Congo Fantasy: Book 2

By Shirley Matthews

The sequel to Book 1 featuring the 3 boys Jason, Duncan and Simon. Simon escapes from the 2 Cyclops that had grabbed him and follows a trail back to Brazzaville. Jason was held captive by a chimera and fortunately escapes and makes his way back to their unreliable guide Mambo's shack. To his surprise he found Duncan had also escaped from the

• Language: English
• Publisher: STAMPA GLOBAL
• Release date: Feb 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781951585570

Book preview

CONGO

FANTASY

Book 2

Shirley Matthews

Three boys dream to become rich and famous

Copyright ©2020 Shirley Matthews. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Some Africans believe that human spirits exist after death and that these spirits dwell in an underground world, much like that of the living. The souls sleep during the day and come out at night. Others place the realm of the dead in the sky. Bushmen in some parts of Africa say that the dead become stars. Many believe that the spirits of ancestors killed, remain near their living descendants to help and protect them, considering that the minds of chieftains and other essential characters offer reliable protection. Special ceremonies are held to bring them into the community. In some cultures, the soul of a dead grandfather, father, or uncle can be reborn in as a baby boy. Common belief is that dead souls, particularly those of older men, may return as snakes or as strange mythological creatures.

Anon

Chapter 1 

H idden deep in the Congo jungle, something was stirring. Someone moved, slowly opened his eyes and looked around. It was Jason. W here were Duncan and Simon? It was deadly, quiet, and nothing moved. His mind flashed back. The last thing he remembered was that weird creature Mambo called a chimera grabbing him and pulling him the through the thickness of the bushes scratching his unprotected arms and legs. What happened to it?

Jason struggled to his feet, and even though his head and legs were sore, he pulled himself upright. Looking down at his bleeding legs, he could see where the chimera had sunk its sharp teeth in.

Well, hidden, hardly daring to breathe, Jason inspected his wounds. He tore strips off his shirt and bandaged them knowing he had to keep them clean. He would bathe them as soon as he could find some freshwater. In the tropics, the smallest scratch could turn into an ugly wound within a few hours.

Realising he was hungry, he looked around some nearby bushes to see if there was anything he might be able to eat. He wished he had listened to Simon telling him which kind of berries were safe. He watched from his hiding place as a group of monkeys descended on the bushes and proceeded to eat the fruit. He had heard that people could safely eat fruit and berries eaten by birds and mammals. He was uncertain, but the fruit did look good so decided to try them. He picked one and gingerly put it in his mouth. Yes, it was good and proceeded to choose more and soon ate his fill.

I’d better find a better hiding place; there’s no way of knowing what is around here. Wonder if the chimera is still around? Where is Duncan and Simon? I’ll have to try and find them.

Devastated by what had happened and scared and unsure of what to do next. Knowing the best idea was to find the way back to the river. Leaving the protection of the bushes picked up a large stick for safety and took off. Not knowing what direction to go was a significant problem. He seemed to remember the river they had been following was flowing toward the east. Now, which way is east? Why hadn’t he taken more notice of what he had learned at school about getting lost in the bush? Maybe he should look for a hiding place until morning and then walk towards the rising sun.

He had gone some distance when he came to a large tree, and even though exhausted and had a sore leg, climbed it and eventually felt safe hidden amongst the thick canopy of leaves.

Wedged into the fork of a branch, and could not help dozing off to sleep until disturbed by a noise.

He was overcome with fear to see a strange-looking creature coming towards him. It resembled a rhino but had three small horns surrounding its head and two large long ones above the eyes with a large patterned frilled collar around its head covering much of its back. Short solid legs supported a stubby, leathery body. An open mouth showed small teeth with a mammoth canine tusk set in the middle. The eerie, growling noise that came from it sent shivers down Jason’s spine. He was almost too scared to breathe.

Suddenly it stopped, looked around and then retreated back the way it had come. Jason could hear it smashing through the bushes, then silence. Too frightened to move, he sank deeper into the covering of the branches.

A noise in the distance seemed to be coming closer. The creature broke through the clearing and Jason was amazed to see that it was dragging something behind it. It came nearer, he was shocked to see it was a chimera that the creature held fast in its fearsome jaws. Blood poured from its main head, and the goats head and serpent’s tail dangled lifelessly behind. He watched until they moved out of sight and when the noise faded, finally relaxed slightly.

Wish Simon was here with his camera. I’ll try to remember what it looked like so I can show everyone. He pulled out some paper from his pocket and did his best to draw it. That’ll have to do and tucked it away safely. He decided it would be safer to stay where he was. After eating some more berries, fell into a well-earned sleep. When he woke in the morning, he could see glimpses of the sun and decided to walk towards it, following the track that the strange creature left.

Thinking back over the perilous trip, the three boys had undertaken. Poor Simon, he had never wanted to go along with Duncan’s hair-brained schemes. It was different for him. Always getting into all sorts of trouble, he relished any adventure that came his way.

Summoning up all his courage, he cautiously climbed down the tree and quietly followed along the track. Looking where he was walking and not wanting to step on any snakes, he slowly crept forward. The only sounds he heard were from occasional birds flying around.

The pathway appeared to be going straight ahead, and after walking a while, he could hear some strange noises in front of him. The jungle seemed to be thinning out, and the cover was not as good. He once again climbed a tree to see if he could see anything ahead. He was astonished to see a clearing in the distance. Maybe I could find something to eat there, even something to drink. Climbing down the tree, he continued his way towards the open area ahead. There were no further sounds nor any sign of any creatures. Imagine his surprise when he came out of the bushes and saw a mud hut in the distance. Could it be? Can I be this lucky? It reminds me of Mambo’s shelter. Getting closer, he saw that it looked precisely like Mambo’s hut. Silently he made his way towards it and warily pushing the door