Not My Monkey or My Circus

Mike trains Monk to ride a bike. 300-word flash

Not My Monkey or My Circus

“So, you say you can train a monkey to ride a bike?” Mr. Bill Boffo said to Mike Apeion.
“What I said was, I could train some monkeys to ride a bike.”
“What do you mean?”
“It depends on the monkey. I would have to choose it.”
Mr. Boffo stroked his Van Dyke and nodded.
“Let’s go look at the ones I have,” he said as he swept an arm so Mike could go first.
The two men approached the monkey cage to a lot of hooting and poop-throwing. Mike was more expert at dodging the latter than Bill. When they stood facing the cage, Mr. Boffo could see Mike scanning the monkeys closely.
“The one hanging from the bars seems like he would be a prospect.”
Boffo shook his head.
“Maya is too excitable.”
Apeion picked three more likely ones, all of which Boffo vetoed. Exasperated, the ape trainer said: “Which would be you choose then?”
“The capuchin in the corner. We call him Monk.”
“We’d have to size the bike right, but he seems lively and intelligent.”
It was done. One of the roustabouts was mechanically inclined. Mike figured out the specs and had the bike built.
Then, the training began. The pair worked hard and eventually the small monkey was ready to ride the wire in the big top. Mike was a little anxious on the night. But Monk seemed ready.
The circus band played a fanfare, and Monk pedaled out to take a bow. Instead, he just kept going, riding as fast as he could to the back exit. Before anyone, including Mike, could react he was gone!
Animal control and circus keepers did a massive search for several days to no avail. Monk was in the wind for good.