Isaac bustled up to the front door of his rooftop penthouse and jammed his key into the lock with his right hand. His frosted scarf curled in the wind covering his thin face under his fogged spectacles and black puffball beanie. Grasping the frozen knob he turned it and entered pressing against the door as if it wasn’t perfectly oiled every month. He turned to his left and took the books out from under his left arm setting them on the hall table before he heaved the door into the wind, and its frame.

 

Isaac turned back to the hall table in the dark. Removing his cap letting his half inch brown hair fall out into its normal curly disarray, he put the beanie on a wall hook above the table. As he followed suit with his scarf, his spectacles began to clear up. He took off his coat and dropped it in the dark onto the only empty rung on the coat rack next to the table. He then reach to his right and turned on the light, turning to walk into his loft and stopped.

 

His large, entirely open floor plan, penthouse loft was almost completely empty. The mahogany wood floors bare with no trace of the various antique bookshelves, teak desks, leather couches, Turkish rugs, and other over priced objects that had disrupted the open floor plan, and clashed with the modern cement walls that morning when he left. Instead as he stared flabberghasted at the absurdly large gorilla sitting in his front of the wall of windows that separated the loft from his balcony and a fantastic view. The gorilla sat in a ridiculously large maroon leather armchair that took up about a fifth of the room. It was was wearing a matching gentleman’s lounge robe that hung around his massive biceps as he read a book, squinting over his entirely to small spectacles. In his other hand was a large red cherry wood pipe which smelled crisp and smooth at the same time. The gorilla’s massive feet rested crossed on an ottoman that matched the chair. He lifted the top foot and then put the other on top of it, giving it a break from the weight. He then took a long deep  inhale from his pipe and looked up.

 

“Welcome home, Isaac,” the gorilla said through half smile in a deep, smoky, and not entirely British voice.

 

“W- What?”

 

“I said welcome home Isaac,” said the gorilla putting down his book and pipe on a mahogany end table next to the chair.

 

“But... How... Your a... a...” Isaac stammered, blown against the wall by his sheer amazement.

 

“A gorilla? Yes of course I am Isaac, now keep up good boy,” the gorilla said enthusiastically, standing up, “Now why don’t you-”

 

“What the fuck are you?” yelled Isaac cutting of the gorilla very impolitely.

 

The gorilla frown for a moment slightly offended by his host’s rudeness, which incidentally made Issac shrink down the wall to the floor in fright. The gorilla’s grimace quickly turned up into a smile as he laughed confusing Isaac out of his fear for a moment.

 

“What? Are you doing?” gasped the gorilla as his laugh petered out. “Please come have a seat,” he said beckoning to a second smaller chair Isaac must not have noticed before. The gorilla flopped back into his modern era throne and motioned Isaac again to sit with him. Isaac  looked briefly at the chair and jumped up to the door, reaching for the knob. As his fingers closed around the knob, the gorilla’s fingers closed around his and he froze.

 

“Now Isaac, “ the gorilla said heavily over Isaac's shoulder, “I really would appreciate it if you would come take a seat.”

 

Isaac felt the weight of the gorilla hovering inches over him but could not move. The gorilla let go of Isaac's hand and stepped back. Isaac slowly turned around and stood face to chest with the gorilla, who stepped aside sweeping his arm, beckoning toward the chairs once more graciously, and a bit of a smirk. Isaac finally resigned to his odd fate, walked a few steps, and flopped defiantly into his chair looking down at the floor, his head in his hands determined not to look up at the beast, but he did not hear the beast move. He looked up over his spectacles and the gorilla was sitting, smoking, and once again reading his book, which Issac now saw was a copy of On The Origin Of Species. Isaac chuckled as he noticed the book and the gorilla looked up over his spectacles at Isaac.

 

“Are you ready to talk now?” asked the gorilla his eyebrows raised as if he were speaking to a young child who had just thrown a temper tantrum.

 

“T- Talk?”

 

“Yes Isaac, Talk!” the gorilla snapped, “Like you did all day defending that piece of crap in court, now stop stammering and use your head!”

 

Isaac sat up straight, swallowed, and spoke carefully, “But how are you talking?”

 

“Vocal chords?”

 

“But how are you talking?”

 

The gorilla shrugged absent mindedly, “I haven’t the faintest clue. I know I’m a gorilla, always have been, but I can talk, what is so crazy about that?”

 

“Everything!” shouted Isaac slamming his hand down on his chair sitting up straight in it. “This is insane! You’re a gorilla, gorillas, can not, talk. End of story, what kind of prank is this, this is stupid.”

 

“Issac-”

 

“Although I will admit you costume is absolutely amazing,” Isaac continued, “I was totally flustered there for a minute.”

 

“Issac-”

 

“I just can’t imagine what you did with all of my stuff. I mean this is one, really, expensive prank.”

 

“ISAAC!” the gorilla roared now towering over him once again sinking fear into Isaac's flesh. “This. Is. Real. I am a gorilla, and I am talking to you. Right now. Right here,” he said sitting back down, slowly.

 

Isaac recovered from his stupor once again, “I just can’t believe it, you would have to weigh like 800 pounds, and you’re talking. Animals do, not, talk.”

 

The gorilla slammed his fist on the arm of his chair which Isaac felt in his stomach.

“I. Am not. An animal,” he seethed in a quiet voice that filled the room, struggling to contain his rage, “I. Have a name. Animals, do not have names. I, am Geoffrey,” he finished with a flourish and pride in his eyes.

 

“Geoffrey… Like, just Geoffrey.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“I mean, does that count?” Isaac said choking on his thought that this could actually be a gorilla.

 

“What do you mean does that count? Of course it counts!” said Geoffrey emphatically,

“You sir are just nothing but rude!”

 

“Rude?” Isaac yelled, “Rude! You came into my house, took my things, and now you, are trying to convince me, that you are in fact! A talking gorilla.”

 

Geoffrey looked dumbstruck for a moment, then fell back into the chair giggling to himself again, “You know screwing with you really is one the few fun parts about this job.”

 

“Job? What Job? Why are you here?” screamed Isaac.

 

“To expand your mind, to open you to, new thoughts, new possibilities,” Geoffrey mused.

 

“Like talking gorillas?” ask Isaac raising his eyebrows in disbelief.

 

“Exactly, and you could use my name you know.”

 

“Geoffrey…” said Isaac, “You want me; to call you Geoffery.”

 

“Yes! Geoffrey, it is my name, how would you like it if I called you bald little ape boy.”

 

“I’m not bald!”

 

“What are you talking about? You are missing hair all over your tiny little body; and my God, you are tiny.”

 

“Are you saying I should be like you?” Isaac asked his voice going up a pitch.

 

“And why not? I am quite excellent if I do say so myself,” said Geoffrey once again quite amused with himself.

 

Isaac scoffed, “You are a bit full of yourself.”

 

“And you are a bit thick…”

 

Isaac dodged Geoffrey's glance for a moment, pouring over the comment.

 

“Stop trying to run circles around your tiny head with me Issac. Just sit still, listen, and don’t ask stupid questions.”

 

“Like, how are you a talking Geoffrey?” Isaac bit back.

 

“Exactly, now you’re actually catching on!”

 

Isaac smirked, “So how many of your smart ass jokes do I need to catch before you take me tell me what is actually going on?”

 

Geoffrey's face became very sullen, “I never joke Isaac. Everything I have done here, is to improve you.”

 

Isaac sank into the words and his chair thinking for a moment as he stared past Geoffrey through the window. He was startled from his ponderings after a moment by Geoffrey who was now standing, wearing a well fitted and creased suit. He brushed his lapel and straightened his pocket handkerchief and walked past Isaac towards the door.

 

Isaac spun in his chair, “Where are you going?”

 

Geoffrey stopped and turned around. “Continue to ponder our discussions, I think it may do you well. I hope you do not squander this encounter, for we will not meet again.” Then Geoffrey turned, pulled a top hat from nowhere placing it on his head, and walked out the door closing it behind him.

 

Isaac bolted to the door, turning the knob the wind slammed door open. Stepping out into the snow filled atrium of his building, Geoffrey was no where in sight, but not much was. Isaac stepped back out of the blizzard shaking his head, drowning in confusion. Closing the door behind him, he wandered back into his empty apartment staring at the floor. He climbed into the giant maroon leather chair and began to think.