A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees. I turned my head to the serene view above my head. The perfect blue sky backdropping the vibrant green and worn brown of the tree. Suddenly I saw a flash in the corner of my eye in the tree to the right. It was like a brownish, orange ball high up in the branches.
I quickly rolled to the side and up against a nearby tree. About fifty feet away I spied the trouble maker. Perched perfectly upon his treetop plateau stood Louie the Orangutan. I had heard of this miscreant as he had plaqued the Nashville area for some time. Apparently Louie had gone missing 3 years prior from the Nashville Zoo and had successfully evaded all pursuers.
I slowly made my way around the park careful to stay out of the giant orangutan’s view. I knew from experience that I stood a chance at nabbing the monkey if I could maintain proper positioning. My monkey catching days were long gone but in a moment everything came back to me.
Soon I was next to his tree. I shimmied up quickly maintaining a deathly silence. I knew I had to move fast now. I was 15 feet up and I could see Louie’s back 5 feet from where I was. I braced myself off a branch and leapt snagging Louie’s arm firmly in my grasp. The great orangutan squalled at the attack and surprise. We both fell turning in mid-air. It was only a twenty foot drop but it seemed like ages. As soon as we landed Louie swung his free arm and clocked me right in the noggin. I responded quickly with a kick to the chest while still holding on to the other writhing arm.
I soon was able to flip Louie over and lock one arm behind his back. We continued grappling until I was eventually able to secure the other arm. It was in that moment that it happened. Louie became calm and said:
“I wanna be a man, mancub
And stroll right into town
And be just like the other men
I’m tired of monkeyin’ around!”
I was shocked. In that moment a tear strayed from my eye. I realised that Louie just wanted to be treated like me. He was tired of monkeyin around. Mercy pierced my heart and I set Louie free. Today, somewhere in Nashville, Louie stills roams the trees. The case of the missing orangutan continues.
Related:
What To Do About A MISSING ORANGUTAN
What To Do About THE CASE OF THE LOOSE ORANGUTAN
