In Search of Goliathus Hercules (30 page)

When you are anxious about something, time moves very slowly. At last, dusk was upon them. Quietly the expedition party moved to the clearing, where they hid behind trees and makeshift palm screens. Only Henri and Robin stood in the middle of the clearing. Henri made a quick check. He called out, and there was an angry buzz in response. The bees were ready.

They stood silently, looking westward. The insect chorus still chanted, “Be alert!” It had not changed since the morning. A feeling of queasiness was building in Henri’s stomach. He felt like retching but forced himself to take deep breaths. It wouldn’t do to show his nerves at a time like this.

He turned to Robin. “I want to thank you for being the best friend I’ve ever had. I just wanted to say that in case I don’t get the chance later.”

“Thanks, Henri. Thank you for believing in me and letting me come along. It’s been fantastic. You’re…You’re my best friend too.” She took his clawlike hand and held it in her own.

Slowly the moon began to rise. With an intake of breath, Henri let his insect side take over. His antennae explored the night air, searching for
Goliathus hercules
or for Agatha Black, the enemy—whichever came first. He picked up half a dozen scents upon the breeze—the smoldering campfire half a mile away, decaying weeds by the riverbank, the corpse flower’s thick and heavy odor, the nectar from the bloom of a frangipani tree, the musty smell of something, maybe a jungle rat, and, finally, Robin’s own unique scent. Focusing on the sounds of the forest, he could distinguish the millions of expectant whispers upon the ground, in the trees, and in the air.

Crunch, crunch, crunch. The alarm changed. “Alert, alert, danger, danger!” They all heard it.

“Who is it?” asked Robin urgently.

Henri cocked his head, sniffed the air, and smiled. He had been mistaken about the musty smell. They came from the east. “
Goliathus hercules
!” They had come! Henri’s smile quickly vanished as he heard their approaching voices.

“Bah! Serangga-orang, who is he?”

“How dare he come into our territory?”

“Come to taunt us? Come to challenge us?”

“We’ll tear him apart limb by limb and feast on his innards!”

Henri had amassed his forces strictly to defend himself against Agatha Black. Now he was wondering if he should have considered some way to protect himself from
Goliathus hercules
! But it was too late.

In a short time his keen eyes spied the flecks of gold reflected off their horns and elytra moving through the trees. Some walked and some flew. As the first ones entered the clearing, he called out, “Stop!” They did not listen and continued to move forward. It was like a sea of bubbling oil spreading before him. Their shiny black backs glistened in the moonlight. He heard Robin give a little whimper beside him.

“Please, stop!” Henri shouted again.

As the words came out of his mouth, he heard another sound. Like dominos falling upon one another, one by one, it started at a great distance and then sped up, moving closer and closer to the clearing. To those who did not understand, it sounded like a primal scream ripped from the earth’s center. For Henri, Robin, Billy, and Maestro Antonio, it was the call they had been expecting.

“Baaaaats! Blaaack!”
The alarm sounded repeatedly, thunderous and united.

G
oliathus hercules
stopped. While they understood the words, they did not know their significance. They looked at Henri, assuming he had caused this tremendous disturbance. They were surprised. He did not look back at them. It was as if he had entirely forgotten about them. This was strange indeed—never had their prey ignored their approach! Instead, Henri’s eyes went to the sky.

When at last the cacophony of sound ceased, there was an unsettling, tense silence. Henri called out a series of commands.

“Attention! Enemy approaching from the west! Prepare for attack! Wait for my signal!”

Who was he talking to?
they wondered. Perhaps he had gone mad. They saw nothing except a two-leg standing beside him. The two-leg spoke too, although it spoke in a language they couldn’t understand but recognized to be that of the multilegged. Very strange indeed.

Turning back to
Goliathus hercules
, Henri spoke quickly. “I am Serangga-orang. Tonight there will be a battle. We have a common enemy. Her name is Agatha Black. She is evil and has committed countless atrocities against the insect world. She will come with her allies—the bats. You are at risk, for it is
Goliathus hercules
she seeks to capture. The entire six-legged kingdom has united to fight her. I ask you now to join us in the battle.”

It was the Old One who stepped forward. He was the largest of the warriors, and Henri noticed the battle scars along his armored body. When he spoke, it was with dignity and authority.

“We will join no one,” the Old One said. “We fight only for ourselves. Tonight we fight you, the one who taunts us, humiliates us, and trespasses on our land. Prepare to die, stranger!”

“I will not fight you,” said Henri calmly. “In a short time we will all be under siege from a very powerful enemy. I will not divide my army and weaken my position. I have asked you to join us, but it seems you have chosen not to do so. I will not fight you, but if you attack my companions and me, I will defend myself.” Almost casually Henri returned to scanning the sky as if he were out for a pleasant evening of star gazing.

The Old One was silent for a moment. Henri’s response had been unexpected. This Serangga-orang had announced that he would not fight. Was he a coward or a fool? Well, it made no difference. This kind of impertinence would not be tolerated. Behind him he heard his troops muttering, jostling, anxious to begin the fight.

“Forward!” the Old One yelled.

Henri did not flinch, nor did he look away from the sky. Next to him Robin muttered a few unintelligible words.

As
Goliathus hercules
moved forward, they suddenly found the ground beneath their feet alive and slithering. Like ropes bursting from the ground, millions of millipedes entwined their bodies around the legs of
Goliathus hercules
, causing them at first to stumble and then crash to the ground as they found their legs tied up in elaborate knots. The warrior insects bellowed in frustration, tossing and turning to no avail.
Goliathus hercules
was adapted to fight other creatures head on, but they did not have the flexibility to reach under their own feet.

“Trickery! Cowardice!” yelled the Old One as he lay on the ground bound by millipede bodies.

Henri chanced a quick glance toward the felled creature. “Well done, Robin! We’re not fighting them, merely detaining them!”

“Piece of cake!” she called back. Though of course it hadn’t been easy to learn millipede language and then corral them to one place so that thousands were at the ready.

Henri returned his gaze to the sky, for at that moment he heard the high-pitched squeals of bats. Thousands of bats approaching! “Bees! Begin evasive maneuvers!” he shouted in insect.

From the trees surrounding the clearing rose three swarms of tropical honey bees. The dull roar of their buzz was enough to give Henri goose bumps, despite the fact that he knew they were on his side. For a moment a cloud of bees obscured the moon and then the swarms began flying in formation, back and forth, swooping high and low, and effectively blocking entrance into the clearing. Henri heard the whoosh of fluttering wings as the bats were forced to land upon the surrounding trees. They dared not enter the clearing, for every creature of the forest knows not to challenge the wrath of a swarm of angry bees.

Yet, no sooner had the bats landed in the trees than they were forced into the air again. The clearing echoed with their wounded screeches. Henri glanced at Robin and said, “I think your centipede army has attacked.”

“Yes, I expect the bats won’t know what has hit them since these centipedes are usually only found in caves.”

So far they had the advantage. In the bright moonlight it was easy to see that the bats were in disarray, flying aimlessly above the clearing.

But then a flash of silver caught his eye, and emerging from the bush into the clearing stood a tall figure, draped in black, holding a machete in one hand, a gilt cage in the other, and a coil of rope over one shoulder.

Agatha Black! Like a bear to honey, she had come. Though she wore a veil of black mosquito netting over her head, Henri still saw the corners of her mouth break into the smile that haunted his dreams.

“Stop! Don’t you come any farther, you old hag! We’ve got you surrounded!” yelled Henri.

“Well, well, well! How very frightening!” said Mrs. Black, but her voice betrayed not the slightest quiver. She continued to walk slowly toward them, protected from the whiny pitch and bloodthirsty bites of his mosquito force by her veil. “Come now. Did you really think a few bees and some pesky mosquitoes would put me off?”

Then she uttered a high-pitched screech that broke the monotonous heavy drone of the bees. Above, the bats circled three times, returning to formation and swooping into the clearing. They took aim at both Henri and Robin, forcing them to shield themselves with their hands. The force of the bat’s bodies caused little pain, but their sharp claws left scratches and cuts. Robin was particularly bloodied, but she did not cry out in pain. The knot in Henri’s stomach tightened. He felt like vomiting. Why now? When he had faced his nemesis before, his rage was so great that he had forgotten his fear. Again he took deep breaths trying to master his nerves.

Through his fingers, Henri kept his eyes on the approaching Mrs. Black. She was within twenty feet of them. It was time to call in the reinforcements! He barked out his next command.

“Billy, begin firing! Wasps! Attack now. Sting at will!”

Smaller than the bees, the wasps were fast fliers. They quickly landed upon the flying bats, stung, and left before the bat even felt the first twinge of pain. But pain they did feel, a sharp burning throb that a few seconds later turned to painful stiffness. Some of the stung bats swooped to land upon the nearest trees but quickly discovered their mistake when they felt the grasp of the giant centipedes’ jaws.

Billy was delighted to enter the fray with his peashooter. In rapid succession, he launched the colorful but potent Rosary Peas into the air. The bats, thinking the peas were small insects caught in the crossfire, opened their mouths and gulped them whole. In less than a minute, the unfortunate bats were seized with spasms and dropped, stricken, to the forest floor. Henri knew it took all of Billy’s self-control not to cheer each time he heard a bat thud to the ground.

As for Agatha Black, Henri had not anticipated the heavy veil that protected her head and face. As always she wore her stiff black dress and gloves, despite the tropical heat. The fabric was impenetrable to the wasps’ stings. Now they congregated en masse on the veil, buzzing, looking for a way in. With an evil chuckle, Mrs. Black lit something within the gilt cage she held that gave off a noxious-smelling, thick black smoke. She waved the cage about like an incense bearer, filling the air with choking, eye-stinging smoke. In short order, the wasps were forced to retreat, and again a high, piercing shriek broke the night.

Suddenly the bats seemed to become more and more numerous, and it was clear that this time, Mrs. Black would not make the same mistakes.

“Robin!” screamed Henri. “Look out!”

There was a new contingent of bats now—huge fruit bats!—and Henri pointed as one of the largest bats hurtled toward them. As they braced themselves for impact, the bat tilted its wings at the last moment, craftily gliding to their left low over the ground. In a horrified instant, Henri realized what would happen.

Seeing the struggling leader of
Goliathus hercules
bound by the millipedes, the enormous fruit bat did not hesitate. It plucked the frantic creature from the ground and quickly flew high up and away!

“Robin, they can’t defend themselves! Call off the millipedes. We have to let
Goliathus hercules
fight.”

As Robin commanded the millipedes to loosen their grip, Henri called out to his friend Art and his family of moths. Instantly they appeared, looking entirely out of place on the battlefield. There is something about fragile, winged creatures that suggests serenity and perhaps a summer day’s picnic.

“Art, follow the fruit bat! Try to distract him. We must rescue the leader of
Goliathus hercules
. Hurry!” Henri directed.

“Aye, aye, sir.” And with that, the moths flitted away as quickly as they had appeared.

Henri had momentarily forgotten Mrs. Black, and now, as he turned back toward her, he was horrified to see that she was gone.

What? Quickly turning right and left, he could see nothing! The bats were no longer attacking and had disappeared too.

“Mrs. Black! Where did she go?”

Startled, Robin turned to where Mrs. Black had stood a moment ago. Dumbfounded, she stuttered, “It’s…it’s impossible. C-careful, Henri. Maybe you should get everyone to hold their positions?”