Bobbing his gorilla head, Shandy squatted down among the fallen leaves and smacked his paws together.
"Is he intelligent?" Ken asked incredulously. His scalp began to crawl.
"Oh, no.... Well, let's start at the very beginning again," Nancy said.
Shandy rested his head on one clenched paw.
"Once upon a time," Nancy started.
Holman stood and grabbed up his windbreaker. "I've heard this one before. I'll drop by your place in the evening. Be finished by then?"
Nancy half closed the book with her finger as a marker. "You're angry?"
His coat seam jammed and Holman decided to wear the coat open. "No." He walked away into the woods. He was only a few steps into the trees when Nancy started the story again.
The fire flared up, brightening the ground around Holman's tent. Nancy hugged her knees up close to her and rested her head on them. "He would be out of place at the settlement," she said.