Congo Fantasy: Book 1

By Shirley Matthews

The best friends have just finished school and make ambitious plans to become rich and famous. Duncan the dreamer reads a book about a group of explorers who venture into the Congo to hunt for lost tribes. Jason always adventurous is easy to persuade. Together they encourage the quiet and timid Simon whose dream is to become a photographer, to j

• Language: English
• Publisher: STAMPA GLOBAL
• Release date: Sep 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781951585105

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Copyright ©2019 Shirley Matthews. All rights reserved.

Photos by permission 123RF Book

Chimera, Cyclops and Hydra illustrated by Tanya Rodgers

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

T here is a place, hidden deep in the ancient rainforests of Africa, which has been known to strike fear in the hearts of those who are brave or silly enough to venture into, here where the wild jungle reaches down to meet the river, where for centuries traders plied their grim commerce, leaving behind a legacy of lost treasures and violence. Tales are told of undiscovered tribes and cannibalism, of strange rituals and bizarre creatures never seen before in any other place in the world. It is a place from which very few have ever returned .—Author Unknown

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Chapter 1 

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T he excitement Duncan felt as he read about a 1990 expedition into the Republic of the Congo in search of the Congo dinosaur made his heart race.

Boy, I sure would like to do something that cool.

Always considered lazy by his parents and teachers, he was unable to master the complex subjects he was forced to study. Nor was he able to understand what use they would be to him when the time came to find a job. His reputation as a class clown - very popular and always amusing - kept him in constant trouble with the teachers.

Not knowing what he wanted to do with his future, he had decided to go to a TAFE (technical and further education) college to learn a trade. Fortunately, he had finished tenth grade and was able to leave school. He had many great ideas in his head, but none of the courses seemed to suit him. His parents helped him read through the many trade offerings, but he gave up in exasperation. Nothing appealed to Duncan. As he was so unsettled at school, they agreed he could leave school and look for a job.

‘Maybe you could get some labouring work until you make up your mind,’ his father suggested. ‘The courses at the TAFE college don’t start for another few months, so it would help you to fill in time until you decide what you want to do.’

It was not easy to find a job, but a couple of weeks working here and there - picking fruit on some of the local farms, helping concreting, cleaning at the local school - showed that he was not lazy but just uninterested in schoolwork.

His parents, Peter and Liza, gained hope for him. His sister, Beth, had always known what she wanted to do and was almost through her course to become a teacher. Duncan knew they were proud of her and wished he could be more like her.

They lived in a small fishing village at Lee Point, east of Darwin, where Peter had been a professional fisherman most of his life. He had long, greying hair and bright-blue eyes. His small frame belied his great strength so necessary to pull the heavy fishing gear he used. One would never guess he was near retirement age. Years of fishing in the hot sun had left his skin leathery and tanned. Duncan was his only son, and Peter enjoyed the times when they went together on fishing trips.

Liza was a schoolteacher and kept busy most of the time. She never minded when the two men went off together.

‘Duncan, why don’t you come fishing with me? I want to go to the Gulf of Carpentaria for the barramundi season. You could come and help me.’

‘I don’t know, Dad. How long would we go for? I’ll miss Jason and Simon.’

‘Yes, I suppose you will, but I need some help, and it would give you something to do. Could earn some good money!’ He watched Duncan’s expression as he tossed the idea around in his head.

Might not be too bad. Beats mucking around here doing nothing. ‘Maybe I will, Dad. When would we leave and for how long?’

‘The season opens shortly. We could go for a couple of months. There has been some good rain up there, and when the floods recede, there are usually a lot of barra around. What do you think?’

‘Could be okay, Dad. I’ll go see the boys and tell them.’

* * *

Duncan looked very much like his father. Short black hair framed his face, and his large brown eyes shined with anticipation as he raced off to find his two best friends, Jason and Simon.

‘Hi, guys. What’s up?’

‘Nothing much, Dunc. What have you been doing?’

‘Dad wants me to go fishing with him for a couple of months in the Gulf of Carpentaria.’

‘Boy, you are lucky. Sounds terrific,’ Jason said.

‘Yeah, I think I’ll go. We always enjoy fishing together, and Dad said he would give me some money if we do well.’

‘That’s great, Duncan, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,’ Simon said quietly. He secretly wished he could go along - not to fish but to take photographs, his great passion.

‘Guess what, guys? I’ve been reading a great book about the Congo. Lots of people have gone there and found previously undiscovered animals. It sounds exciting.’ Duncan watched their expressions. They didn’t seem very interested, so he let it go for the time being.

‘Well, I’d better get going,’ Duncan said. ‘Got to help Dad get ready for our trip. See you later, guys.’ Hopping on his bike, he rode home and rushed inside to see his father.

‘Can go anytime, Dad. Jason and Simon think it’s a great idea.’

‘Okay, son, suits me. We could go earlier than I was planning. I’ll need some help getting ready.’ Giving him a pat on the back, Peter went to his shed to start getting sorted out.

Following behind, Duncan said, ‘Great! When do we leave?’

‘It’ll take a few days to get ready. Come on, let’s get started. We’ll have to fix the nets first. Grab that end and string it up on that post, and I’ll show you how to mend them.’

His father was a good, patient teacher, and Duncan didn’t mind the tedious work. They worked together repairing the long nets Peter used for catching the elusive barramundi.

Duncan had been to the gulf with his father before and was intrigued by it and loved to go there. They had a long drive ahead of them. There was about fifteen hundred kilometres to travel, and the mainly unsealed roads crossed the flat and low-lying land, which flooded regularly each wet season. Hopefully it would be okay now.

One interesting thing about the gulf was the fishing. In billabongs everywhere, fish got trapped until the floods released them and they were free to swim down the long, winding rivers that led to the sea. At this time, fishermen and locals alike hit the water to catch these elusive fish.

Several prawn trawlers worked in the area, and the constant live-cattle export ships tying up to the wharf competed for spots to anchor along the banks of the Norman River.

The main township was known as Karumba. It had very few shops, and the local watering hole was the famous Animal Bar. Duncan remembered seeing numerous fights that went on there, but being only sixteen, he was never allowed inside.

Peter and Duncan worked tirelessly for the next few days and finally finished. Now anxious about getting there to get a good spot, Peter piled his fishing gear onto his truck as they prepared to leave for the trip.

‘Duncan, let’s hook up the boat and load the nets in. Your mother has been shopping for some supplies to take with us. We’ll buy more as we need them.’

They put the nets into the boat and finished packing the truck with all the gear they would need.

‘Phew, what a load,’ Duncan said.

‘Well, I’m planning to stay for a couple of months. We’ll need all of it.’

The barramundi were in abundance this time of year. Everyone was racing to get there, expecting good fishing after the big floods had died down. Duncan was excited and eager to get going.

* * *

They left early the next morning, only stopping for fuel and something to eat.

There were no fences along the side of the roads, and animals roamed free. Duncan, being a keen pig

hunter, was surprised to see a herd of pigs grazing along the roadside. Of