Kindle Vella and How it Works
Amazon’s Kindle Vella is a new platform designed for reading serialized content (Novels, Novellas, Short Fiction, and Non-Fiction). Each “Episode” is from 600 to 5000 words. The first three episodes of all Kindle Vellas are free to read on any device (format favors mobile devices). After that, you must purchase tokens at about a penny each to unlock additional episodes, and two dollars buys you about 20,000 words.
The Howler Monkeys is an adventure/suspense story set in the Peruvian Rain Forest. I’ve included the first episode here with a link to additional chapters on the Vella platform. Please get in touch with me if you have questions. I’m happy to help. Robert.
Episode 01 – The Arriving
Dr. Beacham O’Neill squirmed in seat 29F, waiting to land at Iquitos International Airport. He peered out the window at the blackness of the Amazon River basin. It was almost midnight, and the rain forest underneath was invisible. Somewhere, in that vast lightlessness below, his wife, Rebecca Schroeder, was a prisoner of a radical group of Kokama Indians, and Beach was determined to free her.
The stressful flight from Lima ended as the Airbus 319 descended over the tops of unseen trees wrapped in lianas and scattered epiphytes. Becky’s and Beach’s research partner, Avelino Rivero, sat next to Beach. Ave’s father was a Hispanic American anthropologist, and his mother was an indigenous Kokama. Ave spoke Kokama and initially had suggested they take on this monkey project.
Beach met Ave at San Francisco State University, where they were doing postdocs. Beach was teaching ornithology. Ave worked as part of the mammalogy group. This interrupted trip was back at FSU where they were presenting a paper on their red howler monkey project.
Ave saw the stress on Beach’s face. “Beach, How could we have known? The Arara band was supposed to be fifty miles away. Why would they want to take Becky, anyway? None of this makes sense.”
Beach flinched at the grinding and bumping of the landing gear deployment. “I’ve worried this thing over, Ave, and you’re right. Nothing about it makes sense. What possible reason could the Arara have for doing this? And why didn’t our people at the Compound stop it?”
Ave saw lights on the ground as they descended. He knew that Beach regretted leaving Becky alone while the two of them were back in California. “The bastards probably came in the night and took her from her room while everyone was asleep. Their deal is running around naked, wearing those stupid macaw feathers, so it’s usually night when they come into towns or villages. They would draw too much attention in the daylight.”
The Airbus only needed 6000 feet to make a proper landing, but somehow, even with an extra 2000 feet available at Iquitos, every time they landed, it seemed the pilots were about to plow the wheels into the soggy brush at the end of the runway.
Beach and Ave had made it through customs fast enough, but the baggage pickup was another story. There was a one-room retrieval area with one baggage carousel, and it took what seemed like forever for luggage to start flowing. Ave had never seen Beach push his way through the crowd to pull their bags off first, but this time he did. Usually, he was a patient man.
The project’s Toyota 4×4 was parked at a wealthy friend’s villa across town in the Castilla Square area, and they would have to wake him in the middle of the night to get their truck out. Then, navigating over to LO-103, just about the only road out of Iquitos, would take more precious time. Two hours later, they would be in Nauta if nothing went wrong. Their first task in the morning would be to see the Policía Nacional del Perú. Hopefully, the police were on the case and doing something.
Racing from the baggage claim, Beach and Ave loaded into one of the several tuk-tuks, this one red, as the fastest way to get to Castilla Square. They were at the house in fifteen minutes and yelling loudly for Juan to wake up and let them in.
“Hola, Juan! Abierto! Despiértese per favor!”
Shortly, Juan appeared on the walkway in pajamas and bare feet. His ring of keys was jingling as he stepped from paving stone to stone. With sleepy eyes, he fumbled with the lock.
“Hola, my friends. To what do I owe your visit in the middle of the night?”
Beach spoke first. “Dear Juan, my friend, we are really sorry for waking you so rudely, but it is an emergency. The Arara have kidnapped Becky, and we need to get down to Nauta and find her. We don’t know why they took her or what they wanted, but the situation is scary. I’m worried to death about her.”
“Oh my God, Beach, that’s terrible. How long ago did this happen?”
“Ave and I were at a conference in California when we got a call from the Compound early this morning. They broke into our room sometime last night, and that’s all we know. We were lucky to book seats on Latam, but we had to go through Lima to get here. There were no non-stop flights to Iquitos.”
Juan rubbed his foot on the walkway to dislodge a small stone. “Does anyone know where they’ve taken her?”
“They think somewhere downriver, but that’s just speculation. We need to talk to the police when we get …”
Ave interrupted. “Juan, my friend, I know it is rude not to talk some more, but we must leave right away. Every minute counts.”
“Oh yes, I understand. You two go now. Just call me when you can.”
“Certainly. It’s going to be alright.”
It was beginning to sprinkle rain as Beach and Ave tossed their bags in the back of the Toyota and drove away. There was almost no traffic at this time in the morning, so they got onto LO-103 and headed south in fewer than ten minutes.
By the time they had reached Peñanegro, the sky had opened, and a heavy, steady rain was pounding. Beach was having difficulty seeing the road ahead. Ave felt the stress and tried to release it by changing the conversation.
“This would be the perfect night to pick up Azucena along this road.”
Beach tried to smile, and Ave continued. “I heard that she claimed another victim just two weeks ago; a taxi driver who saw her in a rain just like this and picked her up. If you see a young woman along this road, please don’t stop to give her a ride. The Quistococha Cemetery where she’s buried is just up ahead.”
Azucena is a “tunchi” (a wandering soul in the jungle). This “tunchi” is the spirit of a beautiful young Kokama woman brutally raped and killed along the highway. She has the ability to change into a sexy blonde European-type and lure young men with the promise of sex. Since 2016, there have been several deadly encounters with Azucena, causing mass hysteria among the rural people.
Ave wanted to say more about Azucena, but a crazy agouti splashed across the road right in front of the pickup. In reaction, Beach stomped the brakes and lost control in a counter-clockwise hydroplaning spin. After one complete rotation, the truck was at the side of the highway up to the axles in sticky black mud. No four-wheel drive was going to lift the pickup out of this. There was little traffic at three-something in the morning, so getting help would be unlikely. They would have to pull the hand-wench from under the seat, try to find a nearby tree, and pull it out by hand, stroke at a time. This operation might take hours. Just what they didn’t need this night.
Beach slipped on his rubber boots and grabbed a flashlight. Ave lifted the backseat and pulled out the come-a-long. Just then, the satellite phone, the one they always carried when in the field, rang. Ave answered.
“Hola, this is Avelino Rivero.”
“Dr. Rivero, this is Pablo, from the Compound. There is some news about Señora Doctor Becky. Is Doctor O’Neill with you?”
“He is here, but not near the phone right now. May I take a message?”
“Si, por favor. Please tell Señor that the Arara peoples have sent shamans with message for him. Shamans only talks with Dr. Beach and only waits here till little sunlight comes today. I not call police yet. Wait what you say. Can you be here in hour?”
Click here to read more free episodes. This link takes you to the Amazon Kindle Vella page. Vella is kind of cool!