SIXTEEN: Part 1. The Rift Valley

I know, I know, I skipped a week. My bad. It won't happen again. Look for this blog every week, on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. Here is the first chapter of Tales of Monkeyman:

NGILA

1.

FIRE EXIT.

2.

Curious George. George was a good little monkey. He had one fault. He was too curious.

3.

Janey give to George books. George copy from books. Copy, copy, copy.

Monkey see, monkey do.

4.

monkey: a primate mammal other than man.

human: of, relating to, being, or characteristic of man.

man: 1. a human being, esp. an adult male. 2. mankind. 3. one possessing in high degree the qualities considered distinctive of manhood; also husband. 4. an adult male servant or employee. 5. one of the pieces with which various games are played.

5.

George not name-of this. Name-of this Oah-oah-oah-oah-glugg.

oah-oah-oah-oah: monkey

glugg: noise, garbage, human.

Monkey say Ohglo for short.

One time Ohglo not name-of this. One time Ohglo live among gluggs. One time name-of this Ngila.

Once name-of this Ngila.

Then name of this Oah-oah-oah-oah-glugg, Ohglo for short.

Then name-of this George.

? Name-of this.

6.

Once a glugg-cub name-of Ngila. Ngila cry. Glugg say Ngila no glugg. Glugg say Ngila full-of hair. Glugg say Ngila monkey. Monkey, monkey, monkey, nya, nya, nya. Ngila go into forest. Forest quiet same-as sun.

Ngila come to stream. Stream clear and cool. Ngila thirst. Ngila crouch to drink. Stream turn red! Stream turn red! Stream same-as blood. Blood, blood, blood, 1-2-3 blood. Big noise fill Ngila ears. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM! Ngila run and run. Ngila see end-of-world.

7.

Once a glugg-cub name-of Ngila. Ngila baby. Ngila live in the Village of the People. Village of fear.

Ma say village is of Luo people who raise cattle. Pa a Luo man, a warrior always away with the Mau-mau, fighting the pink- face Invaders.

Ma say she no Luo woman. She come from Kipsigis. Kipsigis people hunt. Ma say Kipsigis say she was ponindet, a witch who cast the evil eye on people. Kipsigis make her go away.

Ma say that on the way to Nairobi she meet chimoset, an animal from dreams. Chimoset have body of hyena but 1-2-3 big, with spots like leopard. It have a white neck and big black marks between its eyes and nose. It mouth very big and red, and it voice full of terror, like boom-boom-boom, like sound of big fire. Ma say this animal love to eat people brains. Sometimes it carry away people heads. Find heads later split in two and empty.

"? Pa go kill chimoset," Ngila ask.

"No, Pa go kill worse animal. Pa go kill pink-face Invader."

Ngila fear chimoset. Ngila fear pink-face Invader. Ngila fear end-of-world.

Ma say then she meet Pa on way to Nairobi. Pa no witch doctor. Pa medical doctor. Pa returning to his people. Take Ma with. Marry. Ma and Pa happy until Ngila born.

Village say Ngila no Luo. Village say Ngila no Kipsigis. Village say Ngila-full-of-hair. Village say Ngila monkey. Monkey, monkey, monkey, nya, nya, nya.

8.

One time Ngila lie in cradle and cry in sun. Ngila too big for cradle. Ngila too big to cry. But Ngila hungry. Ma grind meal in the sun, grunt with the heat. Ma pay no mind to Ngila.

Suddenly big shadow cross sun. Pa back! Pa back from wars. Pa drop big gun and hug Ma. Then Pa pick up Ngila and throw him up in the air. Ngila think Pa will drop him and he holler. Pa catch Ngila and they laugh. "How are you, monkey-boy?" Pa ask.

But Pa bring war with him. Soon after Pa come boom-boom-boom.

That night come fire. Fire, fire, fire! Little kraal of round sisal houses burn up and light up the sky. Ma grab Ngila. Ngila-Ma run and run. Run from the fire.

Soon Ma tired. Ma fall down. Ma can no longer carry Ngila. Fire come and come. Boom-boom come and come. Ma run and run. Ngila run and run.

Ngila come to stream. Ngila rest. ? Where Ma. Ngila call "Ma! Ma! Ma!" No Ma. Ngila alone. Ngila alone in the forest with the stream and the moon. Ngila lost.

9.

The moon, it is said, once sent a spider to men saying, "Go to the men and tell them: 'As I die, and dying live, so shall you also die, and dying live.'"

The spider started with the message, but while on his way, he was overtaken by the monkey, who asked, "On what errand are you bound?"

The spider answered, "I am sent by the moon to men, to tell them that as she dies and dying lives, so shall they also die and dying live."

The monkey said, "As you are an awkward runner, let me go." With these words he ran off, and when he reached men he said, "I have been sent by the moon to tell you: 'As I die and dying perish, in the same manner you also shall die and come wholly to an end.'"

The monkey then returned to the moon and told her what he had said to men. The moon reproached him angrily, saying: "Do you dare tell the people a thing which I have not said?"

With these words the moon took up a piece of wood and struck the monkey on the jaw. Since that day, the monkey's jaw has been swollen, but men still believe what the monkey told them.

10.

Ngila hungry. Ngila eat leaves. Leaves taste same-as shit. Leaves make Ngila sick.

Ngila dig bugs. Sweet-crunch bugs. Ngila eat bugs. Ngila love bugs. Bugs, bugs, bugs, 1-2-3 bugs. Fly bugs, tree bugs, hop bugs, kneel bugs, red bugs, green bugs. Hill bugs. 1-2-3 hill bugs. Glugg say ants.

Ngila dig ants at bughill. Monkeys come to bughill. Monkeys love ants. Glugg say baboons. Baboons say "oah-oah-oah-oah."

oah: I, me.

oah-oah: you.

oah-oah-oah: troop, family, we.

oah-oah-oah-oah: friends, friendly beings, monkey, moon.

oah-oah-oah-oah-oah: life, spirit, water.

Concentric circles in a stone-struck pond.

11.

Ngila at bughill with monkeys. Ngila suck monkey titty, baboon titty. Long skinny nipple slide in his mouth. Milk taste sweet. 1-2-3 sweet. Ngila suck and suck and suck.

Baboons fuss over Ngila. Argue. Fight.

Baboon titty Ngila suck name-of this Smak.

smak: mother.

Ngila love titty. Ngila love sweet-crunch bugs. Ngila stay with Smak. Ngila follow Smak. Ngila ride on back of Smak. Smak take Ngila with to sleeping-place. Ngila love Smak.

? Pa turn Ngila into monkey.

? Ma turn Ngila into monkey.

No.

Ngila monkey.

12.

The Monkey King

Years and years ago somewhere in China there lived a Monkey. Now there have been lots of monkeys in this world. Some have been real monkeys. Others have been men who behaved like monkeys. And often the monkeys have behaved like men. Sometimes it has been hard to tell the difference.

This wouldn't be mentioned at all except that Monkey, whose story we are going to tell you, was a most unusual Monkey. He was good -- he was bad. He was smart -- he was stupid. He was wise -- he was foolish. He was everything he should be and everything he
shouldn't be.

In the beginning he was just an ordinary monkey save for one thing -- he was curious. He wanted to know everything, see everything, and do everything. And he was never satisfied with what other monkeys told him. He always wanted to find out for himself.