MUNKEY WALTZ

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       THIS IS THE STORY OF MONO, A MUNKEY THAT GOT STRANDED ON THE ISLAND OF PALAU RAFFLESIA, JUST SOUTH OF SINGAPORE. FOR YEARS THE ISLAND WAS HOME TO A MUNKEY ZOO, A PARADISE FOR PRIMATES. IT WAS OWNED BY A BRITISH COUPLE THAT WERE IN PART, PHILANTHROPIC VETINARIANS, BUT ALSO IMPRESSARIOS. THEY HAD TRAINED THE ANIMALS TO RIDE BICYCLES AND PLAY PING PONG. BUT THEIR PIECE DE RESISTANCE WAS THE FABULOUS MUNKEY WALTZ IN WHICH THE MUNKEYS ATTIRED IN SPLENDIFEROUS COSTUMES WERE CHOREOGRAPHED TO THE ACCOMPANIMENT OF A GAMELAN ORCHESTRA.
      MONO LOVED THIS LIFE FOR THE MOST PART. HE WAS WELL FED AND LIVED IN COMFORTABLE QUARTERS, AND WAS FREE TO ROAM AROUND THE ISLAND WITH HIS FRIENDS.
      BUT ALL OF THIS CAME TO AN ABRUPT ENDING ONE DAY. A GIGANTIC WHALE HAD BEEN CAUSING HAVOC WITH IT'S ANTICS IN THE STRAITS OF MOLUCCA AND WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR A TSUNAMI THAT SWEPT OVER PALAU RAFFLESIA, DROWNING THE OWNERS AND PUTTING THE PRIMATES IN DIRE STRAITS, SO TO SPEAK. AFTER THE WATERS RECEDED, THE PLACE WAS QUITE A MESS. ALL OF THE BUILDINGS HAD BEEN DEMOLISHED-THERE WAS NOWHERE TO SLEEP. WORSE STILL, ALL OF THE MANGO TREES AND BANANA BUSHES HAD BEEN WASHED AWAY-THERE WAS NOTHING TO EAT.
      SO MONO HATCHED A PLAN. WITH THE HELP OF HIS ORANGUTANG BUDDY, SIMIAN, HE BUILT A RAFT. THEN HE HOOKED HIS PING PONG PADDLES TO HIS BICYCLE AND ATTACHED IT TO THE RAFT, EFFECTIVELY MAKING IT A PADDLE BOAT.
      THEY LOADED THE SURVIVORS ONTO THE RAFT AND TOOK TURNS PADDLING UNTIL THEY REACHED JAVA.
      TODAY, IF YOU SEE A MUNKEY RIDING A BICYCLE THROUGH THE JUNGLES OF INDONESIA, YOU CAN BE SURE THAT IT'S MONO...BUT HE DOES MISS HIS PING PONG.


ON TO SWAMI'S
NO MORE MUNKEY BUSINESS