Little Brigham Monkey was swinging through the jungle one day, when he came upon a cave. Inside the cave there were drawings covering the cave walls. There were pictures upon pictures of monkeys just like him! There were also pictures of BANANAS! Brigham Monkey followed the pictures to the back of the dark cave. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimmer of something shiny.
He inched toward it slowly as he cocked his head from side-to-side with curiosity. What was it? As he got closer, he could make out the shape of a box with a shiny clasp. Brigham Monkey jumped with glee! A mystery box was just the thing this monkey needed to bring adventure to his day.
Brigham Monkey grabbed the box and sat at the entrance of the cave to get a better look.
The box was made out of wood and was very rough. He had to be careful not to get splinters from handling it. It was not very big or heavy, and he decided to open it right away!
Inside, he found a bundle of BANANA LEAVES! He carefully unwrapped them, and found a note and a golden, skeleton key! On the banana leaf was a note saying that whoever found this key would inherit a treasure; you just had to find it!
Brigham Monkey couldn't sit still. He was bubbling over with excitement. He must find the treasure!
Brigham Monkey swung from tree to tree searching for a lock to open with his new key. He checked under rocks, by the river, and up in the trees. Brigham Monkey had no idea where to look, so he decided to ask for help from the wisest animals he knew. First, he asked Mother Elephant. She didn't know where the key would fit, but she wanted to know, so she followed him to the next animal.
Next, he asked Mr. Boa. Mr. Boa knew of a giant tree with a hollow middle that sounded interesting. Mr. Boa decided to tag along as well, since it was not every day that a treasure hunt was underway in the jungle.
Brigham Monkey, Mother Elephant, and Mr. Boa hurried along to the giant tree. Along the way, other curious animals joined the group. Before too long, there was quite a procession of jungle animals following Brigham Monkey.
When they got to the tree, they looked inside and saw a great big, but empty bird's nest. Brigham Monkey looked under and around the nest, but nothing was there. In swooped the biggest Macaw Brigham had ever seen.
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Brigham Monkey asked, "Mrs. Macaw! I have a golden key and am looking for some place where they key might fit. Have you seen anything in all your flights around the jungle?"
The Macaw knew of one place. She found this spot while looking for places to build her nest. It was near a waterfall by the watering hole at the edge of the jungle. There was a small opening on a ledge behind the waterfall. Inside, Mrs. Macaw had seen a door with a lock, but had not built her nest there. She didn't want anyone disturbing her nest to get into the door, so she decided to build her nest in a more private place. That is how she came to have her next in the hollow of a big tree.
Brigham Monkey knew this must be the place that he was looking for. Mrs. Macaw was very curious now as well, so she joined the other animals in following Brigham Monkey on his search.
They finally reached the waterfall near the watering hole. Brigham Monkey climbed up to the ledge and easily found the opening. He had never explored up there before, but sure enough, inside was a door with a lock! He couldn't believe it. As fast as he could he put the key in the lock and turned the key. He heard a click. Then, he opened the door. There was a whooshing sound. He was in a tunnel. At the end of the tunnel, there was a light. He raced to the light. As he approached, it got bigger and bigger. It was an opening!
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Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash
Once he got to the opening, he stopped short. His mouth dropped open, and he stared. In front of him, was the entrance to a small grove of BANANA TREES. Brigham Monkey could not believe his eyes! The key led him to an incredible treasure that only a monkey could love.
Brigham Monkey ran back through the tunnel to tell the animals who were waiting down below.
The animals cheered and laughed. They couldn't believe Brigham Monkey's luck but were also very happy for him. That night Brigham Monkey went to bed with smile on his face and a belly full of bananas.
Photo by VITALIY ANOKHIN on Unsplash
