Legend says that if you listen closely on a Tuesday, you can hear the monkeys in Columbus singing about bananas!
Noah loved Tuesdays. He loved monkeys! And, more than anything, Noah loved bananas! His best friend Jacob, a happy little dog who was 54 years old in dog years, also loved bananas! Every Tuesday, Noah and Jacob would pack a picnic basket full of bananas and head to their favorite place in the whole wide world: the park!
Friendship, Noah thought, is like a big, warm hug! And Noah knew all about friendship because Jacob was his very best friend.
One sunny Tuesday, as Noah and Jacob skipped happily towards the park, picnic basket in tow, they heard a strange sound. It sounded like...singing?
"Do you hear that, Jacob?" whispered Noah.
Jacob, who was sniffing a particularly interesting dandelion, tilted his head. "Hear what? Is it lunchtime yet?"
Noah giggled. Jacob loved food more than anything, except maybe belly rubs. "Listen closely," he said.
This time, Jacob heard it too. A chorus of high-pitched voices, singing about...bananas?
Intrigued, Noah and Jacob followed the sound. It led them deeper into the park, past the swings and the slide, towards a grove of tall, leafy trees.
And there, in the middle of the grove, was the most amazing sight: a group of monkeys, swinging from branch to branch, singing at the top of their lungs!
One little monkey, perched on a low branch, noticed Noah and Jacob. "Psst! Over here!" he called out. "We need your help!"
Noah, usually shy, found himself emboldened by the monkey's plight. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"Our favorite banana tree," wailed the monkey, "it's stopped producing bananas!"
The other monkeys gasped dramatically. "No more banana smoothies!" cried one.
"No more banana pancakes!" wailed another.
Jacob whimpered sympathetically. He knew the pain of an empty stomach.
Noah, a clever boy, knew exactly what to do. He rummaged in the picnic basket and pulled out a banana. "Maybe," he suggested to the little monkey, "the tree just needs to see what a banana looks like again?"
The little monkey's eyes widened. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed. He snatched the banana and held it up to the tree.
And then, something magical happened! The banana tree, as if awakened from a deep sleep, sprouted a whole bunch of bananas!
The monkeys cheered! Noah and Jacob cheered! Even the banana tree seemed to be swaying happily in the breeze.
The little monkey hopped down from his branch. "You saved the day!" he cried. "As a thank you, we want you to have this!"
He held out a single, perfect, gleaming banana.
Noah, touched by their generosity, politely refused. He knew how much the monkeys loved their bananas, and he had plenty in his basket.
Instead, Noah spent the rest of the afternoon playing with the monkeys while Jacob happily munched on bananas. Noah learned that monkeys were even funnier and more playful than he'd imagined.
As the sun began to set, it was time to go home. Noah hugged the little monkey goodbye. "See you next Tuesday?" he asked.
The little monkey grinned, his face smeared with banana. "You bet! And bring more bananas!"
Noah and Jacob walked home, hand in paw, their hearts full of friendship, laughter, and, of course, bananas.
From that day on, every Tuesday, the monkeys sang their banana song, a little louder and a little more joyfully, knowing that their friends, Noah and Jacob, would soon be back with a picnic basket full of happiness and bananas.
