Thread: Four Monkeys

From the time my son was able to talk he has had an incessant need for conversation. To this day, at eighteen years of age, he still follows me around the house, asking questions and seeking to get me engaged.

Early on he learned that he could manipulate me into talking with him if he asked questions about a subject he knew interested me. So one evening when he was about nine years old he came up behind me while I was on the computer and asked: “What about angels mom, what are they?” He was well aware that World Religion and Religious Traditions fascinated me and I would probably be willing to talk. And I was.

So with half a mind on my email and the other half on the conversation I said, “The Hebrew word for angel is Malach which means Messenger. Some people even believe that good thoughts create good angels who carry good messages to the world and that evil thoughts create evil angels who carry evil messages to the world.”

“Oh.”, he said, “Then there are Four Monkeys.” Apparently satisfied, he turned and walked away.

I paused and stopped typing. How did he leap frog from angels to monkeys? I thought for a moment and smiled.

See No Evil.
Hear No Evil.
Speak No Evil.
THINK No Evil.

Four Monkeys indeed.

I like the concept. Makes sense.

...brilliant!!!

Nice way to introduce & speak about a topic you're interested in, a little appetiser leaving me wanting to read more about the characters and alternative perspectives on familiar myths. I don't like the upper-case of "THINK" yelling at me; it's a bit coarse. I'd actually prefer it end with your line "I thought for a moment and smiled.", leaving readers to think for themselves for a moment & work it out (it's not too difficult!) rather than having it spelled out. Just personal preferences I suppose, but I do think this loss would be a gain.

Clever for 9 years and it's nice that at 18 he still wants to talk to you.