Cosmic Monkeys

Dan crept into the kitchen and opened the food cupboard. He moved slowly, trying not to disturb the monkeys.

“Perhaps you’ll like something from here.”

 The phone rang, shattering the silence of the house. The monkeys screeched and leapt up to the top of the pan cupboard, bouncing off three walls in the process.

            “Hi, Dan everything okay?” asked his mother. “I’m going to be a little bit late, about half sixish, do yourself something on toast if you get hungry but try not to burn the house down!”

            Dan walked heavily back to the kitchen, at least he had a bit more time to clean the mess upstairs. The monkeys had regrouped on the work surface and were watching Dan intently. He smiled at them, they were all sharp and spiny but they looked cute in a pointy kind of a way, he thought.  Dan opened a tin of spaghetti hoops and turned to rummage in the bread bin. A slurping, slopping sound made him turn quickly. The monkeys had tipped the hoops and were lapping up the tomato sauce and pasta.

            “Hoops,” said Dan. “You eat spaghetti hoops?”

            “Oops, oops, oops,” chattered the nearest monkey and soon both his brothers were joining in. “Oops, oops, oops.”

            Dan laughed. “I wish we could understand each other.”

            In an instant the room was bathed in a blue glow. Dan looked around trying to see where the light had come from but it vanished almost as soon as it had appeared.

            “That’s better,” said a squeaky little voice. “That was a very good wish if you don’t mind me saying so.”

            Dan scanned the room again, not realising where the voice had come from. Then he looked down at the nearest monkey who was smiling cheerfully up at him. Dan moved his mouth, trying to make some kind of intelligent noise but nothing sensible came out.

(Copyright - Jon Mayhew 2006)