The Primates: By Barry Hutchings

"There was a time," said Belfar, his finger pointing, "when that island was the home to an infamous primate house."

They sat on a hill which overlooked a bend in the river Medway. Both of them were eating sandwiches. Franklin Fitzwilliam, Belfar's brother, nodded his head and listened quietly.

"It was run by the Dockyard authorities.... had a direct link to Luton... place stunk of the Victorians."

Belfar sounded disdainful. He always did when he spoke of Luton. Franklin suspected that he'd discovered something, but so far he'd never spoken about it.

"You can still see the cell blocks..."

Belfar was pointing towards the island. Beyond that - on the other bank - were the ruins of the old Dockyard with its' skeletal frameworks and half-buried buildings.

"By the fortress..." Belfar pointed the direction. Franklin followed his brother's finger.

"What, those cages?"

"Yep..."

Franklin took out his binoculars. The rusting cells magnified in detail.

"Was that the place where all those experiments were done?"

"Yeah... they used to do a lot of vivisection in those days." There was a tone of anger to Belfar's voice. "Disgusting things used happened there."

Franklin panned left with his binoculars. "Is that a cemetery I can see?"

Belfar sighed a deep breath. "There is a cemetery on the island. They dug it when they closed it down."

"When they closed the primate house?"

"Yeah." Belfar paused for a while, then said. "I was there when they closed it."

He paused again.

"It was during one of my terms of office as passive observer. I was the conduit for a dream I believe. The year was set at '62, I was on the opposite bank looking over towards the island."

"The Hoo bank?"

Belfar nodded. "There was a tremendous screeching, and all of a sudden the island was alive with excited chimpanzees. They'd escaped their confines and every one of them was free. They ran in all directions, screaming and hollering. They couldn't believe they'd escaped their Hell. To them it was as though a long war had ended, that they'd been liberated, that this was their chance..."

Franklin nodded his understanding.

"But it didn't take long for the humans to get a grip of the situation. We do after all have bigger brains. The chimps were chased from their trees and herded towards the north end of the island. They screamed with terror and fought to maintain their freedom. But eventually they were all herded onto that small peninsula."

Belfar pointed to a narrow headland which jutted into the estuary.

"The chimps were frantic. All those years spent in a concentration camp. A scant few minutes of freedom..." he paused, "...and to discover that escape is impossible. That all they can look forward to is confinement, torture and the vivisectionist's table.

The chimps stopped their screeching. They huddled on the tiny peninsula, realising that their fates were sealed. Ahead of them was the treacherous Medway and its' unforgiving currents. Behind them - advancing slowly, nets in hand - were their keepers. It was more than the chimps could bear. And as their keepers advanced towards them, the chimps walked slowly into mud and into the river. And one by one they downed themselves."

Franklin sighed and shook his head.

"In an act that was noble?"

"In an act that was noble," confirmed his brother.

"The keepers had to receive counseling. The noble act of suicide had forced them to look at things in a new light. They realised that they were evil, and the deeds that had done were evil too. The Dockyard authorities were forced to close it down. All that remains now are the ruins and the graves."

Belfar became silent. The two brothers finished their sandwiches and drunk the last remains their flask flavored tea.

"Where to now Belfar?"

"Over the bridge, and the place that lies over it."

They stood and adjusted their bags and set towards the place that was know locally as Wogtown. Neither of them had the courage to name the town.