Part 17 (1/2)

Harry was trying to get back into election mode. 'This town needs a stadium, a place for family.'

Hubert from the Pop Inn stepped out of the crowd.

'Where's your grandson, Harry?' he called.

Harry swallowed hard. 'I don't have a grandson.'

'He's dead, ain't he, Harry?'

'Oh ... go back to Africa,' yelled Harry at the town's only black man. A general murmuring began. Hubert looked at him. Ingrid was standing with us. Slowly Hubert moved to his wife and stood beside her. Torchinsky and Frank followed. Then Alfonso, my fruit man, moved from the crowd of men and made his way through the gates to stand with Miss Strange.

'You G.o.dd.a.m.n... feminists,' yelled Harry. The murmuring continued. 'Will everyone be quiet... look.'

I could see Father on the edge of the crowd outside. He was shouting something to me but of course I couldn't hear. I have no idea whether it was support or disgust. Desperate to gain any kind of control, Harry resorted to his megaphone.

'People of Sa.s.saspaneck, I appeal to you. Apart from this zoo being a health hazard, the fine young men of this town deserve better. Now I have-'

That's when the whistling started. Cosmos put one of her flutes to her mouth and began to play her strange tune. Next Helen pursed her lips and joined in. Gradually everyone did the same. Because this was America and tunes from the Sudan don't travel well, what they eventually whistled was the Battle Hymn of the Republic. You couldn't hear Harry at all. I don't know whether they were whistling for the elephants or for themselves. But I knew that these women had done the undoable. That they were a source of wonder. We had defeated the Mayor, the fire department, the police and my father. As the women whistled the Pleiades looked down on us. It was the closest to a religious experience I have ever had.

That was the moment two things turned up. The television crew and the missing salamander. I don't know why either appeared. Perhaps it was the whistling. Harry, still trying to be heard, had moved forward just as the news team got out of their truck. The bright lights from the camera were focused on the man with the megaphone when he stepped back and fell over the salamander. It was not an insubstantial creature. Maybe five foot long with the look of a dragon about it. Its appearance caused Joey to panic. He took aim and fired. Missed and started to reload. Harry, not sure where the gunshot had come from or who had felled him from behind, stayed down with his hands over his head. The salamander moved off but the TV people were hot on the story. The shot had stopped the whistling and everyone now stood watching.

'We're here in Sa.s.saspaneck, New York, where as you can see the entire town has turned out for a most unusual election rally.' The reporter was wasting no time. 'It's not often that a Republican gets a chance to stand up and defend the very symbol of his party - an actual elephant - but that is what's happening here.'

While the man spoke, a minion from the news company was racing around. 'Where's the Mayor? We need the Mayor,' he kept demanding.

'He's on the floor,' said Hubert, disgusted with the entire proceeding. The minion pointed Harry out to the reporter, who moved forward.

'Mayor Schlick?'

Harry looked up. To say he was surprised doesn't quite cover it. 'Yes?'

'Is it true that you are actually willing to lay down your life in order to save the elephants of this town?'

'Well, I...' Harry got to his feet, blinking in the light. 'That you are defending the very symbol of your political party with your life?'

Harry swallowed hard. Faced by this sudden burst of fame on one side and the entire town on the other, he had no idea what to do next. Joey grabbed the megaphone.

'No, it's not true. My name is Joey Amorato and I have been officially ordered by Mayor Schlick to destroy the elephants. Indeed all the animals. He has ordered me so I have to do it. The mayor wants the elephants dead.'

The reporter sensed a good story. 'A Republican shooting elephants. Mayor Schlick, do you want to comment?'

Harry scrambled to his feet.

'No, wait, there's been some misunderstanding. I don't want to kill anything.'

Joey clenched his gun and looked his old friend in the eye. 'You gave the orders, Harry. I'm just following orders. If they die it will all be down to you.'

The TV minion whispered in the reporter's ear.

'As you can see, the tension in this town is fantastic. Joey Amorota, Democratic candidate...' The words gave new inspiration to the humiliated Joey.

'I am going to get them f.u.c.king elephants, Harry, and it will be your fault.'

'Uh, yes ... determined to eliminate the wild creatures. Mayor, your reaction.

Caught in the lights, Harry blinked. 'There's been a mistake. Joey!' he called after the irate dog catcher, but there was no holding him. Joey was off into the zoo as fast as his small legs could manage. The reporter once more thrust the mike at Harry. 'I didn't mean it. Oh G.o.d,' he managed.

Miss Strange moved fast. 'Come on. We have to get to Artemesia.'

All h.e.l.l seemed to break loose. The women split up from their whistling ring and the men moved in. Harry was still trying to deal with the cameras and Joey was already at the entrance. Helen, Judith, Miss Strange, Sweetheart, Cosmos and I began to run but Joey was ahead. We ran in past the gorilla cage and up to the penguin pool. That was when we heard another shot. In the enclosure Artemesia''s ears were as wide as a sail as she trumpeted with alarm. A small trickle of blood ran down her right flank. Joey stood with a shotgun. Cosmos got there first and threw herself in front of Artemesia. Betsy was hiding behind some coconut matting, shaking and calling to her mother. As the rest of us ran up, Joey turned, aiming the gun at anyone coming near.

'Think I'm ridiculous, don't you? All of you. I can do this, you know.' Cosmos made a slight move toward Joey but he swung the gun back at her. Cosmos lifted up her hand and put it out toward him. I knew she was trying the Buddhist power of concentrated calmness over unreason and brute force but I didn't think it was a good time. Anyway, it was at that moment that a small mouse decided to run across the field. Cosmos saw it first, shrieked and stepped back. Then it caught Artemesia's eye and she wasn't keen either. She stood up on her hind legs in horror. Joey didn't see the mouse. He could hardly believe the power he was exerting. Women and elephants terrified by his ma.s.sive testosterone-pumped power. He turned to grin at the rest of us just as Gabriel tackled him. Joey hit the ground and another shot went off.

'Get the elephants out of here,' yelled Harry, racing up as Gabriel scrabbled with Joey. Faced with TV fame he had completely changed his mind about the creatures. Miss Strange moved fast. She rounded up Betsy and opened the gates. Cosmos and Artemesia hightailed it out of there and headed for the house. We could still hear Joey and Gabriel fighting. We were all running as hard as we could.