DON’T ADVISE A MONKEY

Pic.: Amrita Jeurkar

Years ago, when I had decided to do something about my poor English, one of the things I did – and found very effective – was telling a nice story in two tenses… the Present and the Past. Over the years, I have helped hundreds of people, who were earnest about improving their English, with the same method… Yes, write a nice story down in both the tenses… and, then, tell it to someone…

There is this little bird in all of us… and, there is this familiar ‘bird-experience’, too…  I simply love this story…

DON’T ADVISE A MONKEY

PAST:

It was a cold night. In a jungle, a monkey was jumping around some red seeds, crying, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!” He was warming himself mistaking those red seeds to be balls of fire!

From a nearby tree, a little bird saw what the monkey was doing. She said, “My friend, those are not balls of fire… they are just red seeds of our jungle.”

“Shut up, you silly bird,” the monkey yelled, “Mind your own business.” He continued to jump around the seeds, screaming, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!”

The little bird felt sorry for the monkey. She tried to explain to him, once again, “My friend, I am telling you, they are not fire balls… they are our jungle seeds.”

“I have warned you once, and I am warning you again,” the monkey blasted out, “get off my way, you dumb bird!” Then, he continued to warm himself, jumping and shouting, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!”

The bird couldn’t see it, any more. She came down from the tree, sat close to the monkey and pleaded, “Believe me, my friend, they are not balls of fire… They are just red seeds from our jungle.”

“This is the last warning I am giving you,” the monkey breathed out fire, “You better leave me alone before it is too late.” Then, he went on jumping and crying, “Ouch, it is very cold… Ouch, it is very cold!”

“I can show you, my friend, that they are just our jungle seeds,” the little bird bent down to pick up the seeds…

“Go to hell, you dumb idiot,” the monkey grabbed the delicate bird by her neck, “this is what you deserve for being so stupid.” He started smashing the tiny bird hard on the ground... till she was torn into a thousand pieces!

PRESENT:

It is a cold night. In a jungle, a monkey is jumping around some red seeds, crying, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!” He is warming himself mistaking those red seeds to be balls of fire!

From a nearby tree, a little bird sees what the monkey is doing. She says, “My friend, those are not balls of fire… they are just red seeds of our jungle.”

“Shut up, you silly bird,” the monkey yells, “Mind your own business.” He continues to jump around the seeds, screaming, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!”

The little bird feels sorry for the monkey. She tries to explain to him, once again, “My friend, I am telling you, they are not fire balls… they are our jungle seeds.”

“I have warned you once, and I am warning you again,” the monkey blasts out, “get off my way, you dumb bird!” Then, he continues to warm himself, jumping and shouting, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!”

The bird cannot see it, any more. She comes down from the tree, sits close to the monkey and pleads, “Believe me, my friend, they are not balls of fire… They are just red seeds from our jungle.”

“This is the last warning I am giving you,” the monkey breaths out fire, “You better leave me alone before it is too late.” Then, he goes on jumping and crying, “Ouch, it is very cold… Ouch, it is very cold!”

“I can show you, my friend, that they are just our jungle seeds,” the little bird bends down to pick up the seeds…

“Go to hell, you dumb idiot,” the monkey grabs the delicate bird by her neck, “this is what you deserve for being so stupid.” He starts smashing the tiny bird hard on the ground... till she is torn into a thousand pieces!

GERALD D’CUNHA