Suzy was dozing in the hot sun on her first day as a real explorer! She and her parents were taking a boat trip down the river. To her it was just one more adventure in her young life. But for her parents it was the adventure of a lifetime. They were floating down the mighty Amazon River! It was to be a three month family holiday!
Around noon, they woke the little girl. "It's time for lunch, dear. How would you like to have a picnic right here in the boat?" Asked her mother.
Suzy thought that was a fine idea. She clapped her hands, and asked if she could make the sandwiches. They spread a checkered cloth, and had sandwiches of every description. Suzy was an artist with bread and fixings! For dessert, they had some of the homemade cookies Grandma had insisted they take.
"Daddy, let's stop and look around for a while." She said after they finished eating. The jungle had thinned out. It looked inviting with the huge, colorful butterflies.
Her father nodded, and consulted with their guide. A short time later they were exploring the jungle. Suzy had kept a cookie, which was carefully tucked into her pocket. Somehow it made her feel prepared for anything. Like a real explorer!
With her father by her side, the five year old was allowed to choose the way to go for a short distance. She felt so grown up! She decided to take a pathway, which her dad called a game trail. When they heard a noise ahead, the guide took the lead.
It was a tiny monkey! The guide said it was an abandoned baby, or perhaps an orphan. It was too young to survive on its own. They should put it out of its misery.
Suzy didn't hear any of this. While the adults were talking, she had run over and scooped up the little creature. It was happily munching on the leftover cookie.
"Dad, can we keep him??? PLEASE!!! I promise to take good care of him!" Pled the child, obviously willing to promise anything to keep the small, furry creature.
"Yes but only if you promise to give him milk, and take care of him like a real baby." Said her smiling dad. Mom nodded her head in agreement.
Suzy promised, and she did a very good job. The two became the best of friends, and shared many adventures.
One time Geoff, as she had named him, even protected the entire group! Frightened, he climbed right onto Suzy's head, looking into the jungle. The guide checked in the direction he was staring and saw massive Jaguar tracks. "Young lady, your little friend here has probably saved one or more lives today!" The hardened guide declared. Suzy beamed with pride. Although late, they broke camp and floated for several more hours, carefully watching the bank to see if they were being followed.
When it was time to return to England, they were required to put Geoff in quarantine. All pets coming from foreign countries had to live in a cage away from their families for six months! It seemed like torture to both of them. The family visited as often as they could at first. But it just made it harder, so Mom and Dad decided once a month was enough.
When it was over, the two played just like they had never been apart. The whole family decided to celebrate with a picnic on the Thames River. Sandwiches made in the boat, of course! With Grandma's cookies too! And this time Grandma was there to enjoy them, which made it perfect.
Image taken by https://noise.cash/u/Sallybeth23 thanks so much for letting me use it :)
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