King Kong: The Legend of Skull Island [Wattys 2017]

Chapter 5

"You're King Kong?!" The girl asked. Her fear was replaced by excitement. "Oh, of course! It all makes sense!" She cleared her throat and brushed her hair back. "My name is Hana, I'm from New York City in America."
"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Hana." Kong said with a smile. Hana stuck out her hand in an attempt to shake his, but Kong didn't understand the gesture. Realizing what happened, Hana withdrew her hand.
"Um... do you mind if I take a picture of you?" She asked, taking her camera out of her pocket.
"A what?" Kong asked.
"A picture. Look." Hana explained, showing him the camera. The back had a large screen that showed a slideshow of pictures she had taken. Kong was amazed and confused.
"How does this box create such life-like images?" He asked.
"Those are pictures. It's a bit confusing, so I'll just show you how it works." Hana said. She took a picture of Kong. He flinched as he heard the loud click and red light on the camera. Then she showed him the back of the camera again, and Kong saw the picture of himself.
"Amazing..." He said.
"Yeah, I guess." Hana shrugged. She placed the camera back in her pocket. When she looked around the tent and observed her surroundings, she remembered her fear at the situation. "So... why was I brought here?" She asked.
Kong sighed. He was hoping he wouldn't have to explain this to her. "My subjects are trying to force you into marrying me."
"W-what?" Hana asked, slowly backing up. "I-I'm not really ready for marriage yet."
"Don't worry, I'm not either." Kong chuckled. "It's their wishes, not mine."
"Oh." Hana sighed. "So I can leave then?"
Kong slightly deflated. "Unfortunately, no. My subjects are expecting you and I to share a night together." Hana blushed and shifted slightly.
"They're not expecting us to... 'get busy', are they?" Hana began. Kong could guess what she was referring to, and was quick to quell her worries.
"No, no, don't worry. We don't have to do anything like that if you don't want." He assured. "I will allow you to leave in the morning, but unfortunately, you must spend a night here." Hana looked to the ground and began to mutter to herself.
"The others are going to be worried..." She said. "And Godzilla's probably looking for me."
"Who is Godzilla?" Kong asked.
"That doesn't matter." Hana said. Kong could see she was upset. He tried to lighten the mood.
"So... how old are you?" He asked.
"I'm 18." Hana said, still staring at the ground.
"Really? You look much younger." Kong said. Hana took this as a compliment and chuckled slightly.
"How old are you?" She asked back.
"I just turned 20 years old a few weeks ago." Kong continued.
"You look older than that." Hana said, cocking her head slightly. She found herself staring at his physique. For a young man, he had the body of a chiselled warrior. She blushed as she realized she was staring.
"So... your tribe wants you to get married?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah. Even though I'm the king, I'm still young so I have to do what the elders tell me." Kong explained. "They want me to have a queen so I can rule properly."
"Do you want one?" Hana asked.
"Not really." Kong said. "Well, I want to love someone before I can marry them. The elders don't seem to understand that."
Kong sat on his large bed, and Hana sat next to him. "I understand." She said. "My parents keep pestering me to get a boyfriend, but they don't understand that I'm focussing on my education right now."
"Education?" Kong repeated,
"Yeah, I'm going to college. I'm gonna be a journalist some day." Hana explained. "...You don't know what either of those things mean, do you?"
Kong shook his head. Hana laughed, making Kong laugh as well. They kept talking until the sun began to go down. Both were having the time of their lives. Kong was happy to have someone new to talk to, and Hana loved getting so much information. When Kong saw Hana yawn, he realized how late it was.
"Well, I suppose it's about time for us to sleep now." He said, standing up. "I'm sorry there's only one bed here. You're welcome to use it while I sleep on the floor."
"Oh, no, a king shouldn't sleep on the ground." Hana said. "If you'd like, we could share the bed. I bought a sleeping bag, so it's no big deal."
"Um... alright." Kong reluctantly agreed. The bed was big enough for the both of them. Hana nodded and picked up her bag, which was in the corner of the room.
"Good thing your villagers didn't take this away." She said. She opened it up and placed a pair of pink Hello Kitty pyjamas on the bed. Kong was confused as he stared at the Hello Kitty face on the shirt.
"What is this strange symbol on your sleeping attire?" He asked. Hana giggled.
"That's Hello Kitty. It's a big thing where I live." She said. "She's this cute little cat that hangs out with other cute animals."
"The cats that live on this island aren't exactly what I would call 'cute'." Kong said. He removed the knife from his belt again. "This tooth came from one of them."
"Oh... I see." Hana said. She chuckled slightly. Maybe spending the night with King Kong wouldn't be that bad.