Mimi Monkey and The Great Mountain

A ray of bright morning sun shone onto the face of a monkey named Mimi who was sweetly sleeping on a tree. She opened her eye and then immediately squinted.

– Mimi, wake up! –  she heard her mother's voice

The monkey opened her eyes and sweetly stretched. Then she got up, ripped juicy green leaves from the branch that she was sleeping on, jumped on another one, where Mum was sitting with Dad and gave her mother the bouquet.

– Thank you, daughter – Mimi’s Mum smiled and ate the leaves.

– Good morning, Mimi! – her Dad exclaimed.

– Good morning! – Mimi climbed onto her Dad's lap and started eating a banana.

– Where are you going with your friends today? – Mimi’s Mum asked.

– We’re going on a hike to the Great Mountain! – the monkey answered, pointing towards the volcano.

– Be careful, – Dad warned – The Great Mountain is still sleeping, but it can wake up at any moment and start erupting red burning water. That happened many years ago.

– Don’t worry, Dad, – Mimi answered – we will go there and come right back.  I'll be home for dinner.

Mum and Dad kissed Mimi and the monkey headed to the tree where her friends lived. Clinging to lianas, she was jumping skillfully from branch to branch.

– Look, Kiki! Mimi is rushing towards us! – the monkey Lily happily exclaimed to her brother. – Hello, Mimi!

– Hi! Well, are you ready for a trip to The Great Mountain? – Mimi shouted, swinging on liana.

– Hi! Of course, let's go! – said Kiki, bouncing with impatience.

– Let’s go! – shouted Lily, eating a ripe mango.

So three monkeys went to The Great Mountain. While jumping from tree to tree, they were telling each other various stories, making jokes and laughing. They always had fun together.

When they came out of the forest, the friends jumped to the ground. They could already see the ancient volcano. Monkeys had been dreaming for a long time to get to this unusual royal mountain and look at it closer.

– Let’s come and see if Roar is already here – Lily said, pointing to a pile of boulders nearby. Normally that’s where their tiger cub friend Roar would rest after dinner. He would often play with the monkeys and travel with them to new places.

As they came closer,  Roar immediately jumped out from behind the stones.

– Hello friends! – he greeted them with joy. – Where are you heading?

– To The Great Mountain. – Lily replied proudly.

– Dad said it was a dangerous mountain. – Mimi warned.

– But we will only take a peek, just a little peek. – Kiki said.

– I'm going with you! – Roar jumped with impatience. – I will also have a very quick glimpse and then go home!

– It will be more fun if we’re together! – said Mimi and the friends hit the road.

– Have you had lunch, Roar?” – Kiki asked the tiger jokingly .

– Don’t worry, Kiki, little monkeys aren’t tasty. – Roar answered cheerfully and the friends laughed.

They didn’t realise the time whilst chatting when they finally found themselves on the volcano. The volcano top seemed to be very close.

– Look!– said Lily – some red splashes are visible on the top of the mountain!

– Let’s come closer! – shouted Roar. All of them wanted to see that miracle so much! Mimi remembered that her Dad had warned her, but she still went with very close to the crater with her friends.

– Look at this beautiful red water inside! – pointed Kiki.

The monkeys and the tiger stood bewitched. They had never seen anything like that before.

Suddenly the dangerous hot lava, which the friends had called “red water”, erupted beside them. They felt the heat coming from it.

– Run! – Mimi cried anxiously. – Dad said it was very dangerous!

Everyone started running. Lily and Kiki were running without looking back, frightened by the fiery water. Just before reaching the forest, they stopped, looked around and realized that Mimi and Roar weren’t there.

– Where are they? – Kiki asked anxiously.

– Maybe something has happened to them. – Lily answered.

– We have to come back – said Kiki.

– But … red water …is there – Lily muttered bewilderedly.

– Lily, our friends need help! – replied her brother.

Coming back, they saw Roar running towards them, and Mimi lying on his back clutching his neck. Her eyes were full of tears.

– What has happened, Roar? – monkeys shouted all at once.

– Mimi stepped into the fiery water – answered the tiger cub catching his breath – we need to take her home.

Roar rushed through the dense forest, and Lily with Kiki were jumping on trees, trying to keep up with him.

Sitting on the ground by a tree, Mimi’s mum saw Roar running towards her. She didn’t get scared as Roar was a good-natured tiger cub indeed and she knew it. Then she saw Mimi sitting on his back.

– What is the matter with you, Mimi? – Mum asked anxiously.

The friends told their Mum about everything

Monkey mum put her daughter on the back and took Mimi home.

Shortly after that Dad returned with some fresh fruit.

– Mimi, honey, what has happened? – Dad asked his daughter in dismay when he saw her so frightened.

– My leg… it was burned by the red breath of The Great Mountain … Sorry, daddy, you warned me that I should have been more careful, but I did not obey you! We really wanted to see what was inside! The red splashes were so beautiful…

Dad sighed, hugged Mimi gently and said:

– Don’t worry, I will invite Lemur now, and he will heal your leg. Everything will be ok!

Lemur was an old venerable doctor. He was very fond of children and would treat everyone who sought help. When Dad told him what had happened, he brought some herbs to Mimi,  put them on the bottom of coconut shells and filled them with water.

– Give Mimi this water, – he told Mum and Dad adding – Love, tenderness and care will help her more quickly!

Then Lemur put some cold leaves of liana on the injured leg and wished to get well soon.

Every day Roar would bring some water from the waterfall for preparing medicine. Lily and Kiki collected some beautiful tropical flowers to cheer Mimi up.

– Your leg will heal soon and we will jump from tree to tree again! – they promised Mimi and these words made her smile.

Mum and Dad were always nearby. They would hug their daughter, tell her funny stories and read fairy tales. Dad would feed Mimi her favourite ripe bananas, Mum would sing songs and stroked the injured leg.

– Look Mimi, the mark from The Great Mountain’s breath on your leg is getting smaller and smaller! – said the parents.

Indeed, the monkey was getting better every day. It wasn’t surprising actually as she was feeling great care and love. Lemur's medicine was bitter, but she would gladly drink it being encouraged by her beloved ones. After that she would take a bright flower from the basket to cheer herself up.

Then Mum would stroke her leg, sing a lullaby and Mimi would fall asleep peacefully.

One morning, the monkey woke up, moved her wounded leg and shouted joyfully:

– Mommy, Daddy! My leg does not hurt anymore!

She jumped on the branch where her parents were sitting, and hugged them tightly.

– Mimi, we are so glad! -Mum exclaimed hugging her daughter.

Roar, Lily and Kiki came by soon. Having heard good news they were jumping for joy and hugging Mimi.

By the time her friends arrived, Dad had brought a large basket of fragrant fruit and berries. They ate all those goodies with delight, and even Roar tasted a piece of sweet watermelon for the first time.

Now all of them knew that love could make wonders.