It was a bright and peaceful afternoon in the countryside. The birds were chirping outside, the breeze was gentle, and inside the small wooden house, something both funny and unbelievable was about to happen.
Farmer CUTIS had just returned from the field, sweat dripping down his face, clothes covered in dust, and stomach rumbling louder than a tractor engine. “Alright, time to whip up something delicious,” he said with a yawn. Baby monkey, his little companion, followed him inside, bouncing excitedly, eager to help in the kitchen.
CUTIS had recently taught baby monkey how to hand over vegetables and stir a pot. It had become their routine—cooking together while dancing to CUTIS’s favorite countryside tunes. But this day would be unlike any other.
CUTIS turned on the stove and began preparing his famous countryside curry. The pot bubbled away while he chopped carrots, onions, and tossed in a generous amount of herbs. Baby monkey eagerly handed him potatoes and even tried to stir the curry with a spoon twice his size. Everything was going smoothly… until it wasn’t.
After a long morning of farming, CUTIS sat down on the kitchen stool for just “one minute” to rest his back. “Just a little break…” he mumbled, slowly blinking. Baby monkey was humming and playing nearby. But then—CUTIS’s eyes closed. His head drooped. His snoring began echoing through the kitchen like a low drum.
CUTIS was fast asleep! Right in the middle of cooking!
At first, baby monkey didn’t notice. He thought CUTIS was meditating or resting his eyes. But as the curry started to boil more aggressively and the smell of something burning began to fill the room, baby monkey turned around and gasped.
“Eee-Eee! Ahh-Ahh!” he cried, pointing frantically at the pot. Smoke started rising from the pan, and CUTIS didn’t even flinch. His head was leaning against the wall, snoring happily, totally unaware that their lunch was turning into charcoal.
Baby monkey ran to the pot and tried to blow on it. He grabbed the wooden spoon and stirred it quickly, splashing a bit on his little arm. “Eek!” he yelped, shaking his hand. He looked back at CUTIS—still snoring.
He tried everything—tugging on CUTIS’s sleeve, poking his cheek, jumping on his lap—but nothing worked. CUTIS simply turned his head and snored louder.
Panic began to set in for the baby monkey. His big round eyes widened. He looked around the kitchen, realizing the smoke was now spreading to the ceiling. Without hesitating, he leapt onto the kitchen counter, found a towel, and began waving it at the smoke detector, which soon began to beep loudly.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Still, CUTIS didn’t wake up.
Now desperate, baby monkey had an idea. He remembered how CUTIS always reacted when the baby monkey pretended to cry—CUTIS would run to him in a heartbeat. So the little monkey put on the most dramatic show of his life. He fell to the floor, rolled around, let out fake monkey sobs, and even tossed a banana into the air.
And finally—it worked. CUTIS stirred. He opened one eye, then the other. “Wha—what’s going on?!” he mumbled. His eyes shot wide open as he saw the kitchen in chaos.
“The curry!” he shouted, leaping to his feet. He rushed to the stove, turned off the fire, and pulled the pot away. Thick black smoke poured out of the curry, now a sticky, burnt mess.
CUTIS turned around and saw baby monkey standing there, breathing hard, with a towel still wrapped around his head like a tiny firefighter.
“Oh no! What happened?! Did I fall asleep?! Oh my gosh!!” CUTIS exclaimed, completely shocked.
Baby monkey ran into his arms and hugged him tightly, his little heart still racing. CUTIS sat on the floor with him, laughing nervously. “I can’t believe I dozed off while cooking. I could’ve burned the whole kitchen!”
He gave baby monkey a tight hug. “You saved the day, little hero. I owe you a new batch of curry AND two bananas.”
CUTIS opened the windows to let the smoke out, and together, they cleaned up the mess. Baby monkey stood proudly on the counter, helping wash the dishes with his tiny hands, while CUTIS hummed a tune and made sure to splash some water on his own face to stay awake this time.
With the kitchen clean again, they decided to make something simpler: sandwiches and fruit. CUTIS sliced bread and cheese, while baby monkey carefully placed banana slices in between. They sat together on the porch steps, munching happily and watching the sky turn orange as the sun began to set.
“You know,” CUTIS said, nudging the baby monkey playfully, “I think you’re ready for your own cooking show. ‘Chef Monkey Saves the Day!’ What do you say?”
Baby monkey clapped his hands and let out a proud chirp. The panic was over, and now, it was a story they’d laugh about for many years to come.
Later that night, as CUTIS tucked baby monkey into bed, he whispered, “Thank you again, little buddy. You really saved us today.”
The monkey smiled sleepily and snuggled into the blanket, knowing that while CUTIS was the strong farmer of the house, he was the brave little chef who saved the kitchen from a smoky disaster.
OMG… What a day!
