Malo and the Forbidden Mangoes

In the savannah, Malo the monkey loved mangoes.

Small mangoes.

Big mangoes.

Nice yellow mangoes.

Still slightly green mangoes.

Actually, Malo loved all mangoes.

One morning, Baya the elephant placed a big basket under a tree.

It was filled with beautiful ripe mangoes.

Baya told him:

"Malo, whatever you do, don't touch them, they're for everyone's snack."

Malo looked at the basket.

Then at Baya.

He replied:

"Promise."

Baya left to fetch the others.

Malo stayed alone.

Well...

Alone with the basket.

He sat down.

He looked away.

He even tried to look very far.

But a smell reached him.

A sweet smell.

Sugary.

Delicious.

Malo slowly turned his head.

The basket was still there.

Malo whispered:

"No."

He turned back.

Then he looked again.

"I promised."

He took three steps.

Then five.

Then he came back.

Just to check that the mangoes were still there.

They were still there.

And they looked even better.

Malo approached.

He told himself:

"I'm not going to eat any."

He picked up a mango.

"I'll just look at it and smell it just a tiny bit."

He brought the mango close.

"Mmmmm..."

Then, without really knowing how...

CRUNCH.

Malo stood still.

He looked at the mango.

A piece was missing.

"Oh."

He looked around.

No one.

Malo thought.

"Well... now that it's already bitten..."

CRUNCH.

Then again.

CRUNCH.

A few seconds later, only the pit remained.

Malo looked at the pit.

"No one must see this."

He looked for a hiding spot.

First under a leaf.

He placed the pit underneath.

But the pit stuck out.

"No."

Then he tried behind a rock.

He ran to the rock.

But Jojo the hippopotamus was just lying behind it.

Jojo asked him:

"What are you doing?"

Malo jumped.

"Nothing!"

He hid the pit behind his back.

Jojo looked at him.

Malo smiled.

Then he left very quickly.

A bit further, Malo spotted a small hole.

"Perfect!"

He approached.

He was about to throw the pit inside when a small voice was heard.

"Hello."

Rami the beetle came out of the hole.

Malo stepped back.

"Ah! You live there?"

Rami answered him:

"Yes."

Malo looked at the pit in his hand.

Then at Rami.

Rami told him:

"Nice pit."

Malo replied:

"Thanks!"

Then he left again.

He ended up hiding the pit under a pile of branches.

This time, nothing could be seen.

Malo sighed.

"There, no one will know."

Then he returned to the basket.

He looked at it.

There was now a small gap in the middle of the mangoes.

Exactly where the one he had eaten was.

Malo opened his eyes wide.

"Oh no, they'll see it!"

He took a mango from the side.

He placed it in the middle.

Then another.

Then yet another.

He moved them in all directions.

"There... perfect."

He stepped back to look.

A mango rolled.

Malo reached out.

Too late.

SPLAT!

The mango smashed on the ground.

Malo stood frozen.

Yellow juice was flowing everywhere.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no..."

He grabbed a big leaf.

He wiped.

But instead of cleaning...

He spread the juice even further.

"Oops."

He took a second leaf.

Then a third.

He rubbed.

Again.

Again.

Now, there was juice everywhere.

Malo stepped in it.

SPLISH.

He looked at his foot.

All yellow.

Then he stepped back.

SPLISH.

A second footprint.

Then a third.

Then a fourth.

Little yellow footprints now crossed all the grass.

Malo followed them with his eyes.

They went exactly from the basket...

To him.

Malo whispered:

"This is not good at all."

He tried to erase the footprints with his tail.

Bad idea.

Now his tail was yellow too.

Malo looked at the basket.

Then at the footprints.

Then at his tail.

Then at the squashed mango.

He sighed.

Then his gaze fell on another mango.

"Well... after all this, a second mango won't change much."

He took it.

CRUNCH.

Then another mango rolled out of the basket by itself.

It stopped right in front of him.

Malo looked at it.

"This one... it came by itself."

He thought.

"So it doesn't count."

CRUNCH.

A few minutes later, Malo heard voices.

"They're coming!"

Malo panicked.

He straightened the basket.

He pushed the juice-covered leaves behind a tree.

He hid two pits under a branch.

He wiped his hands on the grass.

Then he sat in front of the basket.

Very straight.

Very calm.

As if nothing had happened.

Samy the lion, Baya, Jojo, Nino, and Lila arrived.

Baya looked at the basket.

Then at Malo.

Then at the basket.

Then at Malo again.

Malo had yellow hands.

His tail was yellow.

A leaf was stuck on his head.

And behind him, a long line of yellow footprints crossed the grass.

Samy looked at the footprints.

They went all the way to the basket.

Then to Malo's feet.

Samy asked him:

"Malo... what happened here?"

Malo thought very quickly.

Very, very quickly.

"Well..."

Everyone waited.

Malo raised a finger.

"A herd of wild mangoes passed by here."

Silence.

Jojo blinked.

Nino looked at Baya.

Lila looked at the yellow footprints.

Then Rami came out from behind a rock with a pit.

Rami told him:

"Malo, you forgot this."

Malo looked at the pit.

Then at his yellow hands.

Then at his yellow tail.

Then at the leaf stuck on his head.

He lowered his shoulders.

"Well..."

He sighed.

"It was me."

Baya said nothing.

Malo continued:

"I ate one, then I tried to hide the pit, then a mango fell, then I tried to clean up, then I ate a second one..."

He hesitated.

"And maybe a third."

Samy looked at the basket.

He replied:

"Maybe?"

Malo lowered his head even more.

"Three."

Then he added very softly:

"Sorry."

Baya looked at the remaining mangoes.

She told him:

"They were for everyone."

Malo nodded.

He looked at his share that had been prepared next to him.

Then he pushed it towards the others.

"You can take mine."

Baya smiled.

"And tomorrow, you'll help me go get more mangoes."

Malo nodded.

"Okay."

Samy handed him the big basket.

"Can you carry it?"

Malo looked at the basket.

Then at the mangoes.

Then at Samy.

"Yes..."

He grabbed the basket.

Then he added:

"But next time, I'd rather it be empty."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Malo too.

And this time, he didn't touch a single mango.

Well...

Not until snack time.