All for a Monkey

We are high in the canopy when I think it would be funny to flip my harness around to look like a diaper. It is super fun to act like a baby when we are up so high. I go over to show my mom, but to my surprise, she yells at me. She screams“James Peterson Lowman! Flip that harness around this instant, you know what I told about messing around in the canopy. Shame on you James! Shame on, you.” I have never heard her that mad before. So I was about to flip it when a shiny black glimmer of light back on the staple catches my eye. I run over to see what it is, but  to my surprise, it looks like Darth Vader from my brand new star wars comic. 

I yell to Edward, “Come look at this, it is so cool, it's a purplish color!”

He runs over and says, ”Holy cow! Mom, you have to come see this, James, that could be your new pet!” 

Then mom comes over and says, “That’s cool bud, but it's not fit to be a pet, it needs to thrive in the wild.” I am a bit disappointed until something starts moving in the trees that catches my attention. 

It is a black handed spider monkey. “Jackpot,” I think to myself.

I see the monkey and I know he has to be mine. So I run across the bridge, I feel my steps get heavier as I get faster, my brain is rushing with excitement and hope that my plan will work. The moment has come, I see the world I know turn to a blurr, I catch quick glimpses of the landmarks I know in the rainforest, but the next thing I know I am upside down and I feel the weight of my harness slowly slipping off my hips. On the bright side, I can see the whole entire canopy from up here! Unfortunately, while I am  trying to enjoy the view, I hear Edward interrupt, he screams, “The harness, It's slipping!!!” That is when it occurs to me that I am hanging upside down without a secure harness and I am going to fall.

 I see mom run as fast as the Flash, getting closer every step she takes. She says something about grabbing her hand but I am too distracted by the monkey. The harness is now at my feet, and I see the monkey somehow make its way to the bridge. I scream in a voice I have never heard before, “HEEEEELP MEEEEE!!” I see the harness dangling before my eyes when I start to drop. Each millisecond feels like a hundred hours, the world is moving too fast for my seven year old brain to handle, all I can think about is the monkey. I don’t know what to do! I try to scream but I can’t get the sound to come out of me. I am too afraid. I feel a warm hand grab what I think is my foot when the world starts spinning…rock hard wood…pain… sledgehammer… blackness.

 But then I see my mom, Edward is even here! And I hear a voice that is not familiar but when I look toward it, it is my monkey! We are all holding hands and flying through the thick humid air of the canopy. I hear my monkey start to talk in a voice that sounds like mickey mouse, he says, “I am your tour guide Bob, I am here to show you around this magical place called the great canopy. Over there is where all your friends from Sesame Street live, if you like, we can go visit Batman’s cave? It’s not too far down the Banana Road.” I said, “Of course I want to see Batman's cave but for now I want to keep flying.”  Edward blurts in, “Come on James, don’t be a scaredy cat, Batmans the coolest superhero we know!” I start to get annoyed, I feel the anger building up inside me. I try my best to ignore it because I don’t want to ruin this wonderful time. I pray for something to distract me, and to my surprise, something does. 

My monkey started to sing “This is a magical place it has everything and more! You can fly, you can be anything you wish to be! It's amazing because it's just you and me!”. I respond by saying “This is so fun I love it here!” But then I start to lose my train of thought and hear my mom’s faded voice calling “James, are you there sweetie? James? Honey, wake up, James.” 

I blinked open my groggy eyes to see I’m lying on the cabin floor, and my monkey was nowhere to be found. My head was full of a pounding pain that felt like a million bees were stinging my brain. I asked in a soft voice “Where is my monkey? ” Even just saying that hurt as much as being shocked by lightning. But luckily, I was comforted by the same warm hand that saved my life. It was my mom and she said in a voice even softer than mine, “Are you okay baby? It was just a dream, you know.” In a surprisingly strong voice I shot back, “IT WAS NOOOOOT! YOU WERE EVEN THERE AND SO WAS MY MONKEY!! WE WERE ALL FLYING THROUGH THE GREAT CANOPY!” But then I immediately regret my decision. My head felt even worse. It was like the weight of the whole universe was on my brain. There were tears filling up my eyelids like a waterfall from the pounding pain, that was until I saw Edward. He came in with my monkey on his shoulder and wrapped his skinny arms around me. He said, “I love you bro, I am so glad you are alive.” 

I realized that even though it felt more real than life, I guess it was just a dream. Mom told me, “You have a very serious concussion sweetie, You can’t go back to the canopy for a few more weeks.”

 I was devastated but at least I had my monkey.

 Feel Free to click through these images to get a better understanding of the story