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Linor Goralik is a writer, poet and artist living between Israel and Russia.
Preface for adults:
This little piece was not intended to be “literature.” It’s more of a helper story, a talking tale.
The author wrote it based on her own limited experience of working with children in hopes that it would help us talk to our littlest ones about what’s happening here and now. If, like me, you’re at a loss, and if, again like me, you feel unequal to the task of talking through the ongoing events, it might be useful to have this text on hand to read and discuss with a child. I’ve also included illustrations that can be printed, cut out, and colored, the better to act out the story’s plot.
There once was an island, and on that island grew a Coconut Grove. And in that Grove lived a Baboon — a very greedy Baboon.
Baboon.
What he wanted most in the world was for as many of the grove’s coconuts as possible to belong to him, and him alone. He picked out three helpers — Grass Snake, Spider, and Dung Beetle — and then sat high up in the palm trees, throwing the biggest and sweetest coconuts down for their benefit. And even though occasionally, someone would get hit right in the head, they gladly did anything the Baboon asked.
From left: Grass Snake, Spider, Dung Beetle.
Dung Beetle spent his days scoping out the thickest coconut palms and pointing them out to the Baboon. Meanwhile, Grass Snake would slither around the grove, hissing in the animals’ ears about how their neighbors on the island wanted nothing more than to take away Our Coconuts, and only the Great Baboon could save them from a hungry death. Some animals didn’t care: let him talk! Others trusted Grass Snake and felt very proud of the Baboon: what a stand-up guy, how did we ever live without him?
And then there were animals who couldn’t stand Grass Snake or the Baboon and kept telling the others that Grass Snake was a liar — but then Spider would come to Grass Snake’s aid, wrapping those who spoke out in a sticky web and dragging them into a deep, dark pit it was impossible to get out of.
Left: Ocelot. Right: Shrew.
And so it came to pass that, little by little, the Baboon took possession of Coconut Grove in its entirety.
Now, next to Coconut Grove was a Mango Grove. And the Baboon, who greatly loved mangoes, had been eyeing it for a long time. The animals who lived there never trusted the Baboon and knew very well that he was itching to get his hands on their grove. They even had a saying: “If you like mangoes, prepare for war.” But still, they hoped till the end that the Baboon wouldn’t dare invade them — that he would take pity on his own soldiers.
But the Baboon became more and more obsessed with base and greedy thoughts of sweet, sweet mangoes. He imagined how lovely it would be to be known as the Great Baboon of Coconut and Mango Groves! And as for the Baboon’s helpers — Grass Snake, Spider, and Dung Beetle — well, first of all, they loved mangoes too, and second, they knew that a few nice words always earned them an extra coconut or two from the Baboon. And so they made sure to whisper in his ears that the inhabitants of Mango Grove were weaklings, and that Our Coconut Army could take them down in a single day.
And so the morning came when the Baboon gathered a whole army, armed it with enormous hammers, and sent it to Mango Grove to take it over.
Left: The one army. Right: The other army.
He himself was a terrible coward: he hid among the leaves of the tallest palm tree, barricaded himself with coconuts, and wouldn’t let anyone come near — not even Grass Snake, Spider, or Dung Beetle, who had to shout up to him in the tree. And that first night they shouted up to him that things weren't going so good: the inhabitants of Mango Grove had grabbed their own hammers and were fighting for their grove like real lions — all of them, from the top commander on down to the tiniest bunny. And no matter how much the Baboon’s army hammered on their homes or pelted them with coconuts, those living in Mango Grove hadn't surrendered and didn't look like they were about to.
Blind with rage, the Baboon began leaping around his impregnable palm tree, beating himself about the head with his fists. He even chucked some coconuts at his helpers, and enjoyed great aim. Meanwhile, things weren’t going so well for the Baboon at home, either, because animals the whole island over — in Banana Grove, and Orange Grove, and Pineapple Grove — were horrified at what he had done. They kept trying and trying to reason with the Baboon, only he didn't give a fig about any of them. And then, to force the Baboon to stop his war, they gathered some rocks and used them to stop up the stream where the inhabitants of Coconut Grove went for water. Some of the animals in Coconut Grove didn’t even realize something was amiss because their water supply was still going strong. Others were frightened, thinking, but what will we drink down the line? — and yet they kept silent. Because those who didn’t keep silent found Spider waiting for them with his terrible sticky web, and were cast down into the terrible black pit.
And so, as we speak, the animals of Mango Grove are fighting for their homes and their lives against the soldiers of the Coconut Army. Let’s keep on telling this story — together.
Clockwise from top left: Owl, Capybara, Zebra, Elephant.
Translated by Maya Vinokour
