The Singing Santa - Part 5 - A Craven Danger Mystery

Betty Fletcher and Sidney Green stood at the foot of the Empire State Building and gazed up.

“Ya think a big monkey could really climb this thing,” said Betty.

“Ya mean like King Kong?” said Sidney.

“Yeah,” said Betty. “Like King Kong.”

”Sure,” said Sidney. ”But King Kong was no monkey. He was a gorilla.”

“I thought he was a puppet,” said Betty.

“Inna movies he was a puppet,” said Sidney. “In real life King Kong was fifty feet tall and had the strength of two hundred Hercules rolled inta one. I read it inna paper.”

“You read inna paper,” said Betty, “that they rolled up two hundred Hercules and made a gorilla out of him?”

“That’s not what I said,” said Sidney. “I was usin’ a figure a speech. He was made from the usual gorilla parts. Only bigger. The paper also said that this particular gorilla was known as El Gorila!”

“He was known as the gorilla?” said Betty. “But I thought we all ready knew that?”

“Oh,” said Sidney. “I beg your pardon, Miss. I didn’t know you was so eloquent in Spanish.”

“Yeah,” said Betty. “I pick it up pretty good. But why was he known as El Gorila? They speakin’ Spanish in Africa now?”

“Well” said Sidney. “It’s obvious you’ve been gettin’ your information from the wrong people. Because this particular gorilla came from Mexico. His ancestors swam across the Atlantic. And it didn’t take ‘em long, neither. A few dozen strokes and there they was, kissin’ the warm sands a Mexico. But this was when the world was smaller. We’ve grown since then.”

“And what happened ta this El Gorila and his ancestors?” said Betty. “I ain’t read nothin’ recently concernin’ no fifty foot gorillas in Mexico.”

“Killed off during the great Banana Famine of 1836. And once the bananas were gone the only thing left ta eat was Mexican food. But gorilla’s insides couldn’t take the hot stuff. And they walked around the local villages clutchin’ their stomachs and makin’ a mess everywhere. El Gorila! turned into El Stinko! They just wasted away till they was no more.”

”Let‘s go in the lobby,” said Betty. The snow’s comin’ down pretty good now.”

Betty and Sidney walked in through the revolving doors and brushed the snow from their clothes.

“Going up!” said the elevator man.

“Just in time,” said Betty. ”I thought my ears was gonna fall off.”

“I ain’t finished,” said Sidney. “When they buried all them dead gorilla’s inna forest, a funny thing happened. It turns out all them gorillas made for the best fertilizer. ’Cause now they had banana trees growin’ everywhere one of them dead gorillas dropped his business.”

“Twenty seventh floor,” said Betty. “And step on it before he thinks of something else ta say.”