ADVENTURE JOURNEY EPISODES
by Jeremy Russell

Episode 4: Monte Verde, Costa Rica, Summer 1989
This is one episode in a developing story. Links to PRECEDING EPISODES at bottom.

There was an extended shriek from the jungle. Charlie calmly glanced around from the table at the tiny bed and breakfast patio. “Howler monkey,” he said.

“Sounds like the sound in my head,” Dave said.

Charlie moved his long blond bangs out of his face and tipped back the last of a brown bottle of Imperial.

Dave picked the last shred of label off his own already empty bottle. “I can’t believe Akiko walked out a week before the wedding,” he said, not for the first time.

“Just be glad she didn’t wait until after. And if she’d done it any earlier you probably could have refunded the honeymoon tickets and we wouldn’t be here.”

“You know what your problem is? You’re an optimist.”

“And like those army ants we saw this afternoon, you treat life like you’re on the swarm front of a migration. This is a vacation. You need to chill.”

“You say ‘chill’ one more time and-”

“For freak’s sake, dude.” Charlie turned to wave to the woman running the kitchen. “Mas cerveza, por favor,” he called. Then to his brother, he said, with real feeling, “Chill.”

Dave chuckled glumly. “Maybe when the howler monkeys in my head stop screaming. Until then…?” He shrugged.

“Well, not to worry.” Charlie took his fork and scraped the remnants of beans and fried plantains to one side of his plate. “The destruction of the howler monkey’s natural environment will likely result in its future extinction.”

Their beers arrived with a clunk.