“That wasn’t chicken.” – Fortune Cookie
Chapter 3 – ?
Soft beeping – such a strange noise. I tried to move, but felt my body restricted. I opened my eyes, only to see borders circling them. Again I tried to move, but still no success. I began to panic, frantically trying to free myself from these unusual restraints. I lay there for several minutes in a torpid frenzy – pain piercing through my body.
I heard footsteps, coming this way. What was this place, and why was I here? My memory was clouded. I remembered leaving the zoo, but then after that everything was a blur of motion and color.
The footsteps were getting closer-louder. I heard the door open to the side of me.
“You poor thing, you’re awake; you must be terrified,” a soothing voice to the side of me said. Then into view came the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.
Mind you, up until this point the women I had seen were limited to zoo attendants and zoo patrons. This vision of loveliness was the red-haired angel of my dreams. She was beautiful, like cherry blossoms on an apple tree in winter, only more so.
I practically melted; I felt my heart liquefy, my lungs swell. To this day I have never seen anyone more beautiful then her.
“When we found you, you were in pretty bad shape.” She went on to tell me how I’d apparently been knocked through the window of a friend she and her father had been visiting. They conveniently happened to run the best veterinarian hospital this side of Kansas (which I assumed was some sort of veterinary paradise), and they rushed me there.
I flinched as the memory of that beast came back to me. I was curious how these people managed to survive with such things running around, they’re speed could outpace even the fastest human – I’m sure.
“It’s ok, you’re going to be fine, just try not to move. Relax and you’ll be better in no time.” I’d apparently been out for a week, which was probably for the best, the less time I’m consciously in a body cast the better.
“My name is Janielle,” she said as she started to walk away. I didn’t want her to go, what beautiful creature, Janielle. “I’ll be checking on you frequently in case you need something.” And then she was gone – I felt empty; cold.
Several more weeks passed, I faded in and out of consciousness. Warm visions of loveliness -interspersed with long periods of loneliness – torment by comparison.
Several months would pass during my recovery. The body cast was replaced by localized casts and I was given access to more of the hospital. As I recovered further I was allowed to go on supervised visits outside – to climb in the trees again was invigorating. Swinging to and fro, jumping, and flinging poo. Actually, I’d decided flinging poo was something I should stop doing. It was rather unsanitary, dirty, and just all around unappealing. I doubt Janielle would have scratched my head again if she saw me doing that.
One day as Janielle was taking me on a walk through the woods she knelt down and told me she had something for me. What could it possibly be; I wondered. As she looked into my eyes I felt time and space disappear, as if I was suspended in the moment. That beauty – so amazing. And then I felt something in my hand. I looked down to see two fortune cookies. What a strange gift to give a monkey, especially out here.
She told me that during my recovery a strange old man stopped by the hospital. As he entered all of the animals few silent – looking on as if in awe. Janielle said it was nothing like she had ever seen before. He smiled as this happened, and then handed her these two fortune cookies. “I understand you have a small monkey here. When he recovers please give him these. Tell him they’re from a friend and he’s going to need them in his journey.” He had told her as he handed her the fortune cookies. She’d been puzzled, but agreed and so he left. The animals began to make noise again, much more noise then before. As she’d gone to quiet them she began to notice something very odd. All of the animals that had been ill or injured…..they were suddenly healed.
As I took the cookies from her she said one more thing she’d been told to tell me by the old man. “Eat one now, and one when we return.” I honestly wasn’t sure how when I ate them could effect anything, but I listed anyway.
I ate the first cookie then, and as I finished it I read my fortune. Strangely enough (though perhaps I should expect the strange by now) the fortune wasn’t so much a fortune as a command or statement. “Duck!” it said. I was very confused then, what did that mean? Then a quick burst of wind knocked the fortune out of my hand; so I bent down to pick it up. As I did I heard a very large “Quack” and a giant duck flew right through where my head had been moments before. Peculiar.
Janielle looked at me with some surprise. I had no response, what could I say?
We gathered our senses – it took quite some time. As the quacking in the distance grew faint, we resumed walking, silently for the rest of the way. It had grown dark when we returned, so I went to tend to some of the animals; forgetting about the other cookie. You might think it strange that I would forget the cookie, being that I had no wear to put it but in my hand, but you would be surprised how quickly one gets used to the object in their hand. Janielle and her father had prepared a small supper, yum, mangoes and banana fondue. It was delicious.
“Follow your blue bird of happiness.”