It is very difficult to move out from under the looming presence of an 80 foot dinosaur in a way that does not signify the sort of terror that indicates luncheon meat. I somewhat sidled forward on my haunches, until I could get a more reasoned perspective on my new acquaintance.
"I wouldn't try and get very far," warned Serena.
"No," I replied humbly. "Just getting a better view."
She was somewhat spectacular, I must admit, though the arms as always with TR's -- as in the artist mockups in the funny papers -- were a little spindly for such a big body, but the body and head were fearful killing machines. It occurred to me briefly to wonder when suppertime for these creatures was.
"Actually," she said, "Anytime is our time. We eat all kinds of things, anytime. You have to eat a lot to keep in reptilian trim."
"Not to be nosy or anything," I replied, "but you seem to be able to read my mind."
"And dinosaurs were remarkably stupid, is what you were going on to think, yes?"
I demurred. "I am sure that many of them, including yourself, were extremely, well, --"
Serena growled, which was disconcerting. "The truth is -- mammal -- that we lasted for 200 million years, and that takes some brains. You hypercephalic apes look ready to burn out already -- what? 8-9 million years, tops?"
I agreed wholeheartedly.
She continued, with an 80 foot sigh: "The truth is, a lot of dinosaurs were not too bright -- triceratops, for instance, could not figure out the shell game to save its soul, which is why there are still horseshoe crabs around. But the real evolutionary plus was that the reptilian brains we had were not in our skulls, but further down the limbic system, which turns out to be very sensitive, intuitive -- good for reading at least the surface thoughts of most creatures. With a little work, we could even read mammal brains -- pretty disgusting most of the time, but we could stomach it. Course it didn't do us any good at the end -- but have you ever tried to intuit an asteroid? I don't think so. "
"You say 'we'," I interjected, somewhat courageously,"Are there more of you?"
Serena looked around, and swished her tail slowly back and forth. "I am afraid that, except for some pterodactyls, and a cache of eggs, I am all that is left. The last of the rest have been dying for the last three hundred years, ever since Captain Cook, and the proliferation of various animal diseases through this region. More sick mammals. "
It was beginning to get quite dark, and I was wondering where this was all leading, if not to writer souvlaki.
"Oh, relax, Robinson," Serena said, "I am not going to eat you. I need you."
"For what?"
"I want to go to New York."
"Why?"
"I want to be a star, why else?" She lifted up her head to its full height. "Have I got it, or have I got it?"
I had to admit that she had it.
"Here's the thing, Robinson. You were probably wondering how come I know English?"
Actually, in the general terror and the back-and-forth between potential predator and potential prey, that hadn't actually been top of my mind.
"Towards the end of the Second World War, a contingent of American soldiers found their way to this island -- if you kept going on your round the island tour, you would run into their junk heaps shortly -- and they were stuck here briefly for a few months while the brass decided if there were enough Japanese ships left to cause trouble in this waterway. In the meantime, they set up camp on the beach, and I took the opportunity to learn the lingo, Yankee style. But that wasn't the important thing!! Are you listening to me?"
I was in fact judging the distance to the nearest line of trees in what was left of the light.
"Don't even think about it. I'll have you down faster than you can say Robinson Wallace. Have you seen the toenails on my feet?" I gazed at these grim reapers for a few moments, and then focussed my attention back on her story like a laser beam.
"To continue. Every night they would put up a screen and show a film. Unfortunately they only had three films, but they were enough for me. One was "King Kong" and the other was "42nd Street". The third was a film about the usual primate sexual diseases. I mean, really, primates.
"I learned two important lessons from the two good films. The first is that, if you are extremely large and come from a tropical place, you can make it big in New York, but it is tricky and you have to have a good agent. And, second, a few minutes before the star goes on, she breaks her leg, and the understudy must take her place instead."
"Ruby Keeler," I said.
"Exactly!" exclaimed Serena. "That is me. She is me. I am an all singing, all dancing fool. " She swayed her tail about, and thumped a few very large shuffle steps, one of which crunched a scurrying marmosetlike creature.
I looked as supportive as I could. I thought positive thoughts.
"Well," she said, "Let me take down one of these antelopes, and you build a fire, and we'll get you fed, and then we'll start planning."
Over antelope steak for me, and antelope tartare for her, Serena disclosed more of her proposal, and told me a few more interesting things about Music Island.
She ripped up a haunch, and between bites continued: " To tell the truth, Robinson, it has been a little lonely here since the troops left, except for the natives and the zoologist."
"The natives and the zoologist?"
"Gee, you do that repartee well, just like Dick Powell. We are going to make a great team. Yes, there are a bunch of natives here, not on the level of the ones in King Kong, but passable -- no rhythmic sense at all, however, alas -- I had to eat anyone who tried drumming, they used to keep me awake dropping the beat -- and some nosy zoologist woman, checking out the orangutangs. Why anyone would have any interest in orangutangs -- even duller than humans, but there you are -- primates interested in primates I guess. You know it was a bad day aesthetically anyway when you apes got up on your hind legs -- it was not all that pretty when you were just loping around -- but losing the hair on your bodies was a real low point in planetary history. Thank goodness you invented drapery. I mention this because the zoologist seems to skinny dip from time to time for reasons that escape me."
I resolved to check this out when the time came.
Serena looked extremely stern, gnashed her steam shovel sized teeth and ripped a bit more raw antelope. "Primates, "she said despairingly.