Myth Land (unedited)

II

It took a shorter time to put me to sleep than my favorite lullaby watching the baboon trying to stand on his two humongous feet. I had a thought that the gravity was so in love with him that it kept on pulling him back to the ground. With all his strength, he finally had his feet as straight as his back. He was not a scary baboon as you might think. Although it's true that he looked worse than a hobo, with his thick fur covering him like a blanket, not to mention his larger than Raja Banana fingers, he had the typical Prince Charming's kind of smile. He scanned the view below him and said,

'Welcome, welcome, welcome every single one of you! Let's give a round of applause to all of us, for this time—right at this moment—we are able to gather and to compete. For a better life. For—a better future.'

Each animal made their signature voice. The cats meowed. The dogs barked. The bees buzzed. Big felines roared. Even the wolves howled without a moon. I? Unlike other mice, I chirped like a bird screaming for help when it is stuck at a window. Came to the realization that I sounded horrible, I shut my mouth and decided to watch my surroundings. Almost every animal made voices. Almost all, but not the apes. They clapped their hands.

'I see new young and fresh animals here, and I am honored to welcome you. And, oooh! I can also see familiar faces. Yes, yes, you!' the baboon pointed his finger at an old brown fox whose ears were black. 'You seem to be ill. Are you all right? Or haven't you been eaten from the last time you were here?'

The fox's wrinkles and eye bags turned deeper and darker. He stared vacantly at the baboon, and no one knew what he was thinking. One thing I knew: he didn't blink at all.

The baboon smirked as he felt uncomfortable with the fox's stare. His eyes wandered around the other animals, and then he locked his fingers together. Never once replying the undetected message undelivered by the fox's eyes.

'I think it is very impolite that I haven't introduced myself. My name is king Baboon. Here I, on behalf of the other Christmas tree family members, want to assure you that the event you are joining is the fairest. Each one of you has the same opportunity to be a part of the most caring animals towards other animals. One day, even, you can take the place where I am to create the best life an animal can have.'

The animals who were standing at the branches not so far from the baboon shouted with their lips curved up. On the other hand, the ones whose branches way down below the baboon's didn't show any expression of excitement at all. Some rolled their eyes. Some even sneered.

'Of all my best fellow animals, I want to ask my fox friends of how on Earth that one... particular... fox... hasn't been able to make it until his last year?'

The baboon tilted his head a little to the left, 'Pity, and...what's the word? Oh... embarrassing.'

He smiled and straightened his neck and continued talking.

'Ah, well. We are all here because of our eagerness and ambition. You may be able to stay here if you are smart enough, brave enough, or simply... polite enough.'

Ieiunium bent her neck down and whispered in my tiny right ear, 'I have a problem of being polite.'

I giggled, 'Me, too.'

A naked-look-like cat standing on a branch not so far from where I was killed my soul with its eyes, making me paid my attention back to the baboon.

'Only two of you will be sent to Myth Land. However, if you are good enough, and we see—something—different—in you, then you might have a place... here. At the Christmas tree.'