EXTRACT FOR
Karen's Cryptid Adventures
(Kay Nyne)

Stripping naked behind the makeshift canvas screen she set the water trickling from a large perforated bucket suspended from a tree branch above her head. A few of the expedition had struggled with the bush shower, but not Karen, a born and raised African. Not Congolese, she was Kenyan, from a small village close to the border with Uganda. If I was a local I'd call that a reason for being here, but I don't speak French or Lingala, so it's not like the professor can call on me to translate.

She considered the reason that she was miles from civilization, deep in the Congo Rain Forest.

Kilomba. Also known as Agogwe, or the hairy little man. Bigger than a chimp, and smaller than a gorilla. "More humanoid than most other apes." the professor had said, the more rounded human-like forehead setting it apart from the Congo's known primates. But what made it much closer to humanoid was the fact that the Kilomba walked upright. "On two legs, like a man." the professor had added. "They've been seen, allegedly, from Zimbabwe all the way through to the Congo. Most sighting being in Tanzania."

"So why aren't you looking in Tanzania?" Karen had asked.

The professor had smiled, then removed his spectacles to polish the lenses. "Because, a colleague of mine, a most sensible and trustworthy fellow told me that during a trek through to Lac Tele on an Okapi spotting expedition, one of the pygmy guides reported that he'd encountered a pair of Kilomba. Now even for the pygmies, coming across a Kilomba is an event because they are very rare, possibly just a handful of them in the entire rainforest."

Karen had shrugged, it all sounded like a wild goose chase. "So you brought us all out here, on the word of a pygmy guide who was probably just saying that to add a little spice to what was probably quite a boring hike through the jungle. I know what they are like, excite the white man then hold out your hand."

The professor shook his head. "Not this guide, he was from deep in the forest, money had no value to him, and such open and innocent people have no reason to lie, he had no ulterior motive... and that is why I brought us all out here."

Karen had smiled and tried to hide the pity she felt for a man who clearly knew nothing about Africa and how local minds worked. But why should I care! She thought, I can handle the boredom, because each camp that they established became absolute boredom for her. It was always the same routine. They would hack a way through impenetrable jungle, then slash a small glade, just large enough to pitch their tents and set up the array of solar panels. In that spot they would hang around for a couple of weeks, before packing up and moving on, usually a two or three day hike before setting up all over again.

For the professor it was like fishing on a vast lake, he would select a spot and cast his bait, then wait patiently for a bite. And when nothing nibbled he would move to another spot, and cast again, then sit back and wait. Over and over again.

And he always ensured that both the latrine and shower were established away from the camp. The latrine, for obvious reasons, but the shower set apart for a more sinister reason... because his friend had given him another gem of information, passed on from the pygmy guide. He had explained that the various tribes, who were all nomadic, would not stay within the boundaries of a Kilomba's territory. When questioned why, the pygmy had looked furtive and a little embarrassed, then confessed that it was rumoured that the hairy little man could not resist ripe pussy, and would walk for miles when they detected just a whiff of snatch on the breeze.

"Insatiable," the guide had maintained, "And that's why we keep our women far from them.