T-boy and the monkey
T-boy opened up his picture book. It was full of drawing of animals. There were drawings of tame animals like the cows and pigs, and there were pictures of wild ones, the bear and the gorilla.
‘You are reading your favourite book again’ His mom ran her fingers across his soft red hair, smiling at the small boy.T-boy looked outside the fast-moving train to the forest outside. He was sure there were all sorts of animals in the jungle.
‘He wants to be a vet just like his papa’ His father, Mr Dickson commented from behind the newspaper he was reading.
T-boy nodded from between his parents. He missed the animals they had left behind in his father’s clinic though he was looking forward to their holiday in Spain.
Suddenly, the train jolted. T-boy could hear the sounds of footsteps on the roof.
‘What is happening?’ Mr Dickson called out .Everyone was beginning to look confused.
The train came to a sudden stop .People turned to each other.
‘It is a robbery’ someone said and everyone stood up in alarm. The whole place broke into a panic. People began to push and pull to get out the train.
‘Hold on to me,T-boy’ Mr Dickson said as they got caught up in the crowd of people pushing their way out.
BOOM BOOM
Shooting came as if from nowhere. T-boy shrieked .His mother pulled him close.
They were almost at the door of the train where four masked men appeared.
‘Stay still’ one of them said. People screamed and began to push widely. T-boy was pulled away from his parents in the rush.
‘Mom, Dad’ He cried in alarm .But the noises in the train were too loud. He couldn’t see his parents anymore.
He was pushed out of the train in between the crowd. Outside, he heard shooting. He took to his heels and ran into the jungle.
T-boy looked around. There were high trees everywhere. The smell of grass and stink filled his nostrils. Behind him, some leaves moved. He shook in fright. But it was only a squirrel.
‘Mom, Dad’ He shouted as loud as he could. In his fear he had run far away from the train. How on earth was he going to find his parents?
He shook in alarm again as he heard whistling. But it was only some birds flying above.
He wound his arms around his cold, shaking body. He was only nine years old. How could he survive in the forest alone?
T-boy stepped forward quietly, not wanting to alert any wild animals.
‘God please help me’ He prayed silently. ‘Help me find my mama’



T-boy walked and walked and saw no one.
The forest was silent.
T-boy had expected to see herds of deer, antelope and even run into terrifying animals like the tigers. But he only saw rats, rodents and a few small animals sneaking by.
Every tree he looked at seemed to be
full of succulent fruit- berries, apples and mangoes. They looked so sweet and ripe. He heard his tummy growl but he didn’t touch anyone of them, not know which was poisoned.
Then he heard the sound of a running spring. He hurried towards the sound.
Water sputtered down a low mountain to a river. T-boy gasped. His father had told him once, on a hike, that if he was ever lost, he should follow the river. It was his way out.

‘Ho ho’ said a voice.
‘Ha..’ T- boy shook at the noise. ‘Who is there?’
‘Me’ said a voice. It was a little brown monkey. He jumped down from the tree with a loud thud and came closer.
‘A talking monkey’ T- boy gasped.
‘It is a special ability of mine, I can talk to all animals’ said the monkey.
‘Wow’ T-boy bent low to gaze at him keenly.
‘So, tell me, what is a human like you doing in the forest?’ asked the monkey.
T-boy eyes misted. ‘Robbers attacked my train and I ended up here, I am on my way to find my parents’
‘Really, so you are not a runaway’ said the monkey.
‘Not at all’
‘Well then I have an idea’ said the monkey. ‘I help you find your parents and you reward me with some banana suckers’
‘Suckers’ T-boy widened his eyes.
‘Yes, they can be transplanted so we
can have bananas in the jungle again ’
‘Aren’t there any bananas in the forest?’ asked T-boy blowing his nose as the smelly monkey moved right next to him.
‘There used to be, but the blight killed them all, but we monkeys want to grow them back’ said the monkey sadly.
‘I see’ T-boy nodded. ‘It is a deal, then ,you help me find my family and I buy you some banana suckers’
‘Great’ the monkey looked overjoyed. ‘My name is Edd, by the way’
‘T-boy’ He said as they shook hands.
They soon came up with a plan. The monkey would carry T-boy home.
‘Climb up’ the monkey bent low so that T-boy could enter his back.
‘Wait’ said T-boy, winkling his nose. ‘You need a wash first’
He lifted the cool water from the stream and poured it on the monkey. Edd shouted and jumped.
‘It is for your own good’ said T-boy.
‘No’
‘Please’ The monkey seemed not to have taken a bath before.
The monkey closed his eyes while T- boy washed him with water. After, it was done, he didn’t smell as bad as before.
Edd bent down his wet body for T-boy to climb onto.
‘Wait’ T-boy heart was beating fast. He climbed unto Edd wet back.



‘We have to go, just close your eyes, it is what I do whenever I feel afraid’
T- boy closed his eyes as the monkey moved forward and jumped.
‘Weew’ he cried, cold wind blowing through his fine red curls. He held onto Edd tightly as he jumped from tree to tree. They were following the river.
The sun was beginning to set,T-boy was sure his parents would be so worried.
‘We will find them soon’said Edd as if sensing his worries.
Again, they met hardly any other animals.
‘Why is the forest so devoid of animals?’ T-boy asked.
‘They are all in hiding’
T-boy raised eyebrows. ‘But why?’ he asked as they jumped onto a tree.
‘It is a big problem, the elephants and the tigers have a serious conflict going on and since they are both such powerful animals, the whole forest is terrified and have hidden themselves’
‘What caused the conflict?’
‘The tigers injured a elephant cub while hunting and the elephants have declared a faceoff between the two tribes today’
‘What do you think is going to happen?’
‘A war that could destroy the entire jungle’ The monkey lowered his shoulders in despair.
T-boy froze. ‘Is there anything we can do to help?’
‘The only way would be to save the elephant cub but no one know how to do so’
T-boy thought for a while. ‘I might be able to help, my father is a vet, he helps animals and I get to watch him all the time’

T-boy made his decision quickly. ‘Take me to the stage of the conflict’
Edd sputtered. ‘But.. .’
‘It is the only way to save the jungle’ He explained . ‘Don’t worry; you will be safe in the trees’
‘Fine’
The monkey changed directions and turned east wards. He jumped so fast from the tree that T-boy shrieked.
They soon arrived at a large clearing with rocks over the grass and sand. From the top of a tall tree hidden by weeds, they could see both tribes. The elephants lay on the right, a big group, blowing their trunks loudly while the tigers stood to the left, looking particular fierce as they paced the ground.
It was the scene of a big fight.
‘That tiger in the front, Raco is their leader’ Edd pointed at an tiger with white spots. ‘He is the one who injured the cub’


Near one of the elephants, T-boy could see a little cub lying face down, moaning as if in pain.
‘The elephants are asking for a fight’ Edd whispered to him. T-boy looked at the baby elephant. It looked like something was struck in his foot.
The mother elephant was whistling something in tears, pointing at her baby.
‘She wants revenge’ interpreted the monkey. ‘The cub is dying, she thinks’
It was true. The cub foot was bleeding.
The tigers and the elephants pounded their feet. They were geared up to fight.
T-boy gently scaled down the tree. He hurried outside to the animals.
‘Stop’ He shouted. ‘I can help’
All the animals froze in shock. Edd watched mouth open in amazement.
T-boy waved widely while the animals looked on in shock.
‘I can help’ He said again. But none seemed to understand. He looked back for Edd but he seemed to have disappeared.
He pointed to the baby elephant then to himself, then tried to mimic himself tending to it.
The head tiger,Raco roared in annoyance, making to attack T-boy but the elephants suddenly surrounded him.
The mother elephant nodded at him. T-boy knelt next to the little elephant and began to examine it. It looked pale and very weak.
He found it then. There was a tiger nail in his foot. T-boy held the elephant close, petting it and with a sudden pull, pulled the nail out.
The elephant cried.
T-boy cut some leaves and carefully cleaned the wound. He tore a piece of his shirt and carefully wrapped the elephant feet.

The elephants led him to their home. It was a large comfortable field.
For the rest of the night, T-boy tended the little elephants. By morning, it was beginning to move around.
There was ruffling in the trees. Edd suddenly appeared.
‘Seems the elephant has recovered’ He said. ‘ All the animals are talking about it, you saved the jungle’
‘Praise God’ T-boy signed with relief. ‘But I need to be getting home now, my parents must be so worried’
The elephant had gathered round, looking grateful.
‘They are asking what you want as a reward’ said Edd.
‘All I want is for there to be peace in this jungle’ He replied. The monkey relayed the message.
The elephants nodded in agreement. The baby elephant came to hug him goodbye.
‘I take you for free now’ said Edd
‘Because you helped us all’
‘Thanks but I get you some bananas free as well’ T-boy hopped onto his back and they sped off through the trees.



They went back to the river and began to follow it. Along the way, they began to notice animals. T-boy gasped when he say heads of deer, antelope, pigs and animals of all sorts grazing in the forest. From the trees, he even saw bear, tigers and gorilla all moving around the jungle.
The forest was alive again.
‘It is back to normal’ Edd was shaking in excitement. ‘The forest is back to normal’ He yelped in delight.
It was a long journey and T-boy was both tired, hungry and sleepy. His body shook with tiredness.
Suddenly T-boy could hear the sound of a train whistle.
‘There, There’ He pointed ahead. The monkey hurried forward.
An hour later, they finally arrived at the train station. The place was filled with people.
‘T-boy-T-boy’ He could hear his mother voice nearby.
‘I am here’ he shouted. She screamed in relief at the sound of his voice.
They ran to each other arms joyfully. His father came and hugged him from behind.
‘We are so happy you are fine’ said his father.
Mr Dickson lifted him up. From up, he could see Edd.
‘Can we buy some bananas suckers ,Papa?’ He asked.
‘Yes, of course’ said his father.
They found a fruit vendor and bought some bananas suckers immediately. T-boy made his way to Edd while his parents watched.
‘Thanks for everything’ T-boy hugged Edd. ‘I will never forget you’
Edd has tears in his eyes. ‘Me, neither’
‘Take care of yourself and grow a lot of bananas’ T-boy handed over the banana suckers to him.
‘Thanks you so very much’ said Edd.
‘Thank God’ T-boy said.
The monkey disengaged himself and jumping up, flew into the trees. T-boy waved as he left.