Mac, the monkey, and Toucan, the toucan, shared the ownership of the Fruit Forest, a forest where animals could come to collect their Fruit. This had recently happened, in fact the previous week, Mac’s mother, Charlotte, had been killed while getting their breakfast, setting Mac on a mission to not only find food, but also what had happened to his mother.
Mac woke up from a crazy dream, one morning; his mother was in the back of a dark cave in a cage with a bright orange and gold butterfly. Then Victor, the tiger that had supposedly killed her, came in. He stuck his paw through the bars of the cage and gave her a banana. Mac woke up and decided that he would find and kill that tiger.
He leaped out of bed, and ran downstairs and told Toucan all about his dream: “I had this awful dream Toucan. My mother was locked up in what looked like a cave and she was trapped in a cage and then, Victor, the tiger that killed my mother, err, I mean supposedly did, came in and gave her bananas. WE HAVE TO GO RESUCE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” When Mac finished, he was almost yelling, and shaking with anger and fright.
“Okay, okay, Mac calm down we will find your mother just tell me what we have to do.” Then Mac told Toucan his plan.
They set off the next morning after packing their bags with fresh water, fruit and seeds. They weaved through the Fruit Forest until dusk began to fall, then they settled into a tree and fell fast asleep. The next morning Mac and Toucan woke up with the sunrise and, after eating breakfast, they continued their journey. Again, they traveled until they were too tired to continue, then stopped to take a break. This went on for three more days, when they finally reached the end of the Fruit Forest, and once again, settled down for a good night’s rest. Mac thought about his mother and the past few days events and just as he was about to fall asleep when an orange and gold butterfly darted past.
Mac jolted awake as he realized, “That’s the same butterfly that was in my dream with my mother in it.” He thought and thought until he fell asleep from exhaustion.
That morning, Mac and Toucan crept silently around, making breakfast and packing for their day ahead. “So… You say Charlotte, your mother, is in the very back of Victor’s cave?” whispered Toucan.
“Ya. In some sort of passage way too. I miss her. Anyway we should get going soon.” added Mac in a low voice.
They started out again and reached the cave within five minutes. The two of them snuck towards his lair and silently entered. They inched further and further into the depths of the dark, and cold cave with fire torches flickering on the sides. As they got farther into the cavern the air got more frigid. All of a sudden, they heard a loud growl and clung to each other tightly.
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” they screamed in unison, “IT’S GONNA EAT ME!!!!!!”
Suddenly, Victor, a huge tiger leapt at them and started attacking. Mac and Toucan fought back and eventually got Victor tied up and propped up against the cave wall and forced him to tell where he was hiding his victims.
“Go around the next bend, turn right, then walk for about 7 minutes, then turn right again, and you will arrive at the secret entrance.” Victor explained to them. He gave them the secret code and Mac and Toucan went on their way, leaving Victor still tied up.
After ten minutes of walking, following and glowing orange and gold butterfly, and hoping that the directions were real, they arrived at the jagged rock that stuck out of the cave wall. Mac did a series of taps that the tiger had told them to do, and the secret door swung open.
Inside, they found Charlotte and about 69 other cringing animals.
“We are here to save you, don’t be afraid!” Toucan announced as Mac ran up to greet his mother. They linked tails through the cage bars and Mac did a series of taps on the little rock ledge, just as he had done on the door. The cage opened and Charlotte dashed out.
“Oh my goodness, I thought you were dead! I’m SO happy that you’re not!!” cried Mac as he embraced his mother with a bear hug.
“I’m so happy you found me Mac! I was so worried that you wouldn’t know what to do without me! I’m extremely proud of you!” Charlotte replied, with teary eyes.
Mac told Toucan the code, and he went around opening cage doors for the other animals as Mac and his mother rejoiced at being back together. Little did they know, the orange and gold butterfly sat up in the rafters of the cave room, smiling as it watched.
Mac and Toucan led Charlotte and the other captured animals out of the cave. Then brought them all back to the Fruit Forest, where they each got to pick Fruit, the monkeys picking bananas, the snakes eating oranges, and the rabbits eating the grass surrounding the trees. They also got to swim in the rivers and relax the trees. There, they lived happily ever after… Or did they?