Morris the Monkey

Morris the Monkey story begins on a bright jungle morning, when the river shone like blue glass and the trees were full of warm sunlight. Morris woke late, yawned loudly, and stretched his tail around a branch as if the whole day had been made only for fun.

From far below came the sound of hammers, ropes, splashing water, and excited animal voices.

The Big River Fishing Day was coming.

Every year, the animals cleaned their boats, checked their nets, polished their paddles, and sailed out to catch the finest fish in the winding jungle river. Morris loved the competition more than anyone. Last year, he had won a small wooden badge for the shiniest fish.

This year, he wanted something bigger.

The silver banana cup.

He could already imagine it sitting beside his sleeping branch.

There was only one problem.

His boat was still upside down behind the mango bushes, full of leaves, mud, and one sleepy green lizard.

Morris looked at the boat.

Then he looked at the sunny trees.

Then he smiled.

— “I will fix it tomorrow”

He swung away before the lizard even opened its eyes.

Near the riverbank, Henry the Hippopotamus was rubbing his boat with a wide sponge. The boat was round, strong, and shining so brightly that Morris could see his own face in the side.

— “Henry! Come play branch chase”

Henry looked up slowly.

— “Not today, Morris”

He squeezed water from the sponge.

— “The fishing day is in three mornings. I still need to check the bottom of my boat”

Morris hung upside down from a vine.

— “Three mornings is a mountain of time”

Henry tapped the side of his boat.

— “A tiny leak can become a big surprise”

Morris laughed.

— “I like surprises”

— “Not the wet kind”

Morris did not answer. He had spotted Lucas the Lion lying in a patch of sunlight, paws crossed, mane glowing like dry grass.

— “Lucas! Branch chase?”

Lucas opened one eye.

— “Does it involve water?”

— “No water”

— “Then I am awake”

Lucas sprang up, and the two friends raced through the trees until the river turned orange under the sunset.

The next morning, Morris woke to birds calling from the high branches. The air was fresh, the leaves were green, and the path to the meadow looked perfect for running.

His boat waited behind the mango bushes.

A few more leaves had fallen into it.

The lizard had invited a beetle.

Morris scratched his ear.

— “Tomorrow will still work”

He skipped down the hill and found Rose the Rhino beside her little motorboat. She had tools lined up on a cloth and was tightening a silver bolt with great care.

— “Rose, let’s race to the old fig tree”

Rose did not move from her work.

— “I can’t”

— “You love racing”

— “I do. That is why I want my motor to start when the fishing day begins”

Morris leaned against a tree.

— “Motors always start if you pull hard enough”

Rose gave him a look.

— “That is not how motors work”

She wiped oil from her hoof.

— “Have you checked your boat yet?”

— “Tomorrow”

Rose sighed.

— “Tomorrow is getting crowded”

Morris grinned and ran to find Lucas.

Lucas was happy to race, especially because racing did not involve floating, rowing, splashing, or anything else that made his paws think about deep water. They raced past the bamboo grove, around the termite mound, and over the flat stones until the sun slid behind the palms.

That night, Morris fell asleep fast.

Behind the mango bushes, his boat sat quietly.

The lizard moved to the front seat.

The beetle found the steering rope.

The third morning was hotter than the others. Morris woke with a smile before he remembered his boat.

Only one morning remained before the Big River Fishing Day.

He climbed down from his branch and took three serious steps toward the mango bushes.

Then he heard shouting from Big Hill.

Zach the Zebra was sliding down the long grassy slope on a broad banana leaf. He shot past a row of flowers, spun once, and landed in a soft pile of moss.

Morris’s serious steps stopped at once.

— “That looked excellent!”

Zach shook grass from his mane.

— “It was excellent, but I am finished now”

— “Finished? We just started”

— “You started. I am going to untangle my fishing line”

Morris made a face.

— “Fishing line can wait”

Zach picked up a bundle of rope and hooks from beside a stone.

— “That is what knots want you to think”

— “One slide first”

Zach looked at the river.

Then at Morris.

Then at the banana leaf.

— “One slide”

One slide became many.

By afternoon, Morris and Zach were laughing so hard that even Lucas came to watch from the shade.

Lucas did not slide. He said lions were built for dignity.

Then Morris dared him.

Lucas slid once.

He crashed into a fern and came out wearing it like a hat.

Morris laughed until he could hardly breathe.

When the first evening stars appeared, Zach jumped up suddenly.

— “My fishing line!”

He galloped away.

Morris stood still for a moment.

— “My boat!”

Then he yawned.

His arms felt heavy.

His legs felt wobbly.

His tail felt like a rope with no knot.

— “Early tomorrow”

He climbed into bed and slept.

Morning arrived with drums.

Not soft bird drums.

Real parade drums.

Big River Fishing Day had begun.

Morris sat up so quickly he bumped his head on a branch.

— “The competition!”

He tumbled down the tree, dashed behind the mango bushes, and pulled his boat into the open.

The leaves flew out.

The beetle ran away.

The lizard blinked, annoyed, and crawled into the grass.

Morris stared at the boat.

It was worse in daylight.

The paint had peeled.

The rope was tangled.

The paddle was under a pile of mud.

Three tiny holes dotted the bottom like little dark eyes.

Morris swallowed.

— “Tiny holes are better than big holes”

He packed the holes with wet leaves and clay. Then he pulled the rope until some of it came loose and some of it became worse. He shook his fishing net until two spiders fell out. He found his bait box, opened it, and discovered nothing inside except a dry twig.

There was no time to fix everything.

So Morris fixed almost nothing and hoped very hard.

Lucas came running down the path.

— “Morris! Everyone is at the starting dock”

He saw the boat and stopped.

— “Is it supposed to lean like that?”

— “It is a racing lean”

— “Fishing boats do not need racing leans”

Morris grabbed the front rope.

— “Help me drag it”

Lucas helped, though he stayed as far from the river as a lion could while still being useful.

At the dock, the other animals were ready.

Henry’s boat gleamed.

Rose’s motor purred softly.

Zach’s fishing line sat in perfect coils.

Pip the Parrot circled above, calling out the rules.

— “Boats in line! Nets ready! Life jackets tight!”

Morris put on his life jacket and pulled the straps.

At least that part was ready.

Rose looked into his boat.

— “Morris, did you patch those holes properly?”

— “Properly enough”

Henry leaned over from his boat.

— “Did you bring a bucket?”

Morris looked around his feet.

No bucket.

— “I brought confidence”

Henry did not look comforted.

The starting bell rang.

Every boat moved out across the glittering river.

Rose’s motor hummed away.

Henry paddled steadily.

Zach waved from a narrow green boat with his neat net ready beside him.

Morris pulled his motor cord.

The motor coughed.

He pulled again.

It sneezed.

He pulled a third time.

It made a noise like a sleepy frog and went quiet.

Morris stared at it.

— “That is new”

From the dock, Lucas called out.

— “Use the paddle!”

Morris picked it up.

The paddle handle was sticky with old mud, but it worked well enough to move him slowly downriver.

Very slowly.

By the time Morris reached his favorite fishing spot, the others had already cast their lines.

Henry had caught a silver fish as long as Morris’s arm.

Rose had caught two small striped fish.

Zach was standing quietly with his line in the perfect place.

Morris lifted his fishing rod.

The line was tangled around the handle, the hook, the seat, and somehow his own tail.

— “This is a creative knot”

He tried to loosen it.

The knot tightened.

Henry drifted past.

— “Need help?”

— “Yes!”

Henry looked toward the weighing dock, where the judge was waving.

— “I have to weigh my fish before it jumps back into the river”

He tossed Morris a small packet.

— “Here is some bait. I can help with the line later”

Morris caught the packet.

— “Thank you!”

He worked on the knot for a long time. He frowned. He twisted. He pulled. He whispered kind words to it. He threatened it with a banana.

At last, the line came free.

Morris smiled.

Then he felt something cold around his toes.

He looked down.

Water covered the bottom of the boat.

The tiny holes were no longer tiny.

One leaf patch had floated away.

Another hole was bubbling.

The third had become a cheerful little fountain.

— “Oh no”

Morris searched for a bucket again, though he already knew there was no bucket.

He found half a coconut shell under the seat.

He scooped water with it as fast as he could.

Scoop.

Splash.

Scoop.

Splash.

For a moment, it worked.

Then the clay plug gave way with a soft plop.

Water rushed in.

The boat tilted.

Morris grabbed the side.

— “This is no longer a fishing problem”

Zach’s boat came around the bend.

— “Morris!”

— “My boat is drinking the river!”

Zach tossed him a bucket.

— “Bail fast!”

Morris bailed as quickly as his arms could move. But the boat leaned lower and lower.

The river climbed higher and higher.

On the bank, Lucas had been watching through a pair of wooden binoculars. He did not like deep water. He did not like small boats. He especially did not like small boats in deep water.

But he saw Morris’s boat sink to one side.

He saw Morris tighten his life jacket.

He saw his friend look toward the shore with wide eyes.

Lucas dropped the binoculars.

Beside the dock was a small dinghy tied to a post.

Lucas stared at it.

The dinghy rocked gently.

Lucas took one step back.

Then Morris shouted.

— “Help!”

Lucas jumped into the dinghy.

— “Not tomorrow”

He grabbed the oars and rowed.

Badly at first.

One oar splashed too high.

The other spun in a circle.

The dinghy turned sideways.

Lucas growled at the oars.

— “Both of you, behave”

Then he rowed again, slower and steadier.

Morris’s boat gave a final groan and slipped lower into the water. Morris stood up, held his nose, and jumped.

The river closed over his feet with a cold splash.

His life jacket lifted him at once, but he gasped from the chill.

— “Too cold! Too river!”

Lucas reached him just as the broken boat floated away in pieces.

— “Take my paw!”

Morris reached up.

Lucas leaned from the dinghy and pulled with all his strength.

For one wobbly second, lion, monkey, and dinghy all tilted dangerously.

Henry appeared on the other side and steadied the dinghy with one enormous hoof.

Rose came beside them and held the rope.

Zach gathered the floating paddle and fishing rod.

With one last pull, Lucas helped Morris tumble into the dinghy.

Morris lay on his back, dripping river water onto the floor.

Lucas sat beside him, breathing hard.

— “I thought you hated water”

Lucas looked at the river, then at Morris.

— “I do”

He shook water from his mane.

— “But I hate seeing my friend in trouble more”

Morris was quiet.

The fishing competition carried on without him. The animals brought in shining fish, neat nets, and smiling faces. Morris watched from the dock with a blanket around his shoulders and a cup of warm berry tea in his hands.

His boat was gone.

His fishing rod was bent.

His tail still had a knot in it.

But he was safe.

That mattered more than the silver banana cup.

Bella the Elephant came to sit beside him.

— “You had a hard morning”

Morris nodded.

— “I made it hard before it even started”

Bella did not smile in a teasing way. She only looked at the river.

— “The river showed you what the boat already knew”

— “That I was not ready”

— “Yes”

Morris watched Lucas on the dock. The lion was pretending not to be proud of himself, though everyone had clapped for him when he returned.

Morris walked over.

— “Thank you for coming”

Lucas gave a small shrug.

— “I was going to wait until tomorrow to become brave, but the river seemed busy today”

Morris laughed, then stopped when he saw the broken rope and the muddy bits of his old boat stacked beside the dock.

He picked up one piece of wood.

— “I kept saving everything for tomorrow”

Lucas nodded.

— “Tomorrow must be very tired”

That made Morris smile again.

The next morning, before the sun had climbed above the tallest palms, Morris was already awake.

He carried the broken wood to a shady place near the river. He laid out the rope. He cleaned the paddle. He washed the fishing net. He checked the life jacket twice.

Henry brought smooth planks.

Rose brought a little tool kit.

Zach brought new fishing line.

Lucas brought bananas, because he said every serious job needed snacks.

They worked slowly.

They worked properly.

Morris learned how to tie a knot that held.

He learned how to test a boat before trusting it.

He learned that a bucket should be inside a boat before water was inside a boat.

By afternoon, a new little boat sat in the shallows.

It was not fancy.

It was not fast.

It did not shine like Henry’s or hum like Rose’s.

But it floated.

Morris stepped into it carefully.

The boat stayed steady.

Lucas stood on the bank, holding the rope.

— “Are you going fishing?”

Morris looked at the sky, the trees, and the river.

Then he looked at the neat rope by his feet, the bucket under the seat, and the patched wood beneath him.

— “Not yet”

He smiled.

— “First, I am checking one more thing”

And for the first time in many days, Morris did not leave the important job behind him.

He finished it while the sun was still bright.

Then he climbed the fig tree, called for Lucas, and played until the evening birds began to sing.

The river glittered below them.

The new boat rested safely by the bank.

And tomorrow, for once, had nothing heavy waiting in it.