Notes: In order to prevent the spread of syphilis, before a marriage license was issued, a blood test was required, with a three-day waiting period for the results. Maryland was the only state on the East coast where this wasn't the law, so couples in a hurry to tie the knot went there. Tarzan the Ape Man, with Johnny Weissmuller, appeared on the silver screen in 1932.
Stick With Me, Kid Part 6
Carl Denham's POV
For a supposedly smart fella, it had taken me a long time to realize what was what.
We were making our way through the almost impenetrable undergrowth of the tropical forest after helping the little Kong free himself from quicksand. Johnny was slightly ahead of me, and I was able to study him without being observed myself.
I'd always been considered a man's man. Aside from taking risks that had gotten me labeled a lunatic while I was behind the camera, I fished the deep sea sports fish, hunted big game in Africa, went to bare-knuckle boxing matches where blood flowed as freely as the punches thrown, and could knock back bootleg hooch with the best of 'em. And I chased skirts, even though catching them always turned out to be more trouble than it was worth.
Then I'd met John Smith. He was blond and blue-eyed, saved from being too pretty by a broken nose. I didn't think he was much above seventeen, although I later learned he was actually older than that by a few years. Under the shabby clothes he wore he was so scrawny he looked as if a good breeze would blow him over. Once I'd seen to it that he had some square meals under his belt, he began to put on muscle, and he lost that hungry look.
He'd reminded me a bit of Ann Darrow, when I'd first found her. Ann Driscoll, she was now, having married Jack Driscoll, the Venture's first mate, the day after King Kong escaped and then fell from the Empire State Building. She and Jack had driven down to Maryland, where there was no three day waiting period.
I read about it in the Daily News.
I'd convinced myself I'd taken Johnny to bed that first time simply because of the resemblance to Ann, even though I'd never had any desire to sleep with her. And then I'd convinced myself that if he didn't come with me on the Venture, Big Louie, who ran the rackets on the Eastside, would see about outfitting him with cement overshoes for helping me.
Johnny shared my cabin on the Venture, and my berth. When we were around any of the men, I treated him casually, like a pal. When we were alone together, I treated him pretty much the same.
I didn't know much about him, and I never asked about his past, or about how he had gotten that broken nose. I figured if there was anything I needed to know, he'd tell me. I failed to take into account the way he'd been forced to live since the Depression hit the country.
All I knew was he was a good kid who let me fuck him whenever I wanted to, and I found I wanted to a lot. I remembered how surprised he'd been the first time I'd made love to him, and he'd come apart in my hands, and how cock-of-the-walk that had made me feel.
Every time afterwards, I always made sure he climaxed, but once we were done, I'd roll over and fall asleep. I never held him, rarely kissed him, and he never complained about it. He never asked for anything, and he never expected anything.
On a couple of occasions when I'd had nightmares of that time on Skull Island, I'd wakened to him holding me, stroking my back and murmuring soothing words in my ear, but as soon as he knew I was awake, he'd let me go. I'd wanted to stay in his arms, but I'd turned away from him, saying gruffly, "Sorry I woke you up. Go on back to sleep, kid."
I called him 'kid' because I couldn't bring myself to call him any of the meaningless pet names I'd have used for a woman.
I kept telling myself I couldn't be in love with another man, but the deeper we sailed into the South Seas, the more I searched for excuses to touch him or hold him.
I thought he was happy; I knew I was.
The night after we'd sailed out of Dakang, things changed. He was edgy and distracted, and I'd spent a long time making love to him, trying to show him by the actions of my body that he needed me. He'd moaned and shivered and filled my hand with his seed. I'd whispered impassioned phrases against his hair, but his only response was the slow, steady sigh of his breathing as he slipped into sleep.
Johnny became more and more distant after that. We shared the same berth, but we may as well have been on opposite ends of the ship. Sometimes I'd feel his eyes on me, but when I turned to glance in his direction, he'd be watching the horizon, or the dolphins playing in the Venture's wake. I was always too late to catch him watching me.
Cold fingers clutched my gut as it dawned on me that I could be losing him. I'd never been in a situation like this before, and I didn't know how to react, so I withdrew.
The Skipper would gaze from one of us to the other. His lips would clamp down on the stem of his pipe, and he would shake his head, but he didn't offer advice.
It was only when the crew gathered on the deck and demanded an explanation for Hildy Peterson's presence aboard the Venture that I learned what was behind Johnny's behavior toward me.
It turned out that Johnny had brought the little girl whose father had been killed in a suspicious fire on the ship. I thought she'd be better off in Dakang, and he'd thought otherwise. He'd been afraid that when I learned he'd gone against my wishes, I'd kick him off at the first available port.
He'd been wrong.
We got that misunderstanding straightened out, and the physical side of our friendship resumed. Things were going well.
And then the men mutinied. Dutch told us we were going to be put off the ship, and we'd have to row to Skull Island, which wasn't more than half a mile away. The Skipper had been distressed. We weren't supposed to be anywhere near Skull Island.
I hadn't been worried. Well, not too worried. I figured the natives would welcome us, and eventually we'd find a way to return to civilization. If the Venture found Skull Island, so could other ships.
But... "Where's Johnny?"
"We's keepin' your Nancy-boy, Denham. Mebbe we'll let ya have 'im back. If ya still wants 'im when we's done with 'im." Red was a mucker, a nasty piece of goods, and I knew if he got his mitts on the kid, he'd hurt him and enjoy every minute of it.
I'd gone after him, not the brightest move I'd ever made, and earned myself a blow to the head and a nagging headache. The Skipper and Jimmy had to lower me, half-conscious, to the lifeboat..
Careful hands took me from the wireless operator's hold. "It's all right, Mr. Denham. I've got you." It was Johnny. He was there and unhurt, and I sagged against him in relief.
In spite of the heat, Johnny hadn't rolled up the sleeves of the shirt he wore tucked in his trousers. They afforded some small protection from the brush, where the leaves could often inflict painful cuts. If the toss-up was between sweating or bleeding from a wound that might become infected, there was no contest.
The shirt clung damply to his back, and from time to time he'd push his hair up off his neck. I loved the way it curled, and the way it felt against my fingers when I made love to him, but I wondered why he didn't cut it. It was obviously uncomfortable.
He turned his head to smile at me, and I caught my breath. His blue eyes were unguarded, and for the first time they didn't have that wary tension lurking at their back; he looked like the kid I always called him.
"We're going to need another bath by the time we get back," Johnny groused good-naturedly. He ran a sleeve over his forehead to mop the sweat that was beading at his hairline.
"Maybe the Skipper and Charley will find water closer to camp, a stream, a pond, something."
"As long as it's not like the one we left." He stopped abruptly, and I nearly stepped on his heels. "Did you hear anything, Mr. Denham?"
"Not a thing, kid." I'd been too distracted by my thoughts. "Y'know something? I'm glad we were able to get things sorted out between us. We have gotten them sorted once and for all, haven't we? You're not going to leave me, are you?"
"There was never a chance of that, Mr. Denham. You're stuck with me for as long as you want me."
"Guess I'll have you forever then." A warm feeling settled in my chest. It took me a little while to figure out what it was. I was happy.
Oh, sure, I'd been happy before, when I'd got good footage of an action sequence in the can, or when a film of mine made money, but not happy like this. I wondered if I was going soft. And then I decided I didn't care.
Johnny unscrewed the cap from the canteen and took a swallow. He pulled a face. "We're going to need water that's drinkable." He passed it to me. "Other than that pool we nearly got cooked in, we haven't found anything in this direction."
"Well, we did find King Kong's son. Listen, kid." I waited until he was looking at me. "I wouldn't mention seeing Little Kong in front of Helstrom. His nerves aren't too steady right now, and I got the impression he never believed there actually was a King Kong."
He made a rude sound. "Doesn't he read the newspapers?"
"Even if he did, I doubt he'd take their word for it."
"You mean he thinks Kong was simply a myth? Well, a myth ith ath good ath a mile," Johnny lisped, deliberately keeping his expression bland. I gave him a disbelieving look, and he burst out laughing. "Sorry."
I liked hearing him laugh, and I laughed softly myself. "Rascal!" I tugged a lock of his hair, and it all fell loose from the slender vine that kept it confined. I finger-combed it back from his face, then ran a thumb over his cheekbone.
He blushed a little and bumped his shoulder against mine. "He must think you're a dope."
I snorted. "Helstrom doesn't have a high opinion of anyone's intelligence, except, maybe his own."
"So he thought he was pulling a fast one on you?"
"Yeah. That was a sizable poker pot we were playing for, and I'd called his hand. If he wanted to stay in the game, he had to ante up."
"Do you think there really is a treasure here on Skull Island?"
I didn't even have to give that much thought. "Fat chance, kid. Sounded like he was just desperate to get away from Dakang, and he was willing to bet the lure of an adventure that resulted in fantastic wealth would be all that it would take to get me interested." I shrugged ruefully. "He might have a point."
"Why?" Johnny demanded hotly. "Because you went to Skull Island the last time? It wasn't your fault, the way it turned out! You didn't twist anyone's arm to go on that voyage, Carl. They all went of their own free will."
"A lot of them died." I was touched that he'd stick up for me so fiercely.
He shrugged in turn. "We're all going to die. You can't save everyone, Mr. Denham. I'm goofy for you, but even I don't see you as god."
I couldn't catch my breath. "What did you say?"
"Huh?" For a second he looked puzzled. "I said even I don't see you as..."
"No, no. Before that."
"We're all going to die?" His gaze darted away from mine, but I knew he was watching me from the corner of his eyes. I shook my head. "You can't save everyone?" he offered.
"Johnny." My tone was exasperated. "Are you deliberately trying to give the impression you're a dim bulb?"
His shoulders slumped. "I'm goofy for you?" Clearly he was hoping I wasn't familiar with the current slang.
"That's the one." I tipped his face up, but he refused to meet my eyes. I sighed. "Johnny. Johnny!" Finally, reluctantly, he raised his eyes. "So, you love me?"
"I didn't mean to say that; it just slipped out, honest." He held himself stiffly now, as if he expected a blow.
"But you love me, don't you?" My hands closed around his upper arms, and I pulled him up onto his toes.
He looked miserable. "Carl..." I could see the hesitancy in those blue eyes.
"Call me Mr. Denham." It had taken a while, but I'd finally caught on. His 'Mr. Denham' was equal to any skirt's 'darling' or 'sweetheart'. My mouth hovered just above his, and his breath warmed my lips with tiny, excited puffs. And then my lips were on his, brushing over them until he opened with a helpless moan, and I slid my tongue into his mouth and tasted Johnny.
When I finished kissing him, there was a dazed look in his eyes, and I wondered if his legs felt as boneless as mine, if his mouth tingled and felt as puffy. I propped him up against a tree.
I traced a finger over his lips. They were slick and moist from my kiss. I brought my finger to my mouth and licked it.
Johnny's blue eyes darkened, and he took my hand and brought it to his mouth. His lips parted, and his tongue came out to curl around my finger and draw it into his mouth to suckle it lightly. I groaned and pulled it away, and kissed him again.
Finally I straightened and shook my head. "Much as I'd enjoy more distractions like this, if we don't get going, we're going to wind up spending the night out here!"
"That would be oke with me."
"Whatever I suggest would be oke with you, kid." In spite of the fact that I'd so recently jacked off while I'd brought him to climax with my mouth and hand, my prick was hard, and I could feel the matching hardness in his trousers pushing against my thigh. I knew my grin had to reveal how smug and satisfied I was.
"Well, it would."
I wanted to drag him into my arms, but I knew if I touched him, I wouldn't be able to prevent myself from taking him to the jungle floor, and we really would wind up spending the night in the jungle. I picked up my rifle, pulled out the compass the Skipper had given me and took a bearing. "That way, kid," I pointed, and we began walking west. "We'll have to spell the Skipper and Charley tomorrow, and keep an eye on Helstrom so they can have some time alone."
"They're good men, and I like them a lot. Too bad that shark wasn't around when Dutch tossed Helstrom overboard, though."
"Johnny! One would think you weren't fond of Captain Helstrom."
"One would be correct." He was serious.
I took another bearing. "We need to go in that direction to get the bananas. From there the path will be a couple of degrees northwest, and that will get us back to the camp in about an hour."
Johnny's footsteps slowed. "Wait a second. I'm positive I heard something that time!"
"No. As a matter of fact, it's... " I was about to say it was too quiet. My words were cut off as Johnny let out a yelp and was abruptly lifted off the ground. Long, thick fingers covered in white fur were encircling his body, and he shoved at them to no avail.
His face was pale, and his eyes were wide with shock. The young Kong had him in his grip. He brought Johnny closer to his face... his mouth... those teeth that looked like tombstones. I was positive Johnny was going to become his dinner, and I worked the bolt of the rifle.
"Hold on, kid! I'm going to ..." I had the rifle to my shoulder, but before I could shoot, Little Kong's lips seemed to wrinkle into a grin. He sat down, still holding Johnny, and very carefully stroked the tip of one digit over Johnny's hair. His touch looked surprisingly gentle as he took a lock between two fingers and learned just how soft and thick it was.
Little Kong's nostrils flared, and he inhaled noisily, but he didn't bring Johnny any closer to his mouth.
"Ugh! Banana breath!" Johnny continued to push at the fingers that held him captive.
"Johnny," I called softly so as not to alarm the young animal, "it doesn't look like he's going to hurt you. If it's oke with you, I don't want to blow his brains out just yet."
"Just... just don't wait too long, Mr. Denham?"
"Not a chance, kid! I'm not losing you now!"
Little Kong seemed to become intrigued by Johnny's clothes, and he made a pincer with thumb and forefinger. He tugged at Johnny's shirt, ripping it.
"Hey!" Johnny protested as the material tore apart, "I'm gonna need this!"
Little Kong uttered a tiny sound of wonder and moved the torn halves of the shirt aside, touching Johnny's chest. I watched intently, ready to open fire if I had to, as the pad of his forefinger explored the contours of Johnny's torso, the hills and valleys of his chest and abdomen, and then the young primate snagged his nail on the waist of the kid's trousers.
"Oh, no! This is the only pair of pants I have! I'm not going around naked because you're curious!" Johnny fisted his hand and pounded at the nearest finger as hard as he could. Little Kong flinched and whimpered and dropped the kid the few feet to the ground, then brought that finger to his mouth.
"Johnny!" I had him in my arms and was dragging him away from the giant ape.
"I'm all right. He didn't hurt me."
"Oh, christ, there's blood all over your shirt!" I was terrified, searching for an injury. If he was wounded, there wasn't much I could do for him, except maybe pray really hard. We hadn't thought to bring the first aid kit with us.
Johnny stared down at himself in surprise. "I'm not hurt," he assured me again. He opened his shirt to show me, and I ran my fingers over him in the same manner as Little Kong.
"If it's not your blood, then..."
"... it must be his!"
As if realizing we were talking about him, the young animal looked at us. He'd been nursing his hand to his chest and whimpering softly.
"Hey! He's pure white, Mr. Denham!"
"Yeah, kid. He must have found someplace to wash off all that slime."
"I just hope it wasn't that pond we found." Johnny stepped away from me. "Oke, little fella, let me see." He held out his hand, reaching for Little Kong's. He was reluctant to let Johnny touch him, no doubt believing Johnny was the reason he was in pain. "I couldn't have hit him hard enough to hurt him this badly, Carl! Something's wrong."
"All right, youngster," I said soothingly, leaning the rifle up against a tree, "let me take a look at that." I was surprised when he let me take his hand and turn it over. "Well, would you look at that? He's got a splinter!"
"D'you think he must have gotten it when he climbed out of the quicksand?"
"From that tree?" I was stroking the soft, pliable skin of his palm in as calming a fashion as I could. "I wouldn't be surprised, kid." I met his eyes. "This will have to come out."
He swallowed hard. "If you can hold him steady, I'll try to remove it."
"Sure thing." I held the finger in both arms and braced myself, watching with interest as Johnny pulled his shirt the rest of the way out of his trousers, then took his ever-present knife from his pocket, made a cut, and began tearing off a wide strip. When he was done, he draped it over his shoulder. "Can you distract him, Mr. Denham?"
"I can try." I began to sing softly. "'I fell in love with you first time I looked into Them there eyes... '"
Johnny stared at me, and I felt myself blush. I wasn't much of a troubadour. His lips twisted in a grin, but he didn't say anything, just bent his head over the injury and set to work.
I wouldn't have been able to do much if Little Kong decided he was unhappy about the way Johnny was digging into his finger, but the young animal actually held still for it. Finally Johnny had the splinter worked free. It was narrow but about the length of my hand.
"Geez, would you look at that, Mr. Denham? It's a tree trunk!" He tossed it aside. The wound was bleeding sluggishly, and he uncapped a canteen and poured some water over it, washing the blood out of the gash. Little Kong flinched again but didn't pull away. "Good boy." Johnny carefully wound the strip of material around it and tucked in the loose end.
He nodded for me to release the finger and stepped back. Suddenly it seemed to get dark. I realized it was Little Kong's hand descending on Johnny.
Time slowed to a crawl.
Johnny gasped as he tried desperately to backpedal out of the way. His feet tangled in something, and he tripped and landed on his ass. I lunged for the rifle. Maybe I owed King Kong something, but not the kid's life.
Little Kong picked him up and set him on his feet, then touched his hair very gently.
"Well, I'll be." I was stunned. I cradled the rifle so the muzzle pointed to the ground. "Like father, like son. Looks like Little Kong has a weakness for blonds too! Say, I wonder how long he's been following us."
"What... ?" Johnny asked in confusion, then sucked in air as it dawned on him. "All those times when it felt like we were being watched, when I heard something, or I thought clouds were blocking out the sun..."
Little Kong angled his big body forward. His nose scrunched up as he breathed in Johnny's scent. Johnny reached upward and absently scratched under the young animal's chin. Little Kong's eyelids drooped, lowering to half mast, his lips stretched wide, and he made little grunting sounds of contentment.
"Johnny," I said quietly, "he likes that! He likes the way you're touching him!" I chuckled softly. "Can't say I blame him. I like the way you touch me too."
"Mr. Denham, this isn't a good time to flirt with me." He was turned away from him, and I couldn't see the smile on his face, but I could hear it in his voice.
"Johnny."
He glanced over his shoulder, a pale eyebrow arching toward his temple.
"Any time is a good time." I wanted to put the rifle down. I wanted to push aside his hair and kiss the back of his neck, nuzzling the soft hair that grew there. I wanted to lick the skin where neck and shoulder joined, tasting the salt of his sweat, then blowing on it. I wanted to slide my arms into the torn front of his shirt and rub my palms over his nipples. As if he knew what I was thinking, his nipples became pebble-hard, and we both shivered. "We have to be going now, Little Kong." I patted the young animal's upper arm, and we backed away from him. "Don't take any wooden nickels."
I could have sworn he looked crestfallen.
It took about another half hour, forty-five minutes to reach the stand of banana trees. "You sure you can climb this, kid? It looks pretty high!"
He measured the height with his eyes, and he looked a little nervous, but he just nodded. The canteens would have interfered with his climb, so he pulled them off over his head and handed them to me, and I looped the straps around my neck. He licked his lips, then pulled out that knife of his and stuck it between his teeth. It took some careful maneuvering, but he hitch-crawled his way to the top.
My chest began to hurt, and I realized I was holding my breath. I forced myself to breathe, but my palms were clammy, and I cursed myself for allowing the kid to make that climb.
There was a bunch of ripe bananas that he seemed to be working toward, and I was relieved when he was finally close enough to it to grab the stem, pull it to him, and start sawing it loose.
"Hey, Mr. Denham, how do we get this down on the ground without winding up with mashed bananas?" Johnny called. He was about three quarters of the way through.
Before I could answer, two things happened at once.
A spider that looked to be the size of Rin Tin Tin, that German Shepherd dog, dashed out of the bunch of bananas where it had been hiding. Eight spiny-haired legs propelled the thing toward Johnny, and my stomach roiled as I was reminded of the spider in the ravine. Johnny's recoil was abrupt and violent, and his knife went flying out of his hand.
At the same time, another tremor rocked the area, and he lost his grip on the tree and fell.
"JOHNNY!"
He was going to die. I knew it. The fall was too great for there to be any chance of survival. I refused to squeeze my eyes shut tight, as much as I wanted to. I dropped the rifle and tried to place myself beneath him so I could break his fall.
A huge palm appeared out of nowhere, and Johnny landed on it so hard the breath was knocked out of him. Little Kong lowered him gently to the ground, and I could see that Johnny was hovering on the verge of consciousness, wheezing to take a breath.
I yanked him off the leathery cushion of Little Kong's palm and into my arms. "Johnny!" I swore in a harsh, tight voice. "Kid, are you all right?"
"Geez, I didn't... didn't know you... you knew words like that!" he laughed feebly. "I'm... I'm oke, Mr. Denham, just a little...little winded. Little Kong saved me!"
"Yeah, it looks like he..." There was a sharp crack, and we both looked up to see the bunch of bananas break free. I dragged him out of the way just in time, and it hit the ground with a solid thud. Johnny shivered, and my embrace tightened.
There was an annoyed, chittering sound, and the huge spider came scuttling out of the mass of squashed bananas. Four sets of eyes reflected our images malevolently, jaws opened and closed with evil intent, and the tips of it fangs glistened with drops of venom.
Before it could launch itself at us, there was a thundering roar, and a huge foot descended on it, flattening it with a sickening crunch.
Not satisfied with that, Little Kong put his entire weight on that foot and twisted it a number of times.
"Holy smokes!" We sat there staring in reluctant fascination at his actions.
"Yeah!"
Little Kong raised his foot and stared at the mess on his sole, his mobile lips twisted in a grimace of distaste. He scraped his foot over a leafy bush, clearing off the worst of spider ichor and guts. Johnny swallowed hard. I couldn't blame him, it wasn't a pretty sight.
"He saved our lives just now!" I climbed to my feet and reached a hand down to help Johnny up. I pulled him into my arms and held him.
"And he saved my life when I fell out of that tree." He pulled back to look into my eyes. "You're shaking, Mr. Denham!"
"Yeah, kid. This time I am."
He burrowed against me, his head under my chin, and we stood there rocking back and forth. "Do you think maybe he's trying to pay us back for saving his life?"
"Could be, Johnny. Gorillas are smart from what I've learned of 'em, and Little Kong's a mighty big gorilla. He'd be even smarter." I glanced over at him. "Uh, oh!"
"Carl, what is it?"
Little Kong had picked up the rifle and was inspecting it curiously. He studied it, peering into the barrel, and his nostrils wrinkled at the telltale odor of gun powder that lingered around it.
Somehow he managed to get the rifle to fire. The bullet went whistling past his ear. The explosion so close to his head irritated the young animal, and he let out a roar that actually rivaled his old man's and snapped the offending thing in two.
"Oh, no!" I groaned. "You big lummox!"
Johnny was leaning against me, laughing helplessly.
"It's not funny, you know!" I grumbled.
"I... I know, Mr. Denham, but..." He laughed harder. "The look on both your faces!"
"I guess," I said grudgingly.
Little Kong plopped himself down with a grunt and stared at the broken weapon, and I would have sworn the expression on his simian face was aggrieved. He sniffed and offered the pieces to me.
I felt a reluctant grin start. "Well, it looks like now we're down to two rifles, Johnny."
Johnny started going through the bunch of bananas, looking for some that weren't too badly damaged. He tossed one to Little Kong, who peeled it with finesse and then gobbled it down in two bites.
Johnny offered one to me, and I shared it with him, carving off slices with his knife, which I had found not too far off.
He took the knife back and had just cleaned it off and returned it to his pocket when there was another tremor. They were coming closer together, it seemed. As I turned to say something to that effect to Johnny, the ground split open beneath me, and I started slipping and sliding down a steep incline at an incredible rate of speed. Abruptly the bottom dropped out, and I fell. I heard Johnny's desperate cry, and then a large hand scooped me up and brought me back to the surface.
"Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck!" Johnny threw himself at me, hugging me as if he'd never let go. "I thought you were a goner!
"Hey, kid, it's oke!" But my legs gave out from under me, and I sank to the ground. He dropped to his knees beside me and held me fiercely, his body flush against mine, absorbing the shudders that rippled through me. We stared over the edge of the newly-formed sinkhole where we could see molten rock. It surged, sullen and restless. "Oh, my god!"
My insides turned to water. If Little Kong hadn't caught me in time, I would have gone into a pit of lava.
Suddenly, the young animal grabbed us up, one under each arm, and began running. "What... what's going on, Carl?"
I was able to get a look around Little Kong's upper arm, and I shuddered. "The... the ground's giving way, Johnny. It's just... just falling in on itself!"
Little Kong tucked Johnny into the same arm with me and used his other hand to drive himself forward at a faster rate. With a powerful bound of his legs, he took to the trees, swinging through them like that Tarzan the Ape Man. His muscles bunched and flowed, moving smoothly under his hide, and he quickly outdistanced the danger. Once we reached the low-lying hills, he dropped to the ground and seemed to follow a path that gradually took us higher and higher up into the mountains.
Finally, winded, he came to a halt, and I stared up in awe. "Holy smokes, kid! This is Skull Mountain! We're on Kong's mountain!"
tbc