarzan! Breakfast!" Jane called as she scooped the eggs out of the pan with a slotted spoon so that her daughter could put them into the eggcups that were set on a tea tray.

"Morning," Tarzan croaked as he came over to the kitchen, rubbing one of his eyes with the heel of his palm. He looked knackered, like a man recovering from a night of heavy drinking at his local tavern. "Can I help?" he asked as Jane turned to face him, holding the tea tray with the teapot, milk jug, eggs and a basket of toast, all ready and raring to go.

"Nope everything is fine. Breakfast is ready."

"Sorry," Tarzan's face was sheepish. He felt somewhat guilty that he did not get up earlier and help his wife make breakfast, which he did fairly regularly.

"It's alright. You're helping me with the washing today so I need all your energy for that! Come on, let's eat before the eggs get cold eh?" Jane pecked Tarzan on the lips and allowed him to take the tray from her so that he could bring it to the table.

The family sat round the dining table, tucking into their soft boiled eggs and toast, the adults drinking tea whilst Annabelle drank a glass of fruit juice. Archimedes and Annabelle chattered away about all the creatures that she and Keke would see today. Annabelle effortlessly kept up her pretence of going to the beach, the excitement of her illicit trip making her side of the conservation sound all the more authentic.

Tarzan and Jane however ate in relative silence. Tarzan watched Jane nibble delicately at her toast and smile at her father and daughter as they conversed. But he knew that deep down inside she was still hurting. "Maybe Jane's right," he thought to himself, "maybe we should see a doctor."

He shared Jane's desperation of wanting another child. He particularly dreamed of having a son so that he could teach him all the skills he learnt as a boy as well as the desire of having one of each. They made love as often as they could without it turning unintentionally into a chore. But month after month, year after year Jane's courses came and went like clockwork with no signs of conception. Although they always keep up a positive front, their hope faded a little more with each passing course.

It seemed odd to Tarzan that virtually all the animals in the jungle would produce offspring every year without fail yet he and Jane couldn't seem to make anymore.

"Professor," he asked one day as he watched Archimedes perform an experiment, "do all humans have trouble conceiving children?"

"Well if all humans had trouble reproducing then we certainly would not be such a dominant species!" Archimedes put down a glass flask, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

"So why cannot Jane and I have another child? We have tried for so long and nothing has happened! Do you have any ideas?"

"Well my boy from all my examinations of you two together with my limited medical knowledge I could not find any underlying cause for your infertility," Archimedes gave a sad shrug of defeat, "It seems that you and Janey-Jane are suffering a severe case of bad luck. I don't what else I can do to help Tarzan."

Tarzan's eyes widened in shock at hearing his father-in-law's answer. He always went to Archimedes for advice and it seemed that he had the answer to everything… until now.

"Tarzan!" Archimedes called out as Tarzan disappeared into the jungle, finding the truth too unbearable to swallow.

After trekking the jungle for a while, he saw his mother sitting at a termite mound using a thin stick to collect the tiny insects.

"Hello Tarzan," she smiled as she handed him a stick so that he could join her.

"Thanks," Tarzan mumbled as he took it from her and sat down next to her. Kala noticed her son half-heartedly collect termites from the mound before letting them go instead of eating them.

"Are you alright son?"

"Jane and I cannot have another baby… the Professor cannot help… what are we going to do Mum?" Kala saw her son, normally so strong trying so hard to hold back the tears.

"Be patient my son," she said softly, "nature is a funny thing. Some flowers bloom later than others, some bloom only after several years of sleep. Jane will bloom again one day, I can feel it."

"Really? You think so?" Tarzan eyes became wide with renewed hope.

"I know so," Kala nodded confidently before mother and son went back to eating termites in a loving and comfortable silence.

Whilst the family washed and dressed, Annabelle prepared herself for her secret trip. After washing at the washstand, she brushed and braided her hair into a long thick plait so it would not get in the way. Then she went through the trunk containing her clothes and decided to put on a loose fitting pale blue blouse, a pair of navy blue knickerbockers with long grey socks and her sturdiest pair of black leather hobnail boots.

Once they were all washed and dressed, her father and grandfather went outside to set up the washtubs and mangle whilst her mother prepared her a packed lunch. The washing equipment was stored in the cellar along with the cheeses, which the men dragged out before building a pile of logs in the fire-pit to heat the water to wash the clothes. Annabelle was mighty glad to not be helping out on washday. She would end up hopelessly bored when scrubbing away with the washboard, her hands ending up all cracked and dry from the soap.

And to top it all off both her and her mother's arms would kill after hours of using the wooden dollies and cranking the sodden washing through the mangle. Fortunately she was spared from ironing duties, her mother believing she was too young to do it. The iron was very heavy, made of solid metal and had to be heated on the range. It took great skill and intuition, as you had to know precisely when it was hot enough to iron but not hot enough to scorch the clothes.

"Here you go," Jane held out a tin box and water canteen to her daughter, "that should keep you and Keke going for the day."

"Thanks Mama," Annabelle smiled as she took it from her, the excitement building inside her like a wind up toy. Whilst her mother was preoccupied with washing up and tidying away the breakfast and lunch things Annabelle snuck an extra cloth sack and a length of rope into her bag, which she took from the cellar when she went out to feed the animals earlier. Checking over her shoulder to see that her mother was not looking she carefully slid open the drawer of the cabinet where she knew her father kept his whittling knife. It had been a Christmas present to Tarzan from Archimedes several years ago and it was one of her father's prized possessions.

"Are you ready to go Anna?" Jane's voice suddenly sounded out just after she silently shut the drawer, making Annabelle jump out of her skin!

"Born ready!" Annabelle plastered a grin on her face. She had managed to hide the knife in the waistband of her knickerbockers, the coolness of the metal blade pressing into the small of her back.

"Well grab your bag and let's go. You don't want to waste any time before the tide comes in."

Annabelle had to stop herself from exhaling a huge sigh of relief as she realised that her mother had not seen her take the knife. Annabelle grabbed her bag and joined her mother at the front door, the tip of the knife blade gently prodding her in the back like a guilty conscience. As they got into the 'boat-lift' Annabelle saw a look of deep sadness cross her mother's face.

"Are you alright Mama?"

"I'm fine sweetheart," Jane replied as she snapped out of her reverie, "just got a bit of headache that's all."

Annabelle knew instantly that her mother was still upset from last night and her brow furrowed in determination. She knew that she would be in so much trouble tonight but the price would be worth it. Her mother and father may be angry with her for a while, but giving them the chance to have another child was worth any punishment. "Besides," she thought to herself as they slowly winched themselves down, "I have never been in any real trouble before so maybe Mama and Papa will go easy on me."

The family walked through the jungle together, Archimedes and Jane each holding one of Annabelle's hands with Tarzan swinging on vines slightly ahead of them. They walked for quite a while, calmly chatting before arriving at the gorillas' nesting place.

"Hey guys!" Terk beamed as she came over to them, "We were beginning to think that you weren't coming!"

"Sorry Terk," Tarzan apologised, "we took a bit longer to get ready than we hoped."

"You humans! You take so long in the mornings!" Terk teased him, "We gorillas just get up and go!"

"Yeah we may take longer but we smell so much better!" Tarzan joked and everyone laughed, Terk patting Tarzan on the back as she conceded that he won their little battle of humour.

As the adults chatted and gossiped, Keke and Annabelle snuck off to one side. The two friends were high as kites, soaring on the adrenaline surging wildly through their veins.

"Have you got what we need?" Keke asked Annabelle as her friend adjusted the knapsack on her back.

"Yes, I have lunch for both of us, Grandpa's map and compass, some rope, Papa's knife and a spare sack for the fruit. Have you got what we need to escape from Uncle Tantor?"

"Hell yeah!" Keke grinned, "I set up the trap last night and I checked it at dawn before everyone else got up and I caught a nice big 'un! It will scare the life out of Uncle Tantor!"

"What exactly did you catch Keke?"

"You'll see," Keke smiled, her amber eyes filled with mischief, "you'll see Anna!"

Suddenly there was a rustling of bushes followed by a loud trumpet as Tantor entered the nesting area.

"Finally!" Terk rolled her eyes, "What time do you call this buddy?"

"Sorry Terk, I was just doing a little risk assessment of the beach before coming here," Tantor replied, ignoring his friend's sarcastic tone.

"It's just the beach Tantor!"

"The beach is full of risks!" Tantor blustered, "The tides, the water, the creatures with sharp claws in those pools and the sand! It gets everywhere! It's still stuck between my toes!"

"I'm sure it will be fine," Tarzan interrupted before they inadvertently changed Jane's mind, "Tantor thanks for taking the girls. Jane, myself AND Terk are very grateful, aren't we Terk?"

"Oww! Yes we all are!" Terk yelped as Tarzan elbowed sharply her in the shoulder.

"Awww you're too kind," Tantor gushed happily, "you know I'm thinking if this goes well I might set up my own babysitting service. Tantor's Tot Sitting Service! Now Terk, since we are best friends so I will give 'mates rates' so today's cost will be 5 large bunches of bananas."

"5!" Terk cried, "That's extortionate! No way am I paying that! 1 bunch of bananas!"

"5!" Tantor snapped back.

"2!" Terk retorted as she crossed her arms, everyone rolling their eyes in exasperation as the two friends started a fierce haggling war!

"4!"

"2!"

"4!"

"Look buddy I'll give ya 3 bunches of bananas, a couple of mangoes and a recommendation! That's my final offer!" Terk snapped. Tantor was quiet for a moment, scratching his chin with his trunk in thought whilst everyone waited on tenterhooks for his answer.

"Terk my friend you've got yourself a deal," Tantor nodded calmly as Terk firmly shook his trunk in agreement.

"Kids! Are you ready to go?" Tarzan called out. The girls scampered over and began the long ceremony of saying goodbye to the whole family. Annabelle hugged one family member after another including her Auntie Terk, Uncle Gobo, her grandfather and her Grandma Karla.

"Take care child and have a lovely time," Kala said tenderly as she embraced her granddaughter, her large arms enveloping her, almost hiding Annabelle in her thick hair.

"I will," Annabelle replied happily as her grandmother's hair gently tickled her face. Kala beamed as she released her. It seemed to her like only yesterday that Annabelle was a tiny baby in her arms and now here she was, so tall and confident, soon on her way to adulthood.

"Bye Belle," Tarzan approached them and held out his arms. Annabelle turned from her grandmother and wrapped her arms around her father's neck. Tarzan held his daughter for a while in silence. Although he was always pressing Jane to let her explore and play without them, now that it was actually happening it was rather overwhelming for him. Second thoughts began to creep into his mind like a grub burrowing into a rotting tree trunk.

"Don't worry about me Papa, I'll be alright," Annabelle whispered, her words instantly quelling Tarzan's worries. It often amazed him at how his daughter had a natural gift of reading his thoughts and emotions as easily as one of her books.

"I hope you have a wonderful day at the beach," he whispered into her ear, "don't get up to too much mischief!"

"I won't!" Annabelle replied whilst trying to ignore the guilt of deceiving her family building up inside her.

"Come on Anna! Let's go!" Keke called out impatiently who was now sitting high up on Tantor's back. Annabelle gave her father a quick squeeze before heading over. As she stepped onto Tantor's trunk so that he could lift her up, she turned her head to see her mother kneeling on the ground a few feet away.

"Bye Anna," Jane called out as she waved farewell to her daughter. Although her mouth was fixed into an upbeat smile Annabelle could see the worry and forlornness lurking in her mother's deep blue eyes. Without a second thought Annabelle jumped off Tantor's trunk and ran at full pelt into her mother, almost knocking Jane over backwards! Jane gasped in delight as her daughter threw her arms around her and hugged so tightly that the breath was almost knocked out of her.

"I love you Mama," Annabelle whispered as she nuzzled her face into the crook of Jane's neck, breathing in the wonderful mixture of homemade perfume, soap and that indescribable motherly scent that she always possessed. The smell of comfort, reassurance and tenderness.

"I love you too Anna," Jane fought hard to hold back the tears as she wrapped her arms around her daughter and hugged her back with equal vigour. "I hope that you have lots of fun and I want you to tell me everything when you come back, promise?"

"Promise," Annabelle smiled before sharing another loving embrace with her mother. The gorillas watched with unabated curiosity at this tender moment. It never ceased to amaze them at how humans were so similar to them in that their love and devotion to their family and offspring was just as strong as theirs.

"Have a good time girls," Tarzan smiled after Annabelle settled down on Tantor's back, "I want them back by sundown at the absolute latest Tantor."

"Will do T!" Tantor grinned and made a salute gesture with his trunk. As his friend walked off into the jungle with the two girls, Tarzan quietly took Jane's hand and gave it a squeeze. Both parents looked on with a mixture of trepidation and pride as they watched their little girl take her first step towards independence and womanhood.

Tantor walked through the jungle at a comfortable pace, the girls enjoying the treat of riding on their elephant uncle's back. Annabelle drank in the countless sights, sounds and smells of the jungle, a sensory rainbow. She ran her hand along Tantor's back, utterly fascinated by his skin, a tough wrinkly leather like hide but hot and alive to the touch.

Keke who was sitting in front turned her head as Annabelle tried to mimic a birdcall. "Are you sure you wanna do this?" she whispered to her friend, "We can go to the beach if you want. We can always go another day."

Annabelle's smile disappeared and her green eyes quickly filled with a steely determination. "No, we must go today. I need to go today. Where is the trap to scare Tantor?"

"In the bushes where the path forks by the old banana tree, where we would turn right to go to the beach."

"So what do you want me to do?"

Tantor smiled to himself as the girls whispered away, completely unaware of their plotting. He was looking forward to taking them to the beach. Despite his misgiving over the sand, the waves and the unknown creatures in the water, he was excited about babysitting them. He was very fond of Annabelle and Keke and loved being an uncle to them. He also saw today as being very good practice for the future. There was a new female elephant at the elephants' watering hole Jalika who Tantor was utterly captivated by. She was a single mother with a young son named Dembe, separated from their own herd and were eagerly adopted by Tantor's clan.

Tantor who desperately wanted to court Jalika, felt that by her seeing him at one with children she would find him all the more attractive and prospective mate. Taking the girls on a day trip was the perfect opportunity to hone his child rearing skills.

"Uncle Tantor!" Keke called to him, snapping him out of his reverie, "Can I get down? I need to relieve myself."

"Can I get down too?" Annabelle added, "I need to stretch my legs."

"Of course my little ladies," Tantor picked up each girl with his trunk in turn and gently placed them on the ground. Keke scampered off into the bushes nearby whilst Annabelle walked around, pretending to stretch her calf muscles, waiting for the right moment.

Keke carefully lifted up the piece of bark that she had taken from a fallen tree and fashioned into a trap. Quick as a flash the creature tried to make a dash for it! But Keke was quicker and managed to swipe it up in her hands. She crawled into the bushes and shook a branch twice as a signal to her friend that she was ready. Annabelle saw the signal and threw a piece of banana onto the ground when Tantor was not looking.

"Here goes nothing," Keke muttered as she let go of the creature, which quickly scattered out of the bushes. It started to cross the path but it saw the large piece of ripe banana and headed straight towards it just as the girls had planned.

"Uncle Tantor!" Annabelle piped up, her voice all upbeat and innocent, "What's that?"

"Why Anna that's a, a, a-" Tantor turned his head to see what she was looking at, his voice trailing quickly away and gulped in horror. The blood drained from his face as he took in its brown fur, long whiskers, beady yellow eyes, pointy ears and worm like tail. The creature looked up at him and rubbed one side of its face with a paw before emitting a short, high pitched squeak!

"JJJUUUNNNGGGLLLEEE RRRRAAAATTTTTT!" Tantor screamed and wailed in terror! He screwed his eyes tight shut, his trunk trumpeting and failing around wildly! Annabelle grabbed her knapsack off the ground and dodged around Tantor's legs, kicking as violently as a bucking bronco!

"Come on!" Keke cried as she grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her into the bushes seconds before Tantor's back leg landed in same exact spot with a deafening thud!

"Run!" Annabelle yelled and the girls ran off into the jungle as fast they could, refusing to stop, ignoring the burning stitches in their sides. They ran and ran and ran until the sounds of the panicked Tantor became quieter and quieter until they could hear nothing of it. They eventually collapsed behind a large rock and panted hard, their lungs feeling as if they were on fire, every breath burned with a sharp, burning pain.

"Do, do you think we've lost him?" Keke finally managed to say, wiping the sweat off her brow. Annabelle took the knapsack off her back and rummaged around it before pulling out the map and compass. Her face, which was bright red like a beetroot, was now calming down and slowly returning back to its usual golden colour.

"Yes," she nodded as her eyes intensely scanned the map, "Let's go!" She pulled herself up and held out her hand to Keke. Keke gratefully took her hand and Annabelle pulled her up without too much difficulty. Keke watched her best friend with an avid keenness as she looked at the map, then the compass, then the map again. "This way!" Annabelle pointed her finger slightly to the left and the girls started on their quest, to the eastern territories… the forbidden lands.

"ARGH IT'S GRUESOME! IT'S DISGUSTING! GET IT OFF ME!" Tantor wailed as he cowered on the ground, his trunk covering his eyes. When he finally realised he could hear no squeaking he cautiously opened one eye and saw to his delight that the wretched creature was gone!

"Oh that's a relief!" he smiled as he stood up, wiping his brow with his trunk, "Sorry about that kids, for my little panic attack! So onwards to the beach – kids?" Tantor turned to his head to face the bushes where he last saw the children but there was no sign of them.

"Kids? Kids!" he called out loudly, "Anna? Keke?" No reply. "KIDS! KIDS! KIDS!" Tantor cried as he poked and rummaged around in several bushes and trees. "ANNA?! KEKE?! WHERE ARE YOU!" Panic rose in Tantor like a tidal wave and strong sick feeling built up in his stomach as he realised what had happened!

"Oh no! No no no no NOOOOO! I have LOST the children! Tarzan is going to KILL me! I am a DEAD elephant!"