Monkey's Furry Tail

The story I’m about to tell now, it wasn’t me who wrote it. Actually, I heard it from my mother, who has heard from her sister and then, the story has been through generations and more generations in my family. Now, it’s my turn to tell it, just the way I think it should be told.

Once upon a time, there was a roguish monkey. Yes, it was a monkey. With a big pink butt and a furry tail so everyone could see him. The ape was not interested in things like work or study; He was always sleeping or eating. Once, he sat on a train track and decided he was going to sleep there. That’s when his friend Cat decided to warn him:

“Be careful Monkey, if you don’t want to lose your tail.”

“I’ll never lose it, pal. I was born with this tail and I will die with it.” Answered the Roguish Monkey, with a big smile.

“If you say so... But I still rather to warn you. If you sleep on those tracks, A train will come and CUT your tail off.”

The Monkey totally ignored the warning and closed his eyes. Slept. Dreamed. So the tragedy that the Cat said, became true. The train quickly came and the furry tail fell from the Pink butt. The Monkey woke up very later and just missed his tail when He got up.

“AAAHHHH MY TAIL! MY BEAUTIFUL TAIL! WHERE IS IT?” And he shouted until his voice disappeared.

“I warned you, but you didn’t pay attention, Monkey.” Said the Cat with a roguish smile, just like the Monkey’s. “But you are a lucky ape. I have saved your tail.”

“GIVE IT TO ME! GIVE ME! GIVE ME MY TAIL!”

“I’ll give it to you, but first, I want you to give me a bowl of milk. Give it to me so we can change our prices. Do we have a deal?.”

“But where will I find milk?”

“On that farm over there, you will find a Cow.”

The Monkey went out and walked to the farm where he met the Cow, who could give him milk.

“Mrs. Cow, coul you give me milk, so I could give it to the Cat, so the Cat could give me my tail?” Asked the Monkey.

“Muuu. I’ll give you the milk, but for that, I’ll need grass. If you give me Grass, I’ll give you all the Milk you want” Said Mrs. Cow.

“But where could I find grass?”

“Up ahead, there’s the Old Lady’s house. She may have grass.”

So the Monkey went looking for the Old Lady.

“Mrs. Old Lady, cold you give me grass, so I could give it to the Cow, so the Cow could give me milk, so I could give the milk to the Cat, so the Cat could give me my tail?” Asked the Monkey.

“Of course I’ll give you the grass, but, for that, I’ll need a pair of boots. If you give me a new one, I’ll give you all the Grass you need.” Answered the Old Lady.

“But where could I find boots?”

“Up ahead, there’s a shoemaker. Ask him.”

So the Monkey went looking for the Shoemaker, to find the boots for the Old Lady.

“Mr. Shoemaker, could you give me a pair of boots, so I could give it to the Old Lady, so she could give me grass, so I could give it to the Cow, so the Cow could give me milk, so I could give the milk to the Cat, so the Cat could give me my tail?” Asked the Monkey.

“Yes, yes. However, for that, I’ll need leather to make the boots.” Said the Shoemaker.

“And where could I find leather?”

“Up ahead, at the stockyard, there’s a Pig. He may give you the leather.”

So the Monkey went after the Pig to get leather.

“Mr. Pig, do you have leather, so I could give it to the Shoemaker, so He could give me boots, so I could give them to the Old Lady, so she could give me grass, so I could give it to the Cow, so the Cow could give me milk, so I could give the milk to the Cat, so the Cat could give me my tail?” Asked the Monkey.

“Yes, I do.” Said the Pig.

“Ok, what do you need?”

“Well, I wasn’t going to ask anything, but, if you insist, can you see that mud over there? Give me a few of it so I could have some fun..”

The Monkey took the mud and gave it to the Pig. Like promised, the Pig gave him the leather that the Shoemaker needed. The Shoemaker used it to make a beautiful pair of boots for the Old Lady. The Old Lady went to the garden and took the few Grass that the Monkey used to feed the Cow, that gave him the bowl of milk..

When He found the Cat,the Monkey gave him the bowl. The Cat drank it all, and then, the Monkey asked:

“So... Where’s my tail?”

“Oh, yeah.” Remembered the Cat. “So, I was keeping it to you, but you were so delayed that it started to stink... The smell was terrible, so, the Trash Truck came and took it. But don’t be sad Monkey...”

So the Monkey went back to the train track and yelled: “I WANT MY TAIL! I WANT MY TAIL!”

Original: "O Rabo do Macaco"- VIEIRA, Guilherme Moraes