Malo and the Red Button

In the savanna lived Malo the monkey.

Malo was very curious. When he discovered something he didn't know, he immediately wanted to know what it was for, how it worked and, above all, what would happen if he touched it.

One morning, Baya the elephant arrived near the garden with a strange machine.

It had two big wheels, a long hose coiled around it and several small buttons on the side.

But Malo was looking at only one.

A huge red button.

He approached immediately.

"Baya, what is this machine?"

Baya put the hose near the plants.

"It's for watering the garden. With it, I can give water to all the plants much faster."

Malo watched the machine carefully.

"And what's that little lever for?"

"To adjust the amount of water."

Malo pointed to a handle.

"And that?"

"To open the tank."

Then his finger slowly moved toward the big red button.

"And that?"

Baya turned around immediately.

"That, you don't touch at all."

Malo removed his hand.

"Why?"

"Because that button makes the machine work at full power. You have to first install the hose properly and adjust the water correctly."

Malo looked at the button.

"Okay."

Baya stared at him for a few seconds.

"Malo, I'm serious. You don't touch it."

Malo put his hands behind his back.

"Promise."

Baya left to find Nino to help her carry some plants.

Malo stayed near the garden.

For a few moments, everything went very well. He looked at the flowers, picked up a small branch and put it aside.

Then his gaze returned to the machine.

More precisely...

To the red button.

Malo approached it.

"I'm not going to touch it. I just want to look closer."

He leaned in front of the machine.

The button was big, round and perfectly red.

Malo observed it for a few seconds, then stepped back.

"There. I looked. Now I can leave."

He took a few steps.

Then he stopped.

He had just noticed something.

There was a little dust on the button.

Malo came back.

"Well... removing dust isn't really touching the button."

He brought his finger closer, but stopped just before.

"No. Baya said not to touch."

Malo thought.

Then he picked up a long leaf.

"With a leaf, it's not me touching."

He gently passed the leaf over the button.

Once.

Then a second time.

The dust didn't move.

Malo rubbed a little harder.

The leaf slipped.

CLICK.

Malo froze.

The machine made a small noise.

Brrrrrrrr...

Malo's eyes went wide.

"Oh no."

The noise became louder and louder.

BRRRRRRRRRR!

Then suddenly...

PSHAAAAAAAA!

A huge jet of water came out of the hose.

Malo jumped.

The hose started moving in all directions and watered the flowers, the trees, the path and even a basket placed near the garden.

"Stop! Stop!"

Malo ran to the hose and tried to grab it.

But just as he reached out...

PSHHHHH!

The water jet hit him right in the belly.

Malo slipped on the wet grass and fell on his bottom.

SPLATCH!

He stayed sitting for a few seconds, completely soaked.

Then he got up.

"Okay... bad idea."

The hose kept turning.

Malo tried to approach the machine to press the button again, but each time he moved forward, the jet came back toward him.

To the left.

PSHHHH!

Malo stepped back.

To the right.

PSHHHH!

Malo ducked.

Then to the left again.

PSHHHH!

This time, Malo hid behind a big basket.

The jet hit the basket and knocked it over.

SPLASH!

All the vegetables it contained rolled in the wet grass.

Malo looked at the vegetables.

Then the machine.

Then the garden that was starting to look like a big puddle.

"Baya is not going to be happy at all."

At that moment, Nino the little elephant arrived at the end of the path.

He looked at Malo, completely soaked.

Then the scattered vegetables.

Then the hose turning in all directions.

"Malo... what did you do?"

Malo raised his hands.

"I can explain everything."

The hose turned abruptly.

PSHHHHH!

Nino got the jet right in the face.

He stood still.

Water was dripping from his big ears.

Malo made a little grimace.

"But maybe we should stop the machine first."

Nino looked at the red button.

"You just have to press it?"

Malo nodded.

"I think so."

Nino calmly walked toward the machine.

The hose headed toward him, but Nino grabbed it with his trunk and held it toward the ground.

"Go!"

Malo ran to the button and pressed it.

CLICK.

The noise slowed down.

Brrrrrr... brrrr...

Then the machine stopped.

The hose fell back into the grass.

A last drop came out.

Plop.

Malo and Nino looked around them.

The garden was soaked.

The vegetables were everywhere.

The path was covered with small puddles.

And Malo had a leaf stuck on his head.

Nino looked at him.

"Baya said not to touch the button, right?"

Malo's shoulders dropped.

"Yes."

"And you touched the button?"

Malo hesitated.

"Technically... it was the leaf that touched it."

Nino said nothing.

Malo sighed.

"Okay, fine. It was me."

A few moments later, Baya returned.

She stopped when she saw the garden.

She looked at the puddles.

Then the vegetables.

Then Nino completely wet.

And finally Malo.

"Malo?"

Malo slowly removed the leaf from his head.

"Yes?"

Baya pointed to the machine.

"What happened?"

This time, Malo didn't look for an excuse.

"I touched the button. You told me not to, but I wanted to look closer. Then I saw some dust, I took a leaf to remove it and... I pressed it."

Baya looked at the garden.

Malo added:

"Sorry. I'll clean up."

He started by picking up the vegetables while Nino put the hose back in place.

Baya helped them straighten the few plants that had been knocked down by the water.

After a while, the garden finally looked almost like it did before.

Malo looked at the machine.

"Next time you tell me not to touch something, I'll listen to you."

Baya smiled.

"That would be a very good idea."

They started to leave.

Then Malo stopped.

On the other side of the machine, he had just noticed a tiny blue button.

He looked at it for a few seconds.

Then he looked at Baya.

"And the blue button..."

Baya raised an eyebrow.

Malo immediately put his hands behind his back.

"No. Nothing. I didn't ask anything."

And this time, he continued on his way without touching anything.