The next morning Denise and Eugene were heading towards the usual place to meet up with Polly.
‘Are you sure we’re going the right way?’ asked Denise as she frowned at Eugene.
‘Don’t worry, friend,’ said Eugene in a joyous tone. ‘I’ve made this journey every day. There’s no way I’m missing out on my lunch basket.’
‘You are committed to this strange ritual of yours,’ sighed Denise. ‘I’ll trust your process.’
‘That’s him there,’ said Eugene excitedly as he pointed to a chubby Sape.
‘Okay, that’s nice,’ said Denise. ‘Try not to become distracted. We need to reach the tall tree.’
‘This is it,’ said Eugene. ‘That’s the Sape who stands at the meetup point.’
‘We are supposed to be looking for a tree,’ said Denise as she desperately tried not to lose her temper. ‘Trees do not move; Sapes do.’
Eugene ran over to the Sape and gave him a hug. ‘He’s like a flabby, cuddly, hairy version of Hamlet,’ he said as he squeezed him.
‘Onk onk,’ said the Sape.
‘It’s so nice that you’re bonding, but we really need to find our tree,’ said Denise, sounding frustrated.
‘I’ll ask him,’ said Eugene as he pointed at a Sapiod walking by.
‘He won’t help you,’ sighed Denise. ‘Sapiods don’t talk. I know very well from personal experience.’
‘Hey, friend,’ called out Eugene to the Sapiod.
The Sapiod began to wave his arms around frantically. Eugene responded by doing the same. The Sapiod started to pump one of his arms energetically.
‘Crash boom,’ replied Eugene as he staggered around in a circle.
The Sapiod jumped up and down in excitement.
They both nodded, and then the Sapiod walked away.
‘Didn’t I tell you?’ said Denise, shrugging her shoulders. ‘You’re just wasting time.’
‘He said the tree has been cut down, friend,’ said Eugene as he smiled.
‘Yeah, sure he did,’ scoffed Denise.
‘Look!’ said Eugene as he pointed to six Sapiods carrying a giant log.
Denise stared in disbelief.
‘It’s called deciphering performative art,’ said Eugene as he waved his hands above his head. ‘It’s an advanced skill of a super-sleuther.’
‘Look, they’ve set up a camp over there,’ said Eugene as he pointed to a small campsite on the other side of a small clearing. ‘Let’s go over and say hello.’
‘Sure, maybe they can direct us to the stump,’ said Denise as she smiled at Eugene.
Denise and Eugene proudly walked over to a small group of Sapiods who were sitting on a log eating cobs of corn.
‘Hey friends, mind if we join you?’’ asked Eugene.
The Sapiods looked at each other and nodded. One of them got up, grabbed two cobs of corn, and then handed them to Eugene and Denise.
‘That’s really nice of you, thank you,’ said Denise as both she and Eugene sat down next to the Sapiods on their log.
Eugene began to wave his arms and made funny noises. The Sapiods responded by doing something similar. Denise watched on in amusement.
Just behind the Sapiods on the log, a Sapiod walked past. He was pushing a wheelbarrow full of coconuts. He looked significantly older than the other Sapiods and was not as tall.
Denise quickly got up and walked over to him.
‘They look like great coconuts,’ chuckled Eugene. ‘Please grab one for me, friend.’
Denise and the Sapiod stared at each other. ‘Dad,’ said Denise softly.
A tear began to roll down the Sapiod’s cheek. He let go of the wheelbarrow’s handles. Denise threw her arms around him.
‘I see the family resemblance,’ said Eugene to the Sapiod next to him.
‘I’m going to make things right, I swear,’ said Denise as she rested her head on her dad, Morgan.
‘Hello, Eugene,’ called out Polly as she glided towards them. ‘Now that the tree has gone, I was worried you would not be able to make your way back here.’
‘It was the chubby Sape,’ said Eugene as he pointed at the chubby Sape who was now eating a pineapple.
‘That is very smart,’ said Polly. ‘These types of Sapes are territorial and do not travel very far.’
‘I’m the super sleuth,’ said Eugene as he raised his finger. ‘I can even find hidden donuts in the dark.’
‘On that note,’ said Polly as she stopped in front of Eugene. ‘Here’s your lunch basket.’ Polly looked over at Denise, who was still hugging Morgan. ‘Is she alright?’ she asked Eugene.
‘He’s her dad,’ said Eugene as he opened the basket. ‘My sleuthing skills led her to him.’
‘I can give him some seaweed,’ said Polly. ‘It should help him and maybe reverse some of the damage.’
Denise led Morgan over to Polly. ‘It’s him,’ she said as tears continued to roll down her face.
‘May I give him some of the seaweed?’ Polly asked Denise.
‘Can you promise me it’s not going to hurt him?’ asked Denise.
‘It’s not a drug and has no known side effects,’ replied Polly.
‘I recommend this pink iced donut,’ said Eugene as he held up the donut.
‘Would you like some of this seaweed?’ Denise asked Morgan.
Morgan pointed at Eugene’s donut.
‘We’ll let you have this donut if you eat this small piece of seaweed,’ said Denise as Polly held out the seaweed to Morgan.
‘Here,’ said Eugene as he handed the donut to Morgan.
Morgan gobbled up the donut immediately. Denise looked at Eugene while shaking her head as Eugene searched for another donut in his lunch basket.
‘Now, it’s time for the seaweed,’ said Polly.
‘Yes, it is,’ said Denise as she pushed Eugene’s lunch basket lid closed.
Morgan reluctantly took the piece of seaweed and slowly chewed it. The other Sapiods jumped up and down in excitement. Denise looked at Polly and nodded. Morgan ran over to his wheelbarrow. He picked up a coconut and smashed it on his face. He then handed a broken chunk to Eugene.
‘Do I get a piece, Daddy?’ asked Denise.
Morgan ran back over to his wheelbarrow and smashed another coconut on his face. Then he handed another piece to Eugene.
‘That seems a bit rude,’ remarked Denise.
Morgan turned sharply to look at her. He stuck his tongue out and frantically began slapping it.
‘He’s saying he prefers donut,’ commented Eugene as he licked the inside of his coconut.
‘Yes, I figured that out,’ sighed Denise.
Morgan began to rub the red tuft of hair on Eugene’s head.
‘You’ll need to give him a couple of pieces a day before we’re going to see any significant change,’ said Polly.
‘Then I’ll have to stay here with him and the other Sapiods,’ said Denise. ‘I’m not losing him again.’
A Sapiod standing behind Eugene was pointing at his mouth and Eugene’s lunch basket.
‘I think you might have to donate your whole lunch basket to them,’ chuckled Denise as she looked at Eugene.
Eugene’s eyes started to shift from side to side as more Sapiods indicated they wanted food from his lunch basket.
‘I have some important news,’ said Polly in a serious tone as she looked at Denise. ‘Tiberius arrives back in the Downs Region tomorrow. He’s being put on trial by the executive council.’
‘Can we trust them to actually put an end to him?’ asked Denise.
‘He’s only on trial for identity theft,’ said Polly.
‘Are you kidding me?!’ exclaimed Denise.
‘Identity theft is no joking matter, friend,’ replied Eugene firmly as he squeezed his lunch basket. ‘If I found him guilty. I’d fine him fifty cake tokens.’
‘I think they have something else planned,’ said Polly.
‘This is very important information,’ said Denise as she looked at Eugene. ‘Can I trust you to relay this accurately to the others?’
‘I’ll cut to the chase like I always do,’ said Eugene as he tried to stop a Sapiod grabbing his lunch basket.
‘So that’s no, isn’t it?’ sighed Denise. ‘Fine, I’ll go back and you’ll stay with Morgan.’
Eugene smiled while shifting his eyebrows up and down. Suddenly, the chubby Sape snatched the lunch basket from Eugene.
‘Let’s not do anything rash now, friend,’ said Eugene as the Sapiods around him jumped up and down in excitement.
The chubby Sape swallowed the entire lunch basket with everything in it.
Denise began to laugh. Eugene frowned and then chuckled a little. He gently rubbed the chubby Sape who responded by burping loudly.
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my 
