FORWARD, MARCH
The gorilla stood there and clapped his hands; he loved the game and was very happy more humans had shown up to play with him. He went over to Gilligan and grabbed his arm.
"Whoa! Help! Skipper!" Gilligan shrieked, held captive again.
Swinging on vines, the gorilla carried Gilligan to the area of the island where he had found the grenades. Putting Gilligan down, he went to another box, this one different from the grenade boxes.
"Oh wow, you want to play with me?" Gilligan asked the gorilla, and the gorilla nodded.
XXX
"Come on! Hurry up! Get it over home plate! Strike him out!"
Jonas Grumby stopped walking when he heard the voice. He recognized it immediately and followed it to a small area.
"I found him, everyone," he called out before pushing through the bushes to a small area. "Gilligan? What are you doing?" he asked, just as the gorilla threw something, and Gilligan swung at it with a big stick. The Skipper winced as the object came toward him and landed in his hand. "A… pine cone?"
"Awww Skipper! You got me out!" Gilligan whined, and the Skipper understood as he saw the uneven baseball diamond Gilligan scratched out and the leaves he was using for bases.
"The Professor was right - he doesn't want to hurt us Skipper, he just likes to play," Gilligan explained, with a grin. By now the others had joined the Skipper, and they looked around in awe. "Come on everyone, he is really friendly - he was just lonely, I think," Gilligan told them, but everyone hung back reluctantly.
With pleading eyes, Gilligan looked at Mary Ann. She sighed but walked toward him. "I'm in, as long as he minds his manners."
"All right, Gilligan; hopefully this will quiet the beast," the Professor added, just as Gilligan's other friend came over.
"Hi, Gladys! You want to play, too, girl?"
Gladys nodded, and Gilligan put a catcher's mask he had made on her. It was just a small fishnet, but she looked somewhat like a catcher as he tied a leaf glove on her.
"Couldn't find much on the island," he explained to the group, with a shrug.
The two apes plus Gilligan beat the Skipper, Mary Ann and the Professor. The Howells and Ginger went back for chairs and sat to watch, Ginger keeping score.
After the game, the two apes fell in love and ran off.
"Does this mean were done playing?" he called out and his shoulders sunk.
"It's for the best, little buddy. At least now our lives are no longer in danger," the Skipper said.
Gilligan nodded. "I'll miss him, though."
When the apes were out of view, the seven walked back to camp. Gilligan retrieved a small book from his hut and sat at a table.
Dear Diary,
I made a new frend tuday. It was a big gerella who was throwen grenades at us. Me the skipper and prufesser tried getten them away but he cauht me. I led him to the lagoon and we got rid of grenades by throwen them in the water. Now Gladys has a new boyfrend. Ill miss him…
Gilligan