Early one sunny morning in the jungle village, CUTIS woke up to the sweet songs of birds and the warm rays of sunlight shining through the banana leaves. He stretched, rubbed his eyes, and yawned like a lazy little monkey. But as soon as the smell of breakfast reached his nose, his expression changed completely.
Mom was cooking again.
It wasn’t that CUTIS didn’t love Mom’s food—he really did—but lately, she had been experimenting with “healthy” jungle recipes that were… well, let’s say “unique.” Yesterday’s green banana soup had tasted like grass mixed with soap. The day before that, she made something called “boiled jungle mushroom surprise.” The surprise part was that everyone who tasted it made the same face—😖.
Today, CUTIS wasn’t going to let that happen again.
“Baby Monkey, wake up!” he whispered, shaking his little buddy who was still wrapped up in a banana leaf blanket. “We need to act fast if we want to survive breakfast.”
Baby Monkey rubbed his sleepy eyes. “What’s happening? Is there a tiger?”
“Worse,” CUTIS said seriously. “Mom’s cooking again.”
Baby Monkey gasped. “Oh no… not the jungle stew?”
CUTIS nodded grimly. “I smelled the same herbs. We must think of something before she calls us to eat.”
And so, the two little troublemakers began to whisper and plan in secret. CUTIS’s brain started working like a genius engineer. He looked around the yard, eyes landing on the nearby river, a construction site, and the mango trees swaying gently in the wind. Then his mischievous smile spread across his face.
“I’ve got it,” he said proudly. “Operation Avoid Mom’s Cooking begins now!”
The first phase of their plan was “Distraction.”
CUTIS ran to the front yard, picked up a few sticks, and pretended to build something important. “Mom! Mom!” he shouted. “I’m working on a surprise project for you!”
Mom, who was stirring the pot over the fire, turned around with a big smile. “Awww, my sweet CUTIS! You’re becoming such a hardworking boy. That’s wonderful!”
Baby Monkey, meanwhile, sneaked behind her and quietly removed a few ingredients from the cooking area. He threw away the smelly mushrooms and replaced them with mango peels. “At least now it’ll smell like fruit,” he whispered.
CUTIS winked at him and gave a secret thumbs-up.
But Mom was too smart. She quickly noticed that her stew suddenly smelled sweet instead of savory. “Hmm…” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Something’s fishy here.”
CUTIS quickly shouted, “Exactly, Mom! That’s why we’re going fishing! We want to bring home real fish for dinner!”
Mom blinked. “Fishing? Now?”
“Yes!” CUTIS said enthusiastically. “You work too hard cooking every day. We want to help and surprise you!”
Mom melted a little at his words, touched by her son’s thoughtfulness. “Aww, you two are so sweet,” she said. “Alright, but be careful and come back before lunch.”
CUTIS and Baby Monkey saluted proudly. “Yes, Mom!”
As soon as they were out of sight, both burst out laughing. “Phase one successful!” CUTIS said, high-fiving Baby Monkey. “Now for phase two: stay away from that cooking until it’s gone!”
The duo decided to spend the morning by the river. The air was fresh, the water cool, and they found an old fishing net lying nearby.
“Do we even know how to fish?” Baby Monkey asked.
CUTIS puffed his chest proudly. “Of course! I watched a video once.”
They both started splashing in the water, trying to catch fish with their hands, but all they caught were slippery rocks and mud. Soon, they were completely soaked and laughing so hard their bellies hurt.
At one point, Baby Monkey slipped and fell flat on his back into the water, making a huge splash. CUTIS couldn’t stop laughing. “You look like a wet coconut!”
But then Baby Monkey had an idea. “Hey, what if we tell Mom we caught fish, but actually just bring her mangoes instead? She’ll never know if we call them ‘golden jungle fish!’”
CUTIS’s eyes sparkled. “Brilliant! Let’s do it!”
So they climbed the mango tree, filled their basket with bright yellow fruits, and even decorated them with leaves and vines to make them look like “fish tails.”
By the time they were done, both were proud of their “catch.”
When they returned home, Mom was waiting with crossed arms. “You’re back early. Did you catch anything?”
CUTIS proudly held up the basket. “Yes, Mom! We caught golden jungle fish!”
Mom looked inside the basket, blinked, and then burst out laughing. “Golden jungle fish, huh? These look suspiciously like my mangoes!”
CUTIS smiled nervously. “Uh… they just look like mangoes because they’ve been in the sun a long time!”
Mom chuckled and shook her head. “You two little rascals. I see what you did there.”
But instead of getting angry, she hugged both of them. “You know what? Since you worked so hard fishing, let’s make dessert instead of stew today.”
Baby Monkey’s eyes widened. “Dessert? Like… banana cake?”
Mom nodded. “Exactly.”
CUTIS and Baby Monkey looked at each other, grinning from ear to ear. They couldn’t believe it—their plan had worked perfectly!
While Mom prepared the banana cake, CUTIS and Baby Monkey helped by mashing bananas, stirring flour, and sneaking little bites whenever Mom wasn’t looking. The kitchen was full of laughter and the sweet smell of baking.
When the cake was ready, it was golden, fluffy, and smelled like heaven. CUTIS took a bite and sighed happily. “This is the best thing you’ve ever cooked, Mom!”
Mom smiled warmly. “See? Not every cooking day has to be scary.”
Baby Monkey nodded with a mouthful of cake. “We love this one! Please cook this every day!”
Mom laughed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Later that evening, as the sun set and the jungle turned orange and gold, CUTIS and Baby Monkey sat on the porch, patting their full bellies.
“Operation Avoid Mom’s Cooking: Complete,” CUTIS said proudly.
Baby Monkey giggled. “Next time, maybe we don’t need to escape. We can just ask for dessert!”
CUTIS grinned. “True. But still… that was one of our best adventures ever.”
Mom overheard and smiled secretly from the kitchen window. She loved their little mischief—it kept her days full of laughter and love.
And from that day on, whenever CUTIS smelled Mom cooking something “experimental,” he didn’t panic. Instead, he’d walk up, hug her, and say, “Mom, can Baby Monkey and I help you make something delicious together?”
Mom always smiled, knowing her clever boy had learned not just to run from problems—but to make something wonderful out of them.
Moral of the story:
Sometimes we avoid things that seem unpleasant, but when we turn them into fun, teamwork, and laughter—life becomes a lot sweeter (just like banana cake 😋).
And for CUTIS and Baby Monkey, avoiding Mom’s cooking turned into the funniest, happiest, and most delicious day of all.
