The Big Metal Bird

The Big Metal Bird

    ‘Big Metal Bird!’ someone screamed.  Everyone in the village jumped into action. 

    Jose Uhtongo looked up at the sky and ran into the house. 

    ‘Come on!  Big Metal Bird!  Hurry!’ He shouted. His wife, Galuaza, came over to him, carrying their newborn child.

    ‘Jose, what’s going on?  Is it the Big Metal Bird?’

    ‘I’m afraid so, my dear.’ Jose said.

    ‘Not again.  This is the third time in a month.  A month!’

    ‘Don’t worry.  We’ll take care of it.’

    Jose kissed his wife on the cheek, grabbed his spear and ran outside into the centre of the village.

    The whole village was gathered in the centre now.  The young mothers were holding their weeping children, while the young males were smiling, thirsty for blood. 

    ‘Everybody!’ he said, standing on a log in the centre of the crowd.  ‘Has everybody got their weapons?’

    There was a small murmur and everyone held up his or her spear or bow and arrow.

    ‘Good.  Now, everybody knows the plan...’

    ‘Hey, Bob.  Didja see that?’ Chris asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.

    ‘No, what was it?’ Bob said.

    ‘I’m not sure.  Looked like some movement down in the forest.’

    ‘Well, of course there was movement.  There’s millions of animals in the rainforest.’

    ‘No, no.  I mean, like, a crowd of people.  I might be wrong.’ Chris said.

    Geologists Bob McKean and Chris Roberts were flying over the area of the Amazon known as ‘The Coari Triangle’.  Several helicopters had flown over this unexplored area and had never been seen again.  Bob imagined there being some kind of time vortex above that area of the rainforest, and helicopters flying into it and disappearing off the face of the earth.  Although it was a ridiculous idea, Bob couldn’t help being the littlest bit frightened of it.  He shivered.

    ‘Just, go back there for a second.  Turn the copter round.’ Chris said.  Bob did so and started flying towards where Chris was pointing.

    ‘What am I supposed to be looking at?’

    ‘Over there!  See?’

    Bob looked down and saw a crowd of people gathered in a large clearing in the forest. 

    ‘Jesus!  I didn’t even know this part of the rainforest was inhabited!’

    ‘Neither did I.’ Chris said.  ‘Bring the camera and the notepad and we’ll take a look.’

    ‘No, I wouldn’t bring the camera.’ Bob warned.  ‘Apparently some of these people think that you’re stealing a part of their soul when you take a picture of them.  Weird, huh?’

    ‘Yeah.’

    The helicopter descended into the canopy of the Amazon Rainforest.

    ‘It is landing!  The great Metal Bird is landing!’ Jose Uhtongo shouted, pointing into the distance.

    ‘To the graveyard!’ the crowd shouted, raising their weapons into the air.

    The village began to advance upon the landing helicopter.

    Bob McKean stepped out of the helicopter.  His foot stepped on something and he slipped onto the ground.  He immediately jumped up and shivered.  He didn’t want any deadly insects crawling over his body.  He looked down at what he had slipped on.

    It was a large road map of South America.

    ‘Hey, Chris!  Come on out and see this.’ 

    Chris stepped out and stood beside Bob.  He looked down at the road map.

    ‘How the hell did this get here?’ Chris asked.

    ‘I don’t know.’ Bob answered.  ‘There’s something I don’t like about this place.’

    ‘Come on.  Let’s go and see about these people.’

    They walked on.  The forest was surprisingly dark and the pair had to use a hand torch.  They came to a small, dark clearing in the forest. 

    ‘Oh, my God.’ Chris said.  ‘How...’

    Bob cursed.  Lying on their sides in the middle of the clearing were four large helicopters.  Beside the helicopters were two thin, wooden poles.  Impaled on top of each pole was a human skull, many of them with the skin completely rotted off.  In the middle of the four helicopters, was a structure that bore some resemblance to an altar.  It was only moments later that Bob realised that the base was constructed from a number of bones.  Chris turned around to throw up, but did not have a full enough stomach.

    ‘I don’t think we’re the first people to have landed here…’ Bob said quietly.

    They could hear a faint noise coming from the distance that sounded like some sort of chant. 

    ‘What... the... hell is that?’ Chris asked.

    The crowd were getting closer to the graveyard. Jose could now faintly hear two people talking.  There were two of them. 

    ‘Get ready, people.  There are two of them.’ 

    Everyone raised their spears.  They would kill the bastards, just like they had killed all the rest.  It wasn’t natural for a human to be white.  The way Jose saw it they were mercy killings.  The villagers were the true chosen people.

    The master race.

    The crowd broke into a run and fell upon the two unfortunate men.

    They didn’t stand a chance.