Spider Monkey's Question

Spider Monkey's Question

The morning sun shone dimly through the canopy of rainforest leaves. A few spots of light danced on the thin fronds of the ferns on the ground. A family of spider monkeys slept in the branches of a tall tree. Father rolled over in his sleep and bumped his young son, Tari.

“ Who bumped me?" Tari shouted, jerking awake. “ Did you do it in your sleep? Why do we move in our sleep?" Mother's eyes snapped open. Another day of questions had begun, and no one had even had breakfast yet.

Luckily for the young spider monkey, his parents were very patient. They were also very wise. They had been able to answer nearly every question Tari had ever asked. Tari's mother thought it was wonderful that his first word was why? But she began to worry when it was the only word he seemed to know.

Tari asked questions about the landscape as the family swung through the trees. “ Why is the sky blue? Why are the hills high?" He asked about other animals' lives when they went to visit friends. “ Why does Jaguar have spots? Why do ants live underground?"

He asked about the tree they lived in while he fell asleep in its branches. “ Why is it tall? Why does it have leaves?" He asked about foods while the family prepared meals. “ Why are bananas tasty? Why is corn yellow?" Tari's curiosity was truly endless.