In Search of Goliathus Hercules (27 page)

“Nothing remarkable in that. What else?” asked the New One.

“He is pale with a green tinge. Large, yet somehow not fully formed,” said the Pointy One.

“A nymph, perhaps?” suggested the New One.

“I don’t know,” replied the Pointy One irritably. “Perhaps.”

“By himself…hmm…” said the New One.

“And what did he say?” asked the Old One. “He said, ‘Tell all your kind that tonight, Serangga-orang, your

insect brother, came to fight for you!” responded the Pointy One.

“We do not need his help! None dare to interfere with us!” cried the Shiny One.

“It seems that is not true, brother, for there was another there. A two-leg veiled in black brazenly snatched up the Leader. It is possible that had this Serangga-orang not intervened, the Leader would have been at the two-leg’s mercy,” reasoned the New One.

“Hmph!” came a snort from the Shiny One.

“We will not seek out trouble; however, if trouble comes to us, then of course we will defend ourselves! We shall bide our time, brothers. We will go about our business as usual, but we will be watchful. We will be ready. It is decided,” said the Old One.

Across the great jungle expanse, all its creatures braced in anticipation and nervously waited. The balance of a complex and sophisticated order had been tampered with. There would be consequences—deadly ones, perhaps.

Miss Robin Sayers

British Malaya

June 4, 1893

Chairman, British Entomological Society

London, England

Dear Mr. Chairman,

As Secretary and Registrar of the expedition, it is my sad duty to inform you of the death of Mr. Henri Bell on May 25, 1893. Mr. Bell perished during his brave attempt to capture
Goliathus hercules.
I will do my best to apprise you of the unfortunate events of May 25, but I confess that the shock of Mr. Bell’s loss leaves me quite devastated.

On the night in question, Mr. Bell decided the only way to lure the insects out of their lair was to offer human bait. He proposed that he alone should await the bloodthirsty hordes. We pleaded with him that such a sacrifice was unnecessary, but Mr. Bell insisted and we reluctantly agreed.

Mr. Bell not only spoke to the legendary and mysterious
Goliathus hercules
, but he survived this encounter! I believe he would have successfully captured a specimen had he not been disrupted in his negotiations by an unscrupulous collector whom you know as Mrs. Blackburn. This beastly woman has dogged our every footstep. I will not tarnish Mr. Bell’s memory with further mention of this odious woman, but I implore you that if you have any influence over her, please request that she cease and desist. It is our expedition alone that is officially sponsored, and her interference has cost us dearly.

The disruption caused by Mrs. Blackburn created considerable commotion as it provoked the insects into combat, unnecessarily risking Mr. Bell’s life. Fortunately he was successfully able to extricate himself from the situation. At the time Mr. Bell’s injuries appeared minor, a few cuts and bruises.

Upon his return to camp, Mr. Bell was discussing our next strategy when he fell ill with a fever and sweats. Despite our best efforts to save him, Mr. Bell stopped breathing approximately six hours later. In investigating his death, we discovered that during the skirmish, Mr. Bell was pushed up against an Upas
(Antiaris toxicaria)
tree, more commonly known as the poison dart tree. Given his other injuries, the poison in the tree’s sap quickly entered his bloodstream resulting in death.

I know you will find this news most shocking and tragic! The remaining expedition party members have agreed that we will continue the expedition in honor of our esteemed colleague. I hope you agree that it is a fitting tribute.

Your faithful servant,

Robin Sayers

“Let me see it,” said Billy. He picked up the pages and began reading. Occasionally he snorted. “Can’t you make it a little more dramatic?”

“If you don’t like it, then you write it!” retorted Robin.

Just then Henri walked into the room. “What’s not to like?” asked Henri.

“Speak of the devil! He’s risen from the dead!” Billy dropped to his knees in mock terror.

“He says your death by poison dart tree is not dramatic enough,” said Robin.

Billy smiled. “I was thinking a tiger attack or maybe cannibals might be good!”

“I don’t care,” said Henri. “Just kill me off.”

“Henri, this is ridiculous,” said Robin. She grabbed the letter from Billy, tore it in two, and then scrunched it up into a ball. “I will not lead others to believe you are dead! You’re going to want to be around when we bring
Goliathus hercules
back to London and savor the glory. Besides, your mother will be brokenhearted if she thinks you are dead. She’s already lost her husband. We’ll find another way to explain your appearance.”

Henri looked down, sighed, and pulled off his cap so that his antennae stood up on his head and sniffed the air as if they had a mind of their own. “You’re right, but only because I don’t want to hurt my mother. Though how she can love me looking like this, I don’t know.”

Maestro Antonio entered the room. “Henri looks fine,” he said. Robin and Billy raised their eyebrows.

“I don’t want to cause alarm,” said Robin gently. “But Henri does not look fine, or at least not fine for a human being. Beyond an extra set of limbs, antennae, a greenish pallor, and enormous eyes, he’s, um, getting shorter. We used to be the same height, but now he only comes up to my shoulder. Also, his voice…it’s changing.”

“All boys find their voice changes around his age,” responded Maestro Antonio.

“I didn’t mean like that. He sounds a bit tinny, kind of hollow. And sometimes it’s hard to hear him.”

Maestro Antonio looked at Henri and said a little too casually, “I hadn’t noticed.” Henri realized now that Tony was trying not to upset him or hurt his feelings.

Maestro Antonio continued. “So we need to come up with some kind of explanation, do we? The solution is obvious, and I’m surprised that two people who grew up in the circus haven’t thought of it yet.” He turned to Robin and Billy, who both shrugged.

“Makeup and costumes, of course!” declared the maestro. “A little powder will take care of the green tinge. Hats and wigs will hide the antennae. A proper-fitting suit will mask the, uh… additional appendages. As to Henri’s diminished stature and the timbre of his voice, we can put him in a wheelchair and explain that he has rickets.” He clasped his hands together and said, “So that’s settled. Frankly, we have more pressing issues. Let’s discuss our next attempt to capture
Goliathus hercules
. I’ll not have Agatha Black defeat us. And shall we go back to Kuala Selangor or venture into the jungle?”

Maestro Antonio was right. The expedition must go on, but Henri was so shaken by his nearly catastrophic encounter with the pitcher plant that his confidence was shattered. His ever-increasing insect nature made him susceptible to dangers he would never have considered in his more human form. He wanted to be the leader of the expedition, not the weak link!

He also couldn’t ignore the fact that his metamorphosis was speeding up. Maybe soon his friends wouldn’t have to come up with explanations for his appearance at all because he would be fully changed into an insect! Maybe the only excitement in his future would be an audition for the circus’s insect orchestra!

He had to stop the process, but how? Was it possible to reverse it? Perhaps it was a new disease. It might take years before a solution or a cure could be found.

Ever since they had left the jungle empty-handed, Henri’s mind had been consumed with these gloomy thoughts. They had not returned to Kuala Lumpur. Accompanied by only their guide, Mat, the party had instead gone northward to the Cameron Highlands. They were staying at the plantation of a British tea merchant they had met at the Golden Horse Palace in Kuala Lumpur.

The house was perched atop a hill with a panoramic view of rolling acres of tea bushes. Above the heat and whine of the mosquitoes in the jungle below, the climate made it the perfect place to rest and nurse their weary bodies and exhausted minds. And in Henri’s case, a broken heart because he had found no sign of his father.

It was hard to keep up hope. There was absolutely no reason to believe his father was alive. Maybe he had simply walked into the jungle one day and never walked out again. Was it misadventure? The jungle was a wild and unforgiving place that could easily envelope and consume a man. Or had he simply chosen to abandon his family without explanation?

Henri looked up to see that Mat had entered the room. “Ah, are you making plans?” he asked the explorers brightly. Far from being disappointed over the failure to capture
Goliathus hercules
, Mat was jubilant that they had made contact and lived to tell about it. Unlike the others, he showed no concern over Henri’s appearance. To Mat, serving the living embodiment of the legendary hero Serangga-orang was an honor. Now he turned to Henri.

“Serangga-orang, you look very serious. I know you will think of a way to defeat the evil one and capture
Goliathus hercules
,” he said.

Henri couldn’t help but smile back at Mat. Serangga-orang, half man and half insect! The jungle was his domain, and he was master of it. With wit and agility, he defeated his foes and came to the rescue of the weak and the lost. Suddenly Henri realized how much he’d given in to self-pity. It was time to snap out of it! He had to balance his two natures and live up to the name of Serangg-orang.

Henri’s Great Aunt Georgie would have described Mat as the type of person who saw the glass as half full rather than half empty. Henri laughed to himself as he remembered her expressions, things like “You can’t judge a book by its cover” and “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Just then another came to mind—a bit of advice she had written to him in a letter he had received just before the jungle expedition. At the time, he hadn’t really understood it, but now he did. He turned to the group.

“My Great Aunt Georgie told me, ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’ That’s what we’re going to do.”

“But, Henri, we have tried to do that,” said Robin. “As soon as we discovered Mrs. Black was following us, we tried to pursue her rather than the other way around.”

“That was true until we reached the jungle. We should never have gone in without knowing exactly where she was. For the time being, we need to go after Agatha Black first, and then
Goliathus hercules
!”

Of course that was easier said than done. Still, everyone was pleased to see Henri’s mood brighten. Whether he realized it or not, they all considered him their leader.

“But there’s something else. We haven’t been keeping our friends close either,” said Henri.

“What do you mean, Henri?” asked Billy.

“I mean that we have a million or more allies that we have not called upon,” said Henri “and the time has come to ask for their help!”