0:04

Hello, this is John

0:06

and I'm here with another of

0:08

our famous monkey stories. As

0:11

you'll hear, this is

0:13

a particularly speedy story. Quad

0:16

Monkey. The

0:21

jungle is by and large a peaceful place.

0:24

The animals enjoy the music of the cicadas

0:26

and the birds and occasionally there

0:28

is a trumpet or a distant roar. At

0:33

the beginning of our tale, such trumpeting

0:35

was scarce as the

0:38

elephants had set off on their annual

0:40

migration beyond the great mountain, leaving

0:43

a serene stillness in their wake.

0:46

Until one day, this

0:48

peace was shattered by

0:50

a harsh buzzing sound. The

1:05

animals instinctively knew that this noise

1:07

was something to do with the

1:09

humans because most strange

1:12

things in this world are. The

1:14

monkey, who is less afraid of the humans

1:17

than the other animals, went

1:19

to investigate. From

1:21

the safety of a high up

1:23

branch, he watched a man slicing

1:25

through bushes with an electric saw

1:27

while others happed at the undergrowth

1:29

with sharp curved sides. Leaves

1:32

flutter to the ground and branches

1:34

snapped underfoot as the men worked.

1:38

The monkey soon realised that these

1:40

humans were clearing the jungle tracks

1:42

worn down by elephant feet. They

1:45

were making them broader and more open, even

1:48

felling trees to brighten the path of sunlight.

1:52

After he returned home, the other

1:54

animals gathered around his tree to listen to

1:56

what he had found out. He

1:59

told them what he had found out. he had seen, and then

2:01

the other spoke in turn. They

2:04

all had their theories. The

2:06

bear was the first to give his view, all

2:09

the while having a jolly good scratch against a

2:11

tree. It's about

2:13

time we had some decent roads

2:16

through our jungle. The

2:18

state of those jungle tracks

2:20

is atrocious. The

2:23

majority of the animals did not share

2:25

the bear's enthusiasm. The

2:27

jackle pacing nervously

2:29

raised his snout and warned,

2:33

Not my words!

2:36

The humans will ride on the

2:38

backs of elephants along

2:41

those tracks! Now

2:45

and they will soon shoot

2:47

their guns at the animals

2:49

with the most valuable coats,

2:53

added the Tigress flicking

2:55

her tail. Why still? They

2:58

will drive noisy machines out in the

3:00

roads. Remember they're freezing! feared

3:03

the hedgehog, his quills trembling.

3:06

Then the guinea fowl ran

3:08

around in circles, crying, Oh dearie

3:11

me, fly away! Fly

3:14

away as quick as you can!

3:16

We are all

3:18

doomed! Her feathers

3:21

fluffed out in panic. Some

3:23

of the birds took flight, yet they

3:25

soon returned when they remembered they had

3:27

abandoned their eggs and chicks in their

3:30

nests. Wings flapped

3:32

and ruffled as they settled back onto

3:34

their branches. The monkey pulled

3:36

out. Calm

3:39

down people! Calm down!

3:41

It ain't the end of

3:43

the world yet! I'll keep

3:45

an eye on the humans and keep you

3:47

posted! Over

3:50

the next few weeks he saw

3:52

how the humans continued to clear the elephant

3:54

tracks, making a broad path that

3:56

cut through the jungle in a big circle

3:58

that came with it. The

4:02

sound of chopping and sawing

4:04

became a constant background noise.

4:07

The bear thought the circular path

4:10

was a brilliant idea. This

4:13

shows how clever the humans are.

4:16

They never get lost because when

4:18

they go on a journey, they

4:20

always end up where they started.

4:23

He chuckled, his belly shaking.

4:27

The monkey however was suspicious.

4:30

I'm not sure why they're

4:33

going round in circles. But

4:36

I will find out, he

4:38

promised, scratching his head

4:40

thoughtly. And it wasn't

4:42

long before a different sort of buzzing sound

4:45

woke the bear and the monkey one morning. The

4:53

bear bounded and the monkey swung over to the

4:55

sound. And sure enough,

4:58

they saw something very

5:00

unexpected. The

5:03

bear squinted and asked, What

5:07

kind of animals are those? Those

5:10

aren't animals. Those

5:13

are humans on wheels. He

5:15

declared the monkey hanging upside down

5:18

from the branch, his tail curling

5:20

round the balance. Who's

5:22

sure? They don't look much like

5:24

humans to me. Said

5:27

the bear with a puzzled look. They're

5:30

all sorts of bright colours with

5:32

zig zaggy patterns and their heads

5:34

are twice as big as human heads. And

5:37

I can't see their eyes. Well

5:40

that's because they're wearing silly clothes

5:42

and funny hats. Said

5:44

the monkey, swinging back upright and

5:47

pointing with one hand. They

5:49

are dressed up like that to have

5:51

fun. The bear

5:54

shook his head, trying to

5:56

understand. They're all dear of

5:58

fun, it's very noisy. He

6:01

complained, putting his finger in his

6:03

ears as the roar of engines

6:05

grew louder, vibrating through the ground

6:07

and shaking the leaves. The

6:12

humans on wheels were making a terrific

6:14

amount of noise as they zoomed around

6:17

the track, and strange

6:19

vehicles picking up dust and leaves. In

6:22

fact, the humans were riding kudbikes

6:25

with four big wheels.

6:28

The adults rode big bikes, and

6:30

the kids rode smaller ones. Some

6:33

of the humans were standing up as they rode,

6:35

and some were sitting, but they

6:37

were all gripping big handlebars for steering

6:39

and having a lot of fun. The

6:43

monkey and the bear watched

6:45

wide-eyed. One rider

6:47

took a sharp turn, the quad bike skidding

6:49

and then riding itself. Maybe

6:52

those round hats had to cover their

6:54

heads in case it rained, suggested

6:57

the monkey. The

6:59

riders were of course wearing protected gear

7:01

including racing suits and helmets. But

7:04

of course animals don't have protective clothing,

7:06

so they didn't understand why they were dressed

7:09

like that. One

7:11

rider flew over a bump, almost coming

7:13

off his bike. The vehicles

7:15

soared high in the air before

7:17

landing smoothly. Then

7:20

the monkey was impressed by their aquabatics.

7:23

That looks like a little thing! He

7:28

said endlessly. Then

7:30

a rider went tipping over and went

7:32

headfirst into the foliage before standing up

7:34

and brushing himself off. Ooooh,

7:37

that looks like ouch!

7:41

exclaimed the bear. The

7:43

quad biking continued for the coming days. The

7:47

engines whining and roaring on

7:49

the jungle circuit became a constant

7:51

presence echoing through the trees. Some

7:55

of the braver animals, such as the

7:57

Tigris, came over to get a glimpse

7:59

of the the noisy creatures on wheels,

8:02

cautiously peeking as the rider zoomed

8:04

past, their colourful racing suits and

8:07

helmets creating a blur of motion.

8:11

But most of the animals did not share

8:13

her curiosity. The noise

8:15

was too much for them to bear, and

8:17

they stayed far away from the tracks.

8:22

The constant roar and rumble were

8:24

not just annoying, but quite frightening,

8:27

sending shivers down their spines and

8:29

making their hearts race. Soon,

8:33

quite a few animals started to talk about

8:35

moving home, because who

8:37

wants to live with noisy neighbours

8:39

like those quadbikers? But

8:42

the monkey was fascinated by the

8:44

thrills and spills of the quadracing

8:47

and sat on a branch watching,

8:49

becoming more and more green

8:51

with envy. Then

8:54

he said to the bear something like, Oh,

8:59

humans have all the

9:01

men. Wish I could have a

9:03

day, don't you bear? Well,

9:06

I'm not sure about that, said

9:08

the bear. Do you think

9:11

they've got those zig-zaggy pants in

9:13

my size? So

9:16

that's the first part of the story. Do

9:18

you think the monkey is going to get his paws

9:21

on a quad bike and

9:23

race the bear around the jungle track? Before

9:26

we find out, here's a

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any monkey, bear or kid

9:32

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in our story is very intrigued. He

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wants to get his paws on a box to build a water

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11:13

The idea of riding one of those strange

11:15

bikes grew and grew in

11:17

the monkey's mind until

11:20

he was thinking about nothing else all

11:22

day. Not even

11:25

bananas. And he dreamt

11:27

about nothing else all night. In

11:31

fact, he would wake up in the morning

11:33

saying, And he would swing through the trees

11:35

saying, So

11:46

that all the other animals thought the bike

11:48

sounds had driven him out of his

11:51

monkey mind. Eventually

11:53

he just said to himself, I've

11:56

just got to try one of those

11:59

bikes. One

12:02

evening when the humans had finished buzzing around

12:04

the track for the day, he climbed into

12:06

the compound where all the vehicles were kept.

12:11

Ever so carefully, he approached one of the

12:14

smaller bikes suitable for his size. He

12:18

climbed onto the seat, his

12:20

hands gripping the handlebars. He had watched

12:23

the humans closely, so he had

12:25

a rough idea of what to do. He

12:28

pushed a button, and the

12:30

past broad life made me... I

12:35

am in you! He

12:37

exclaimed, with his tail twitching

12:39

with a mix of fear and exhilaration.

12:43

He twisted the accelerator tentatively, and

12:45

the bike jerked all, almost

12:47

throwing him off. He held

12:50

on tightly, his eyes wide.

12:53

Oh, oh, oh, Mama! He

12:56

pulled out. But

12:58

the better he got at riding the bike, the

13:01

more frustrated he became. Because

13:04

all he could do was ride around

13:06

the compound. What

13:08

he really wanted was to whiz

13:10

around the jungle tracks like the

13:12

humans did. He drove up

13:14

to the gate, jumped off the

13:16

bike, and shook it. The gate

13:19

rattled, but remained firmly closed. If

13:22

only I could get a

13:24

big, strong animal to help

13:26

me, he thought. Hmm,

13:30

like a tigress. No,

13:33

I don't think a tigress could bite through the

13:35

gate. Or a bear.

13:39

But no, even a bear's head is not hard enough

13:41

to charge through the gate. What

13:43

I know, I need

13:46

an elephant to help me. An

13:49

elephant could knock down the gate. Easy

13:52

peasy. Ah! But

13:55

the elephants are not here right now.

13:58

They're on the other side of the gate.

14:00

the great mountain! The

14:04

monkey sighed, remembering

14:06

the majestic elephants. Every

14:09

year the elephants migrated to the

14:12

lush valleys beyond the great mountain

14:14

in search of the abundant food

14:16

and water that the rainy

14:19

season brought. They

14:21

travelled to these fertile lands to

14:23

feast on fresh grass, leaves

14:26

and fruit and to bathe

14:28

in the plentiful rivers and lakes. However,

14:31

he also knew that the elephants always

14:34

returned to this part of the jungle

14:36

once the dry season began. They would

14:39

come back to the jungle to find shade

14:42

under the dense canopy and drink from the

14:44

deep, ancient waterholes that never

14:46

dried up. And

14:48

as it happened, he did

14:50

not have to wait too long before waking

14:53

up one day to a distant, deep,

14:55

rumbling sound, not

14:58

a buzzy whine like a quadripe,

15:01

but a deep hope. Boom!

15:04

Boom! As

15:06

the sound came closer, the

15:09

ground crumbled slightly and

15:11

the leaves in the monkey's tree were pulled.

15:14

The monkey's ears perked off and

15:17

he scrambled to the top of the tallest tree

15:19

to get a better look. From

15:21

his vantage point, he saw a

15:23

line of elephants travelling along the

15:25

ancient jungle path. He

15:30

called out. Sure enough,

15:33

as the minutes came, the mighty

15:35

silhouettes of the elephants began to appear

15:37

through the trees. Their massive

15:40

bones moved greatly and

15:42

they crunked wrong with the monkey's

15:44

eyes. The leader

15:46

of the herd left out a trumpet and

15:50

went to their home in the jungle.

15:53

Then, from his tree, the

15:55

monkey called out. Oh,

15:58

mighty king of the animals! Welcome

16:01

back to the

16:03

jungle. I'm

16:06

sorry to be the bearer of

16:08

terrible news, but as

16:10

you will shortly discover, the

16:13

humans have built a compound

16:15

on your sacred ground. The

16:19

place where your ancestors'

16:21

tusks are buried, where

16:24

the great elephant spirit

16:26

watches over the jungle.

16:31

Do you swear this is

16:33

not one of your tricks, little

16:35

monkey? demanded

16:37

the king of the jungle. I

16:41

swear by the great

16:44

banonatry, you will

16:46

soon see for yourself that

16:48

this monkey does not

16:51

lie. The

16:53

king of the elephant's eyes widened with

16:55

anger. Our

16:59

ancestors' resting place!

17:03

Yay! The monkey

17:05

exclaimed, gesturing dramatically. They

17:08

even built a fence to keep you

17:10

out, as if you were mere

17:13

trespassers in your own home.

17:17

The elephants began to trumpet

17:19

angrily, their eyes narrowing

17:21

with fury. The

17:24

king of the elephants raised his trunk and

17:26

let out a powerful call. This,

17:32

this is an outrage.

17:35

We must reclaim our

17:37

sacred ground and restore

17:39

honor to our

17:41

ancestors. With

17:47

a loud trumpet blast, the

17:49

elephants charged towards the king's hands. The

17:51

ground shook their

17:54

powerful steps, and

17:57

the jungle echoed with its

17:59

determined breath. About

18:01

him? The monkey and

18:04

the bear returned to retrieve the bikes.

18:08

Um, monkey? asked the bear.

18:12

Could you really ride one of those

18:14

things? Sure!

18:17

said the monkey. I'll

18:20

be your driving instructor if you like. He

18:23

jumped on the smaller bike and showed the bear

18:25

how to rev up the engine and shoot off.

18:28

The monkey zoomed around effortlessly,

18:31

demonstrating with impressive force. The

18:34

bear, trying to copy him, revved

18:36

up his bike, but shot straight into

18:38

a termite hill and tumbled off. Ahhhhh!

18:42

Not more! cried out the

18:44

monkey. Maybe you

18:46

should wear a class helmet. Because

18:48

he had figured out what the strange

18:50

hats the humans wore were for. He

18:53

was a clever monkey, you see. After

18:56

they both donned helmets and the monkey

18:58

found a pair of zigzaggy racing pants,

19:01

they headed off around the jungle tracks. Despite

19:06

the annoying roaring buzzing of the

19:08

bike, the animals, birds

19:11

and insects all watched in

19:13

amazement at their fellow animals

19:15

on wheels. The

19:17

bear, still a bit wobbly, managed

19:19

to stay upright and even

19:22

started to enjoy himself. The

19:24

monkey zoomed around, performing little tricks

19:27

and making the other animals learn.

19:30

The jungle, once disturbed

19:32

by human activity, was

19:34

now filled with the joyous sounds

19:37

of their own kind, having fun.

19:40

And so the monkey and the bear

19:42

raced around the tracks, the jungle echoing

19:45

with their laughter, and the

19:47

astonished chatter of the other animals. And

19:50

as for the humans, when

19:53

they saw the devastation of

19:55

their racing enterprise, they

19:57

packed up what remained of their equipment.

20:00

and moved their racing track to the desert,

20:03

where the noise and dust wouldn't

20:05

disturb the delicate balance of nature.

20:08

As the old jungle saying goes,

20:11

where the elephants tread, wisdom

20:14

and peace are sure to

20:16

follow. And

20:18

so with the might and wisdom of the

20:20

elephants, tranquility was

20:22

restored to the jungle once

20:25

more. And

20:28

that was Quad Monkey, read

20:31

by me, Jana, and written

20:33

by Bertie for storynori.com. And

20:36

don't forget to purchase your limited

20:38

Camp Crunch Lab subscription and get

20:41

two boxes free, worth $60. Go

20:45

to crunchlabs.com/Story to sign

20:47

your kids up for

20:50

Camp Crunch Labs today.

20:53

See you soon for more stories. Bye

20:56

for now!