The Walking Banana

I have been putting together a bunch of short stories to make up a larger book. This is one of those short stories; any feedback is appreciated. :banana:


Nighttime had crept in on the creatures of the Brazilian forest, many were sleeping but a few still had time to ponder ideas of mischief that still danced inside their heads. Two of those restless few were Egbert and Sebastian, and tonight Jamal was going to be the victim of their torment.
“Go on then, go get it!” ushered Egbert
“No way, it was your idea, why is always me who has to carry out your foolish plans?” inquired Sebastian
“Well I am the brains and you are the brawn”
“Yes how true that is,” said Sebastian has he pushed out his chest. “Here goes but please be quiet; we don’t wish to wake the young imp now do we”. Egbert just smiled.
Sebastian edged his way towards Jamal, who was clutching at his gift that he was to present to Tulip early tomorrow morning. Tulip was the sixth born to Cornelia the queen of their clan; Tulip’s birth was on that day but would not be presented to the family until the morn. In tradition the last born would present the newborn with a single banana, it wasn’t to eat as all Tulip would be feasting on for the next few months is her mother’s milk. It is a welcoming gift to wish her a long and happy life. Egbert had hatched up a plan to steal the banana, and hide it with the help of Sebastian. Then when Jamal woke the in the morning, and discovered it was missing; they would be the heroes and find the precious banana, and would be forever heroes in Jamal’s eyes.
Sebastian moved closer still to the sleeping infant, his hand reached in to grasp the banana. As he was about to pull it away Jamal let out a loud snore, and with that Sebastian jumped back and nearly fell off his branch. He moved in once again, and this time with more success, he grabbed the banana and before you could say “Where did that pesky monkey go?” He was off into the night with Egbert hot on his trail.
A blue morpho butterfly fluttered around Jamal’s dreaming head; the sun rising and breaking through the dense canopy sparkled across his angelic face. Jamal started to wake after the butterfly landed on his nose, and her wings swishing in the morning breeze tickled his face oh so gently. The wings smothered his eyes so has they opened, first the left one then the right they were blinded by a brilliance of blue. Once his waking eyes finally focused he gently guided the butterfly away with a caring and graceful wave of his hand, he then froze as if it by a bolt of lighting from Thor himself had struck him. The only thing to move in the next minute was his jaw but no words came out just the image of three tiny words “Where is it?” He slowly looked down towards where the banana once lay; all he saw was an empty spot that looked much like wood. He looked all around him but it was nowhere about, then a tear crawled out of his eye.
Jamal was so proud of the tasked that was due before him today. He had been so excited that he would be the one handing the banana to the newborn princess, and would be one of the first to see her. Now it was gone, he asked it again and this time the words came out, “Where is it?”
“Try looking for the eight legs that are controlled by two minds but are together at the hip”, came a slow slumbering voice from up above Jamal’s head. Jamel looked up and saw Norris the sloth hanging upside down from a branch many feet above him. Jamal with the aid of the returning movement to his limbs dashed up the tree and out onto the branch Norris was holding onto. “So you know who took it?” asked Jamal as he looked down at his friend.
“Maybe so, but names I cannot give,” He replied.
“Why can’t you? Do you not know them?
“Oh yes I do, but you know my life is so slow it would take me all-day to tell you, and I like to make you work, it adds excitement to my day,” He slumbered on.
“Oh please tell me! I have but a few hours before Tulip arrives and I cannot go to her empty-handed.”
“Well then you need to understand my first words to you and go get your prize before the morning is done.” He said his last word and fell to sleep still clinging onto his branch. Jamal was panicking but the words Norris had spoken started to become clearer in his mind and in a flash he was off heading towards the two likely culprits.
Egbert and Sebastian had just returned to their place of rest, after hiding the banana just as Jamal came into view. “Just act calm and let me do the talking,” said Egbert as Jamal reached their rest. “Guys where is it? I know you have it, Norris told me in his roundabout way,” gushed out Jamal as he was gasping for his breath.
“Where is what?” asked Egbert.
“My banana, well not mine but Tulips, the one I am to present to her today.”
“I don’t know what you mean. I also don’t know why Norris would say that we had anything to do with it. I need to make a point to go speak to him. Sebastian would you please make a point of telling me I need to make a point.”
“Point taken” interjected Sebastian.
“Well he didn’t say it was you by name just suggested it might be,” stumbled Jamal.
“Well young child, before you go casting doubt on people’s character you should know for certain you have proof to back up your claim,” said Egbert.
“I am sorry,” replied the infant.
“Don’t worry about it, we make mistakes and we can try to learn from them. If you wish us to help you find the banana, we would be more than willing. Six eyes are better than two any day,” said Egbert.
“That would be nice of you. I know what, I will go back to where I last had it and you could maybe look in the other direction, and maybe one of us will find it.
“I am sure we will,” said Sebastian. Egbert nudges him in the ribs as he does so. “What I meant was if any body can find it then it would be one of us three.” As he tries to recover the loose words he had let slip.
“Well off we go then, if we don’t find it with in the hour we will meet back up here and try to work out another plan,” said Egbert.
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” replies Jamal, as the two parties head off in different directions.
On the way to their secret hiding place, Egbert scolded Sebastian for nearly giving up their cunning plan but also praised him on covering himself, and leaving Jamal none the wiser. A family of raccoons for refuge had once used the tree they had hidden the banana in when trying to escape the talons of a horned owl one winter’s night. The two friends approached the tree at a leisurely pace; they were both confident in their minds that they had pulled off a smart plan. Sebastian moved ahead of Egbert and reached the hole in the tree first, he reached in his powerful right arm and grabbed for the banana. He then searched around in the hiding place with his fingertips but with no success, he turned to his waiting friend and said in a startled voice, “It’s not here anymore!”
“What! Stop messing around and give it to me now,” snapped Egbert “We need to get back to Jamal and earn his praise.”
“I am not lying to you, come check if you don’t believe me.”
Egbert motions Sebastian to move away from the hole in the tree, as he did so he went through the same routine Sebastian did looking for the banana and with the same success. “What are we going to do? We must find it. We cannot let the child down, he was so looking forward to today, and now look what you have gone and done.”
“Me! No way, you are not going to blame this one on me, it was your idea remembers and you must accept that you messed it up big time,” reminded Sebastian.
“Look this isn’t a good time to start throwing the blame around and you won’t accept it anyway.”
“You started it, and no I didn’t” Sebastian grumped.
Children, children.” Encroached a voice from the darkness, it took the two bickering friends by surprise but they quickly settled down when they saw it belong to Conan, the wisest monkey in their troop. “I see you two have been up to your games again, do you not realize that you always end getting yourselves into trouble.”
“Yes it does come to our attention but Egbert here keeps coming up with his wonderful plans,” mocks Sebastian.
“Well at least I have my own ideas, and don’t just follow orders by others.” Egbert smirked.
Conan listened to their double act with amusement then interrupted “You two could continue to amuse me all-night with your banter but I believe this will not help you find the banana that got up and walked away.” Egbert and Sebastian turned towards Conan who had now moved to the tree they were in, they then looked back at each other and started laughing.
“Did he just say got up and walked away?” Egbert laughed has he pointed towards Conan.
“I believe he did. For such a wise monkey that must be the stupidest words to have ever come out of your mouth. We know bananas cannot walk,” giggled Sebastian. There was a slight pause before he looked towards his friend again for reassurance. There was now an even longer pause before they both turned and looked back towards Conan, who himself was standing there grooming.
“You just said in your own words that I am the wise one but you still disbelieve my words. Well it headed off in that direction about twenty minutes ago, and if you were to move quickly you might just catch it,” directed Conan.
The two friends once again looked at each other and if controlled by the puppet master started in unison to move in the direction that Conan had suggest. Still unsure if they were on the end of Conan’s merriment of they continued there way.
An hour had elapsed since Jamal had left his friends to go search around his sleeping area for his precious banana. Jamal was sad that he had not discovered it so he headed back to his meeting place with Egbert and Sebastian with a frown on his face. He sadly moved from tree to tree and then branch to branch before reaching the place he had left but an hour ago. Jamal could not see Egbert and Sebastian anywhere. He sat and waited for a while as the sun was beginning to show favor to the day and light was returning to the canopy. He was starting to worry about his two friends and that they had not become lost with the banana. Jamal rose to his feet and started to pace the branch he was on, his movements became agitated and quickened before the arrival of Conan to his tree brought him to a halt. “Have you seen Egbert and Sebastian?” Jamal asked hurriedly.
“Yes I have my young fellow. A short while ago I sent them on their way in search of a banana they had been looking for,” replied Conan.
“So you have seen the banana also? Oh! This is wonderful news. Where did you send them?” he hastened.
“Down towards the canopy floor, down towards the ant colony, they should have reached thereabout now.”
“Thank you so much. I would love to stay and talk but I must aid them, I hope to see you later at the ceremony.”
“I am sure you will my child. Bye for now” said the parting Conan.
Jamal listened to the words of the wise monkey and swiftly ran downwards to where he thought Egbert and Sebastian would be. He was right; they had already caught up with the banana that Conan had said got up and walked away from them. Both of them were unsure of what they were seeing but they knew it to true for their own eyes were seeing. Both monkeys were silent, both mouth and feet kept quiet has they moved slowly behind the banana, Sebastian who finally broke the silence. “Do you think we cursed it?”
“Cursed what?” asked Egbert.
“Cursed what! Well maybe the yellow fruit that has happened to grow legs, and is walking away from us right now.”
“Don’t get smart with me; you know that is so unlike you. Being smart I mean”. Sebastian was too panicky to hear the insult.
“Do you think someone is punishing us for playing such a trick on Jamal? Will all bananas evade us by walking away during the night? What else will we eat, oh my what have we done?” Sebastian panicked.
“Calm down you fool, we both knows bananas cannot walk so there must be an explanation for this.”
“Well I know what I see and that is a tasty banana walking to freedom.”
“I cannot argue with you there my good friend. Maybe we have cursed it. I don’t know how we are going to explain this one to Cornelia,” said Egbert.
“Well I will wish you luck when you do. I will be right behind you hiding in the leaves of a nearby tree.” Sebastian smiled.
“Thank you for your support my dear friend, I am sure the queen will reward you for your bravery.”
The pair smiled at each other and continued to follow the banana while in deep thought. Jamal had already caught sight of his two older friends but had decided not to approach but was listening to their conversation while keeping out of sight. He found it all amusing but was as worried as those two, on how he was going to recover his banana.
“I’ve got it!” shouted Sebastian. “I am sure that if the banana has grown legs then they must come off as easily as spiders legs do. So we pick the banana up, pull off its legs, and then give it back to Jamal and all would be back to normal.”
“What if the legs grow back?” Egbert asked.
“The ceremony is only 20 minutes away. I am sure they won’t have time to grow back by then.” There was a slight pause before Egbert said “You might have just got us out of this mess my good friend. You should give yourself a pat on the back for that idea.” Sebastian gently did so, while once again pushing out his chest to enjoy his proud moment.
“Sebastian, as it was your idea then I guess it is my turn to take action, so here goes, watch and learn.”
Egbert positioned himself on a branch above the walking banana; he followed it for a short while then reached down slowly, took hold and then lifted the banana clean into the air. He started to examine the banana; he spun it around a few times then looked back at his waiting friend. “There are no legs on it! How was it able to walk without any legs?” inquired Egbert. Sebastian rushed to his friend’s side and took a turn to examine the banana; he scratched his head in a comfused fashion and then agreed with Egbert. “You are right, there are no legs but how did it walk?”
“Look down here,” came a voice from below them. The two friends looked down from where Egbert had picked up the banana. Their faces started to redden with embarrassment as they saw an army of leaf cutter ants looking up at them and laughing. The leader of them talked “So you think that bananas can walk?”
“Hmmm, no of course not,” Egbert replied.
“So your little conversation was what then?”
“Well we knew exactly was going on, we just wanted to give you little guys something to smile about as you carried our banana away,” said Egbert. He tried to hide they both did believe the banana had sprouted legs and had walked away.
“We believe you” laughed the ant “So you won’t mind us telling the story to all your friends then?”
“There is no need for that” added Sebastian quickly “We will tell them ourselves soon.”
“Well it looks like Jamal up there has enjoyed the fun, maybe he can help you tell the story later just incase you guys forget,” the ant replied. The two monkeys looked up and saw Jamal watching them; they said quick “good byes” to the ants and raced up with the banana to be by his side. “Here you are Jamal. Egbert and I managed to recover it. Those pesky ants had stolen it and were taking it home for breakfast if we had not rescued it.”
“Guys I know what happen, I have been listening for sometime. I know you were only having fun but maybe you have learned taking things that don’t belong to you can get you into trouble,” spoke Jamal.
“Yes we have.” Said Egbert “we would love to stand and apologize more but we have to get you and the banana to the ceremony before it’s too late.” Jamal agreed, the three friends and the banana dashed off through the trees and up the branches to the waiting Tulip and her mother. Leaving the ant’s way behind, who were still laughing at the thought that Egbert and Sebastian believed a banana could ever walk.
Jamal arrived at Tulips side just as the ceremony started, Cornelia spoke and then he presented the banana to the newborn baby. The beautiful baby smiled in return. This was the two young monkeys first time together but it would not be their last.