The Rambunctious Monkey (A cautionary tail)

By Christian.

Once upon a time there was a rambunctious little monkey. His name was Escolito. One day, Escolito was swinging through the vines in his favorite part of the forest. But today, Escolito was feeling a little more rambunctious than usual, and he decided to 'branch out' (heh) and explore a different part of the forest.

Further and further he swung till he reached a beautiful but unfamiliar clearing. "What a beautiful place this is!" thought Escolito. He picked a banana and listened to some Michael Jackson songs while he soaked up the sunlight.

Finally, it was time to go back home. Escolito grabbed hold of a vine and started to swing, when to his surprise he realized that "this was no vine." He was holding onto a giant python!

Startled, he let go of the snake, and found himself tumbling towards the ground. His descent was only halted by a lone branch that he was able to grab, which jutted out of the face of a tremendous cliff.

Surveying the dizzying height and the vast expanse beneath him, Escolito was frightened. But then he remembered the words of his mother: "Escolito, if you are ever frightened, you can say a little prayer." Summoning his courage, Escolito began to pray.

He prayed and prayed. Just then, something unexpected happened. He heard a very quiet voice:

Subir nuevamente por el acantilado, monito.

"What!?" exclaimed Escolito. Again, a quiet voice.

Subir nuevamente por el acantilado, monito.

This was difficult, but Escolito knew that an important choice would have to be made. He closed his eyes, relaxed his grip, and let go of the branch.

Down, down, down he fell. And as he plummeted to his doom, he thought, "I really should have learned Spanish."