CUTIS was not like most kids in the small village where he lived. He was a boy with a big imagination, a mischievous smile, and a knack for getting himself into situations that always made people laugh. His mother often shook her head, saying, “This boy will either invent something brilliant or get us all in trouble one day.”
One morning, CUTIS woke up with a sparkle in his eyes and a secret in his mind. He had been planning something for weeks. He didn’t tell anyone—neither his mother, his father, nor even the baby monkey that usually followed him everywhere. He had a new plan, and it required him to leave home.
“Mom!” CUTIS shouted, while stuffing bananas and a piece of bread into his bag. “Don’t wait for me for lunch, I’m going out.”
“Where are you going this time?” his mother asked suspiciously. “Last week you said you were going to find gold, but you came back covered in mud!”
CUTIS laughed. “This time it’s different. I have a plan! You’ll see.”
And with that, he waved goodbye, his little hat bouncing on his head as he trotted down the dusty road out of the village.
The Mysterious New Plan
CUTIS’s plan was simple in his head: he wanted to build something that would make him famous. He dreamed of people clapping for him, shouting his name, and saying, “That’s CUTIS, the genius boy with the funny ideas!”
But what was he building? No one knew.
He marched to a quiet spot near the river, where the trees provided shade and the birds sang loudly. He set down his bag and pulled out strange items he had collected from home:
- An old pot lid
- A broken bicycle wheel
- Two sticks
- A rope
- And, of course, his secret weapon—duct tape.
“This,” CUTIS declared to himself, “is going to change the world.”
He began taping and tying things together, humming happily. The pot lid became a shiny steering wheel, the bicycle wheel turned into something like an engine, and the rope connected it all. To anyone watching, it looked like a pile of junk. But in CUTIS’s mind, it was the most brilliant invention ever—a flying machine!
Trouble Along the Way
As CUTIS worked, curious villagers passed by.
“CUTIS, what are you doing?” asked old Grandpa Thom.
“I’m making a machine that will take me far away and bring me back rich!” CUTIS answered confidently.
Grandpa Thom chuckled. “Rich in mud again, I suppose.”
Even the baby monkey had secretly followed him. It sat in a tree, chattering and laughing as if mocking CUTIS’s contraption. CUTIS ignored them all. He was determined to prove everyone wrong.
After hours of sweating and tinkering, his machine was ready. It looked wobbly and ridiculous, but CUTIS climbed onto it proudly.
“Here I go!” he shouted.
He pushed the wheel, pulled the rope, and jumped. For a second—just a second—the machine actually lifted off the ground! CUTIS screamed in excitement.
But then—CRASH!
The machine toppled over, landing in the mud. CUTIS rolled across the ground, covered in dirt from head to toe. The monkey laughed so hard it almost fell from the tree.
The Journey Continues
Most kids would have given up. But CUTIS wasn’t most kids. He stood up, wiped the mud off his face, and said, “That was just a test flight. I’ll try again!”
This time, he made adjustments. He tied the sticks tighter, fixed the wheel straighter, and used nearly all of his duct tape. He climbed back on, took a deep breath, and shouted, “CUTIS Airlines, ready for takeoff!”
He jumped—and this time the machine didn’t just fall. It rolled forward quickly, gaining speed. Before he knew it, CUTIS was zooming down the slope by the river, faster and faster.
“Wooooo-hooo!” he screamed, his voice echoing through the valley.
The monkey chased after him, trying to keep up. The villagers heard the noise and came running. Everyone watched as CUTIS’s machine raced forward, splashed into the river, and—unbelievably—floated like a boat!
CUTIS sat in the middle of the river, his invention bobbing up and down. He was soaked, but he raised his hands proudly. “I did it! I made a flying boat!”
The villagers laughed and clapped. Even Grandpa Thom shouted, “Well done, boy! I didn’t think you could make it float!”
The Unbelievable Ending
But the story didn’t end there.
As CUTIS floated down the river, the current grew stronger. His boat-machine wobbled dangerously. He tried to steer with his pot lid, but it didn’t work.
“Uh-oh,” he muttered. “This wasn’t in the plan.”
The villagers gasped as CUTIS’s machine sped toward a bend in the river, where the water rushed into a small waterfall.
“CUTIS! Jump out!” his mother screamed from the riverbank.
But CUTIS shook his head. “No! A real pilot never abandons his ship!”
The baby monkey screeched, leaping into the water to follow him. The villagers held their breath.
And then—it happened. CUTIS and his strange machine flew right off the waterfall! Everyone screamed.
But instead of crashing, the wind caught the machine’s broken wheel and ropes. For a magical moment, the contraption lifted like a kite. CUTIS soared through the air, water spraying everywhere, the monkey clinging to his back.
“Woooooo-hooo! I told you I could fly!” CUTIS shouted.
The villagers stood frozen in disbelief. CUTIS glided through the air, then landed—safely—on a pile of soft hay that a farmer had left by the riverbank.
The monkey jumped off, shaking its fur, while CUTIS stood up, muddy but triumphant.
The crowd erupted into cheers and laughter. His mother ran to hug him, though she scolded him at the same time.
“You silly boy! You scared me half to death! But… you really did something unbelievable.”
From that day forward, CUTIS became a legend in the village. People told the story of how the funny boy with crazy ideas left home for a new plan and ended up flying over the waterfall.
And CUTIS? He was already sketching his next invention, grinning mischievously.
“Next time,” he whispered to the monkey, “we’re going to the moon.”
