THEN CAME THE MONKEY

 The ram was grazing somewhere in that forest when he saw some animals passing by. The ram noticed the sadness in the faces of the animals. The saddest face he saw in the kangaroo. The kangaroo stopped and the sheep decided to talk to him. “Hey, what’s the matter, did the hippopotamus harm you again.” The kangaroo, with a heavy sigh,  replied, “No, not the hippopotamus, it was the monkey. The veiled clan’s council of elderly animals sent in this forest  a monkey to assist the hippopotamus. And I tell you dear sheep, it seemed that the monkey is worse than the  hippopotamus. But together, they seemed to be clicking. They seemed to be complementing one another.”

The ram in jest said, “They are  birds of the same feather…” But the kangarro retorted, “They are mammals, not birds! Better if we say  they are wolves in sheep’s clothings.”

Unbeknownst to the two, there were ants nearby eavesdropping in their conversation. One of the ants said, “Hey stop your figurative conversation, the hippopotamus and the monkey are simply partners in crime.” Another ant blurted, “Come to think of it, the hippopotamus in a past life was probably a monkey.” The ram inquired, “Why did you say so?” “Because she is fond of doing monkey business. And you know, it is possible that the monkey in a past life was a hippopotamus. You may ask why…” The kangaroo in wide grin asked, “Okay, why!” ” It is because, she is fond of opening her  big mouth and both bad words and breath come out,” was the ant’s reply.

“He, he, he. Nice joke. That’s funny! But if in a past life the hippopotamus was a monkey, and vice-versa, that should explain why the hippopotamus and the monkey seemed to have good chemistry.”

Suddenly, the sheep, the kangaroo and the ants went into reflective mode. They even glanced at the sky as if making supplications to the Almighty One. “What would happen now?” The oldest of the ants asked.

The kangaroo and the sheep looked at one another. The kangaroo, before leaping away said, “Well, if the animals in this forest  will not do something, then the hippopotamus,  in cahoost with the monkey will be stepping on our faces everyday in our lives.”

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Chapter 3 – The Ram in the Chamber of Reflection