In the human kingdom, they say, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” But in the animal kingdom, where family values are often more noble, they believe, “Absence makes the heart grow despondent.” Four long years had passed since Funky Monkey swung his way to freedom, escaping the wrath of King Leo III and the baying pursuit of the other animals. For some time, he’d been disheartened, losing hope of ever returning to his natural home. Living safe and sound at his human owner’s “place of safety” was becoming a tedious routine. He missed the wild days of swinging through the treetops or scuttling through the grasslands, playing with his friends or escaping predators like baboons, lions, leopards, and hyenas who saw him not as an enemy, but as a succulent meal. He missed his mom, Ellen, his grandma Rita, and his twin cousins, wondering if they were still alive, knowing that any of them could lose their lives at a moment’s notice—no notice given when you’re being hunted by predators.

Unbeknownst to him, a similar scenario was unfolding in the jungle. Daisy, looking at her daughter’s tear-filled eyes, felt the pain of Gabriel’s (Funky Monkey’s birth name) forced disappearance. Smarty and Rascal, playing close by, also felt the empty void left by their cousin’s absence. In an attempt to cheer up the family, Rascal let fly with his Tarzan imitation, “AAH, OOH AAH!” By now, the other animals knew this as a monkey prank, but it didn’t escape their notice to see smiles spread across the older folk’s faces. Ellen, in truly faithful fashion, had regularly gone to the Golden Monkey Temple to beseech the Monkey Gods for Gabriel’s protection. It had been a week since her last visit, and she felt another was now on the cards.

Unbeknownst to all, another play was unfolding in a different part of the jungle. In the lion domain, concerns were being raised about the grooming of their future king, King Leo IV. Nicknamed “Baby Lion” at birth, he was still playful, even as a young lion. Even more alarming, by a twist of fate, he preferred a vegetarian diet. This presented a huge dilemma to the pride. He had no brothers to “step up to the plate,” and though his sister was a lioness of note—a fearless, fierce huntress with a wild attitude—no lion pride would allow themselves to be ruled by a woman. The pride wasn’t prepared to lose their position. Baby Lion’s saving grace was his attraction to the young lionesses in the pride, and he spent much time racing and wrestling with the other young lions to develop strength and speed. King Leo also knew that waiting for the possibility of a grandson to ascend the throne was too great a risk. Time, as they say, was of the essence. To add insult to injury, Scarron, Scarface’s son, was plotting against the established hierarchy, not only for revenge for his father, but also, like his father, for a desire to rule over the lion kingdom and, by extension, the animal kingdom. He wanted to be the boss of bosses (Capo De Tuti Capo). Individually, all these incidents were just that—incidents. But taken collectively, they could spell disaster with far-reaching consequences. King Leo didn’t know it all, but he knew the shortcomings of his legitimate heir and the schemes of his nemesis. Baby Lion, once his pride and joy, was now his fear and worry—fear for his son’s life and worry about his kingdom.

His troublesome countenance and constant worrying didn’t go unnoticed. His favourite wife, Elsa the Lioness, Baby Lion’s mother, sat with him that evening, at a distance from the others and definitely out of earshot. Snuggled up to him and staring into his amber eyes, she whispered, “For a wise, handsome, strong male, you can be very stupid at times. Don’t always try to solve problems by conventional methods; sometimes you need to think outside the box.” She now had his attention and continued, “Remember that time when you caused your erstwhile friend, Funky Monkey, to escape for his life?” To which he replied, “Yes! So what does that have to do with the issue at hand?” Sometimes, what men refer to as a woman’s intuition is, in fact, a woman’s wisdom. She replied, “His idea of voting for a leader from amongst all animals in the animal kingdom could be the solution to your problem. It’s a bold, revolutionary, and evolutionary concept that resolves all your worries in one act.” He responded, “Wow, dear, you never fail to amuse me with your exceptional reasoning prowess.” She was unable to hold back her next retort, “I always knew that I wasn’t just a pretty face on a beautiful body. But I also have the mind of a goddess—witty, sharp, brilliant, and a little crazy at times.” King Leo just sat there, shaking his head. Though no words were spoken, she could read his mind as declaring, “You are astonishingly beautiful and amazingly brilliant,” resulting in a satisfyingly broad smile spreading over her face. He got up and said, “Thanks for the idea. I will think on it and act on it as I would and deem it a possible solution.”

King Leo’s pride had gone out hunting that night. It was a successful hunt, as all the pride were called to a sumptuous meal a short distance away. Three lionesses had tracked and brought down a lone, fully grown giraffe who, while feeding on the succulent treetops, had strayed far from the herd. After supper, when the pride had retired, fully fed and satisfied, King Leo strode out of the den, deep in thought as to what action to take concerning the future of his kingdom. The idea that Elsa had planted in his mind was growing and gaining traction at an alarming rate. At long last, he stepped back into the den to rest, his mind already made up.

The next morning, King Leo sent messengers to inform all the animals of his kingdom to attend an important meeting at the open field, which was now becoming a familiar animal theatre, loosely named The Royal Theatre of Dreams. The meeting was noted as a very important one and would be conducted at the next full moon. Again, the safety of all attendees would be guaranteed. The day of the meeting arrived, and the familiar clearing in the jungle quickly filled up. Representation from all the various animals was noted, and when the noisy crowd had settled down, King Leo walked up to the high rock in the center and in three leaps stood on its peak. Waving his right front paw for silence, the noise soon reduced to a din. He then started in a roaring voice, “My loyal and not-so-loyal subjects,” looking directly at Scarron, the evil lion, he continued, “I have called you here to discuss leadership of my vast jungle kingdom. I acknowledge that my son is not fit to take over from me. Also, other lion prides led by unscrupulous, nefarious individuals would be totally wrong. Whilst I am king, I would rather hunt those individuals down and make a swift end to their miserable lives. I have thought about it and have decided to get my old friend Funky Monkey back here to give another talk, this time with my full blessings, about voting in a leader from amongst us all.”

While some animals were cheering, Scarron and his pride started jeering with some derogatory remarks like, “You and your tribe are only fit to perform in the man-made zoos and circuses. Your time is up, and you need to clock out before I punch out your ticket.” This last remark brought a new type of silence in that clearing, as this was a direct challenge to the monarchy. In the space of a heartbeat, Baby Lion, with speed, agility, and tremendous strength, bounded across the clearing and, before anyone could intervene, in one final leap, was upon Scarron, and the two youngsters got caught up in a tussle of rage. Both were now standing, balancing on their hind legs, their front paws beating at one another. With this act, pandemonium ensued as the two lion prides readied themselves to join the fray. Before things could escalate out of hand, a thunderous roar from King Leo brought the commotion to an abrupt end. All the others had started scattering left and right to get out of the way, but they, too, hearing that roar, stopped. King Leo, still in that roaring rage, said, “I had promised safety and security to all that were attending, and that statement still remains. My young and foolish cub has forgotten his manners, and for that, I apologize. Scarron, you baited the father, and instead, you got the wrath of the son. Refrain from any further mischievous deeds. I want this meeting to continue until there is a resolution. Baby Lion, you go back and stay with the pride.”

It took a bit of time for all to return to their seats and for order to be restored. King Leo continued, “Does anyone have anything fruitful to add to my request?” It didn’t take long for discussions to be held amongst the animals as ideas and proposals were being formulated, analyzed, and prepared to be tabled or, in this instance, grounded as possibilities to put forward. Silence ensued. Suddenly, unexpectedly, Orville the mongoose offered for him and his family to go and talk to Funky Monkey to return, now at the King’s request. Orville explained, “My family and I will sneak into town. Humans view our presence as a blessing, knowing that we are snake slayers. We will locate his townhouse, rid the property of any snakes lurking in the area, and communicate your request to him. He knows me, and I know him, as we have met on a number of occasions in our quest for food. Hopefully, we may also encounter some Egyptian Cobras or even a Black Mamba, our main snake snacks.” Cobras and Mambas present started slithering across the clearing but stopped their intended attack as they noted the large contingency of mongooses. They slipped back into place and kept their peace.

Listening to Orville, almost all the animals that had returned to the meeting agreed, seeing the wisdom in it, and King Leo put his stamp of approval on it, sending them home to prepare for their arduous journey. Prior to their departure, Orville and his troop were given directions on locating the house where Funky Monkey now resided. It took two days to prepare for their mission. One major issue was that all the mongooses wanted in on the action—old, young, fathers, mothers, and pups. They were all eager, but in the end, a contingency of some eighteen seniors was chosen with Orville as their leader. Goodbyes were said, and lots of paw shakes and well wishes sent them on their way. Mother monkey Ellen was very excited about the turn of events and planned a visit to the Golden Monkey Temple to render thanks and pray for the safe return of the mongooses and Gabriel. Scurrying through the jungle to get to the town was taxing for these little creatures, and having taken on the task, as well as their oath to carry it out, gave them the strength and resolution to execute their king’s commission. Finally, they were in the town, having made a few stops for meals along the way. The jungle lost a few snakes because of their journey. Most animals did not view this as a loss but rather good riddance to vermin. No love lost.

It didn’t take long to locate the house, and they quietly entered the property. Dogs in the neighbourhood started a cacophony of howls at the discovery of these intruders. Homeowners came out to investigate, but by then, the intruders had disappeared into whatever protective place they could fit into. While this was going on, Orville took it as an opportunity to stealthily slip into the house and try to locate Funky Monkey. This didn’t take long, for as he stepped into the kitchen area, Funky Monkey was busy opening the fridge to get himself a ripe banana. On seeing each other, their immediate reactions of surprise turned to disbelief and finally recognition and greetings.

Glad to see someone from his “hometown,” Funky Monkey indicated for Orville to follow him to a quieter, safer place in the house. This didn’t go unnoticed by Bertie, the noisy, nosey gray parrot, who almost always looked for an opportunity to either get Jack (Funky Monkey) or Felix the Persian cat into trouble. He started squawking as loud as he could, “Jack has brought a stranger into the house, Jack has brought,” but before he could finish his sentence, it was Felix again to the rescue. Forcing his front right paw through the cage bars, he made an attempt to catch Bertie, who saw the danger and just managed to move off his perch. He wasn’t fast enough and lost three feathers in the process. Shocked and shaken, Bertie immediately assumed the silent, naughty boy in the corner position.

Moving from the kitchen, through the living room, and into the main bedroom, Funky Monkey pushed the door shut with his paw. “So, Orville, what brings you to town? I hope it’s something good. How is my family, and how is it in the jungle?” To which Orville replied, “Your family is all good. Missing you, and they send greetings. I am here on His Majesty King Leo’s request.” “What request?” blurted Funky Monkey, a bit of concern in his voice. “King Leo wants you to return and address the animal kingdom about your idea for Democratic Rule. Times have changed, situations in the forest are now different, and the king maintains that now is the time for such a drastic change to be initiated. Please return with me and my troop, as I can vouch for your safety. All are looking forward to your return.” “Go to the edge of town and wait for me there. I shall join you tomorrow at midday. I need to make arrangements for my departure and would also like to bid my human friends/owners farewell.” Agreeing to this, Funky Monkey proceeded to escort Orville to the back door to avoid detection as he could hear the humans returning. That evening, as best as he could in the sign language he had developed with Colin and Ruth, he finally got the message across to them about his return to the wild in answer to the Lion King’s request. Colin, looking at him and remembering how he had saved his life, accepted his imminent departure, but his wife Ruth needed some further convincing, and she also finally expressed acceptance.

The following day, after a bout of sad partings, Colin, Ruth, and Felix bid him farewell, but Bertie, safe in his cage, let fly with a parting shot, “‘Good riddance to bad rubbish.’” Lucky for him, only Jack and Felix could understand his remark. Jack threw back a quick reply, “I’ll be back, and you watch your back.” Felix had to add his bit, “Don’t let him rile you. When you do return, I will have stripped him of quite a few more feathers. Pesky parrot.” They hurried to the edge of town, where they joined the rest of the mongooses. The journey back to the forest was filled with lighthearted banter, and before they knew it, they were back in the King’s presence. Funky Monkey held back to assess if he was truly welcomed back by the king. Leo, with outstretched paws, indicated he step forward and in a bear hug – sorry, lion hug – embraced him and thanked him for coming back at such short notice. Word spread quickly in the kingdom about his return, and it didn’t take long for friends and family to pitch up.

King Leo decided to have a private audience with Funky Monkey, where he put forward his dilemma and the possible use of Funky Monkey’s idea that got him into trouble in the first place. Funky Monkey, now fully at ease, started, “Your Majesty, if you would indulge me, Orville explained to me your request for my presence. I thank you for giving me this wonderful opportunity. But, please hear me out. I have a better idea. One that I am sure Your Majesty would like even better.” King Leo responded, “Please proceed, I would like to hear it.” Funky Monkey needed no further encouragement and, picking his words carefully, stated, “Your Majesty should declare that there be a contest, open to all the animals as an opportunity where they must OUTCLASS, OUTLAST, OUTWIT, OUTPLAY, and OUTMANEUVER each other. The last animal standing will be declared the winner and given the chance to ascend to power as King of the Jungle. This contest embodies true leadership. The contest is to be one where the contestants pit themselves against each other in the ring, and Your Majesty as presiding judge, plus all animals attending not only as spectators but also there to root for their favourites.” King Leo looked at this monkey with new respect for this wonderful idea and in a loud roar of agreement declared, “Wonderful, great idea! You will be alongside me as co-judge. You will also be the one to take the names of all the willing contestants and to set up the elimination round pairing.” He then added, “Let me go out and make this announcement.”

Both lion and monkey stepped back into the crowd, which by now had grown considerably. Every animal wanted to know what was going to take place in the future. It didn’t take long before this new idea was issued for individuals to rush to Funky Monkey to enter their names. A huge elephant, Jumbo, in his normal gangster-like way, pushed to the front and challenged, “Is there any animal foolish enough to come up against me in a show of strength?” Joey and Daisy, seeing this family member of theirs, stood by and shook their heads in disgust. Other animals in the queue, like Jovial Jack the leopard, Scarron the lion, and Sammy the hyena, stepped out of the queue, and in no time, it was only Jumbo. Looking around with a smirk on his face, he declared that he was now king. No, wait, suddenly Anthony the Fire Ant stepped forward, “Add me in as a contestant.” Jumbo, in derision, mocked him, “One stomp of my foot and you will be just a spot on the ground.” Anthony, now in front of Funky Monkey, replied, “I challenge him. I do not see his size. I only see his stupidity.” Jumbo wanted to end it there, but King Leo said that if he tries anything outside of the ring, he will be disqualified. He stepped back and, looking down at Anthony, said, “I will see you in the ring.”

As it was now down to just the two contestants, King Leo decided, so as not to delay the process, they would have the contest immediately. They stepped into the ring roughly demarcated in the clearing, and Jumbo, looking down and unable to locate Anthony, heard Anthony’s voice, “Now you see me, now you don’t,” as he jumped between Jumbo’s right foot toes. Trying to sting him was almost impossible because of his thick skin, so his only alternative was to tickle him. This went better than he expected, and it didn’t take long for Jumbo to laugh uncontrollably, resulting in him losing balance and falling down. A loud thud as he landed on his side, as everyone was now astounded by this. Immediately, as Anthony crawled out from his foot, unhurt and dancing with joy, he was declared the champion. He had outwitted the elephant and is now rightfully the new jungle king. Everyone was delighted as it was now commonly received by all that Anthony would be a far better leader.

At the passing of the crown ceremony, a new crown had to be cast to fit Anthony’s head, and King Leo could keep his crown if ever it arose, and a new lion king would be raised. Funky Monkey, at King Anthony’s request, took up the position as the King’s Advisor, making him the second most powerful man in the kingdom. For now, peace and quiet returned to the jungle kingdom.