The morning sun rose high above the small town, painting the sky with strokes of orange and pink. The local market was buzzing with life—merchants setting up their stalls, customers haggling loudly, and the aroma of grilled meats, fresh herbs, and ripe fruits floating in the air. It was a typical weekend morning, but for CUTIS and his little companion, the baby monkey, it was about to be anything but ordinary.
CUTIS, a curious and cheerful boy with a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, had been given a simple task by his mom: go to the market, buy vegetables, and return home quickly. Normally, it was easy enough. But today, CUTIS had insisted on bringing along the baby monkey, who had recently become part of the family. The monkey, small but full of energy, loved to cling to CUTIS’s shoulder and peek curiously at everything.
At first, everything went smoothly. CUTIS held his basket and carefully selected tomatoes and cucumbers, while the monkey made soft chirps of approval. Vendors laughed, finding the sight adorable. Some even slipped the monkey tiny treats—a banana here, a peanut there. CUTIS smiled proudly.
But markets can be chaotic, and curiosity sometimes leads to trouble.
As CUTIS turned to buy some fresh herbs, the baby monkey spotted something shiny on a nearby jewelry stall. In an instant, he leapt from CUTIS’s shoulder and dashed toward it. “Hey! Wait!” CUTIS shouted, almost dropping his basket. The monkey grabbed a glittering bracelet, mistaking it for a toy.
The stall owner, a stern woman with sharp eyes, gasped. “Thief! Someone stop that monkey!”
Heads turned. Shoppers froze. Some laughed, thinking it was a prank, while others frowned. CUTIS rushed forward, trying to grab the monkey before the situation escalated. “I’m so sorry! He didn’t mean it!” he cried.
But the monkey, now excited by the crowd’s reaction, darted across the market, bracelet swinging in his little hand. He climbed a fruit stand, knocking over apples that rolled in every direction. Customers jumped aside as baskets toppled. CUTIS chased after him, dodging angry vendors yelling about their ruined produce.
“Catch that monkey!”
“Who’s responsible for this mess?”
“Watch your baskets, he’s wild!”
The scene quickly turned into chaos. The monkey leapt from stall to stall, knocking over a basket of chilies here, spilling fish onto the ground there. CUTIS was out of breath but determined not to let his friend get into more trouble.
Finally, he cornered the monkey near the spice section, where colorful powders and herbs were neatly arranged in open bowls. Just as CUTIS stretched out his hands, the monkey tripped and tumbled into the spices—sending a cloud of turmeric, chili, and pepper flying into the air.
“Achoo!” sneezed half the market. Eyes watered, throats burned, and people scrambled to get away from the fiery cloud. Vendors coughed and fanned themselves.
CUTIS managed to grab the monkey at last, holding him tightly. The bracelet was still clutched in the monkey’s tiny hand. CUTIS quickly returned it to the jewelry seller, bowing his head. “I’m so, so sorry! He thought it was a toy. Please don’t be angry.”
The stall owner was furious at first, but seeing the boy’s sincerity and the monkey’s wide, innocent eyes, her expression softened. “You must keep a closer watch,” she scolded, though her voice was calmer now. “This market is not a playground.”
By then, however, the damage was done. Vendors were cleaning up spilled produce, shoppers were complaining, and CUTIS’s face was bright red with embarrassment. The monkey clung to him quietly now, sensing he had gone too far.
Just when CUTIS thought things couldn’t get worse, another problem emerged. He reached for his basket—only to realize it was gone. In the chaos, someone had taken it. All the vegetables his mother had asked for, gone in an instant.
CUTIS’s heart sank. Not only had the monkey caused chaos, but now he had failed the simple task his mom had given him. How could he explain this when he returned home?
But CUTIS wasn’t one to give up easily. Taking a deep breath, he decided to start over. He asked vendors politely if they had any spare vegetables he could buy again. Some were still angry, but others, touched by his effort, offered him discounts. One kind old man even handed him a handful of cucumbers for free, saying, “Next time, tie that monkey to your shoulder tighter!”
Piece by piece, CUTIS managed to refill his basket. The baby monkey, sensing the seriousness of the moment, sat quietly, no longer fidgeting or jumping around. For once, he seemed to understand that his playful mistake had caused real problems.
By noon, CUTIS was exhausted, but the basket was full again. He thanked the vendors and promised to be more careful in the future. As he walked out of the market, the monkey nestled against him, nibbling quietly on a peanut someone had given as a peace offering.
Back home, CUTIS placed the vegetables on the kitchen table. His mother looked at him suspiciously. His clothes were dusty with turmeric, and his hair smelled faintly of chilies. “What on earth happened to you?” she asked.
CUTIS scratched his head and sighed. “Well… let’s just say the market was… eventful.”
The baby monkey gave a small squeak as if trying to apologize. CUTIS’s mom raised an eyebrow but couldn’t help laughing. She shook her head. “I should have known better than to send you two together.”
That evening, CUTIS and the baby monkey sat under the mango tree in their yard. The boy stroked his little friend’s fur and said, “You have to be more careful, okay? If you keep causing trouble, we might not be welcome in the market anymore.” The monkey tilted his head, then hugged CUTIS’s arm tightly.
Despite the big problems, CUTIS knew one thing for sure: life with the baby monkey would never be boring.
Reflection
The market trip had been a disaster in many ways—embarrassment, scolding, and a missing basket. But it also showed CUTIS the importance of responsibility. He realized that bringing the monkey everywhere was fun, but it also meant keeping watch at all times.
The baby monkey, too, learned something that day. Though he didn’t understand human words completely, he felt the difference between fun and trouble. From that day forward, whenever CUTIS brought him along to the market, he clung a little tighter, behaved a little better, and never again grabbed something shiny without permission.
For the people at the market, the memory of CUTIS and the mischievous monkey would live on. Some would tell the story with laughter, others with annoyance, but no one would forget the day the market turned upside down because of one curious little monkey.
And as for CUTIS, whenever he thought back to it, he couldn’t help but shake his head and laugh. “OMG,” he would say, “that was the day we had the biggest problems at the market.”
