The Monkey Who Would Take Flight

“I want to fly” the monkey said, looking up to the sky above. His mother looked at him and shook her head.

“You can’t fly, you’re a monkey. Be happy in your tree.” She said.

The monkey sighed. “Trees only go so high. I want to go above the trees, above the giraffes, and above the whole jungle.” His mother just looked at him.

“That’s a dumb dream; you can never do it. Live sensibly and have dreams worth dreaming.” She scolded him. The mother then jumped away into some trees and the monkey was left to himself.

“Live sensibly?” He repeated to himself. Dejected, the monkey climbed up to his tree and made his way to the top. From there, he could see the jungle for miles. He could see the lions lying down under the shade of a lone tree, escaping from the heat of afternoon sun. He could see the gazelles making their way to the nearest river, and he could see the crocodiles waiting in anticipation for the coming meal. He could see more than most of the animals of the jungle, but he wanted more. The monkey looked up and saw the birds above flying, free of not only the ground but the branches of trees. The monkey sighed. “Have dreams worth dreaming.”

With his spirit slightly broken, the monkey began to make his way down the tree. Before he could reach the bottom, however, he heard a moan coming from another part of the jungle. Curious, the monkey leapt from tree to tree, making his way closer to the sound. Soon, he came to the source of the moaning. There, stumbling through the jungle, was an elephant. The monkey noticed that every time the elephant stepped with one of his legs he made a sound of pain and lifted the leg as soon as it touched the earth.

“Are you hurt?” the monkey asked, with concern.

“I am, yes.” answered the elephant.

“What happened?”

“I accidentally stepped on a turtle and now I have a piece of its shell stuck in my foot. I tried getting it out, but I can’t seem to reach it or get hold of it.”

“I could get it out.” The monkey suggested.

“Would you, please?”

The monkey hopped to the ground and ran over to the elephant. The elephant raised his foot and the monkey, seeing the wound, grabbed the piece of turtle shell and, using all his strength, pulled it out. The elephant sighed with great relief. “Oh, thank you. You have no idea how much that hurt.”

“I’m happy I could help.” The monkey replied and began to go on his way.

“Wait!” called the elephant, “Is there anything I can do to repay you?”

The monkey laughed with a sigh. “The only thing I wish right now is that I could fly and be as free as the birds.”

“I think I can help!” the elephant said happily, “You are light and small enough for me to toss in the air with my trunk! I could throw you into the sky; you might even fly higher than the birds!”

The monkey jumped and laughed, his eyes wide with joy. “Would you? Could you get me to the sky?”

The elephant chuckled. “I would be happy to!” Grabbing the monkey with his trunk, the elephant threw the monkey with all his strength straight into the air. The monkey went higher and higher, past the tree tops, over the heads of all the animals, even further than the birds. The monkey laughed and flapped his arms, feeling the freedom he had longed for. He was no longer bound to the earth. He was living his dream.

He took such joy in the flight that he didn’t notice the fall and inevitable crash to earth.

-Eric Mikols