journal excerpts from the zoological findings of professor elmer skloo

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Journal Excerpts From the

Zoological

Findings of Professor Elmer

Skloo

By. Taylor Bryant



March 2, 1946

My crew and I have crash landed on a rather curious island. It is very much unlike anything we’ve

ever seen. From the plant-life to the strange dirt under our boots, nothing in documented history describes

anything that we see here today. But the important thing now is to set up camp and study this new finding

later.

March 5, 1946

I’ve been so busy helping my crew get settled in this new environment that I haven’t been able to

write as much as I like. We’ve found some edible vegetation outside the jungle that takes up most of the

island. They’re a sort of berry from what I’ve gathered. They are not round, but spiral shaped, and they

have no taste when eaten raw, but some of the crew discovered that when roasted just right, it has the

boldness and tartness of a sweet cranberry cobbler.

Tomorrow, I believe we will try to venture into the thick jungles, only slightly, to see if there may

be some other forms of life on this island.

March 6, 1946

We trekked for about an hour or so through the jungles to find vast amounts of fruits (though we

have yet to be adventurous enough to eat any of them) and nigh impassible territories. The vegetation was

so thick that it took nearly four men just to cut down a wall of vines. About forty five minutes into our



journey, we started to hear strange noises amongst the trees. My men became fearful. Some decided to

leave the group. I, however, stayed. I wanted to know what was making the noise.

With a hunter’s instinct, I crept along the jungle bed listening for the sound. It was a rather odd

noise. Nothing like a great lion would make, nor did it sound like a small mouse. Of the strange things I’d

seen on this island, I was certain I hadn’t seen anything yet.

I followed the noise until a new sound muffled the original. This one was much more fierce and

violent sounding than anything I’d ever heard. I decided it was unwise to pursue something that made a

noise like that, and I dashed towards camp.

Looking behind me, I thought I saw something small and pink scampering in the leaves, but I

could not be sure. The vision vanished as quickly as it came.

March 9, 1946

The men have been growing weary of the spiral berries, and they won’t have anything to do with

going back into the jungle to search for more food, or some form of animal. I’ve tried to convince them that

there may be intelligent life among these sandy beaches, but the hunger and sense of exile has gotten the

better of my once loyal crew.

I’ve been thinking about going back into the jungle to see what sort of creatures make noises of

such oddity. I must do it in secret. I cannot let the crew think that I have abandoned them.

I will set aside some supplies and food and leave when the men are asleep.

March 10, 1946

It’s about midnight, now. I’ve stopped to survey my surroundings. I’ve been walking for about

three hours, and none of the noises I’d heard four days ago have reached my ears. I’m guessing the

creature, or creatures, I’m tracking aren’t nocturnal. The thought of a nocturnal animal on this strange

island is starting to cause me worry, but I should press on. I’m hoping to come to a clearing soon.



It’s four in the morning. I still see nothing but thick vines and tall trees. These are interesting

specimens, though. The vines I’m used to seeing are usually green and stringy. The vines in the jungle here

look more like a piping system under a house. Though, they are not hard or metallic. The trees, too, are

beyond comparison. I’ve never stared up the trunk of a tree and then have to gaze down to see the top. Most

of the trees here look as if a strong hurricane came and bent them to the ground. It’s a shame I never took

up botany, or I’d be in a wonderland by now.

I hear a noise. Could it be? I must press on.

What an amazing discovery I’ve made! I don’t know where to begin. Well, I guess I should start

from the beginning, or rather, the middle. I had been walking for hours upon hours. I had almost lost the

will to go any further when, finally, just as the sun was coming up, I came to a massive clearing. About two

miles of fresh blue grass covered the ground, and the noise, which was much clearer now and sounded

almost like a large rubber band being stretched and let go, was being made by one of the most interesting

and possibly greatest findings in Zoology.

To put it simple, it is an animal with the ability to become invisible. I had a hard time believing it

myself, but upon walking into the clearing I stepped on something solid that I could not see. It was apparent

that I hurt the poor creature because it started snarling at me, the same ferocious sound I’d heard before. So,

it was the same animal that was making both noises that frightened off my men.

I’ve started making my journey back. I’ll need more supplies and a willing crew if I’m going to

study these creatures more thoroughly.

March 20, 1946



Ten days have passed since my discovery of the invisible creatures, which we have now named

the Todflinarian Gungle, and so much data has been gathered I haven’t been able to sit down and take it all

in for more than minutes at a time.

The Todflinarian Gungle, or gungle for short, is in most cases invisible. Though, what we’ve

discovered is that when the gungle is born, it is able to be seen. It then chooses to remain visible or

disappear. It cannot turn back once it’s invisible. We took a baby gungle after it was born and studied its

appearance before it vanished. It was no larger than a normal house cat. Its skin was pink and smooth with

no hair. Its four legs were like four stumps, no fingers or claws. Its eyes were black and shaped like

gumdrops. It was a rather cute creature, but I had a hunch there was more to it than that.

Some more study went in to the way a gungle reproduces. We found two gungles and poured a

dye over them to see how they would react with each other. To say the least, it wasn’t pretty. We first

concluded that gungles do not generally get along together, but that was to change once we found out how

they reproduced.

We studied one gungle, that we had dyed, for a few days. We separated it from its fellow gungles

so it would be safe. On the third day, we noticed something budding from the gungle’s back. The next few

events happened so fast, I almost couldn’t believe it actually took place before my eyes. The bud on the

gungle’s back grew to about three times the gungle’s size and burst into a pile of newly born baby gungles.

All of a sudden, the parent gungle began to eat all of the baby gungles that didn’t immediately turn

invisible. Once it had it’s fill, it swaggered for a few moments ten fell to the ground, dead.

We finally learned, through rigorous repetitive tests, that gungles produce up to fifty offspring at a

time. Most of them turn invisible instantaneously. The others are eaten by the parents. Gungles, in fact, do

not eat anything other than their own kind. Which, brings up the odd fact that gungles are also deathly

allergic to other gungles. Therefore, every time it eats, it dies.

A truly short life the Todflinarian Gungle lives, but I’ve discovered that it’s because of the

decomposed bodies of the gungles that all of the exotic plant life on this island exists. The fertilizer that it

creates is genuine and unique that these plants could not grow anywhere else, but here.

We’ve just finished repairs on our ship and are heading for home. I’m hoping to return to this

island again, someday. I’m certain it has so much more to offer, and I can’t wait for the adventures in store.

journal excerpts from the zoological findings of professor elmer skloo

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