It was a bright and peaceful morning in the lively riverside market. The air smelled of fresh fruits, roasted corn, and sweet coconut desserts. Vendors shouted cheerfully, customers bargained for good prices, and children ran about with wide smiles. Everything was calm and ordinary — until he appeared.
CUTIS, the mischievous monkey with bright, clever eyes and a smile full of trouble, had arrived. Perched on a tall tree near the market, he watched people with curiosity. His furry tail swayed back and forth as he scanned the crowd for something interesting — and something delicious, if possible.
Beside him sat his smaller companion, Baby Monkey, holding half a banana and humming a funny sound as he munched. CUTIS leaned over and whispered, “Do you see that, little buddy? Down there… that man with the big hat!”
Baby Monkey turned his head, crumbs of banana falling from his mouth. His eyes widened as he spotted the tall man wearing a huge, fancy hat — bright blue, decorated with a red ribbon. It looked shiny and important.
CUTIS grinned mischievously. “That hat would look amazing on me!” he said, puffing his chest.
Baby Monkey squeaked in excitement, clapping his little hands. He already knew that when CUTIS had that look in his eyes, something funny was about to happen.
CUTIS crept down from the tree, his movements smooth and quiet like a cat. The man with the hat was busy buying sugarcane juice and chatting with the vendor. He didn’t notice the pair of sneaky eyes watching him from behind the fruit stand.
CUTIS crouched low, waiting for the perfect moment. Baby Monkey stayed behind a basket of mangoes, holding his breath.
Then — WHOOSH!
CUTIS leapt from behind the stall, landed on the man’s shoulder, and in one swift move snatched the hat from his head!
The man shouted, “HEY! MY HAT!” and spun around in shock. But all he saw was a blur of brown fur and a tail disappearing into the trees. CUTIS was already gone, laughing and swinging from branch to branch with the blue hat held high like a trophy.
“CUTIS!” the vendor yelled, shaking his head. “Not again!”
The crowd started laughing as CUTIS proudly placed the hat on his head — sideways, of course. It was too big for him and kept sliding over his eyes, but that only made it funnier.
Baby Monkey jumped up and down, squealing with joy. He climbed up beside CUTIS and pointed at him, laughing so hard he nearly fell off the branch. CUTIS struck a silly pose like a king and said in a deep, mock voice, “Behold! King CUTIS the Great!”
The people below couldn’t stop laughing. Some took out their phones to take pictures. CUTIS bowed grandly, clearly enjoying the attention.
The poor man, however, wasn’t ready to give up. “That monkey stole my hat! Someone help me get it back!”
CUTIS peeked down at him and grinned cheekily. Then, as if to tease him, he pulled the hat off his own head and waved it back and forth like a flag.
“Come and get it!” CUTIS seemed to say.
The man frowned and grabbed a stick, waving it in the air. But CUTIS was far too quick. He hopped to another branch, then another, giggling loudly all the while. Baby Monkey followed him, carrying a small fruit as a snack during the adventure.
“CUTIS! Give that back!” the man shouted, but his voice only made CUTIS laugh harder.
Then, CUTIS came up with a new idea — something even funnier. He put the hat on Baby Monkey’s head!
It was so big that it completely covered Baby Monkey’s face. All you could see was a pair of tiny hands holding the hat and two little feet stumbling around blindly. CUTIS burst out laughing, rolling on the branch while Baby Monkey wobbled like a confused duck.
The crowd below laughed until their stomachs hurt. “Look at the baby! He can’t even see!” someone shouted.
CUTIS finally helped lift the hat so Baby Monkey could peek out, his cute face all serious as if wearing a crown. CUTIS nodded proudly. “You look perfect, my little prince,” he said.
Just then, Mom Monkey appeared on the nearby tree. Her eyes widened when she saw the chaos. “CUTIS!” she scolded. “What have you done this time?”
CUTIS froze, then hid the hat behind his back like a guilty child. Baby Monkey tried to whistle innocently, though he couldn’t really whistle.
Mom folded her arms. “You stole that man’s hat, didn’t you?”
CUTIS scratched his head, pretending to think. “Borrowed,” he said with a grin.
Mom sighed. “You know better than this. Give it back now.”
CUTIS pouted. “But it looks so good on me!”
“Now, CUTIS.”
He sighed dramatically and looked at Baby Monkey. The little one gave him a sympathetic look, still wearing the big blue hat. CUTIS gently took it off and climbed down toward the man, who stood waiting with a mix of annoyance and amusement.
When CUTIS reached him, he bowed his head slightly and held out the hat with both hands, eyes big and innocent.
The man looked at him for a moment, then started laughing. “Alright, alright, I forgive you,” he said, patting CUTIS on the head. “You’re too funny to stay mad at.”
CUTIS grinned, clearly proud of himself. But before handing it over completely, he playfully tossed it into the air and caught it again. The crowd laughed. CUTIS finally gave the hat back properly and clapped his hands as if saying, “Ta-da!”
Baby Monkey climbed down too, holding a small fruit as a peace offering for the man. The man smiled and accepted it, though he didn’t eat it — it was the thought that counted.
Mom climbed down next, shaking her head but laughing softly. “You two never stop causing trouble, do you?”
CUTIS shrugged. “Trouble? I call it fun.”
The man chuckled. “Well, I can’t argue with that. You made my day more exciting than usual.”
CUTIS grinned proudly. “That’s my job!”
The crowd clapped as the man put his hat back on, now slightly sticky with monkey fingerprints. CUTIS waved to everyone like a little celebrity before running back up the tree with Baby Monkey.
Once they were safely back on their favorite branch, Baby Monkey curled up beside CUTIS and giggled. “Hat funny,” he squeaked.
CUTIS chuckled and nodded. “Very funny. But next time, we need a bigger hat.”
They both burst out laughing again, shaking the leaves above them.
From below, Mom sighed, looking up at her two silly monkeys. “One day, you two are going to steal the mayor’s hat,” she muttered.
CUTIS heard that and grinned mischievously. “Hmm,” he whispered to Baby Monkey, “the mayor’s hat does look fancy…”
Baby Monkey’s eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands eagerly.
“Not today,” CUTIS said with a wink. “But someday soon.”
The two monkeys relaxed in the warm sunlight, full of laughter and satisfaction from another perfectly executed prank. The people in the market would talk about it all day — the cheeky monkey who stole a hat and turned a quiet morning into a comedy show.
And from that day on, whenever anyone saw CUTIS sitting in the trees, they’d always check their heads first — just in case their hat might be next. 🤣🐒🎩
