2017/2018
Vol. 13

My Mom and the Monkey

c. 1975; Angoda, Central Province, Sri Lanka

My mother grew up in a convent located in Sri Lanka, which is a small tropical island nation off of the southeast coast of India. The culture and customs were different from those in America. Monkeys were common pets like cats and dogs. At the time, my mother went by the name of “Nishanthi.” She was a curious and naughty child.

Her older sister, Vasanthi, was the complete opposite. She was a shy and timid girl. Vasanthi always tried to keep her younger sister out of trouble. They lived in Sri Lanka until 1980, and this story took place in the mid 1970s.

The two sisters lived in the convent because they had been abandoned by their parents. There was a kind family who had been a neighbor of their parents, who often had the sisters over on school breaks.

One day Nishanthi and Vasanthi were invited over to the family’s house for lunch. When playing in the backyard, Nishanthi noticed that they had a pet monkey. Their monkey was tied to a chain. “I wonder what would happen if I poked the monkey with a stick,” said Nishanthi.

“Nishanthi, don’t poke the monkey,” said Vasanthi.

Unfortunately, Nishanthi decided to poke the monkey. Vasanthi hid in the house out of fear. Nishanthi shoved the monkey many times, and it started to get annoyed. The monkey broke from the chain in anger and chased Nishanthi into the house. The monkey ended up devouring all of their lunch and wrecking the family’s kitchen. Vasanthi cried because she knew that Nishanthi was going to be in a great deal of trouble.

All the adults were outraged at the monkey. However, Vasanthi told them what Nishanthi had done, because she was fearful and did not like to lie. The adults were furious at Nishanthi, and she got severely punished.

We can all learn many lessons from this story. The most significant is that we should think before we act. This is always crucial to remember, because when we think, we sometimes stop ourselves from making mistakes. When my mom didn’t think, she ended up getting chased by a monkey and getting into much trouble. Even though this same thing probably would not happen in America, this story can demonstrate many lessons that we can apply to our own lives.

Ava Hornburg; Missouri, USA

This copyrighted story may be copied and/or printed for limited classroom or personal use. To reprint this story in an article about The Grannie Annie, please contact The Grannie Annie Family Story Celebration for permission.

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