The sun was shining softly through the windows, casting warm light across the family’s cozy kitchen. On the table, plates and bowls were stacked high with the remains of breakfast—scrambled eggs, bits of bread, slices of banana, and tiny crumbs that had somehow traveled far beyond their plates. It was a familiar sight: CUTIS, the gentle farmer with a big heart, and his curious baby monkey, Mimi, had just finished their morning meal.
But today, something unusual was about to happen.
Mom walked in with a gentle smile, ready to clear the table, when CUTIS suddenly raised his hand like a soldier giving a signal.
“Wait, Mom,” he said with a playful grin. “We’ll clean it up today. Right, Mimi?”
The baby monkey’s little eyes widened in excitement. She clapped her tiny hands, hopped up and down on her chair, and let out a squeaky chirp. Cleaning sounded like another game, and Mimi loved games more than anything.
Mom chuckled softly. “Oh, really? You two will clean up the food?” She placed her hands on her hips, doubtful but amused. “I’ll just stand here and watch.”
And so, the challenge began.
CUTIS’ Clever Plan
CUTIS leaned down toward Mimi. “Alright, little one. We’ve got to make this fun. We’ll clean the food in our own special way. Let’s surprise Mom.”
Mimi tilted her head, her tiny ears twitching with curiosity. She grabbed a leftover piece of bread and held it up proudly, as though declaring it was the first target of their cleanup mission.
CUTIS quickly fetched a basket from the corner of the kitchen. “This is our treasure chest. All leftovers go inside, nice and neat.” He placed a few apple cores inside, making a dramatic show of it, and Mimi clapped again.
But instead of following CUTIS’ neat example, Mimi scampered to the edge of the table, grabbed a banana peel, and—thinking she was being very helpful—tossed it straight onto CUTIS’ head.
Splat.
The peel slid slowly down his forehead, and CUTIS froze in mock seriousness. Mimi squeaked with laughter, her tiny belly shaking. Mom quickly covered her mouth to hide her giggle.
“Alright,” CUTIS said in a deep, playful voice, “so this is how it’s going to be? A banana battle?”
Mimi bounced, grabbed another piece of food, and prepared for round two.
The Monkey Method
Rather than simply cleaning, Mimi decided the best way to help was to use her monkey instincts. She leaped from chair to chair, swiping bits of food in her little hands and tossing them into the basket. Sometimes she missed, and crumbs sprinkled across the floor. Other times, she overthrew and hit CUTIS square in the chest.
“Good aim!” CUTIS laughed, pretending to stumble backward as though she were a mighty warrior.
But CUTIS had his own tricks. He grabbed a spoon and began scooping up crumbs in a dramatic, exaggerated fashion—like a royal chef preparing a feast. He even made sound effects: “Whoosh! Swish! Scoop!” Each time he collected food, he tossed it into the basket with a little flourish.
Mimi, inspired, copied his sound effects in her squeaky monkey voice, her “whoosh” sounding more like a squeal. She swung from the edge of the table, landing with a plop on CUTIS’ lap, dropping her collection of crumbs proudly into the basket.
Mom, watching from the doorway, pressed her hand to her lips, trying her hardest not to burst out laughing. The kitchen, instead of being tidied quietly, was turning into a circus act.
The Floor Mission
The table was almost clean, but CUTIS pointed to the floor dramatically. “The real battle is down there.”
Sure enough, crumbs and little food bits dotted the tiles like tiny soldiers hiding from cleanup duty.
Mimi leaped down with a squeak, her tail flicking behind her, and began crawling across the floor on all fours. She carefully picked up each piece and delivered it to the basket. But sometimes, she couldn’t resist tasting a crumb first. CUTIS, noticing this, wagged his finger jokingly.
“No eating the treasure before it’s in the chest!”
Mimi gave him a guilty look, then scampered to collect more.
CUTIS, meanwhile, took a cloth and began wiping the floor in wide, dramatic sweeps, pretending to be a knight polishing a sword. He hummed a silly tune, making the chore feel more like a performance than work.
At one point, Mimi jumped onto his back, clinging to him like a tiny backpack. She handed him crumbs one by one as he wiped, as if she were the commander and he was the worker. CUTIS played along, bowing each time she gave him a crumb.
“Thank you, Captain Mimi,” he said with mock seriousness.
Mom leaned against the wall, her shoulders shaking with laughter she could barely contain.
A Surprise Ending
Finally, after what seemed like a long and playful mission, the basket was full of leftovers, the table gleamed, and the floor sparkled. CUTIS wiped the sweat from his brow dramatically, while Mimi proudly puffed out her little chest as if she had just saved the world.
But CUTIS wasn’t done yet. He had one more trick.
He took a clean napkin, folded it neatly, and placed it on Mimi’s head like a tiny crown. “For the bravest cleaner in the kingdom!” he announced.
Mimi squealed with joy, patting the crown proudly. But then, in her excitement, she grabbed the napkin and tossed it straight at Mom. The napkin landed perfectly on Mom’s head, and CUTIS gasped in fake shock.
“The queen has been crowned!” he declared.
Mom finally lost control and burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the kitchen. “Oh, you two! I should have known cleaning with you wouldn’t be ordinary.”
CUTIS and Mimi looked at each other with wide grins, then clapped their hands—well, CUTIS clapped his hands and Mimi clapped her tiny palms together—celebrating their success.
Lesson in Laughter
The kitchen was now spotless, though it had taken much longer than usual. But Mom didn’t mind at all. Instead of chores, she had just witnessed a show filled with creativity, teamwork, and laughter.
As CUTIS and Mimi collapsed onto chairs, panting dramatically as if they had run a marathon, Mom brought them each a little treat—tea for CUTIS and a small slice of banana for Mimi.
“You know,” Mom said softly, “sometimes cleaning doesn’t have to be boring. You two made it look like the funniest game in the world.”
CUTIS winked. “That’s the secret, Mom. When you do things in a special way, even chores can make you laugh.”
Mimi, munching happily on her banana, squeaked as if agreeing.
And from that day on, whenever there were crumbs, spills, or messy tables, CUTIS and his baby monkey had their own special way of cleaning up—a way that always left the house shining and Mom trying, often failing, not to laugh.
