DOJOLAND (Elementary)

Chapter 5 - The Monk and the Monky

A week after, Hei returned home from school to meet an uncommon guest.

"Welcome Home, son! Come over. We have a visit", his father announced.

Despite Hei being really hard to surprise, even he had to show some disbelief in his face when he saw a gorilla sipping from a cup of tea in his living room.

"Do you know the local temple's priest, Mr. Monk?" his father asked.

"Er...No, no I didn't know him personally, that is. How do you do?" Hei gave a spirited but rather stiff greeting.

"Welcome home, my beloved son. Mr. Monk here, He says you're acquainted with his protege, Za-Mong Key-boh-ee", his mother supplied as she entered the room with a tray that held plantain chips for the guest.

"Hey, there!", the monkey boy appeared from behind Hei's mother, a half-peeled banana in his hand.

"oh, it's ... you... uh, Za-...", Hei began.

"Aw just call me Monky. I'm the Monk's apprentice and I'm smaller'n him so I'm the monky, see?", he said proudly, pointing at his chest with his thumb.

Unlike the casual old shorts and tank top he was wearing a week before, Monky was wearing an acolyte's robes and beads. Hei wondered if this was some kind of surreal revelation but he shrugged inwardly.

"That's adorable! can I call you Monky, too?", Hei's mother asked, amused.

Monky's voice dropped two octaves and put his most suave face he could muster (for an ape) and replied "you can call me anything, babe"

Hei's father adjusted his glasses and gave the tiniest hint of an evil smile. "Hei, Mr. Monk came and asked us for some assistance to help Za-Mong with his education. When he learned that you had learned to read and write after a month and that you completed the curricula all the way to 4th grade in only 3 months, he came as quickly as he learned who you were to ask you personally for help"

"Me? shouldn't mom be the perfect candidate for that?"

"We both thought of that, but...", Hei's father began.

Hei, Hei's father and the monk slowly turned their heads to the other side of the room where Ai was throwing a plantain chip in the air, Monky was catching it and then trotted back to her to get his head rubbed.

"...to be perfectly frank, I don't think she is, anymore", Hei's father finished.

The gorilla put his arms on Hei's shoulders and his eyes watered. [Please... I beg you...], Monk's eyes said.

"B-but...", Hei began but then the gorilla grabbed the top of his head and turned it firmly to where now Monky was struggling to get his hand out of a narrow-necked jar while his fist was full of grain and his own mother was grooming him from behind.

Hei sighed.