Monkeys, Happy Place, Iceland

Chel Owens

In the few seconds between bedtime and actually getting to bed, I snuck over to my Reader’s Feed. And there, an epiphanous* idea appeared:

Why not write whatever pops into my head based on the three random words suggested at the top? Today’s prompt: Monkeys, Happy Place, Iceland.

“I say, Gorillford, this simply cannot stand.” Chimply scratched an errant flea.

His friend fixed him a bewildered look. “What’s that? Iceland’s moorings?”

Chimply sighed. “No, though that is distressing. Bad news, that, after so many years of stability. The country’ll be at Africa by summer. No, I was referring to this whole classification nonsense.”

Gorillford huffed, puffing up onto his thick knuckles.

“I know, I know. ‘Don’t you start’ -but you haven’t experienced the indignity, Gill! Everywhere I go, it’s, ‘Look at the monkey!’ ‘Mummy, may I have a monkey!’ I’ve… I’ve broken a bit; I’ve even considered saying, ‘Sod it’ and pasting a tail back there anyway….”

Gorillford had no reply. His beady eyes nearly popped from his leathery face. His jaw hung slack. A tail? That was far worse than living with mislabeling. He gathered his thoughts to attempt reasoning with his friend.

“You needn’t bother,” Chimply cut him off. “I know.” He sighed and then contemplatively peeled and ate a banana. “I know.”

This would take some thinking. Gorillford snapped his meaty fingers. “Chim.”

“Hm?”

“I’ve got it.”

“Hm?” Chimply retained a glum expression as he set the peel atop a fence post.

“I said, ‘I’ve got it.'” Leaning into the mesh between their enclosures, Gorillford grinned. “You’d rather we not be monkeys, yeah?”

Chimply didn’t even look over. “Obviously.”

“Well… given the rate at which these loony bipeds are going, do we really want to be known as apes?” Gorillford leaned back against a vine-twisted log in this, their happy place, allowing the import of his words to sink in.

It didn’t take long.

“My Gibbons! You’re right! Why, come to think of it, they’ve even used us as insults in some of their so-called ‘professional debates.’ If the orangutans aren’t safe, who is?”

“Precisely.”

They both sat, now in companionable silence. Only the clink or clunk of food pails interrupted a peaceful morning.

“Gill?”

“Hm?” The large ape monkey looked over at his smaller ape monkey friend.

“At least we’re not donkeys.”

“He.” Gorillford rolled his eyes and then rolled over to nap. “Ha.”

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

©2021 Chel Owens

*Epiphanous is not a word.

39 thoughts on “Monkeys, Happy Place, Iceland”

    1. 😀 I’ve done it … twice. I thought about it when the ‘epiphany’ first came to me. Like, ‘Are you sure you’re not just copying Di’s Three Things?'” 😀

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  6. That’s a really cool idea. I’ve never become close to finding out how they make their “suggestions” for any of it. “Sharks, Colorado, Parenting.” I talk and read about Colorado although most of the blogs I follow have nothing to do with it, but not sharks or parenting. It changes to equally bizarre things when you refresh. hmmm…

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  7. Pingback: Word Press Algorithm Writing Prompts – The Haps With Herb

  15. I love “epiphanous”. Use it. I adore word play and am often inventing words to use in poems. I love the idea of a word like this existing simply to imply something in the imagination of the reader.

    also: great idea to use the *Reader* suggestions as a writing prompt! I’m gonna do that, if you don’t mind. I get some really weird suggestions. I found your post here by following the suggestion of “Iceland”. ( which isn’t weird on its own, of course). I didn’t expect it to lead to a cool writing prompt idea.

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    1. Wordplay is definitely fun. And, thank you. 😀 The idea popped in my head because I thought they were such random suggestions of what to search for. Everyone needs to try it!

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