Katrina and the Animals

8/3/2019 Katrina and the Animals

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Dedicated to the plants and animals: I hope you werent too harmed

in the making of this book.

Katrina and the Animals

Copyright 2010 Taiwo Odunsi

All rights reserved.

ASIN: B0033AHLW4

ISBN: 1-4505-2398-6

EAN13: 978-1-4505-2398-1

Library of Congress: 2010902806

ALSO BY TAIWO ODUNSIHereAfter, The Land of Intuit and the Quest for the Book of Destiny

This paper is certied under the Forest Stewardship Council

and the Sustainable Forest Initiative. Please visit www.taiwo.org

for links on what you can do to heal Mother Earth.


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99 percent of human existence depends on 120 species of

plant and animal.

Robert McCredie May


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It started in the Cambrian Forest where I thought

I heard a very bad thing. Strangemy ears had never

deceived me before. It had sounded like someone

said

KILL THE HUMANS!

These words began the end of my life. I know Im

only nine years old and I tell myself that its not eavesdrop-

ping because these forest folk are my friends. Though I

could hear they were arguing, I couldnt for the life of me

know why they had decided to call this town hall meeting.

Since not much happens in the backwoods of Podunk

Hollowin spite of all these trees blocking my view

Ive gotta keep a listen. My heart leaped and I was nearly

scared to death after Strix, the owl gave a loud hoot.

Order! Order in the court! Whos who, control

yourselves! Everyone else, please, quiet down. Look there!

Phemus has returned from his task.

Well, Phemus, I heard Mordax, the rat squeak, we


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havent got all day. Did you bring it?

Humph! replied Phemus, the gopher in what I

imagine was tart frankness. Im perfectly ne, Mordax.

Thanks so very much for asking!

Dont start, Phemus! Everyones waiting. Did you

nd the right thin tree or didnt you?

I found it; got it here tucked under my belly. Its

badly torn though. Better a mutilated piece of thin tree

than my own fur, is what I say. Now whether its the right

thin tree, thats for you to nd out, isnt it, Mordax?

Gophers and their chittering. Well, dont dally. Give

the thin tree to Strix so he can enter it in as evidence.

Go for this, Phemus. Go for that, Phemus. Amenagerie of lousy ingrates, thats what you are. Here

you are, Strix. One thin tree, safe and sound.

Thank you, Phemus. You put your life in great

danger to obtain this evidence and it may yet decide this

case. We are all in your debt.

Youre very welcome, Strix. At least someone around

here appreciates my talents.

If you two are nished, the rest of us would like to

hear what is written on the thin tree, Anelm, the tree

interjected with wisdom in her tone. Her true age is still

a mystery to me; some critters say she has more inside

rings than the planet Saturn has outside rings.


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KATRINA and the ANIMALS

Anelm is right! Mordax, the rat eeked. Human-

ity will answer for their crime and as lead prosecutor, I

demand you summon the child to translate the human

speech. Whos with me?

Yes! came a chorus of bleats and caws and roars

and growls. Read the thin tree!

Order! Order, I say! Strix, the owl hooted. Katrina...

Katrina? Are you there, little cubling?

I was so nervous; my skin crawled before I could

answer.

Is that you, Strix? I said.

Yes, Katrina. You may come forth now. Ahh, he

said as I stepped from the heavily wooded forest and intothe clearing, theres a good child. I hope we havent kept

you waiting too long.

It was no trouble, Strix. I passed the time counting

butteries; there were so many.

Grrr! Humans and their nonsensical games,

Mordax, the rat squeaked.

Patience, Mordax. Here child, step forward and

remove this thin tree from my talons. Since we cannot

read the markings, we of the Cambrian Tribunal ask that

you translate the speech of your people.

I removed the paper from his talons. I felt its tex-

ture, all course and muddy, looking then at the words, all


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seriffed and fancy, before reading the smudged paragraph

to myself. Then, I stared dolefully at my audience before

reading aloud.

And God said, be fruitful and increase

in number; ll the earth and subdue it:

and let man have dominion over the sh

of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,

and over the cattle, and over all the earth,

and over every creeping thing that creepeth

upon the earth.

There you have it! Mordax, the rat squealed, his furstanding on end. This means war! Whos with me?

Yes! KILL THE HUMANS! the herds rawred and

the packs growled.

We dont creep do we mommy? a young filly

neighed to ask.

No dear, her mama mare neighed in reply. We

gallop.

And I hop! a toad croaked.

And I inch, an inchworm bristled.

Blast you all! Mordax, the rat squeaked to the jury

of animals. How we move around isnt the point.

E-a-s-y f-o-r y-o-u t-o s-a-y, a sloth droned on.


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Yezzz! a bee buzzed. Iiit tizzz tooo meeee!

Rye ragree riff Mordax! Grill da Wrrumans! a

woodchuck chucked.

Grill? No one said anything about grilling humans,

a skunk hissed dramatically. They dont eat me and I

most certainly will not eat them!

Stop this kangaroo court! As plaintiffs, we animals

speak for the Earth but who speaks for the accused?

Without a defendant, it is unjust to put humanity on trial,

Noel, the church mouse squeaked, though I could barely

hear him, as it was always his habit to whisper.

But the thin tree says that man shall have dominion

over the animals. Surely these words account not only forwhat man has done to us but also for why he has done

his crimes, Mordax, the rat squeaked shrilly.

Yes, but we mustnt be rash! someone shouted.

Objection! I will notbe made an ass! a donkey in

the jury brayed scornfully.

Loud bursts of bleating and tweeting, nking and

clicking, screeching and gibbering, squeaking and squeal-

ing, yipping and yapping, yowling and piping, humming

and hissing, whining and wheeking, quacking and oinking,

cheeping and chirping, clucking and cawing, cooing and

mooing, snorting and grunting, bleating and bleeping,

braying and naying trumpeted the forest.


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Order! I must have silence, everyone! Strix, the owl

hooted. Need I remind the town hall of our predicament

and of why we have assembled?

Humanitys technology is a growing threat and its

effect on the Earth has driven our ancestors to near

extinction. But now, after hearing a small sample of their

sacred values, it is clear that humans do not share the

same regard for our planet Earth. As demonstrated by

their exploitation of our planet, humans believe they are

a higher order of life, and thus we must conclude that in

their eyes, non-human life is insignicant.

Animals, plants, and organisms of the jury, youve

heard the evidence from the thin tree as translated fromthe human speech. All humanity stands charged with

despicable crimes against our home, and against all of

us. We of the Cambrian Tribunal will deliver our ruling

based on your decision. We ask you now, what is your

verdict?

Just then, the town hall went real quiet-like; a kind

of quiet never heard by frisky forest folk. I was more

nervous than ever before that I sat down to keep my legs

from shaking.

In the trial of Earth vs. Humanity, we the jury of

animals, plants, and organisms deliver a sentence of

GUILTY!


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My heart sank, the silence ended, and the rabble

erupted and Strix, the owl gaveled and gaveled until the

frisky forest folk rabbled no more. His head twisted full

around to address the Cambrian Tribunal.

What say you, Anelm, leader of the Flora King-

dom?

We all stared up at the great elm tree as she lowered

her boughs in agreement.

What say you, Gella, leader of the Protista King-

dom?

We all gazed down into the dark pond as the single-

celled organism swimming within glowed twice in agree-

ment. Then, and for some odd reason, Strix, the owlglared directly at me before he spoke.

In Earths four billion year history there have been

ve mass extinctions. As leader of the Fauna Kingdom

and judge of this tribunal, it falls upon me to sentence

humanity to a similar fate. Mordax, you have my author-

ity to carry outthe Operation. And Strix, the owl

hooted solemnly. May history forgive what we are about

to do.

Cheers growled through the crowd and Ive never

seen Mordax, the rat so angryandso happy. Though I

suppose when someone resents mankind the way we

do, certain revenge comes as good news. Mordax, the


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rat climbed the highest branch before uttering sharp,

triumphant squeaks.

My animal, plant, and single-celled cousins: Human-

ity has great power but even the ants alone outnumber

humans a million to one; the green plants, ten to one; so,

do not think our mission impossible. The Operationwill

succeed if we but follow these rules.

A moment later, for all the animals, plants, and organ-

isms of the Cambrian Forest to see, Mordax, the rat dis-

played a long thin tree of his own by xing the scrawled

roll of parchment onto Anelm, the tree. I ran to the

front for a closer look at what appeared to be a list of

ve rules for:

OPERATION WILDLIFE HAVEN

Rule #1

Our worldwide attack will last seven days, infil-

trating the habitats of all humans.

Rule #2

Our jungle law is a tradition that will lead us

to failure. For the next seven days, predation,

scavenging, and grazing are forbidden.


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Rule #3

Using human technology is forbidden, as the

fallout from a doomsday device would damage the

Earth, leaving her uninhabitable.

Rule #4

Animals must do as the humans do and agree to

barter their talents. Your special task will be

assigned based on ability.

Rule #5

As a matter of animal security, the Operations

details must remain classified among the leadersof the Three Kingdoms. Only they will dispense

your assignments accordingly.

After seven days, we will return from the cradle

of our ancestors to re-colonize our MotherEarth without humanity.

At these last two words my heart sank as if hit by

two torpedoes. My mind, having caught wind of what

had happened to my heart, started running away with mewhen Strix, the owl, tripped it up.

Katrina. Phemus, he said, gliding gently to the


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ground. Come to me.

I looked down at Phemus, the gopher and we made

through the raucous menagerie for Strix, the owl. Up

close, his deep, penetrating eyes told me all I had feared

to know.

Here are your assignments, he said, using his beak

to give a crystal to me as well as another to Phemus, the

gopher. We shall rendezvous at the cradle of our ances-

tors in four days. Good luck to you both.

From the beating of his gray wings into the blue sky,

my hair had ung into my eyes. My old life had ended

and just like that I had a very, scary job to do.


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2

Nine years ago, my animal family had given me

everything an abandoned baby could have ever needed.

A feral child clothed in wool and ax, raised on fruits and

vegetables, and sheltered by a tree, a gopher, and an owl,

I would never know my birth parents, and I didnt care to

know them. My real parents were the plants and animals,

there for me through good and bad, thick and thin and

it was time I grew up and repaid their loyalty. With each

step nearer the heartland, I became courageous.

Like I said, Podunk Hollow doesnt see much action.

The annual Masquerade Parade is our towns only claim

to fame but even that sorry excuse for socializing had

been canceled on account of acid rain. Being a forest

dweller myself, I dont care much for shindigs anyhow.

Besides, I dont come into town all that much except to

ransack the librarys dumpster. I read that fewer than two

thousand people live hereevery one gossip-loving. If

theres anything amiss, like good or bad news say, my,


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how word travels fast. Just thinking about how hard it

would be for simple Podunk folk to contain my wildre

of a secret makes my head spin.

How could I blame em? They dont have my years of

practice being incognito. But with an assignment like the

one I have now, where Im forced to visit town, if I see

people, my instincts had already told me Id have to get

used to keeping mums about big things. If I even so much

as talk to other townspeople, itll be HI and BYE.

Im gonna be as scarce as a tourist in lion country.

One day, I almost got caught gawking at a polka-dot

dress on Main Street before the shopkeeper looked at me

as if I done up and escaped from the local orphanageve miles yonder. I was off my game that day but thatll

never happen again. Today, Im striking window-shopping

off the list; Phemus, the gopher and I have a bigger job

to do. In seven days, the Three Kingdoms would rid the

world of every last human being.

How exactly would the plants and animals do it?I wondered

as all manner of scenarios and their repercussions lled

my mind.

With all my might, I wished all humans didnt have

to go. Maybe, after we start over, if there were only a few

humans, my forest family wouldnt mind it so much. Oh,

but to make more humans would mean....eww, no way!


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Just the thought of having to kiss a boy...Yuck!

Not if you were the last boy on Earth! I would

shout if one ever tried to get fresh with me.

But I amthe last boy on Earth! hed reply, rubbing

his cheek.

And Im the last girl on Earth, so you had better

mind your manners, or else! Id say.

Are you feeling okay? Phemus, the gopher asked,

jostling through the opening in my bag. You seem

distracted.

Im ne, I said, not looking at him and not really

knowing how to reply.

I gured youd be cross, he said, sticking his headabove the zipper.

How come?

You know, he said tersely, about the town hall

meeting and about the Three Kingdoms not wanting to

have you there. You realize that your brief prohibition

was the Tribunals decision? I voted against it and so did

Strix and Anelm but we were overruled.

I dont care about that.

Then whats the matter? Weve been walking for a

whole hour and you havent said a single word.

I dont know, Phemus, okay. If youre my best friend,

youll try to understand. This one time, youll just have


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to let me be for now.

Im sorry, Katrina. I guess its hard for me too. Im

doing my best to understand how you must feel about the

Operationespeciallywell, you knowwith you being

a human and all.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I knew those words

would come before he had said them. I also knew he

would feel bad for saying them. I started walking again.

Hey Katrina, lets talk about something else, he said

in a happier tone. Todays our anniversary. We should be

making plans and not fussing about like those ingrates

back at the Cambrian Forest. Can you believe its been

nine years since I found you shivering in that snowbank?Your tiny hands were no bigger than the buttery comb

which today keeps the fur on your head from dragging

on the ground. My, what a shock that was! You were

absolutely defenseless and I guessI guess Ive gotten

used to defending you. But dash it if I dont know what

its like to go unappreciated.

Its not that either, Phemus, I said, knowing he

couldnt stay on topic for long. Dont you think I real-

ize not everyone in the forest accepts me? You and Strix

and Anelm are practically all the real family Ive got. Back

then, you taught me everything I had to know about the

Cambrian Forest. How you ever knew to bring those


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books in from town and teach me how to read and how-

ever Strix and Anelm knew to teach me how to walk and

climb treesgosh, Ill never know.

So if its not about animal politics, or about your

absence from the town hall meeting, or about the Opera-

tion, then what is it about? he said. Dont tell me youre

still upset with your human parents? Katrina, we dont

reallyknow if they abandoned you. For all we know they

Its not that either.

What then? Come, you can tell me!

Darn it, Phemus! I yelled. Aint it just like a gopher

to keep on digging?His ears slanted and he read the apology on my

face.

Phemus, I sighed, what wouldyousay if you were

about to become the last gopher on Earth?

This time his expression slanted and his ears perked

forward.

Youre not having second thoughts about going

through with the Operation, are you Katrina?

What? I yelled, opening my bag. Come out of

there, Phemus! After all weve been through, you know

Id do anything for my forest family. No one understands

me like plants and animals do. Shoot, no one in the


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Cambrian Forest would dare call me a tomboy for being

strong. No one there makes fun of my shabby clothes or

points at my messy hair, I said, adjusting my buttery

comb which, as he had pointed out, was the only thing

keeping my hair from touching the ground. All my life,

Ive been a humanwithout really having to act like a human,

yunno? But ever since

Yes? he asked, peering from my bag again.

Since, Ive been visiting town, I would kinda like

to know what its like to wear a new dress, if only one

time. I know one day I might wear one, but after this

missions overgosh, well no one, and I mean no one

would be around to tell me how pretty I looked in mynew dress.

I would be, Katrina, he said, scurrying up my shoul-

der. And Id be sure to tell you every single day.

Aw, thanks, Phemus, I said in a high glow. Oh,

and little papa?

Yes, little cubling? he asked.

A Happy Anniversary to you too.


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3

As we broke past the Brier Patch and into Podunk

Hollow, I felt like I had fallen into my own Wonderland,

for only in the human worldwith its magic of cars,

planes, phones, and trainscould high fantasy be made

reality. Im willing to admit I wasnt as well-dressed as

Alice, but I had been prepared just as she had been for

the unexpected. Darn it if thats when what you least

expect to happen actually happens.

There she is! Get her!

Oh shoot! I yelled to Phemus, the gopher. Its

Bailey!

I told you we shouldve taken Tenmile River into

town, Phemus, the gopher said as he bounced about

my bag.

But our assignment said we had to take the Brier

Patch into town, I said, picking up speed.

Katrina, we always take Tenmile River into town! But

no one listens to ol Phemus, now do they? If Ive told


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you once, Ive told you a thousand times

Not now, Phemus! I huffed, running for my life,

and determined, just as Alice had been, in my attempts

at evading Bailey, the Queen of Hearts.

In jungle law, I learned that when some ornery critters

meet an outsider, they aim to get real territorial. Humans

are no different and the worse of them all was Bailey.

After I dealt her a few lessons in respect some time ago,

Bailey knew never to tussle with me all by her lonesome.

But Bailey wasnt as dumb as she had looked. Knowing

I had to come back into town sometime, she had wised

up quick and now, she brought along two greasy friends

and before I knew it I was outnumbered and, like lambsto the slaughter, we were thrown to the lions.

There she is! cried one of Baileys cronies as she

spotted me skirt a tree.

What the tweedle-dee said.

Heyyydaggonit, tweedle-dum said. She done

up and disappeared!

From atop that same tree, I saw those pitiful excuses

for females kicking up dirt like two brainless, blue-footed

boobies. I couldnt spot where Bailey was hiding but I

could sure smell her funky scent close by.

Come out, come out wherever you are, they chanted,

surveying the bushes. But try as they might to ferret us


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out, Phemus, the gopher and I were quieter than Noel,

the church mouse could have ever been.

I made a slow thrumming to the tree. When tweedle-

dee turned around to see where the noise had come from,

the tree lowered her bough just in time to meet with

tweedle-dees head. She was out like a light and I jumped

to the ground with a feral snarl. When tweedle-dum saw

the rage in my eyes she just about wet herself then and

there. I just as assume she was marking her territory but

thats when I remembered that humans dont usually pee

on trees for that reason.

Before I could relish the sight of her bolting away

in complete terror, I felt a large pebble hit the side ofmy arm.

Hey, wolf girl! Im over here! shouted Bailey from

behind a tree. Bailey was a tomboy like methin, nimble,

and agilebut I was a better one by far.

No, Katrina, Phemus, the gopher said, pawing my

arm. Lets go. Remember the Operation? She and all her

kind will pay soon.

I should have listenedbut that time I let my human

emotions get the best of me. I picked up a stone and

pitched it so fast, it smashed against a tall slab directly

behind Baileys head, and the volley from its sharp frag-

ments showered her cheek.


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She rubbed the blood from her mouth and chafed her

hands like a housey and, with a feral look of her own,

took the stance of a ghting Irishman.

I gonna wring your dirty little neck! she cried, run-

ning to me at full steam.

I threw up my bag to meet her challenge. In an eye-

blink, I was on her windpipe and before she turned blue in

the face, she cried uncle. Phemus, the gopher whooped at

my victory. I could have let out a Tarzan roar of my own

seeing as how Bailey, a female of fourteen, was beaten by

me, a nine-year-old. Now she and the rest of her cronies

would have to return to their tribes in bitter shame.

Bailey looked up at me with hate, rubbing her neckearnestly. Then, with all her remaining strength, her lungs

managed to shout:

Now! Push it now!

I heard a loud snapping of twigs and when I turned

around, a boulder the size of a rams head barreled down

the headland. Tweedle-dee, on her feet now, had pushed

it and I turned to Phemus, the gopher. He was in the

boulders path; but having opened the zipper just enough

for his head had left little papa struggling for a way out

of my bagandfor a way to avoid the boulder. I turned to

rescue him when Bailey grabbed my legand that was all

the time she had neededand that time, the entire Brier


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Patch heard me wail.

Thatll learn you, wolf girl. And Id better not catch

you stepping foot in our town ever again, Bailey said as

she and her friend escaped for the open streets.

I sat paralyzed on my haunches. My best friend was

dead and without Phemus, the gopher, I would have to

carry on with my part in the mission alone. Whether I

was successful or not the Operationwould go on, and a

week from now, every human being on the Earth would

be dead too; yet seven whole days was too good for

Bailey and I was determined to give her a taste of her

own medicine.

After I tracked her funky scent to her usual hangout,I pounced on her quick-fast, leaving her cronies scattering

this way and that way, hollering for help.

Hair tore, blood spilled, and bones snapped before

a man and a sheriff forced me off Bailey and on to the

ground. It took a third man to hold me down but even

he had to quit pawing at me to cover his ears at all the

noise I was making. Between my cries, I saw the sheriff

pull a small device from out his belt. He poked me with

it and the last thing I felt was a zapping sensation before

everything went black.


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4

I was in the hands of the sheriff and much too young

for jail so he delivered me to Mr. Mudgeon, head of the

towns orphanage. If theres anything I hate more than

teenage humans its grownup humans; though the round,

stocky man eclipsed over me seem more grown out than

grown up.

There I was, trussed up in the drawing room and

gawked at like some animal in a petting zoo. They seized

my meager belongings and between the aching from the

tazer and the questions from the sheriff, my headache

worsened and I didnt know what to do.

Baileys in the hospital on account of you! What do

you have to say for yourself, young lady?

I had tried telling him that Bailey started our feud

a year ago when she snatched my buttery comb from

off my head. He would claim that Bailey was just teasing

about, but no one, and I mean no one, plays keep-away

with my buttery comb. But seeing as how a million


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combs could never bring back Phemus, the gopher, Bailey

sure got what she had deserved. But to make matters

worse, these grownups didnt seem to understand a word

of what I was saying.

Ive seen cases like this, Mr. Mudgeon whispered,

taking the sheriff s arm along with a turn of his back fat

in the hopes of concealing his next wordsthough with

hearing like mine eavesdropping would be a cinch.

Its called theMowgli Syndrome, he continued. Many

of our orphans who have the condition are so illiterate,

all they can manage for speech are babbling growls and

grunts. You were right to bring her here. For the grace

of God, there may be hope for this one yet.Well, Mr. Mudgeon, the sheriff said, xing his hat

and sunglasses, shes in your capable hands now. Ive got

to get back to preparing the town for Hurricane George.

Ill be seeing you on Sunday. If she gives you any trouble,

you give us a holler.

When the sheriff had departed, Mr. Mudgeon

approached me with a long syringe. As I thought on

how these men would never actually seenext Sunday, I

also thought on my home in the Cambrian Forest and on

how Id never give away its location under any torture.

After a few needle pricks, I licked the bruise on my arm

and he led me to my sleeping quarters.


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We need to perform some tests, he yelled in that

slow, ignorant way some people address foreigners of

another language. Do YOU understand?

Yes, I understood. I understood I could gnaw clear

through my wrist bindings and snap his chubby neck. But

this wasnt the Cambrian Forest where killing is a natural

part of jungle law. My biggest problem was guring out

how I was going to escape the bindings of human law. So,

I nodded calmly and when he had left the room for the

sanitarium, I tore at my cuffs and then, using the latch of

my buttery comb, I picked the lock of my window.

My bag which had held the assignment etched in

crystal was smashed along with Phemus, the gopher, andso it was important that I return to the Cambrian Forest

before tomorrow so I could let my forest family know

what had happened. Though I wasnt looking forward

to this, it was a shameful speech I would have to deliver

with my head held high.

I thought Id better get to climbing out this window

but thats when I saw him. The Man stoodhis tall gure

waiting in the distance, as Death on a white horse

watching over me. An hour later, the Man had matched

my patience and counting butteries without the presence

of actual butteries didnt help to pass the time. I could

sense this was no ordinary predator. If only I had eyes


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better adapted for the night, I could even the odds.

Seeing no other choice but to stay put until daybreak,

I glanced sleepily at my desk. Underneath a stack of

books was Mr. Mudgeons afternoon newspaper, which

as it happens told me exactly what I had needed to know

about day one of the Operation:

An overwhelming number of airline

passengers from every city around the

world are being treated for hypoxia and

altitude sickness. The inexplicable thinning

air and other oxygen related phenomena

are responsible for hundreds of ightdelays and cancellations tonight

I stopped reading the newspaper, feeling as though Id

ingested a sleeping pill. I used my last bit of strength to

shut the window before the waxing moon that told hour.

Was this prison my punishment for being too impulsive?

Maybe wolf girl deserved her cage, but no matter what

penalty Mr. Mudgeon had in store, I could never, ever

forgive myself for allowing Phemus death. I also could

have kicked myself for allowing this much time to pass

without fullling my part in the Operation. Worse still was

that after thinking over that newspaper article, I realized


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that the rst stage of the Operationhad begun and that

an unspeakable terror would grip the world in only a

matter of time.


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5

When I awoke, I wondered how much time I had

before all the Earths oxygen was used up and if humans

would get wise to what these green machines were capa-

ble of and, instead of relying on plants for air, whether

humans would use their technology to make more oxygen.

I wondered, after the Operationwas all over, what my

future would be like. I had grown used to being a soli-

tary human among animals, but to be the only woman

on Earth, an Eve without an Adam, added crushing

weight to my already heavy burden. I wondered if the

Man from last night was still waiting outside for me.

When I discovered he had moved on, I went to wonder-

ing who that was knocking at my door.

Good Morning, young lady, Mr. Mudgeon said and

raising his foot, giving a sudden stomp. When he raised

it again I could hardly recognize the attened remains of

Charlotte, my eight-legged roommate. He inspected the

frayed pieces of plastic that had been my handcuffs.


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Feeling better, are we? I see youve been busy today,

though Im sure the sedative I gave you yesterday tamed

that feisty spirit.

Had it not been for our language barrier, I would

have liked to tell him about the dream I had of him

strung by the ankles just inches above a shark tank while

I kicked, punched, and tazered himrepeatedlybut as I

was starving I settled on pantomiming my more urgent

appetites.

Ah, yes! Breakfast will be ready momentarily. But

rst, he said, guiding an equally burlier human into the

room, this is Miss Harridan, our head nurse. She will

wash you and tend to your clothes. After youve eaten,you will return to my ofce smelling of sweet carnations.

We must be polished and presentable for the surprise Ive

prepared for you.

The so-called surprise had arrived as a pair of young,

starry-eyed, neatly dressed humans straight out of a fairy

tale book.

Oh, shes absolutely precious, the woman beamed

as her ngers dovetailed those of her husbands. When

the woman reached out to pet my hair, I snapped my

white fangs at her ngertips.

Tut-tut, young lady, Mr. Mudgeon said, striking

my ngertips instead. You mustnt bite the hand that


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feeds you.

Oh, its perfectly alright, the woman said nervously.

No harm done.

Shes got a bit of a temper, its true, but shes calmed

down substantially since yesterday, Mr. Mudgeon said,

brushing food crumbs from my chin. But, you had

asked for our most challenged orphan and here she is,

little miss

He stopped short, realizing I was without a name

though I was unable to correct him otherwise.

Youll have to excuse me. Im so understaffed at the

moment that we havent been able to process into our

database what little information we have on this child.Mind you however that the discovery of her true identity

is a matter we must leave for the sheriff s department.

Rest assured well have her name soon enough. For now,

she needs a good home with strong Christian values,

so I thoughtwhy not give Mr. and Mrs. Makepeace a

call?

Youve certainly answered our prayers, she said.

Taking me in their arms, they squeezed me tightly

and Mrs. Makepeace beamed again.

Well name herMary. Mary Lillian Makepeace.


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6

Sweetie, Mrs. Makepeace asked her husband as he

steered their eco-friendly sedan up Main Street, have

you read that most fascinating column in this mornings

newspaper?

I skimmed it before we had left for the orphanage,

he replied, pulling into their driveway. Shame about all

those airline passengers coming down with altitude sick-

ness. But, if the good Lord really wanted man to y, He

wouldve given him wings.

No, not that column, she grinned, reaching around

her seat in front to primp the new curls in my hair. The

equally fascinating column below the one about the air-

line passengers; the one about all the attacks on pets in

the area. Apparently, several dogs, cats, birds, and even

hamsters have been mauled by wild forest animals.

You dont say? was his reply. I wonder what thats

all about.

So do I, she said with a tremble.


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Oh, dont you worry, honey. Its a good thing we

keep Jinni inside. Well, here we are, Mary, he said, open-

ing the car door on my side. Welcome to our homebe

it ever so humble, and all that.

My bedroom, I discovered, had been anything but

humble. Life-sized, hand-painted butteries lifted what

little estimation I had of Mrs. Makepeace by leaps and

bounds. She was more than the average housewife and

more like a radiant spider: A creative, meticulous, dili-

gent artisan who had been patient with all my behavioral

aws.

Very good, Mary, Mrs. Makepeace said. Now try

pronouncing the word once more without the growl.Them calling me Mary was strange at rstbut after

hearing my alias a few hundred times during the day from

Mrs. Makepeace, at which time Mr. Makepeace was away

at his job in town, my ears perked at the mere mention

of the name.

Pay attention, Mary, Mrs. Makepeace said when she

had caught me staring at their extra large quilt. I couldnt

help it. The bright cloth greedily blanketed the entire

living room wall. Written clear across in patchwork-style

were the words:


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YoU CaNt HuG WiTH NuCLeaR ARmS

How corny can you be?I thought, returning to my gram-

mar lesson, while deep down, I had really admired the

couples tree-hugging lifestyle.

After Mrs. Makepeaces ve-hour version of home-

schooling, she told me I had to wash up because thered

be a surprise for me when Mr. Makepeace got home. I

sure didnt need anymore surprises and the last thing I had

wanted to do (besides destroy an entire species) was take

another showerbut I was expected to make a ready-fuss

before that evenings cherished tradition.

An hour later, Mr. Makepeace and Mrs. Makepeacecame knocking on my bedroom door. Mr. Makepeace

entered, preceding his wife and when he had moved, I

saw her holding a brand new, pink and green, polka-dot

dress. I tried it on and turning me towards the full length

mirror, Mrs. Makepeace said, My heavens, dont you

look pretty.

We sat for dinner and despite my lack of table talk

and table manners we three had discovered that a laugh is

still a laugh in any language. If only Phemus, the gopher

were alive. If only he and Strix, the owl and Anelm, the

tree could see memore of a human now as I had ever

been before. Wolf girl had taken the bait, and in her place


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had arrived another girl happy to conform to her new,

gilded cage. Mary had taken over while I had remained

trapped in the belly of the beast.


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7

That night, under the moonlit sky, Mr. Makepeace

tucked me into bed and even the Misses had kissed me

goodnight. There I lay, Mary the traitor. Would Phemus,

the gopher have called me a turncoat? I felt selsh; but

how was I to know how good it would feel to actually

experience just some of the things my books back home

had promised.

Anyhow, with day two nearing its end, I was certain

that, polka-dot dress or no, Id have to nd my way

back to the Cambrian Forest some way, some how. I

locked my door, cased the bedroom, and wondered how

I would plan my escape. From my window, I surveyed

the backyard.

It cant be, I thought. I couldnt believe my eyes. Across

the driveway in the dark stood the Man, same as he had

stood that night outside the orphanage.

In jungle law, we predators know that anything stalked

for this long surely reeked of death. Now that I was on


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my own in their world, humans had become my predator,

and I felt as defenseless as a kitten.

Hours slipped away. In the distance, I heard a cat give

a bone-chilling meow. I returned to the window, scanning

the backyard. To my surprise, the Man had gone. I knew

then that I had to chance my escape.

When my feet met the wet grass, a gray cat without

a tail darted between my legs followed by the approach-

ing sound of rabid growls. I hooked a corner and before

bite could meet bark, I brained the dog on the head with

a stone. The German shepherd gave a loud yipe before

turning tail. I called out to the gray cat:

You can come out now, fraidy cat. That dog wontsic you no more.

Thank you very much, the cat mewed, catching his

breath, though now I could see that his reexes had been

impressive for an old-timer. My human parents call me

Jinni. You must be Mary.

Mynameis Katrina, I said testily.

Wait, he said, seeming to return to his senses. Did

theysend you?

They? I said, casting the stone from my hand.

Who are they?

The wild ones, of course, he meowed nervously.

Blondies the neighbors dog but hes never attacked me


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before tonight. You see we had an agreement, a truce, if

you like. But now hes claiming to be carrying out some

secret mission by order of the wild ones.

A secret mission? I asked.

Thats right. Before you drove him away, Blondie had

said that on direct order from the wild ones, all domesti-

cated animals must either join with their forest ancestors

or die along with their human overseers. I cant express

how relieved I am that you had happened along to stop

him. I still havent the foggiest idea what he would gain

from the wild ones by killing me.

I, however, knew what Blondie, the dog had to gain.

I lingered over his words, recalling the fear Mrs. Make-peace had shared with her husband during yesterdays car

ride home. The talk of animal attacks stood fresh in my

mind, followed by a realization from which the details of

day two of the Operationbecame crystal clear. While the

Flora Kingdom stopped producing oxygen on day one, on

day two, the Fauna Kingdom was seeing to their distant

cousins, the domesticated critters who, if discovered the

wild ones mission, might be tempted to sabotage the

Operationsomehow.

Im guessing Blondie was chasing you cause you

chose the side against the wild ones? I said rhetori-

cally.


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44

Im on the side that feeds my belly, he said, snatch-

ing a stray mouse by the tail.

You really shouldnt eat him, I said as the mouse

broke free and scuttled away with life and limb.

And why not? he said, looking to recapture his

prey. My human parentsthe Makepeacesare always

trying to keep me indoors when they know mousing is

my favorite game and mice are my favorite meal.

I suppose a domesticated critter like you wouldnt

understand jungle law, I boasted, suspecting I was being

a hypocrite for breaking Rule #2 of the Operation. But I

still dont see how eating pizza with anchovies counts as

predation, scavenging, or grazing when the foods alreadycooked and prepared for you.

Youre right; I wouldnt understand, he said, turning

to walk away with a certain pedigree.

Hey, where are you going? I asked.

The same place you were going when you had

jumped out of that windowhome.

How did you know that I lived in

The forest? he said, completing my sentence for

me. Dont let this silver coat fool you, human. I may be

old but I still have my instincts and so far I know you

know the animal speechfar better than you know the

human speech from the sound of things around the


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house. You mentioned jungle law and youve the strength

of a woman. You have the reexes of a cheetah and the

dexterity of a monkey and the hearing of a batthough

its a shame that at night, youre also as blind as one. In

any event, I have already concluded that you were not

raised by humans in our fair orphanage but in fact, were

raised by the wild ones of the forest.

I was ustered. In a minute, Jinni, the cat knew more

about me than the Makepeaces could hope to know in

a whole day.

I also know that Im not the only one being hunted

tonight. If youre truly keen on survival, then youll heed

what your instincts are telling you about that Man outthere.

You saw him too? I asked, looking more cautious

than before.

Saw him? Jinni, the cat said with a gleam of intel-

ligence. I had all but tasted him. And from the smell of

vodka in the air, hes surely waiting nearby. Id ask you

not to bring any trouble to my human parents but seeing

as how you saved my tail, or should I say my stub from

Blondie, you stand true in my book. What does he want

from you?

I cant rightly gurebut Im not playing possum

and Im not staying here long enough to nd out what


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he wants.

Katrina, I dont know what mess youve got yourself

into but if you venture into the forest at this time of

night, hell get you for sure. That Mans got implacability,

something most humans aint got. I reckon hell see this

through, alright. And from the look in his eyes, he wont

quit till his job is complete.

Thats mighty brave talk coming from a fraidy

cat.

Its not brave to ght your enemies with force all

the time, Katrina. Sometimes, and when its absolutely

necessary, its best to ght with your reason, and think

one step ahead.I pondered on this, thinking that if only I had gotten

such advice beforemy fight with Bailey, that perhaps

Phemus, the gopher would still be alive. But I suppose I

still had some growing up to do.

What should I do then? I asked.

Stay the night. The Man would have gone by morn-

ing and well have had this whole mess sorted out by then.

How does that sound?

I didnt like it but I agreed and we went inside through

my window not too comforted by the cries of neighbor-

hood pets and the howls of wild ones lling the midnight

air.


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8

Werent you going to say good-bye? Jinni, the

cat meowed, watching me sneak through my bedroom

window. A vigorous tongue-bathing did wonders for his

fur, and he concluded the routine with a stretch-and-

yawn combo.Its easier this way, Jinni, I said, pausing to warm

my skin on the morning air. You were right about me;

Ive gotten myself into one heck of a mess and it would

probably be better for everyone if I just disappeared.

Have it your way. Though its funny you know

Whats that? I asked.

That I was raised by humans and that you were

raised by animals. Its as if were in some amusing plot

out of a storybook.

Yeah, I agreed simperingly. I wonder if it has a

happy ending.

Before he could answer, a goose-like honking


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48

echoed from the front yard. We stuck our necks out the

window.

The coast was clear but just as I was about to repeat

last nights landing, a green buggy pulled into the drive-

way. It wasnt Mr. Makepeaces car and I could see from

my window that the driver wasnt anyone Id seen in town

before. Come to think of it, Mr. Makepeaces car hadnt

left the driveway at all that morning.

The doorbell rang, and I opened my bedroom door

to let out Jinni, the cat. I peered from the landing to see

who it was while Jinni, the cat scampered down the stairs

for a closer look. A well-dressed man entered, greeted by

Mrs. Makepeace.I recognize you, Mrs. Makepeace said, before he

could return the greeting. Youre that journalist who

writes those science columns in the Hollow Organon Hur-

ricane George. Am I right?

Thats right, maam. Though lately my science and

weather columns have been overshadowed by those

recent attacks on petsbut hey, thats Podunk Hollow

for you. I hope youve stocked provisions just in case we

nd ourselves in the eye of the storm. Is your husband

around? What I have to say concerns you both.

My husbands still in bed. He wasnt feeling well

this morning and Im not certain I havent caught a little


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of what hes come down with. Its been kind of hard to

breathe lately. Can I offer you some tea?

Gosh, I hope its nothing too serious, the journalist

said as he sat beside Mrs. Makepeace. I have been feeling

a little short of breath, too. And thanks, but Ill pass on

the tea. Thisll only take a few minutes of your time.

Your message said that you have some news con-

cerning Mary?

You couldnt uproot my feet from their spot above

the stairs after I heard my so-called name.

Yes, he said, mirroring her upright posture. You

know what people have been saying about your daughter?

Theyre saying that you folks have adopted the wolf girl.Yunnothe mystery child who in the past two years

has been coming into town secretly and pilfering folks

garbage like some raccoon. Im sure they dont mean any

harmthe name-callings only because her real identity

is so sketchy. But even people I respect are saying that

Mary really is the girl raised by wolves.

My husband and I dont care very much for town

gossip. Youre the media. I realize its your business to

keep your ear to the Podunk grapevine.

You see, thats just the thing, he said, leaning for-

ward to reveal some folded papers from his back pocket.

It was last years acid rain which prompted my inves-


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50

tigation. But Ive stumbled onto something else in my

archives, and based on what Ive found, I think theres a

kernel of truth to that gossip. Would you have a look at

these clippings from our newspaper?

I held the rails, peering over the banister where I

could scarcely see the bold headlines:

ECO-AGENCIES MONITOR GLOBEX LAWSUITS

COURT SUBPOENAS GLOBEX EXECS

WALKERS TO TESTIFY AGAINST GLOBEX

FIRE AT GLOBEX CLAIMS SIX LIVES

GLOBEX ACQUITTED OF WALKER DISASTER

WALKER INFANTS DISAPPEARANCE UNSOLVED

But these clippings are dated from ten years ago,

Mrs. Makepeace said confusedly.

Nine years to be exact. How old did you say your

daughter was?

I didnt say but shell be nine and three months

tomorrow. But what does Mary have to do with


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Dont you see, maam? Your Marys the Walker

infant. Nine years ago, I suspect there had been a con-

spiracy against Marys birth parents, the Walkers. Mary

had to be almost three months old at the time the Walk-

ers had quit working for Globex. I believe Globex had

discovered the Walkers were planning to testify to the

companys environmental crimes. I also believe that the

Walker Disaster had been an elaborate cover-up of those

crimes. When the ofce re at the research complex

took the Walkers and their entire department, Globex

had also accidentally destroyed any and all proof of

their eco-crimes. Look hereGlobex had claimed that

all six bodies were accounted for but that was a at-outlie. The crime scene investigators had found DNA on

everyone butthe Walker infant. Now, I highly doubt the

raised by wolves story, but all thisevidence clearly adds

up to something. Youll have to humor me but I think

there was a reason Globex didnt or couldnt kill Mary,

and that somehow after nine years, the Walkers child has

turned up in Podunk Hollow.

This is all very entertaining, she said, but do you

have any solid proof that Globex actually caused the

Walker Disaster? Any real evidence of eco-criminality

which, having somehow slipped past the grand jury, could

reopen a decade-old case? Whats more, the Globex Cor-


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52

poration resides in the city some thirty miles north. If

Mary were the Walker infant, and had somehow managed

to survive an ofce re, she could not have possibly lived

on her own all this time without

I know its hard to believe, maam, but if youll just

give me your permission to talk with Mary, I could ask

her to

What was her real name? Mrs. Makepeace said,

dizzy from speculation.

Maam?

Perhaps I havent a detectives wit but if my daugh-

ters birth name really were Mary, I would think such an

event a mighty strange coincidence to be believed, Mrs.Makepeace said, arms akimbo.

Oh, he exclaimed with embarrassment. If Im

rightMarys real nameis Katrina.

I let out a shriek from my insides and before I knew

it I was gone.

Goodness sake, what was that noise? he shouted.

Oh my God, it came from Marys bedroom, she

screamed.

I had jumped from higher spots loads of times; but

after overhearing what had really happened to my birth

parents, I couldnt even so much as stick a seven foot

landing from my window.


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I didnt care about the pain in my ankle. I ran with

all my might, ignoring the grownup shouts from out my

bedroom window. Maybe Jinni, the cat was right and these

lives of ours had been part of some storybook; but if

they were, I hated the author, cause now, I could see no

ending that would resemble any kind of happy.


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9

I was so short of breath from my hike through Ten-

mile River, I had nearly passed out twice. I had even

gotten lost a few times and thats never happened before

tonight. The rain grew heavy and the sun was setting and

my eyes began tearing. Soon, it was raining buckets but

I was too busy crying rivers to notice.

At any moment, Hurricane George would fulll its

threat on Podunk Hollow. I had to nd shelter and rest

awhile. The Cambrian Forest was uncommonly bleak and

Id all but given up the hope of running into my forest

family when, after leaning my hand on a tree, it quivered

in a tender, almost familial way. I looked up and to my

relief it was Anelm, the tree.

Katrina! she said, waking up from some type of

hibernation. Where have you been?

Oh, Anelm, I blubbered with heavy sobs. Phemus,

the gopher and then Bailey and the sheriff and Mr. Mud-

geon and the Man and Mr. and Mrs. Makepeace and Jinni,


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the cat but then the journalist came and said my parents

were murdered!

Katrina! Katrina! she said, using her leaves to

shield the rain from my face though in truth it had been

soaked with tears. Please get a hold of yourself. I cant

understand a word youre saying. Speak in the animal

speech.

Wasnt I using the animal speech?I thought, rubbing my

eyes.

I was so distraught that I hardly noticed that I was

rambling in a smattering of English. Anelm, the tree

exhaled some air and I steadied my breathing after which

I had told her everything as calmly as I could.Goodness me, Katrina. Im very sorry to hear this

news. But everyone except the plants has departed for the

cradle of our ancestors. You mustnt delay here with me;

the Operationdictates that time is of the essence.

The Operation! I said, remembering why I had left

the Cambrian Forest in the rst place. No, Anelm! They

needwe needI need more time!

There are too many forces at work, child, Anelm,

the tree said regretfully. Im afraid time is simply a luxury

we dont have.

My hair gave into the approaching wind. No sooner

had I refastened my buttery comb when, through the


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sound of pelting rain, I heard someone calling me.

Katrina!

I heard it again.

Katrina! shouted the journalist who was followed

by Jinni, the cat.

Katrina, the journalist said. We have to return

to town. Hurricane George is almost here. We must

get inside where its safe!

He was groggy, barely able to talk. I drew him under

Anelm, the tree, where we sat for a spell with Jinni, the

cat, who lay curled on my lap.

Katrina, he meowed, Mr. Makepeace was taken

to the emergency room and since you left this morning,many humans have similarly taken ill. Before we left

town to nd you, the mayor had announced a state of

emergency. Katrina, theres no more room in the hospital

for anyone!

Mr. Makepeace? I said, recalling how gently he had

tucked me into bed the previous night.

Oh, Katrina, Jinni, the cat mewed. The towns an

absolute mess. There are oxygen camps everywhere you

turn and not enough veterinarians tending to injured pets.

The humans have set up triage centers in the schools and

in the post ofce. Katrina, whatevers happened, its as if

some new plague has infected the entire world. Something


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58

out theres making humans sick and they havent been

able to nd a cure.

We both turned to examine the journalist. His face

was sallow and he was hunched over as his breathing

became labored.

Theres no hope for him, Im afraid, Anelm, the

tree said. This morning, the Protista Kingdom had cre-

ated a pathogen and, with help from the insects, have

started spreading a diseased microorganism into the

humans food and drinking water. Your antibodies make

you partly immune, Katrina, but by day ve the Earths

oxygen will run out. Day four will be upon us soon; you

must evacuate the land now and join your forest family.Unfortunately, these are the steps all life must take if we

are to survive mankinds destruction. Please go. Human-

itys fate cant be helped.

Steps? What are you talking about? Jinni, the cat

meowed. But just as surely as cats land on their feet, in

no time at all, Jinni, the cat had landed squarely on the

elephant in the room.

You have no right to do this! Jinni, the cat meowed

loudly after he had connected the dots in his mind. What

if we dont wish to follow you?

Jinni, I said, stroking his thick fur, Im sorry but,

truth is, this is how it has to be. You can still come with


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me, right? We can still be friends and we can

No, Katrina, Jinni, the cat said, leaping from my lap.

Truths are well acquainted friends but lies have never

known each other. You knew this was going to happen

and yet you didnt tell me. ImIm sorry we ever met.

But I suppose this makes us even.

I bowed my head shamefully. More than once, I had

asked myself how I could hate humanity when I myself

was human. But as long as I could remember, I had always

hated humanity. I hated what they had done to the Earth

and I hated what they had done to my plant and animal

family. And now, Ive come to hate them even more for

what they had done to the Walkers, my human family.Then it had occurred to me: With their defense of the

environment, my birth parents had tried topreventhuman

extinction. And while I would grow up to share their

passion for the Earth it was also ironic that in contrast

with my defense of the environment, I had tried to hasten

human extinction. Oh, if my birth parents could see me

nowan accomplice to a global holocaust.

Unlike some humans, the Walkers cared deeply for

the Earth, enough to endanger those they had loved. And

for their pains, they had been killed for doing what was

right for the Earth and somehow they had managed to

keep me alive. Yet, here I was, nine years later, ghting


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the same ght to save the Earth from the stubbornness

of humanitybut this time, my actions have turned a

ght for the ecosystem into a war against all humankind.

I wonder what my birth parents would have said to me

if they were here.

Maybe they would have me consider people like the

Makepeaces and the journalist hoping I would understand

that, despite our differences, humanity wasnt all rotten

apples. They would also have me emulate brave, human

leaders who, in times of great hardships, used non-violent

means to enlighten the minds of their oppressors. Still,

would the majority of humans care about plants and ani-

mals as I had? Would they care that the fates of all livingthings were one in the same? Hadnt they every right to

live in the circle of life too?

These new feelings were all well and good, but what

could one little girl do against an army of plants and

animals? And how could I dare to turn my back on my

forest family after all they had done for me?

Like a page in a book, my thoughts turned from my

animal rearing, to my parents legacy, and then to my

uncertain destiny and presently, I felt caught in a love

triangle between my past and my future. I rose to my

feet, choosing then and there to follow neither. Standing

arm-and-arm with my present faith, I started to walk away


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when the journalist grabbed me.

Katrina! the journalist gasped, gripping me as if I

were about to run into a burning building for something

of whose importance no longer mattered. Katrina,

where are you going? Hurricane George is

I pushed him away but he stood fast, rming his hold

on me. I struggled to break free but my ankle throbbed

with pain and without enough oxygen in the air we were

evenly matched and at once the yelling had begun.

What? Katrina, I cant understand what youre

saying, he said in response to my pleas that he had

better release me. Enough of this ghting! We have to

return to town now!Jinni, the cat meowed and Anelm, the tree rustled for

us to stop arguing though I couldnt rightly hear them

over the howling wind and rain. I became so angry that

the unexpected happened.

LISTEN TO ME!

The journalist froze and Jinni, the cat jumped behind

him and for a second, I was just as stunned as they were.

For the rst time in all my life, I spoke the human speech

to another human. And from the glint of understanding

in his eye, I knew now that all my previous attempts at

speech were in fact as Mr. Mudgeon had proclaimed:

Babbling growls and grunts. The journalist released me


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and, hufng with baited breath, spoke to me as no one

had ever spoken to me before.

You wereraised in the forest by animals, werent

you?

I nodded.

But because you were never raised around people

you havent learned how to talk like we do?

I nodded.

But you understand what Im saying?

I nodded, rolling my eyes at what I thought was stat-

ing the obvious.

And you overheard what I said to Mrs. Makepeace

about your birth parents?I nodded slowly.

Can I assume you came into town hoping to be

adopted?

I shook my soggy head vigorously.

Then why did you come into town?

Humans kill Earthso we kill humans.

I wished there had been an easier way to say what I

had just said. Upon adding two-and-two, the journalist

looked at me and his eyes widened at the incomprehen-

sible sum.

KatrinaYOU? Are you saying thatyourecausing

all this?


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I half nodded, as I didnt know how to tell him that

I wouldnt take the blame for Hurricane George, as the

approaching storm was only a symptom of a much

greater condition we had been trying to cure.

But how? Whos helping you?

Animals. Plants. They understandlike we under-

stand.

The moment I had said this, the journalist squinted at

Jinni, the cat, who after all, was not only using his pow-

erful sense of smell when he had helped the journalist

track me into the forest, but was also using his intellect

when he had decided to initiate the search for me in the

rst place.The journalist came to his senses with a look of one

who came to realize he was no longer surrounded by petty

trees and mere creatures, but had expressed a look as of

one who, without warning, had found himself engulfed

by a sentient animal farm of retribution.

Them I talk to, I said, pointing to Anelm, the tree

and Jinni, the cat, the latter of who meowed in conr-

mation.

II cant believe this. I knowsomeanimals are intel-

ligent but do you mean to tell me that you can actually

TALKto animals.

And plants, I added, scolding him, as Mrs. Make-


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peace would scold me, for neglecting a crucial detail.

He looked as though he were going to faint. Sensing

this was the end of my interview, I caught him by the

elbow, and returned him to his seat under Anelm, the

tree.

Breathe now, I said, handing one of her branches to

him as though it were a peace pipe. I thrummed her bark

with my voice and the leaves of Anelm, the tree steamed

air full over the journalists face like an oxygen mask.

Thank you, Anelm, I said, knowing she would fully

understand my recent change of heart.

I feel a little better now, the journalist said, arching

his shoulders with relieved inhalation.Glad I am, I said as Jinni, the cat rubbed across my

leg with a forgiving purr.

Well, the journalist said, looking up at Anelm, the

tree, am I to take it that you and your friends no longer

want to kill humans?

I gave a hopeful nod despite the odds against my

new intention.

But how are you going to stop thisthischaos?

he asked with a shared sense of overwhelm.

I stood thinking, and recalling the last sentence

decreed by the Operation, I looked to the journalist and

then to Jinni, the cat and then to Anelm, the tree before


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saying:

To the cradle of our ancestors we must go.


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10

I realize now why the journalist had turned pale at my

confession, for when I reect on the past three days, I too

became amazed at the Three Kingdoms: Flora, Fauna,

and Protista. They had accomplished their assignments

with cunning subtly and to such an extent that human-

kind, with all their creative imagination, would never in

a million years have anticipated a war like this.

The scope of the thought was so astonishing that

it sent my head spinning. Plant life ceased producing

oxygen, domesticated animals had either been usurped

or had joined the wild ones, and as a nal measure to

insure human obliteration, a pathogen was released into

their food and water. So concluding, it didnt take long

for me to unravel the remaining details of the classied,

seven-dayOperation.

If what Anelm, the tree had said about day ve were

true, thered be no oxygen left, and so, as I enter day four,

I concluded that the air-breathing Fauna Kingdom had


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to shelter themselves from this apocalypseand thats

when I remembered that the cradle of our ancestors

was no other than the sea, the place where life had began

3000 million years ago.

It was a dark morning when the forestland we had

trod nally met the sea. I, alongside the journalist and

Jinni, the cat, stood at the cliff of the ocean coastline,

witnessing a sight beyond all reason.

As it was with the Ark so it was with the Operation.

Try as I might, I can nd no other comparison but this

to describe what we had witnessed at what we assumed

had been the end of our journeyand perhaps, the end

of the world.An explosion as far as my eyes could see of birds,

reptiles, mammals, and most of all insects choked the

lines of coast and sky for miles in a vividly surreal exodus.

Like lemmings to the ocean, millions of species from

vertebrates to invertebrates took their shelter inside the

biggest creature on the planet Earth: The blue whale.

Once they had breached onto the sandy beach, these

blue whales began taking into their huge mouths their

share of the animal surge. When they had reached capac-

ity they vanished like commuter trains transporting cargo

to some unknown station below the deep sea. This cycle

repeated as more blue whales arrived to take more cargo,


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while the previous round of whales had slipped into the

shadowy cradle below.

The call of the wild had engulfed us and it had

appeared that our animal evacuees were relying on a

version of some world wide web: A digital signaling

composed of loud rattling, bailing, and screechingall

to a purpose know only to Jinni, the cat and myself. Even

though the feedback from this global orchestration had

dwarfed those of Hurricane Georges, I was yet able to

pinpoint a familiar cry.

My animal brethren, Mordax, the rat said, boasting

to the masses from his position high atop a promontory.

Humans have created a powder keg of the Earth. Wemust precipitate mankinds destruction and by doing so

prevent our own. When the cock crows three times, that

is the signal. How tting, indeed! Tomorrow, the human

problem will be solved and by day six, the Flora King-

dom will return its oxygen. On day seven, victory and the

Earthwill be ours!

A highway of weaver ants veered past my feet before

yielding to an intersection of red crabs. I did well to avoid

them, minding the journalist do likewise. Above us, the

white storks carried the baby snakes, while beside us the

bulls ran alongside the bears; yet from everywhere, the

reies lit the night, as the roosters sounded the alarm.


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From alpacas to zebras, we were elbow-to-elbow in every

beast. I parted the zooey multitude, crisscrossing my

arms in the air.

Mordax! Wait! I shouted. We have to stop the

Operation!

Katrina! Strix, the owl hooted, flying in from

behind me. What are you still doing here? And where

is Phemus?

Strix, please, I panted, unsure where to begin.

That day, before the Cambrian Tribunal, it had been my

translation of the thin tree which had convicted human-

ity to death. But when I went into town, I had met other

humans, good people like this one who explained to methat many humans dont literally follow what is written

on that thin tree. There exist many thin trees containing

many tales and despite these sacred beliefs most humans

want to use their reason for sustainable progress and want

to use their science and technology to heal the Earth.

And I believe they can if we would only give them the

chance.

Dont listen to her, Strix! Mordax, the rat said. She

has disgraced us by bringing one of her own here to spy

on us. I should have foreseen this treachery. Humans are

greedy and opulent; their bellies are never full. She is a

human and humanity is wicked!


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Thats not true! I shouted. Let him talk to you

himself.

Katrina, Strix, the owl hooted regretfully, what

youre asking cannot be done.

Strix, pleasefor Phemus, I said, and from the

sorrow in my eyes he had learned that our subtle war

against humanity had one beloved casualty. My trans-

lation began this. Please, allow my translation to end

this.

Every ear had been lent to hear how Strix, the owl

would respond.

Let the human speak, Strix, the owl hooted against

the unyielding reply of protests from Mordax, the ratand many others.

I nodded to the journalist who approached with

caution, still in disbelief that he was about to address

an owl.

Yes, well, um, mister owl, sir, the journalist stut-

tered. I can assure you that human beings dont want a

war anymore than you do. Listen, Im a journalist for the

towns newspaper. I can report to our leaders on whats

happened here todaybut not if Im dead. End your

attacks on us, let me return to my people and convince

them to meet with your demands.

Demands? Strix, the owl replied to the journalist


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after my translation of his words. Human, what we

are doing isnt terrorismit is survival. For millennia,

humans took only what was needed from the Earth. That

is no longer the case. Our patience with mankind is at an

end and your goodwill comes far too late.

But the blame is equal. We turned a blind eye to

the damage your wars have raged upon the Earth. We

said nothing when you hunted Fauna to extinction. We

deferred our objections to your deforestation of Flora

after all, each of us exists as part of a system, one you call

the food chain, and one we know as jungle law. But now,

under your stewardship, the planet that sustains these

vital systems is in decay and this we cannot tolerate. Canyou alone ensure our Three Kingdoms that the harmful

actions of your species against the planet will cease?

After my translation, the journalist didnt know how

to respond. He was also too dizzy and too sick and too

run-down and I shared his frustration. The winds, having

sensed our defeat, forced us back and like Emperor

penguins we had to huddle for warmth against the freez-

ing rain. Unmoved, the evacuees continued their march

toward the sea.

Strix, I said wanly. You are my family. You taught

me how to survive. But Mordax is right. I am not one

of you. I am a human, yes, but a human with love and


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compassion. I dont want to be against the world, I want

to change the worldand Im going to start by chang-

ing myself.

Yesterday, I learned about my birth parents. They

showed me that I could stand up for whats right even

when it seems like the entire world is against you. And

Jinni showed me that I could ght with my reason instead

of with my hands. I realize now that the Operation is

wrong! We mustnt solve our problems like this or else

were no better stewards of the planet than those who

are harming it. We should show compassion to those dif-

ferent from us. I stand here today simply because, when

Phemus had brought me into the Cambrian Forest nineyears ago, you had showed me the very same compassion.

Havent you anymore to give?

Just then a shot rang out. The journalist fell, grab-

bing his shoulder in pain. Though they had protection

in number, the animals surrounding us took ight at the

gunshots. It was my rst time hearing Noel, the church

mouse scream aloud as well as hearing gunre up close.

You have something I want, little lady, the Man said,

drawing his oxygen mask away from his face. The long,

thick scars from third-degree burns made him appear

more monster than man.

He aimed his gun at Jinni, the cat and motioned for


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me to come to him. When I was near enough to smell the

vodka on his breath, the Man snatched me by the hair,

and without a moments hesitation, yanked my buttery

comb free.

At last! he shouted, pushing me to the ground.

Then, with a cracking sound, he had split the combs

wings in two, the underside of one piece revealing the

name KATRINAcarved in the plastic molding. Nowthat I had learned who my real mother was, I realized she

had been the one who had written my name there and

I welled with gratitude that she had never let me forget

who I really was.

The Man fumbled the remains on the ground as ifhis contact lens had fallen out and when he had stood, I

could see a small ash drive shining in his hand.

And you must be Katrina, he said, standing over me

with his gun to my temple. I dont blameyoufor gettin

caught up in this mess. Now your folks, the Walkers

they were warned time and time again not to testify

against Globex. But they had to go and take the stand,

so I had to go and shut em up.

I pawed his hand from my face so that I might check

on the journalist. Immediately after I saw that he had been

badly injured, the Man had pistol-whipped me.

Frisky like your mom, eh? he said. Quit your


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squirming! You wouldnt want me to shoot holes in your

feline friend, now would ya? Ha, ha! Bless your heart,

paperboy, he said, looking at the journalist. It mighta

took nine years, but guess what I done up and found: The

girl raised by wolves. You shoulda stayed in the woods

where I couldnt nd that pretty little head of yours.

You kill parents, I said with tears streaming down

my face.

Lord, I didnt so much as kill em as I watched their

entire oor go up in ames, he said sarcastically. I was

just about to high-tail it outta there too when I saw your

mom put this ash drive in that stupid buttery on your

head and throw you down a trash chute. I knew that but-tery comb was important but losing it was okay cause

even if you had survived how were you to know what

it was, right? Plus our county law has this thing called

a statute of limitations that basically says that after ten

years of being tried for a crime, you cant be tried for

that crime no more.

But just to be on the safe side, Globex rehired me

to track you down like the runt you are. Aint life funny?

The answer to my problem was sitting on your pretty little

head this whole time. I guess I win and with this proof,

Globex wont stand trial for eco-crimes ever again.

Leave. Take proof. Go away, I said, rubbing the


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bruise on my jowl.

Nuh-uh, he said, shaking his head after taking a pull

from his oxygen mask. I aint so fool enough to see that

weve got ourselves a bigger problem here. And since I

fully intend on laughing all the way to the bank with the

money Im gettin for this here ash drive, Im just about

aimingto solving that problem.

The Man drew the muzzle of his gun, ignoring the

sights and sounds of the coastline teeming with life.

He aimed his gun at Strix, the owl, then at Jinni, the

cat, before nally settling on the target most hated by

humanity.

You there, on that pedestal, he said, looking wrath-fully at Mordax, the rat. I was watching from the bushes,

listening to what that paperboy was saying to you. I dont

know how but Ill wager youre the one causing all these

attacks. Say your prayers you lthy rat!

No! I screamed, blindsiding the Man with the swift-

ness I used to subdue Bailey.

The Man knocked me away but not before his gun

roared, missing Mordax, the rat by inches, and not with-

out killing several sparrows in the process. The departing

animals, who before had paid no heed to the hurricanes

thunder, were now cowering from this unnatural thun-

derclap. Their world wide web of communication had


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crashed as it broadcasted waves of fear to every eeing

creature. With nowhere to run the animals piled atop

one another.

Instantly, Strix, the owl swooped in, knocking the gun

from the Mans grip. Before the Man could retrieve the

weapon, Mordax, the rat leaped from his high promon-

tory over a deep ravine, landing on the Man, and biting his

ear with a eshy crunch. The Man let out a cry of pain,

spinning and ailing with the agony one would expect

from the scratching and gnawing of ones cartilage. The

Man slipped backward, as both he and Mordax, the rat

seem to plunge over the cliff.

Mordax! I yelled, lunging for the coastal edge withmy last breath. Climb onto my hand!

I stretched my arm over the cliffside but my cries

of support were ignored. Kill or be killed, Mordax, the

rat was determined to have his revenge. After holding

fast to the Mans ear, Mordax, the rat scurried down his

victims open neck. The Man gripped the cliff s edge for

dear life but in an unconscious act of self-preservation,

he had released the ledge, using his free hand to fend off

the angry rodent.

Die, human, die! Mordax, the rat squeaked, chomp-

ing down on the Mans throat.

Mordax, no! I screamed, watching the Mans eyes


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grow dim with blood.

My ngers were outstretched, and my body slipped

forward from the deluge of rain. I remember peering

down at the watery darkness far below, where the door

to another world glistened to me.

Suddenly the Man lost his grip, grabbing my forearm

with a great yank. My body was free now and I was plung-

ing toward the darkness below and all I remember was

the sound of the ravines crashing waves. My pain, my

cares, my worries, these were all behind me. The door of

that world would slam shut and the animal in me would

sleep forever.


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THE HOLLOW ORGAN

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2005

KATRINA AND THE ANIMALS

--------------------------------by the Journalist

--------------------------------

Never in my wildest dreams did I think Id be alive

to tell my side of the story. After months of physical

and emotional therapy, this column is my rst attempt

at coming to terms with what had really occurred on the

coastline that dark morning. Though the facts revealed inthis column will certainly sound dream-like to my readers,

I am still convinced my experience had been no dream.

For what its worth to my career and to my reputation, this

column will serve to not only end my denial but will also

end months of rumor and speculation fueled by the fearof humiliation which had prevented me from admitting

how I really came to obtain the proof which had nally

brought the Globex Corporation to justice.

You may recall part of the facts from my television

interview just weeks after theNew Plaguehit the world:

On day four, I was barely conscious when a cat named

Jinni helped me track Katrina (the girl raised by wolves)


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down into her forest home. The Man, who had ambushed

us, had stolen the ash drive that was hidden in Katrinas

buttery comb, but in a turn of fate caused by a rat, the

Man had fallen from the cliff, taking Katrina with him.

The rest you know. Hurricane George had subsided the

next day, people had recovered from the virus, our trees

had returned the oxygen, and the world had breathed a

collective sigh of relief. After I had discovered the con-

tents of the ash drive found in my pocket, I contacted

the authorities. Weeks later, the Man who had shot me

was linked to the Globex Corporation and the Walker

Disaster.

What I hadnt fully admitted in my interviews wasthat the cause of it all, from beginning to end, had been

theplants and animals.

I must take you back to when Jinni and I had caught

up with Katrina in the forest, where she had showed

me how she spoke with plants and animals, w

Katrina and the Animals

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Transcript of Katrina and the Animals