[Anthony Durrant]

              INSTANT JUNGLE QUEEN

(c) 2008 by Anthony Durrant

I was at the Golden Age Comics Convention in Salt Lake City, and stopped by to see the Best Costume Contest.  When I entered the room where the contest was taking place, I saw the seven contestants walk onto the stage one by one.  They were dressed as "Skyman," "Senorita Rio," "Madame Strange," "The Face," "Lash Lightning," and "Magno and Davy," respectfully. 

Suddenly, a girl leaped onto the stage and told the judges:

"Sorry I'm late – this costume took forever for me to make!"

"And who might you be?"  asked "Senorita Rio."

"I'm the Jungle Queen!"  she told her nervously.

And then the lady dressed as Senorita Rio started laughing right out loud.  Having been beaten by another boy as a child, this made me very upset, especially since the girl was so pretty and adorable.  She was about ten years old and had honey-coloured hair, with bright green eyes that sparkled in the light from the big fan in the ceiling above.  She had not lost her baby fat yet, and her face was egg-shaped; she had high cheekbones and a sharply-pointed chin.

"The Jungle Queen – YOU?"  she cried.

"Your costume's way too big!"  "Skyman" shouted.

"You're wearing faux leopard skin!"  "Madame Strange" laughed.

"You're too young to be in this contest, little girl!"  "Magno" shouted as he slapped the girl roughly on the back.

The girl ran off the stage in tears, and I followed after her.  Kneeling down, I took her into my arms and comforted her gently.

"For months, I've wanted to get into the Costume Competition at this annual convention!"  she told me as she tearfully looked into my eyes.  "Now I never want to see them again!"

"What's your name, girl?"  I asked as softly as I could.

"Barbara," she told me, "Barbara Athleta."

"You're a descendant of Brada Athleta, the strongwoman?"  I asked Barbara. 

"Uh-huh!"  she said sadly.  "She was my great great grandma."

"Well," I said as I took her into a small storeroom and poured her some tea from my Thermos, "my name is Dr. George Jowett, and I've perfected a serum that can make things grow, but I don't have a subject I could try it on."

Holding the cup from my Thermos in her hands, she guzzled down the tea eagerly and asked:

"Could you please try your serum on me, Dr. Jowett?"

"Of course, I will!"  I shouted. 

Opening my duffel-bag, I pulled out a black box and opened it.  I then opened the box and pulled out a hypodermic needle that contained my serum.  After finding a vein in Barbara's arm, I injected the serum into her body, then put the empty needle back into the box and put the box back into my duffel-bag. As I watched, Barbara doubled over in pain.

"What . . . what's happening to me?"  she cried.

"The serum's taking effect!"  I told her. "Keep it together, girl, and don't fight the serum.  Stay calm!"

As I watched, Barbara began to grow bigger right before my eyes.  Her limbs grew longer and then her body filled out with solid muscle as I watched.  As she grew and grew, she filled more and more of the closet, until finally her growth caused the storeroom door to burst off its hinges.  I fell out onto the floor and watched as the new, more powerful Barbara Athleta stepped out.  Her hair had grown longer until it reached the small of her back, and she was now well over six feet tall and very muscular; her costume now just barely fit her.

"Thanks, Doc!"  she said as she walked in the direction of the place where the Costume Contest was being held.

I returned to my seat at the Costume Contest, which was now underway, anxious to see what Barbara would do.  As the judges looked over the contestants, I thought I could see Barbara in the shadows nearby, climbing up one of the stage ropes.  A few minutes later, the judges announced their decision:

"The first prize goes to – SENORITA RIO!"

As one of the judges pinned the blue ribbon onto her costume, Barbara swung down on the rope and grabbed it from him.  At the same time, "Magno" and "Davy" rushed toward Barbara and tried to stop her, but she grabbed them with both hands and said:

"The name is Barbara Athleta, you varmints – and I'm gonna make sure you never enter another Costume Competition again!"

With that, she slammed their heads together, and threw them into the startled audience.  Now that the contest was over, I left the area and went on with my other duties at the convention.  I have not seen Barbara since then, but she now writes me regularly and said in her last letter that she was now a member of her high school's football team!  High praise for the few simple genetic alterations caused by my serum.

                      THE END

[Hunter S Creek]

Cool!

Thank you for sharing!

Tschuss!
Hunter

[Author]

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