Monkey Business

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Fantasy Flash Fiction Festival  [E] Submit your flash fiction or micro-fiction piece. Special Edition. by Tricnomistal working hard...

“So what do you want to do on your birthday, Tommy?” Mom asked.

“Let’s go to the zoo.”

“Again?” His mom groaned. “Don’t you ever want to go anywhere else?”

“You asked where I wanted to go. That’s where I want to go.”

“Come on, it’s your eleventh birthday. Let’s do something special. You always go to the zoo. If we go there you’ll just stand and stare at the monkeys again.”

“I like the monkeys. I wish I could be a monkey. They don’t have homework and they get to play all day. It’s fun watching them play.”

“Don’t you want a birthday party instead?”

“We could have a party at the zoo. I could invite Bobby and Joey and Darren and…”

“OK, we’ll do the zoo – again.” Mom finally gave in.

***

“Hey Bobby, let’s go look at the monkeys.” Tommy ordered his best buddy to come with him.

“Why do we always have to look at the monkeys? I want to see the elephants and giraffes.” Bobby was tired of looking at the monkeys with Tommy. He didn’t share Tommy’s obsession.

“I like the monkeys. I wish I could be a monkey.” Tommy often repeated this phrase.

“You’re going to become a monkey if you keep watching them. Your mom said we should all meet at the hot dog stand – come on, let’s go get some hot dogs.” Bobby was regretting joining Tommy and his friends on the zoo outing. He was getting bored.

“You go ahead, I’ll be right there. I just want to look at the monkeys for a few more minutes.” Tommy wouldn’t let up.

“OK, but there might not be any hot dogs left when you get there.” Bobby skipped off to meet Tommy’s mom and the other guys. Tommy just held on to the bars of the safety fence and stared at the monkeys. His eyes glassed over, as he imagined his life as a monkey. He didn’t even blink as the monkeys chattered, while swinging from tree to tree.

***

“Bobby, I thought you said Tommy was at the monkey cage.” Tommy’s mom got concerned when she couldn’t find her son.

“He was standing there when I left him. He wouldn’t budge. He said he’d meet us here.” Bobby didn’t seem too concerned as he chomped down his third straight hot dog. Ice cream was next.

“But Bobby, I was just at the monkey cage and Tommy’s not there.” Concern was giving way to panic. Tommy’s mom started to sweat and shake as she considered the possibilities.

The security guard used sympathetic words, but not a sympathetic tone. “Mrs. Rhodes, kids get lost here every day. They show up a few minutes later. We will put out the announcement. Tommy will show up shortly, you’ll see."

But she didn’t see. By nightfall Tommy’s mom had called the police several times. They weren’t much help.

“It’s getting dark now. Tommy’s been missing for eight hours. The zoo is closing and he hasn’t shown up. You have to do something.” She called Bobby’s mom to pick up Bobby and the others, but she wouldn’t leave the zoo without Tommy. She and the security guards combed every inch of the park – they even examined the “Big Cat” enclosure and the “Bear” exhibit, just in case. No sign of Tommy.

The next day, the police got involved. They sent out alerts. Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes circulated posters with Tommy’s picture. Local media began public service announcements, with Tommy’s picture.

By the end of the week the entire state was on alert for any sign of Tommy. Before the month was out, it was a national story. The grief stricken couple appeared on news programs, talk shows and anywhere else they could garner attention, in their desperate search for their missing son.

In spite of the media blitz, the story faded from the headlines after a few months. The Rhode’s tried to keep the story alive, but interest waned. They never gave up the search, and they never gave up hope. Still, it was as though Tommy ceased to exist after his eleventh birthday. No clues, no sightings – nothing.


***

“Help me, help me.”

The sound was coming from the monkey cage. Bobby could hear it – but it was so faint. He was standing in front of the giraffe enclosure, when he heard it again. The voice sounded familiar.

“Help me, help me.”

Bobby slipped away from his mom to see if he could figure out what was happening. All the monkeys were swinging from limb to limb and screeching – the same as they always did, when Bobby visited the Metro Zoo. But one lonely primate clung to the bars, and looked out at the crowd. Bobby looked at the monkey’s droopy eyes, and thought he recognized something. They were pleading eyes – so pitiful and sad looking. Why was he not playing with the other monkeys?

Then he heard it again.

“Help me, help me.”

Bobby was sure the sound was coming from the lone monkey holding the bars. He thought he saw the monkey’s lips move. The voice was faint, and it did sound familiar.

As one of the keepers passed, Bobby asked him, “What’s with that monkey? The one all by himself.”

“Oh, that one. He’s a mystery. Just showed up in the cage one day. We can’t figure out how he got here.”

“How long has he been here?” Bobby enquired.

“About a year. Actually, he showed up in April. The day of the annual open house.”

Twelve year-old Bobby went white. Now he knew why the eyes and voice sounded so familiar. April 20 was Tommy’s birthday, the day Tommy went missing.

“MOM!” Bobby shouted as he ran - but he knew no one would believe him.

(965 words)