7

6

Rabbit was visiting her cousin Badger. It had been a long journey across the country. Badger was happy to see his cousin. They seldom visited each other because they lived so far apart.

Rabbit had traveled four days and three nights to visit Badger. She had to find her cousin because she needed help. She and Badger had always helped each other in times of trouble.

"There is this Monkey" said Rabbit. "He sits on a very high tree that spreads its branches across the whole lake. The rest of us have a hard time drinking at the lake because Monkey sits on the branches and bends them down over us. Then he whips us with sticks."

"Why don't Cats climb up the tree and chase him away?"

"They have been trying to. That Monkey is so nimble in the tree. He swings among the branches so deftly. They cannot catch him. After he swiped a few Cats off the branches into the water the Cats and everybody else gave up.

Now we have to walk half a day to drink at a small river in the other direction. It's a dangerous walk because we have to walk through territory where jackals and foxes live. I have been almost eaten by a fox more than once."

"Okay" said Badger, "let us go see what I can do to help."

Rabbit and Badger walked four days and three nights back to the lake. When they arrived, Badger went to the shore of the lake to drink water.

Sure enough, there was that Monkey swinging on the branches. He was carrying a big stick. He was waiting for Badger to try to drink water.

"Why are you doing this to us?" asked Badger. "This is not your lake. There is more than enough water for you and everybody else."

"Because I want everybody to feel what I feel," replied the Monkey, angrily.

"Let's see," said Badger. "It cannot be a feeling of thirst. You have enough water to drink. What is it, then?"

"It is not fair," cried the Monkey."

"Life is not fair to someone somewhere every minute of every day" said Badger. "Sometimes that can be prevented; sometimes it cannot.”

"Good!" interrupted Monkey, shouting angrily. "Then do not try to prevent me from making it difficult for anyone to come drink at this lake. Go away!"

Badger did not go away. He asked the Monkey, "How is life being unfair to you? Maybe I can help you."

"You cannot help me. You have a tail."

That reply puzzled Badger for a few seconds. He looked up at the Monkey. "Okay. I have a tail" said Badger. "That won't prevent me from helping you."

"I do not have a tail!" shouted the Monkey. "Can you not see that for yourself? Are you blind? You do not know how badly I feel about not having a tail. All other animals have tails. It is just not fair. So why should I not punish them for having tails?"

Badger peered steadily at the Monkey. The Monkey noticed Badger steadily peering at him.

"What are you looking at?" screamed the Monkey, swinging down on the branch. He took a swipe with a stick at Badger. Badger easily moved out of the way. Badger took a step back and asked the Monkey "Do you not know why you do not have a tail?"

"No!" yelled the Monkey. "It does not matter why I do not have a tail. I tried so hard for so long to grow a tail. I have given up. That is why I hate everybody who has a tail."

Badger said, "Monkey, you do not have a tail because you are special." "I don't want to be special!" screamed the Monkey, glaring at Badger. "I just want to be normal like every other animal. I want a tail! I want a tail! I want a tail!"

"Monkey, do you know how you got to this tree?" "No, I do not know how I got to this tree. What's that got to do with anything? I have been here all my life."

"So," said Badger, "nobody has told you about the Barbary Macaque monkeys?"

"I do not know what you are talking about. Go away. If you try drinking water from this lake, I will whack you with this stick."

"Monkey, Barbary Macaques are the only kind of monkeys that do not have tails. They live on the mountain of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean Sea. Everybody loves them, especially because they have no tails."

"The Mediterranean Sea?" "Yes. That's why you like this lake so much. It reminds you of the Mediterranean Sea."

"How did I get here? Isn't the Mediterranean Sea far away from here?"

"Very far away," said Badger. "I think you were captured by people when you were a baby. You were brought here. Somehow you escaped. You have been living in this tree ever since."

There was long a silence, during which the Monkey peered at Badger. The Monkey was looking for signs in Badger's behaviour to see if Badger was speaking truthfully.

Badger said, "Monkey, we can help you get back to Gibraltar. I am sure you have lots of family relatives there. You will see for yourself that all of them are happily special to have no tails.

The mountain of Gibraltar is much higher than this tree. You will love climbing to the top. Because you have no tail you won't get tired climbing to the very top of the mountain from where you will see the Mediterranean Sea which is much, much larger than this lake."

Monkey, the Barbary Macaque, was helped by the other animals. For five days and four nights they walked. Eventually they reached the mountain of Gibraltar where Monkey found lots of other Barbary Macaques without tails.

Indeed, the Gibraltar Barbary Macaques so loved having no tails that during Halloween season they staged plays for public entertainment in which they played comedic characters that had all kinds of long tails!

Best of all, Monkey found his Dad, and his Mom, and his brothers and sisters.

He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw how wide the Mediterranean Sea was. It was so wide he could not see the other shore of the Mediterranean Sea from the very top of Gibraltar mountain.

He apologized to Badger and Rabbit and Squirrel, and all the other animals for not letting them drink at the lake. All of them forgave Monkey. Some of them decided to not take the return journey of five days and four nights. Instead, they lived happily ever after with the Barbary Macaques on the island mountain of Gibraltar.