By Hunter Perez
The morning drive to the zoo was without conversation. Jock had some abysmal talk show playing on his car radio while Simon sat next to him in the passenger seat bopping his head to the music that only he could hear through his earpieces. I sat in the back seat with the large box containing the gorilla costume, irritated by the babbling from the radio talk show and apprehensive that something awful would happen to me once I was locked in the gorilla outfit.
Jock drove past the zoo’s main entrance and entered the venue through a side gate, where he parked the car and pointed us to a narrow path. Jock quickly engaged Simon in some sort of animated conversation that I could not hear, as I was walking four paces behind them carrying the large box with the gorilla costume. After what seemed like an endless walk, we came to a nondescript grey building where Eddie was waiting outside.
Eddie was typical of Jock’s friends – tall, broad shouldered, powerfully built and very handsome in a preppy manner. But unlike Jock’s friends, Eddie was always very pleasant with me. Whenever I was stuck at one of Jock’s parties, Eddie turned up to offer a chance for cordial conversation, always with a smile and a genuine sense of interest in whatever I was saying. While the cash incentive being offered for this cockamamie scheme roped me in, I was happy to help Eddie because he was always nice to me.
And Eddie looked as if he needed help – he was pacing back and forth with a pensive look on his face. “Jock, we have a problem,” he called out. “Last night, someone vandalized the new gorilla enclosure and tore up the whole thing while defacing the Plexiglas viewing window. We can’t do the media event from the enclosure.”
“So, what are we going to do?” Jock asked.
“We have no choice but to use a cage in the old monkey house,” Eddie replied. “It’s not ideal. With the enclosure, the reporters and photographers would have been twice as far back, and Bingo would have been in a larger space. Now, they’ll be closer, and Bingo will be in a smaller space. There’s a better chance that they’ll realize this is not a real gorilla.”
“But the costume is perfect – no one will know the difference,” Jock said.
Eddie shook his head with worry. “I don’t know – if they realize we’re not showing them a real gorilla, this could create many problems for us.”
I stepped forward to Eddie. “So, what do you want me to say to the reporters when they see me?”
Eddie looked at me with exasperation. “You’re not supposed to say anything. You’re supposed to be a gorilla. This isn’t ‘Planet of the Apes.’ Oh, damn, I should never have agreed to this idea.”
“Relax, this will work,” Jock claimed. “I will take Bingo into your office and get him dressed. We’ll meet you at the old monkey house.”
Jock directed Simon and me into the building and showed us into a large office. I was told to disrobe and get into the gorilla costume. Simon took my shoes, folded my clothing and put them into the costume’s box. Jock buttoned the back of the costume and placed the gorilla head on me. I heard that awful click locking the head into place, which made me start to tug in vain to free myself. Jock then walked me and Simon out of the building and down another path to an old Beaux Arts structure with narrow caged exhibition spaces where animals would have been displayed. Eddie was outside the building, and he started to smile when he saw us approach.
“Damn, that gorilla outfit is incredible realistic,” Eddie exclaimed. “He certainly looks like a Burundi Savannah Gorilla. But we can’t have him walking in a bipedal human manner. Bingo, can you walk like a gorilla?”
“I have no idea how a gorilla walks,” I said.
“Then it might be best if he doesn’t get up,” Eddie said. “Maybe have him on the ground – just laying around, yawning and scratching himself.”
“Oh, Bingo can do that,” volunteered Simon. “That’s what he does when he’s in the living room watching television.”
Eddie didn’t notice Simon earlier, but suddenly he straightened up and smiled like a glutton approaching a steak. “Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Eddie and I’m the executive director at the zoo. And who are you?”
Simon beamed and said, “I’m the gorilla’s boyfriend.”
“He’s not my boyfriend,” I protested.
Eddie moved closer to Simon, his smile growing wider by the second. “I hope you’re not his boyfriend – a cute guy like you shouldn’t be dating gorillas. You need to hang out with your own species. Do you come to the zoo often?”
“No, I haven’t been here since I was on a school trip in the fourth grade,” Simon said, showing an equal amount of positive attention to Eddie. “I’d love to see it again.”
Eddie put his arm around Simon’s shoulders. “I can arrange that. I’m Eddie and I run this place. The media event isn’t scheduled until ten, but those things always start late. I can show you some of our new attractions here.”
Eddie then turned to Jock and said, “Jock, put the gorilla in the first cage on the left to get him accustomed to the setting – it’s the one with the straw on the floor. If you don’t mind, I’m going to show our charming friend around the zoo. I’ll be back in about 45 minutes to set everything up.”
Eddie, with his arm around Simon’s shoulders, slowly walked off. I looked at Jock and felt gobsmacked.
“Put the gorilla in the cage?” I said. “What, I don’t have a name? And why am I in a cage?”
“Because the gorilla enclosure was vandalized,” Jock explained. “Remember what Eddie said when we arrived? Besides, you’ll only be in a cage for two hours.”
“Two hours?” I shrieked. “Yesterday you said this would only be for one hour.”
“One hour, two hours, it’s the same thing,” Jock said, pushing me slightly before. “The building’s entrance is over there. Besides, the cage has straw on the floor, so you’ll be comfortable.”
Jock took me into the building and opened a thick metal door. We walked into a narrow hallway and he pulled open a bolt to a wide door. I looked through the door and saw a cage with thin metal bars that cut off the outer world from the enclosure.
“Are you sure we can’t do this media event in Eddie’s office?” I said nervously. “I don’t think I can stand being in a cage.”
“Then don’t stand – do what Eddie said and lay down,” Jock said before he pushed me from behind. I stumbled into the cage and fell on the straw covered floor as the sound of the door slamming shut and the bolt being fastened reverberated through the space. I bounced up and raced to the locked door, pounding on it furiously while calling Jock’s name. After a minute, I heard a whistle and turned around to see Jock outside of the cage, looking in at my imprisonment.
“Calm down, Bingo, everything is under control,” he said. “You’re not going to be in there forever. Just get used to being a gorilla in a cage. Eddie will be back shortly to brief you on what to do, and after the reporters leave I’ll get you out of there and buy you a banana.”
I started to pull at the gorilla head. “I can’t go through with this,” I said. “Bad enough I’m locked in this cage, but this costume is getting to me. I feel like I’m in one of those MetalbondNYC stories where a guy gets trapped in a leather gimp suit and never gets freed.”
“Sit at the back of the cage, meditate, think happy thoughts,” Jock advised. “Imagine this is a Connor Maguire video and he’s a big game hunter chasing you through the jungle. What happens when he catches you? Does he tie you up or do you tie him up? And what kind of fun can you have with Connor Maguire and a banana? Think about it, Bingo!”
I paused and started to breathe slowly. “You know, that sounds like a hot idea for a video. What would happen if he caught me? Or I caught him?”
“That’s the spirit, pal. Sit down in the back of the cage and come up with a scenario,” Jock said, pointing to rear of my new prison. “If you have something workable, I can pass it along to Connor’s agent. Meanwhile, I need to make a few phone calls, but I will be back in about 10 minutes, and we’ll see what ideas you’ve come up with.”
Jock walked off and I sat at the back of the cage, looking out to the world that was suddenly cut off from me. The gorilla costume was slightly warm, and I tried not to move too much, if only to avoid working up a sweat. I began to contemplate Jock’s silly idea of imagining a video script with Connor Maguire and a gorilla, but then something else took over my thoughts. I started to wonder about the gorilla whose place I was taking for this bizarre charade – Jock said he was the only one of its kind in captivity. Damn, I wondered, what kind of a life did that poor gorilla have to look forward to? Even if he received the best possible treatment at the zoo, he’d still be stuck in a solitary existence, with no other gorillas like him for company.
The sky beyond the cage became overcast and everything turned grey and shadowy. My mood became somber, and I felt a strange kinship with the creature I was imitating.
“I sort of hope those animal rights activists get the gorilla back to where it belongs in Africa,” I said to myself. “Imagine having to live like this, in locked up in solitary, with people gawking at you all day.”
I heard a vehicle pull up outside of the monkey house, but not in view from my vantage point. I then heard voices coming from behind the door where I was pushed through – it was probably Eddie driving back with Simon.
“I need to talk to Eddie about this plan,” I said to myself. “This isn’t fair to keep the gorilla here all alone.”
I heard the bolt to the door creak. I stood up and faced the door, ready to share my concerns about what was taking place. The door flew open, but suddenly sharp dart shoot came flying into the cage and deep into my chest. The force of the dart knocked me over backwards and my body began to convulse, then grow heavy.
Two large, rough-looking men dressed in black ran into the cage. Both were carrying ropes – one started to bind my ankles while the other lassoed one of my wrists. I tried to sit up and speak, but I felt all the energy exiting my body.
“The tranquilizer should go into full effect in about ten seconds,” said the man at my wrist. “Once he’s out, we can get him into the container and get him down to the pier and on the freighter. Logan and Jonno are already on board waiting for him.”
I tried to muster the strength to speak, but my throat felt clogged and my sight became hazy. I felt my free wrist being bound to its imprisoned twin.
“Don’t worry, my beautiful gorilla,” said the man to me while tightening my wrists. “You’ll be back in the jungle before you know it.”
I shook my head and attempted to yell, but then I passed out.
To Be Continued
