Week 3 Story: The Quiet Boy

There was once a young boy so quiet not even a mouse could stand to be in his presence for they could not compete with his silence. The other kids in his class did not like him much, every time they try to play with him, he would just look at them with a sad look on his face and shake his head. The other kids thought he was just pretentious or self-centered, out of frustration they began to play pranks on the Quiet boy to try to get him to talk, some thought maybe he was just lame and began calling him Monkey since he would make weird gestures with his hands when he got excited or sad. They would pull his hair, tease him, and push him down the stairs, but none of this would cause the boy to speak.

On one particularly day, the kids in the school were going on a field trip to the local zoo. The other kids began to scheme their biggest prank yet. Pairing up in groups of four for the field trip, the three biggest and strongest boys decided to be in the Quiet boys's group. He was so happy, he thought that maybe they were trying to be his friends so the Quiet boy began jumping up and down and he interlocked his index fingers twice to each boy.

The other kids began to laugh at him and called him Monkey, they then dragged him over to the gorilla exhibit and tossed him over the edge onto the cold concrete below. The Quiet Boy, dazed from his fall, did not understand why his new friends were so mean to him. He began to cry with big heaving sobs, but still he did not make a sound. All the other kids began to gather to laugh at him and call him Monkey while throwing bananas and other fruit at him. All the commotion woke up the gorilla in the exhibit. Angry that his afternoon nap was disturbed, Harambe the gorilla, let out a deep bellow silencing the crowd.

Livid, he stomped around the enclosure hooting and beating against the walls. The other kids began to scream as he approached the Quiet boy, who was oblivious to the situation as his tears began to form a small pool around him.

Harambe loomed over the Quiet boy, still extremely irritated with the high pitched screaming in the background, Harambe half thought about slamming his fists into the Quiet boy's head, but decided otherwise when he heard no sound coming from the sobbing boy. Interested, Harambe sat down by the boy and began to pat his back to make him feel better. After a few minutes, the Quiet boy looked up at Harambe and put his hand to his face before removing it in an outward motion. A toothy smile formed on Harambe's face as he realized that the boy was signing. Harambe responded and then the boy responded and then Harambe again, this silent conversation went on for hours as the other kids left the Quiet boy behind since the for sure thought he was dead.

When given the chance to leave the exhibit to return home, the Quiet boy decides to embrace his nickname and chooses to live with Harambe in the gorilla enclosure. Harambe and Monkey became best friends.

Image of Binti-Jua rescuing a boy how fell into her exhibit in 1996.

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Author's Note: This story is based off of the general theme of several of stories in the Saints and Animals section of reading. A main character, who is usually special in some way befriends an animal, and together they live a happy life. The main myths of focus here are of Saint Kentigern and the Robin and The Wolf-Mother of Saint Ailbe. Harambe the gorilla is based of Harambe the gorilla.

Bibliography: Brown, A. 1900. The Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts