“All the time?” Kevin asked.

“Mostly,” Alphonse said.

The group walked back through the village to the car. They didn’t talk until Kevin had started the motor.

“Well, what do you guys think?” Kevin asked. “Should we continue? The sun’s already set.”

“I vote yes,” Melanie said. “We’ve come this far.”

“I agree,” Candace said. “I’m curious to see this bridge that grows.”

Melanie laughed. “Me, too. What a charming fellow.”

Kevin drove away from the store, which was now busier than earlier. But he wasn’t sure of his direction. The road into the village had simply expanded into the parking area for the store, and there was no indication of the track leading further east. To find it, he had to cruise the parking lot’s perimeter.

Once on the track, they were impressed with how much easier it had been to travel on the improved road. The track was narrow, bumpy, and muddy. Grass about three feet tall grew down the median strip. Frequently branches stretched from one side to the other, slapping against the windshield and poking through the open windows. To avoid being hit by the snapping branches, they had to raise the windows. Kevin clicked on the air conditioner and the lights. The beams reflected off the surrounding vegetation and gave the impression of driving through a tunnel.

“How far do we have to go on this cow path?” Melanie asked.

“Only three or four miles,” Kevin said.

“It’s a good thing we have four-wheel drive,” Candace remarked. She was holding on tightly to the overhead strap and still bouncing around. The seat belt wasn’t helping. “The last thing I’d want to do is get stuck out here.” She glanced out the side window at the inky black jungle and shivered. It was eerie. She couldn’t see a thing despite patches of luminous sky above. And then there was the noise. Just during their short visit with Alphonse, the night creatures of the jungle had commenced their loud and monotonous chorus.

“What did you make of the things Alphonse said?” Kevin asked finally.

“I’d say the jury is still out,” Melanie said. “But they’re certainly deliberating.”

“I think his comment about the bonobos being bipedal when they come to get the food is very disturbing,” Kevin said. “The circumstantial evidence is adding up.”

“The suggestion that they are communicating impressed me,” Candace said.

“Yeah, but chimps and gorillas have been taught sign language,” Melanie said. “And we know bonobos are more bipedal than any other apes. What impressed me was the aggressive behavior, although I stand by my idea that it might be from our mistake not to have produced more females to maintain the balance.”

“Can chimps make those sounds that Alphonse imitated?” Candace asked.

“I don’t think so,” Kevin said. “And that’s an important point. It suggests maybe their larynges are different.”

“Do chimps really kill monkeys?” Candace asked.

“They do occasionally,” Melanie said. “But I’ve never heard of a bonobo doing so.”

“Hang on!” Kevin shouted as he braked.