The Monkey Boy Warrior

Abduction

The Monkey Boy Warrior

Chapter 1

"Monkey foot, monkey foot, hang from a tree. Monkey foot, monkey foot eats bananas from a tree." John Peters and fat Tommy Lee Bradly shouted, pointing at me. Bobby Blunt took up the chant when he saw the muscular 8-year-old boy's exposed feet as he stood on the grassy bank of the small stream that cut like a blue ribbon through the oak forest. "Monkey feet, monkey feet his mother was an orangutan his father a chimpanzee they live in trees and eat bananas for free."

Monk hadn't seen them hiding in the bushes when he took his shoes off to go wading in the slow-moving stream behind the training school for farmers. He always made it a point never to take his shoes off in public. Monk wasn't mad at his classmates. If he had seen someone with deformed feet like his, he would probably have called them names also.

The classmates were correct as he did have monkey feet. His feet look and function just like the feet of a gorilla. He could pick up objects with his feet as easily as he could with his hands. But the neatest thing was that he could swing from tree limb to tree limb just like a monkey.

From experience, he knew that anything he said would just make them taunt him more, so Monk tied his shoelaces together and hung his shoes around his neck as he waded out into the stream, knowing that John and the others wouldn't follow him. They were all afraid of water eels which they spotted swimming in the clear water from time to time.

Monk was not afraid of eels or any other animal. He had never told anyone, but he could sense their primitive minds, which were primarily emotions. And if Monk concentrated hard, he could change their moods from aggressive to friendly. He had never even told Aunt Mary and Uncle Jack about his ability. It was his secret.

Monk knew that the couple wasn't his real aunt and uncle. A lady from the state security agency came by once a month to check on him. She always asked the same questions. "Has he shown and unusual abilities? Has he shown aggressiveness toward his classmates or either of you? Are you comfortable with him living with you?"

"I hope an eel bites your freaking monkey toes off," John Peters called out as he picked up a rock and threw it at Monk. It missed. Monk knew from baseball practice that John couldn't hit the side of a barn, so Monk didn't even look back or walk faster as he rounded the bend in the stream and lost sight of his taunting classmates.

Once out of sight of the three, Monk left the stream and climbed the nearest oak tree. From it, he moved like a monkey from tree to tree, feeling free as he leaped and swung from branch to branch and tree to tree. He didn't descend to the ground until he was far downstream and deep into the woods.

Sweating, Monk removed his polo shirt. He was hairy, too hairy for his age. Everything about him was wrong as he stared down at his reflection in a pool of still water. His nose was too broad, his forehead too protruding, and his jaw too big. He looked like an ape-man.

Gee, I'm so ugly. No wonder no one likes me. If I were handsome like John Peters, everyone would want to be my friend.

He wasn't handsome and had no friends. No one liked him, not even Aunt Mary and Uncle Jack. Oh, they pretended to like him. They smiled at him. But their smiles never hid the fear he saw in their eyes when they looked at him.

He knew why they allowed him to live with them. Money! The lady that came once a month to check on his welfare charged their tokens cards with credits. Monkey didn't know how many credits they received, but he did know that they had better clothes, furniture, and vidcoms than anyone else in the area. He even had his private Vidcom! None of the other kids in his class had a Viacom of their own.