The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,30

games is to grab you by your arms or legs and throw you across the paddock. Sometimes they even like to play catch, with you as the ball.”

“That's a joke, right? Tell me you're joking.”

“Afraid not,” William said. “Right, I think you're ready. Let's get cracking. I'll help for a bit, until you get the hang of things.”

William picked up his shovel, opened the gate, and went straight into the paddock. He walked past the chimpanzee without making eye contact and then stopped and turned around, beckoning to them.

“She's not interested in me, so it was easy to get past,” William said. “It may be a bit trickier for you. Just walk confidently and act disinterested. And don't be afraid. They can smell fear and it excites them.”

“I must reek, then,” Charlie said.

Ben put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. “Let's go together. Come on, no use drawing it out.”

He hauled his shovel over his shoulder. Charlie sighed and dragged his own shovel along.

Despite the folly of it, Ben was still tempted to look at the chimpanzee as they walked by. He could feel its eyes on them and couldn't help cringing a little, imagining those long hairy arms reaching out to touch him. He thought he caught a flicker of movement from the corner of his eye, but with three quick steps, they were past, and walking hurriedly to William in the middle of the paddock. Next to him was a small wooden cart with two wheels and a pair of handles.

“Good job,” William said. “Now, let's work from right to left. Concentrate on the darker pooh, if you can. That stuff has been sitting there longer. Transport it to this cart and we'll wheel it out when it gets full.”

“Shovel the dark pooh. Got it,” Ben said.

Aside from the horrible smell, Ben found it was a strangely satisfying experience. Sometimes the most basic manual chores with easily observable results can be quite fulfilling. The hardest part was keeping an eye on the chimpanzees, to make sure they kept their distance. William tackled the pooh closest to the animals. Ben felt a pleasant soreness in his arms as he worked, picking up the pooh and transporting it into the cart. Charlie could only lift a fraction of what Ben did, but there was a grim determination in his face as he worked.

They got into a nice rhythm, and Ben was just getting into his groove when William cursed.

“Charlie,” William said. His voice contained a note of caution.

Charlie stopped mid-shovel and looked round. “What— oh dear.”

Both chimpanzees were making their way over to him.

“Help! What should I do? Should I run?”

“No,” William said immediately. “Running is a very bad idea. Just keep working and ignore them. Make sure you don't look them in the eye.”

Charlie went back to shovelling, though Ben could see his spade shaking a little. The chimpanzees came right up to him, stepping in the pooh Charlie was trying to dig. With forced nonchalance, Charlie attempted to turn and find another pile to clear up.

The taller of the two chimpanzees reached out and grabbed Charlie's t-shirt. With surprising ease, he lifted Charlie up and placed him directly between him and his fellow chimpanzee. Charlie managed to remain quiet until they started pushing him back and forth.

“Help!” Charlie said.

Ben looked imploringly to William, who was now watching the scene, and looking around the paddock, as if searching for something.

“Prepare yourself, Charlie,” William shouted. He ran a little to the left, then adjusted his position. “Ben, stand ten feet to my right.”

“Prepare myself for what?” Charlie shouted back, with increasing panic.

The answer came before William could reply.

The chimpanzees began a tug-of-war with Charlie's body. The taller one was victorious. He grabbed Charlie's wrists and then, like a professional athlete, spun him around and around, releasing him at maximum velocity.

“Here he comes!” William shouted. Ben watched in astonishment as Charlie sailed through the air. The impact would have been horrible, but William was ready. He took a couple of steps back and clenched his teeth as Charlie crashed into him. They both hit the grass hard in a mass of arms and legs.

Ben ran over to help them up. “Are you guys okay?”

“I'm alright,” William said, getting to his feet. Charlie looked dazed, but managed to stumble to his feet with William's help.

“I've just been thrown fifty feet by a flying chimpanzee. I've felt better,” Charlie said, rubbing his backside.

“Something to tell your future kids about,” Ben said, with a grin.

“We're