This is a story about a girl
named Madilynn and her trusty pal, Granola. Madilynn was five years
old and loved adventures; particularly those that involved nature.
Granola had been with Madilynn as long as she could remember and made
sure to stay close to her side on all of her great adventures. They
were a team. Where ever Madilynn went, Granola went, too. If she
couldn't, she sat in Madilynn's room, watching out her bedroom window
and waiting, rather impatiently, until she returned.
The
day had started just like any other Saturday. Granola woke up with
the sun and jumped on Madilynn's bed, straddling her shoulders as she
promptly made sure there were no cookie crumbs left from the night
before. Granola took her morning face licking job very seriously and
did not stop until Madilynn gave up with lots of giggles and snorts.
“Oh Granola, you silly dog! You slobbered all over my face! Now
what am I going to do with you?” She stood up and put one hand on
her hip with a smile on her face. “Hmmm…” She tapped the side
of her head, thinking very hard. Just then, she heard a noise
outside her window. It sounded like a parade. “But who would be
playing music at this time?” Madi asked herself. It was only six in
the morning. She pulled the curtain from the window as she and
Granola looked outside. They couldn't believe their eyes! Marching
down the street was a band of monkeys. “MONKEYS!” Madilynn
squealed as Granola yelped in excitement. “I can't believe it!
Hurry, Granola! Let's see where they're going!”
Madilynn
ran around the room, gathering her supplies and tossing them in her
back pack as she shouted, “Magnifying glass, CHECK! Butterfly net,
CHECK! Tweezers, CHECK! Compass, double CHECK!” Granola bounded
around the room in a frenzy, looking in every nook and cranny. She
grabbed her ball and dropped it into the backpack. “Oh Granola! You
silly dog!” Madilynn giggled as she grabbed her umbrella, just in
case. She looked at Granola and said, “You never know when you'll
get caught in a rain storm! We want to be prepared for anything and
everything.” She winked and nodded as she headed to the kitchen.
She came back with a jar of peanut butter, a box of crackers and two
bananas; one for her and one for Granola. In no time at all, they
were out the door and down the street, following the sound of the
music.
Madilynn and Granola quickly noticed that this was no ordinary parade where everyone marched in unison, and these most certainly were not ordinary monkeys. Actually, Madi had never even seen a real live monkey before and thought for a moment that it was a bit peculiar, but was happy that they had come to visit just the same.
There
were ten monkeys in all. She counted them, just to be sure, which was
quite difficult, because they were running and dancing around, like,
well...wild monkeys! Her head bobbed around as she counted each one.
“One, Two, Three... Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight... Nine, TEN! Ten
monkeys!” she yelled. Madilynn and Granola looked around in
amazement as they realized that they not only were singing and
dancing, but each monkey played an instrument, too!
They
laughed and clapped as one big, fuzzy one was banging on a drum.
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM! The
others tooted their horns, shook tambourines, and squeaked on kazoos.
Then they all started to sing a song. It went a little bit like
this...
“I'M
A MONKEY, YOU'RE A MONKEY!
IN
A MONKEY WORLD...WE LIVE!
JOIN
US... ON OUR JOURNEY!
AROUND
THE WORLD ...WE GO!”
Madilynn
and Granola followed the band down the street and were surprised that
hardly anybody in town seemed to notice them. Maybe
they’re still sleeping, she
thought. After all, it was just a little past six in the morning.
Most people slept in on the weekend. “Not us!” Madilynn said as
she winked at Granola and patted her head. They liked to get a jump
on the day and start their adventures as early as possible.
Madilynn
and Granola were curious to see where the monkeys were going, so they
decided to march behind them down the street. Soon their little
parade made its way to the outskirts of town.
Then
something caught Madilynn's eye, off in the distance. It was unlike
anything they had ever seen before. “Granola, LOOK!” Madilynn
yelled as she pointed in the distance. “It's a ZEPPELIN!” As if
seeing a band of monkeys marching through town was not enough, it
seemed that the universe had provided another great phenomenon for
them to behold. They stood there in the street, awestruck. It looked
like a cross between a submarine and a hot air balloon. Madilynn had
seen a picture of one once in a giant book at the library. Then, it
had seemed like make-believe, but now she could see one for real,
right in front of her and Granola's eyes! She could hardly contain
her excitement. The size was as big as a circus tent, decorated in
bright, happy colors of blue, red and yellow. “This must be a
dream!” she said to Granola. Suddenly, Madilynn pinched herself and
yanked on Granola's tail. Granola yelped. “Sorry, Granola. I was
just checking to make sure we weren't dreaming. You know I love you.”
Granola's tail wagged, as if to say that she forgave her.
Slowly
and carefully the two marched forward, as if in a daze. “Wow,
Granola, I never thought I would see a real zeppelin before! Did
you?” Madilynn liked to talk to Granola as if she would speak back
to her. She knew that she couldn't talk, but somehow she always made
her feel safe. Madilynn trusted her and knew she wouldn't steer her
wrong. Granola roofed twice as if to say, “Let’s go!” and so
they continued to march on.
As
they got closer, she could see some colorful tents and a creek
nearby. “What a neat little camping spot!” she told Granola. They
loved to camp, but hadn't been since the summer before.
She
was so busy looking at the scenery that she hadn't noticed that the
monkeys had suddenly stopped playing. They were chattering amongst
themselves and packing up their instruments. She and Granola looked
around and saw that the monkeys came in all different colors, shapes,
and sizes. There were fat ones and skinny ones, brown ones and white
ones, and even a tiny one that seemed to her to be the most
interesting one of all. He was looking at them and talking to the
others, and then he started to walk toward them.
“Hi!
My name's Mango! What's yours?” asked the tiny monkey.
“I'm
Madilynn Paige, but you can call me Madi P. for short, and this is my
pal, Granola! She's a little bit shy at first.” Madilynn patted
Granola on the head. “She gets nervous when meeting strangers for
the first time,” she explained. Just then, Mango did something that
made Madilynn burst with laughter. He smiled and walked right up to
Granola, putting her nose in his hands and giving her a great big
kiss! It surprise Granola just a little bit, but she loved kisses so
much that she promptly licked Mango's face in return. Soon her tail
was wagging so hard, you would have thought that they had been
friends for years. “Well, for cryin' out loud in the summer time!”
Madilynn shouted. “I have never seen Granola act like that to a
stranger! You must really be special!” Madilynn was glad that
Granola liked Mango. She had good instincts about people; instincts
you could trust. Madilynn supposed that her instincts about monkeys
were just as good.
Before
long, Mango was showing Madilynn and Granola around the camp site
like he was their designated tour guide. He explained that they were
just visiting the area and would be shoving off in a couple of days.
This piqued their curiosity and Madilynn and Granola wondered where
they were planning to go next.
The
day flew by quickly, as they had fun flying kites, catching
butterflies, and telling stories. Soon, they found themselves sitting
around the camp fire roasting sausages on sticks.
Mango
was a curious monkey and thought that Madilynn seemed very
intelligent for a human of her size. “Madi P., I was wondering,
just how old are you?” he asked. “You seem so wise, but look very
young.” Madilynn laughed.
“Today
I'm five years old, but tomorrow is my birthday and then I will be
six!” she said with excitement. Madilynn always thought that
birthdays were so much fun.
Mango
then shook both of her hands at once and said to her, “My dear
child, tomorrow we must have a birthday party, but today you must
first make a wish!” Madilynn smiled and closed her eyes for a
moment to concentrate on what to wish for.
Mango
broke her concentration by gently tapping her on her shoulder, “Oh
Miss Madilynn, you must share your wish with all of us, or you will
not receive it.” He motioned for her to stand up in front of the
group, smiling to encourage her to share her birthday wish. Madilynn
stood up and took a deep breath.
“I
wish I could have....a ….giant....blueberry as big as my head!”
she blurted out. Quickly, she covered her mouth with both hands, her
eyes open wide. She couldn't believe she had uttered the words. What
an incredibly crazy wish,
she thought. Madilynn had never shared her birthday wish before. It
had always been a big, fat secret. But this time, Mango told her that
she must share, and share she did. Slowly, she let her hands fall to
her sides and a smile came to her face as all the monkeys clapped
their hands.
“Yay!
Woohoo!” The monkeys hooped and hollered, as one shook a
tambourine, and one banged a drum. Then all at once, they started to
sing...
“I'M
A MONKEY, YOU'RE A MONKEY!
IN
A MONKEY WORLD...WE LIVE!
JOIN
US ON OUR JOURNEY!
AROUND
THE WORLD ...WE GO!”
That
night, before Madilynn and Granola headed for home, Mango presented
her with a special gift. “Dear Miss Madilynn, today we have the
pleasure to call you friend and tomorrow we will have a party in your
honor! I offer to you a treasure, found on one of my many
explorations!” She looked down and saw him holding a beautiful pink
seashell. He gently placed it in her hands and said thoughtfully,
“You must listen with your heart and you will always find the
truth.” Madilynn promised to always treasure the beautiful pink
seashell and keep it safe. She thanked Mango and all the monkeys for
their hospitality before setting off for home.
Later
that night while she lay in her comfy bed, Madilynn thought of all
the days' events. It almost seemed like a dream, but she was certain
that it was not. She giggled to herself as Granola started to snore
at the foot of her bed. Madilynn could hardly wait for the next day
to come. She knew that it was going to be the best birthday yet.
Madilynn
was awakened by her trusty friend, Granola, washing her face the next
morning. She loved that dog so much. Granola had been by her side
since the day she was born and they were best friends; always had
been and always will be.
Madilynn
wiped the slobber from her cheeks and the sleep from her eyes as she
yawned. “Boy, was I sleepy,” she said. She stretched and looked
around the room. Her eyes rested on the pretty pink sea shell on her
bedside table. Suddenly, she woke up from her dreamy fog and
remembered the day before more clearly. “What was it the monkey
told me yesterday?” she asked out loud, as if Granola would tell
her the answer. She closed her eyes to think. “Oh Yeah! I know! He
said you
must listen with your heart and you will always find the truth.
Hmmm....I wonder what that means?” she asked herself, as she tapped
her mouth in concentration. She reached for the sea shell and brought
it close to her ear, her eyes wide with curiosity. Her eyes got as
big as silver dollars. “Oh Granola, you should hear this!”
Granola's ears perked up in attention as her tail thumped on the bed
in excitement. Madilynn heard the ocean waves whooshing alongside a
beach coming from inside the seashell. Whoosh,
whoosh, whoosh,
ever so softly and gently to her ear. Then, she thought she heard a
voice. She wasn't sure, thinking that maybe she had imagined it. She
put the seashell up to her other ear, to see if she could hear any
better out of that one. “Granola! You have GOT to hear this!” She
put the sea shell up to Granola's ear for her to hear, and then
quickly yanked it back to her own. “It's someone talking! I just
know it is! He's asking for our help, Granola! Oh my!” she said
worriedly. “He must be stuck in there!” she said. “Oh, Granola,
we have to do something before it’s too late!” Granola yelped
once, as if to say, “Yes!” and off they went.
With
her back pack thrown over one shoulder, still wearing her nightgown
and slippers, Madilynn was out the door and down the street as fast
as her little feet would take her. Granola scampered by her side,
tail wagging and tongue panting in anticipation. Granola wasn't so
sure about this expedition, but she knew that she must go just in
case Madilynn needed her, and so she followed.
Madilynn
began to speak to Granola, as if to explain what all the fuss was
about. “Now Granola, I know what you must be thinking, but we have
to talk to Mango! We need to tell him that there is someone stuck in
that sea shell! Maybe he will know what to do. If anybody knows, he
will!” She nodded her head, trying to convince herself as well as
Granola that she wasn't crazy. “I'm sure of it, Granola! Don't you
worry! Every thing's going to be alright!”
So
Madilynn and Granola followed their noses and tried to remember how
they got to the monkey camp site the day before. It had all happened
so fast and she wasn't really sure where to go. Just then, she saw a
tiny, brightly colored flag flying in the distance, waving like a
long lost friend. She hadn't noticed it the day before, but now she
knew it must be the place. The flag was yellow and red and blue, just
like the zeppelin! She patted Granola's head. “See, Granola? There
it is! We're getting close! And you thought we were lost! Silly dog!
You know I always bring my compass, just in case we need it!” she
reassured Granola. Madilynn didn't mention the time when they went
hunting for bullfrogs and completely got bamboozled. She was so
excited; she could barely contain herself as she pointed to the
little flag, “Granola, quick! Let's go!”
They
found Mango down by the creek sitting on a stump, fishing for
breakfast. “Hi guys!” he said, as he waved to them.
“Oh
Mango,” Madilynn started. “I'm so glad I found you! Something is
wrong! Something is terribly wrong!”
“Dear,
dear,” he said. “Come sit down and tell me what is troubling you,
child.” Mango had a way of making her feel better and she didn't
know why. He just had that way about him, she guessed.
Madilynn
sat on the ground in front of him and took a deep breath, trying to
calm herself. “Mango, I know this might sound crazy, but…well, I
heard someone in the seashell you gave me last night. At first I
heard the ocean, because, you know that if you listen to a sea shell,
you will hear the ocean, and I did.” She paused. “But then, I
heard a voice. I heard someone calling for help! Oh, Mango, what can
we do?” Madilynn pleaded with Mango to help.
“There,
there, child. Don't be distraught. This day is a day of celebration.
Is it not?” Madilynn thought for a moment, and then remembered that
it was her birthday. She had completely forgotten all about it! Then
she looked down and realized that she was still wearing her pajamas
and was a little bit embarrassed. “Oh my goodness! It is my
birthday! I completely forgot,” she said. “I guess I forgot to
get dressed, too,” she blushed.
“Not
a problem, my dear child!” he said, as he patted her hand. “We
have a birthday tradition! We will give you a ceremonial birthday
dress! Then we will sing and dance and make a big feast!” Mango
stood up and quickly clapped his hands twice to summon two more
monkeys. In no time at all, they were standing in front of him,
bowing in servitude.
“At
your service, Sir,” they said in unison.
“My
dear friends, today is a joyful day! It is this dear child's
birthday! Please see to it that she is dressed in the ceremonial
birthday dress and given her some refreshment! Don't forget her
trusty companion, Granola! She will require food and drink as well,”
he said cheerfully.
Mango's
friends gently took her by the hand and led her and Granola to one of
the colorful tents. They gave her a dress to change into made of
beautiful silk fabric in colors of red, blue and purple. Madilynn had
never seen a dress so pretty and felt very special.
After
she had changed, the monkeys gave her a silver goblet of fresh
squeezed orange juice to quench her thirst and a bowl of water for
Granola. One monkey combed and braided her hair, while the other
played music on his ukulele.
Madilynn
began to get sleepy and looked around the tent for a spot to rest.
She noticed a cot, just her size with a little velvet pillow. It
looked so inviting that she thought she might like to lay down for a
nap. She realized that in all the excitement, she and Granola had
missed their nap-time the day before, and suddenly she could barely
keep her eyes open. She thanked the monkeys for being so nice to her
and Granola and asked for a little quiet time to rest. Soon Madilynn
was curled up on the cot like a sleepy cat. Granola quickly took her
cue and crawled underneath the tiny bed and rolled herself up in a
ball. In two shakes of a lamb’s ear, they both were snoring like a
couple of polar bears.
Madilynn
awoke to wet doggy kisses. Granola was licking her face,
unmercifully, trying to wake her up. I
must have slept a long time,
she thought. “Ok, ok, Granola! I'm awake,” she said sleepily.
Madilynn tried to remember where she was, when the smell of smoked
turkey entered the tent. “Oh, Granola! I'm so hungry! Aren't you?”
Granola nodded and wagged her tail in agreement. Granola definitely
thought it was time to eat. They got up and shook the sleep from
their eyes. “Man, was I tired. I wonder where Mango is?” she
asked, looking toward Granola.
In
an instant, as if he'd been summoned by a bell, Mango appeared at the
entrance of the tent. “Good afternoon, my dears! Did you have a
nice rest?”
“Yes,
thank you, Mango,” she said. “We had a lovely nap. Now could we
please talk about the person in the sea shell?” she asked Mango,
sweetly. “It sounds like he needs our help, don't you think?”
“Oh
yes, of course, my dear child,” he said politely. “You see, some
riddles take time to be solved and time must pass before they can be
answered. Please, let me take a listen to that sea shell and see if I
can hear anything that can shed some light on the situation.”
Madilynn
took the sea shell out of her backpack and gently handed it to Mango.
“Hmm, hmm, mmhmm, very interesting,” he said as he nodded and
handed the sea shell back to Madilynn. “Did you hear him? The man?
Did he say anything to you?” Madilynn implored. Mango gently put
his hand up and waved it side to side.
“Dear
child, you must calm down. If you let your emotions take control of
you, the truth will not be revealed to us so clearly.” He raised a
finger, as if to hush her and said, “There is only one thing to do
if you want to save the person you hear in the seashell. We must go
where the seashell came from and there we will find the voice that
beckons you.”
Madilynn
looked at Granola and Granola looked back at Madilynn. “Does that
mean you will take us?” she asked Mango.
He
nodded his head and smiled as he said, “Of course I will! I would
love nothing more than to return to that area of the world. The
crystal blue waters, delicious fruits, and sandy beaches are like
nothing you’ve ever seen before. This truly will be a trip to
remember!” he said thoughtfully.
“Ok,
then! Let's go!” Madilynn shouted.
“Yes,
dear child. We will go. But not before we feast!” Mango said,
laughing a big belly laugh.
Mango
led them to the other monkeys, where they were cooking and playing
joyful music. Madi had never smelled anything quite so amazing. She
could see all of her favorite foods; smoked turkey legs, blueberries,
mangoes, and even banana pie! “Banana pie!” She squealed in
delight. “My favorite!” She and granola danced around in
excitement and could hardly wait to eat. They had worked up quite an
appetite. Madilynn was happy to see that Granola was enjoying
herself, too. “Yes,” she told Granola, “we will go where the
sea shell came from later… but not before we feast!” she giggled.
Before
they ate, Mango took Madilynn and Granola around to introduce them to
all of his friends and made them feel welcome. It was as if she had
known them all for a very long time. She couldn't put her finger on
it, but she was sure that Mango was a very special monkey. She was
glad to be his friend.
Ding,
Ding, Ding!
Someone was clanging a spoon on the back of a metal plate to get
their attention. She guessed it was something like a dinner bell.
They all took a place around a long table. Madilynn had never eaten
at a table of this size and thought for a moment that this must be
how the nobles felt when they feasted in the grand castles. She
imagined herself a princess, feasting with the monkeys and her best
pal, Granola.
Mango
had even given Granola a turkey leg of her own and let her sit at her
feet, just like she did at home. Madilynn, Granola, and all the merry
monkeys ate until their bellies were so full that they couldn't even
think of taking another bite.
After
the meal, Madilynn needed to get up and move around a little bit, or
else she knew she would get sleepy. She and Granola danced around and
played games with the monkeys until they could dance no more.
Madilynn
sat down to rest when she saw the little flag flying on top of the
zeppelin in the distance. “Let's take a walk and get a closer look
at that zeppelin,” she whispered into Granola's floppy ear.
Madilynn was an inquisitive child and this time was no different. She
wanted to explore a bit.
While
they were eating, Madilynn noticed two colorful birds perched outside
the zeppelin. It was almost as if they were guarding it. She thought
now was the perfect time to investigate, while everyone was busy
singing and dancing. They walked toward the zeppelin and saw that it
was tied down like a tent, with ropes. The two colorful birds were
parrots, perched at the entrance. They were bobbing their heads up
and down, squawking back and forth.
“Squawk!
Looks like a little girl and her dog,” squawked the one on the
right.
“Squawwk!
Wonder what they want!” squawked the other.
“Treasure!
Diamonds and gold!” squawked the first again.
“We
don't have any stinking treasure!” squawked the bird on the left.
“Who
knows what little girls want?” squawked the right one.
“Maybe
she's nice, maybe she's not!” squawked the other.
“We
Shall see!” the birds squawked in unison.
Madilynn
and Granola looked at each other in surprise. It sounded as if these
birds didn't trust her very much. Who
can blame them?
she thought. They certainly didn't know her and Granola. “It's only
natural to be wary of strangers,” she said out loud. Madilynn
decided to try and get to know them and so they headed in that
direction. The closer they got, the faster the parrots bobbed up and
down.
“LOOK,
here they come! Look! Here they come!” they squawked together.
“Hi,
my name is Madilynn and this is my trusty pal, Granola! Don't worry,
she likes birds,” Madilynn said sweetly to the parrots. She could
tell they were a wee bit nervous about Granola and she understood,
somehow. They were birds after all, and Granola was a dog, though a
very well-behaved one.
“So,
why are you two way over here?” Madilynn asked. “Don't you want
to sing and eat with the rest of them?”
One
of the birds squawked, “Watchin' the ship! Watchin' the ship!”
“Keepin'
it safe! Keepin' it safe!” squawked the other. They bobbed up and
down and said no more. Madilynn and Granola could see that the birds
took their job rather seriously and decided to leave them be and head
back to join the others.
When
they got closer, Mango ran up to her. “Come, come dear! We are
ready to sit around the bonfire now! Then I will share our idea.”
He winked as he said this and motioned for her and Granola to follow
him.
The
other monkeys were talking merrily amongst themselves while one
played the flute. Mango patted a stump for her to sit on and she sat
and listened. The music was mesmerizing and seemed to take her to a
faraway place.
From
across the bonfire, she saw Mango stand on a stump and clap his
hands. He raised his arms up in the air to gather everyone's
attention as a quiet hush filled the air.
Mango
began to speak.
“My
dear friends, I would like to share with you a story; A true story
that I had almost forgotten, until Madilynn came to visit us today.
Long ago there was an island that was said to be more beautiful than
any man or beast had ever seen, but it was rumored to have a spell
cast upon it. For this reason it remained virtually uninhabited.
Well, I was young and very stubborn about some things. I didn't
believe in magic and the like so I was unimpressed by these silly
rumors. Then there came a time during my many explorations when I
grew bored of ordinary places and decided to gather a few of my
friends together for a voyage. We all threw caution to the wind and
set sail for the lost Isle of Sinaugwa. We all were young and full of
hope and promise. We didn’t have a worry in the world and weren’t
going to let a few old wives’ tales deter us. We set off for a
grand adventure.”
“It
took us sixteen days to reach her and what we found was a site for
sore eyes. The island had the most fertile ground that we had ever
seen. The fruits and vegetables grew wild and plentiful; sweeter and
even tangier than any we had tasted. The trees were bigger and even
the birds' songs were prettier than any we had ever heard.”
“Now,
my friends, before this particular voyage, I didn't believe in fairy
tales and the like. But after seeing the size of the bees and the
butterflies there, I knew I had witnessed something not of this
world. The bumble bees were the size of your fist! The butterflies
even larger! I began to think I was suffering from heat stroke and
was beginning to see things. I chalked it up to being over tired and
hungry, quickly retiring myself below deck to get some much needed
shut eye.”
“Sometime
during the night, I was awoken by a commotion. The crew was having an
argument above deck and had called a meeting. Then someone motioned
for a vote. Evidently, someone got spooked and now they were all
ready to go home. Long story short, I was out-voted. I never found
out what they saw, but from the look of fright in their eyes, I
imagined it was no small thing.”
“I
respected the crew's vote and agreed to set sail in the morning. And
that was that. I honestly thought that the oddities about the island
were just a geographical phenomenon, and of no danger to us. But,
whatever caused everything to grow at a greater size and pace than
what we were accustomed had spooked the crew and they had had enough
of it. Like I said, I was out-voted, so we planned to set sail for
home at first light.”
“Now,
mind you, it had been a tradition of mine to take something from each
of my adventures to share with the family and friends back home and
this time was no different. That night before I retired back to my
bunk, I saw something glistening by the moonlight in the distance. I
decided to take a quick stroll on the beach and find out what was
attracting the moon's attention. What I found was a beautiful pink
sea shell. It seemed to shine from the inside out. The reflection of
the moon seemed magical against its pearly surface. I knew that this
would be my treasure from the long lost Isle of Sinaugwa to share
with the folks back home. I quickly tossed it in my satchel and
headed back to the ship.”
“Over
the years, I had pretty much forgotten about the sea shell, but kept
it around for old time's sake. Then, when I met Madilynn and she told
me about her birthday, I searched in my things for a gift. I found it
at the bottom of my chest and figured it might give the girl a bit of
good luck, so I gave it to her as a birthday present. Well, today she
came to me, not in joy, but in fear, telling me that she had heard a
voice in it!” Hearing this, the monkeys gasped and grew restless
and began murmuring back and forth.
Mango
motioned for them to hush and continued. “My dear friends, I speak
to you tonight, not only to tell you of this story about a long lost
island and its treasures, but to implore you to embark on a very
important expedition. Our young friend, Madilynn, has discovered that
someone is in need of our help. I believe this someone is on the Isle
of Sinaugwa. Now I am asking each and every one of you for your
assistance and trust in me to take you to this island and bring you
back again in once piece.”
Just
then someone yelled from the back, “I motion for a vote! All in
favor say Aye!”
In
one loud yell the entire band of monkeys and Madilynn yelled, “Aye!”
It was unanimous! They were heading for the Island of Sinaugwa and
she and Granola were going to help that person, if it was the last
thing they did!
The
monkeys jumped up and down, singing as they hooped and hollered.
Then, just like she and Granola did the day before, everyone began to
run around in a fury. They banged pots and pans as they went around
filling satchels and crates as fast as they could.
Madilynn
could scarcely believe it. They were going on a voyage with a band of
monkeys, and riding in a zeppelin, no less! She chuckled to herself.
It was almost too much for her to take in. Then she looked down at
her trusty companion, Granola, and knew everything was going to be
alright. As long as they stuck together, nothing would go wrong. She
believed that with all her might. She had to.
Mango
found his way back to Madilynn's side and grabbed her hand, patting
it. “Don't you worry, my dear! We will find your friend and have
him safe and sound in no time, no time at all!” The buzz of the
monkeys was so loud, Madilynn could barely hear Mango telling her all
about the zeppelin as she boarded it. She heard the parrots squawk,
though.
“Girl
and her dog! Girl and her dog!” they squawked together as the crew
passed the threshold.
“I
can't wait to show you the cabins!” Mango said excitedly. “You
and Granola will have one of your own, of course. The zeppelin is a
thing of beauty,” he continued proudly, just like he was captain of
a ship. “It's a bit like a submarine, except that it flies. You
will love it, wait and see!”
Mango
showed Madilynn and Granola to their cabin and asked one of the
monkeys to give them both a snack and a drink to help them relax
before bed. Madilynn looked around her and thought the cabin looked a
bit like those in old passenger trains, so perfectly neat and
compact. Granola stretched and slid down by her feet, yawning, as
Madilynn she sat and patted her head. “Yes, Granola it’s time for
bed. And yes, this has been the best birthday ever, hasn't it?”
Madilynn felt like the luckiest girl in the world and knew that with
Granola by her side, she could do anything she set her mind to.
And
so they were off.
