From Simian Eyes *Being edited*

The Refugee

"Oh, believe me, we will. I'll make sure of it." The woman gave the chimpanzee a smile as she patted her hand one more time before walking away. Keena sighed and put her head against the bars miserably. She really didn't know how to think, or what to think. She slumped against the wall, her head dropping onto her chest. Keena still had all those memories inside of her. They were swirling around in her head like a tornado. She sighed as her lip dropped limply and she drifted into a deep trance.

This trance lasted several days. She wouldn't react to having blood taken or being touched by any of the surrounding people. She could hear them often using the phrases "PTSD" and "Depression" around her, especially when seeing her lying in the wood wool in a comatose state.

Keena had seen the same man and woman several times during this time and eventually became immune to their presence. She didn't even mind when the woman would stroke her arm or shoulder, making her feel more comfortable. She would turn and start petting her back. There was something that Keena liked about her. Something about how she held herself and acted towards her which seemed to hold respect and love towards the ape. But she was still wary of the others who would approach her. Whenever the woman noticed that she was listless and upset, she would run her hands through her fur, a sensation that Keena hadn't experienced in a very long time and it was a great comfort to finally experience it again. But she was still unhappy. She didn't want to eat. Or sleep. The food was often this kind of mush, which tasted okay, but most of the time, she did not have the strength or will.  But as time went on, and she began to feel less sick, she would be more eager to eat. This appeared to please the people around her. There was also a large bucket of water which would be refilled if she drank it all or it became stale. But she would keep herself in the corner of her cage, coated in wood wool and her blanket and facing the wall. She didn't want anything to do with any of these people. Well... except for the grey haired woman, who would sometimes give her carrots.

Over time, the stitches dissolved and the black fur on her arm and leg grew back and the bandage around her trunk was removed. There were now silver lines of scars from the injuries where hair wouldn't grow. Keena was relieved to finally be free of pain. Physical pain, anyway. Her mental and emotional state were shattered. But she did grow to be tolerant of the people around her. But that was it, again, with the exception of the grey haired woman. As she regained her appetite, she started to gain weight which appeared to please the people around her. She never really learnt who they were but really, she didn't care. She was beginning to feel better, but there were things that wouldn't change. She would have moments of sudden panics, causing her to scream and throw a fit. But these became less and less frequent.

Things were fairly calm for a while, until one day, Keena noticed something different in the air. Everyone was happier, they were laughing, hugging each other, and someone had some champagne which was opened and everyone had a glass. Keena sat against the bars, fairly intrigued as to what they were so happy about. At one point, they all raised their glasses and said "To Keena!" before drinking. This only confused Keena more. What did they say that for? The African man bent down to Keena's level, handing her two bottles of water, a pineapple, grapes and apples.

"Enjoy your last night here, my friend, for tomorrow, you're going home." He smiled and gave her hand a pat before going back to the others. Keena couldn't help but ponder. What was he talking about? She decided to ignore that and turn to the fruit. Tilting her head, she picked up the pineapple and took a huge bite out of it. Chewing on it, she suddenly perked at its sweet and fabulous flavour. She wolfed it down within minutes, licking the juice off of her arm and fingers. Once she was satisfied, she turned to the grapes. After tasting one, she ripped all of them off of the small branch holding them together and put them all in her mouth. She hadn't eaten this kind of food in an unbearably long time.