The Rainbows and the Secrets, Christine Cox [first ebook reader .txt] 📗

had finished, Tufts asked him to repeat the part about monkeys being in charge of the jungle.
“You see,” said Tufts to Jamie when the parrot had finished. “Monkeys are in charge of the Jungle and they can eat all the fruit in it. That means Rainbow monkeys of course, because it’s our Story. Rainbow monkeys are in charge of the Jungle. And we can eat all the fruit in any part of the Jungle.”
“Wrong!” said Softpad. “Our Story is different!”
“Not wrong! Our Story isn’t wrong!” shouted Snapper.
“Shut up!” ordered Jamie. "They listened to your parrot, now listen to theirs!"
Snapper was quiet, and a green parrot recited the Secrets’ Story. It was exactly the same as the Rainbows', until it came to the bit about the fruit and the jungle. At that point the green parrot continued: “Monkeys must look after the trees and the fruit and keep them safe, and not let them be wasted or harmed."
“You see!” said Softpad. “Monkeys – that means Secret monkeys, because it’s our Story – ‘must look after the trees and fruit and keep them safe.’ It’s not for the Rainbows to look after the fruit and eat it all, it’s for us. That’s why we fight them if they come over and steal it!”
“I don’t think your stories are different at all! They’re just different bits of the same Story.” said Ellie. “The Rainbows’ story says monkeys are in charge of the Jungle and they can eat all the fruit in the Jungle. The Secrets’ Story says monkeys must look after the fruit and trees and keep them safe. So: monkeys are in charge of the Jungle. They can eat all the fruit in it, but they have to look after it. The two bits go together – like a jigsaw. What’s the problem?”
“The Golden Monkey told them to do different things,” said Jamie. “She told the Rainbows to eat all the fruit and the Secrets to keep the fruit safe.”
“No she didn’t!” protested Ellie. “She said monkeys should do both those things. She didn’t say Rainbow monkeys should do this and Secret monkeys should do that. She just said monkeys! That means all of you! All of you can eat all the fruit in the Jungle, and all of you must look after it!” Ellie looked around at all the assembled Secrets and Rainbows as she finished this speech. They stared back at her in silence. They had never thought of anything like this before.
Just then, Evangeline flew down from the parapet and landed gently on her shoulder. She looked around at the assembled company and said: “Please listen carefully. This is very important.”


12

Ellie’s plan

Everyone listened as Evangeline spoke. She opened her beak and repeated several times: “We are all Children of the Golden Monkey, all Children of the Golden Monkey, all children of the Golden Monkey.”
"All Children of the Golden Monkey agreed a green Secret parrot on the other side of the bridge. Then several more parrots on both sides began to chant: “We are all Children of the Golden Monkey.....”
“I get it!” said Ellie suddenly. “There’s only one Golden Monkey, and she’s the mother of the Secrets and of the Rainbows. That makes you all brothers and sisters,” she told them. “So ‘monkeys’ in both Stories means all of you. She meant the Jungle to be for all of you, and the Story to be the same for all of you. She wouldn’t want some of her children to have more food than others. That wouldn’t be fair. A mother wouldn’t do that.”
“Then why did she make us live on different sides of the river, and tell us not to cross it?” demanded Tufts.
“She didn’t say you mustn’t ever cross the river at all,” argued Jamie. “She just said it was dangerous. Evangeline, will you repeat the bit about the river, please?” he asked the lady parrot.
“The river is dangerous for monkeys: they do not need to cross the river, or wade or swim in it,” recited Evangeline.
“You see?” said Jamie. “Monkeys don’t need to cross the river, but it doesn’t mean they can’t.”
"Monkeys have no business crossing the river, in my view," grumbled Shadow. "Rainbows should stick to their own side, and leave us Secrets to ours. That's how it's always been. I don't hold with changing things. Let's hear what some more of our parrots have to say."
Some Secret parrots started to talk again, but then Rainbow ones joined in. Parrots on both sides of the bridge started telling their different versions of the Story, all at the same time. And none of them was exactly the same as another. There seemed to be almost as many slightly different versions of the Story as there were parrots. The monkeys argued too, and the noise was deafening. Jamie didn’t know what to do.
Ellie covered her ears and shut her eyes. She was trying to think. She felt quite sure that the Golden Monkey had intended the whole Jungle to be for all the monkeys. No-one knew for sure exactly which version of the Story was right, but if the Golden Monkey had really said that monkeys didn’t need to cross the river, then there must be a reason for that. Suddenly it came to her. Of course! It was obvious really. Ellie’s heart beat faster and she started to pant with excitement. “Shut them up” she said to Jamie. “I’ve got it! I know what we need to do!”
But Jamie couldn’t get the attention of the crowd. The parrots had mostly stopped reciting, because no-one was listening to them, and flown away. Some of the Secrets had got bored and disappeared again. Many of the Rainbows had forgotten what they were arguing about and run off into the jungle. The monkeys that were left were chattering aimlessly. And in the middle of it all, Jamie and Ellie realised that it would soon be teatime and Ian would be looking for them. They needed to get back.
Ellie felt desperate. She must make at least some of the monkeys listen to her before they left. She hurried down the rough steps, swam to the opposite pillar and scrambled up onto the Secrets’ side of the bridge. “Softpad,” she said, kneeling down to speak to him where he crouched, in conversation with Shadow and a huddle of other Secrets. “Softpad, you must listen to me please!” And she outlined her plan to him. Some of the other Secrets looked suspiciously at her as she did so, and Shadow growled quietly all the way through. But Ellie could tell that Softpad was at least half-interested. "I’ve got to go,” she told him. “Will you meet us tonight and do what I’m asking, if I can get Snapper and some Rainbows to do it too?”
Softpad hesitated.
“Don’t listen to her!” growled Shadow.
But Softpad ignored him. “We’ll do it,” he said.
Ellie hurried down the steps, across the water and back up to the Rainbows. Snapper, Tufts and a few others had got interested again now and were waiting expectantly for her. Gasping for breath, she told Jamie and the monkeys her plan.
“Sounds good to me,” said Jamie. He turned to the little group of Rainbows: “Will you come with us?”
“Coming, coming!” said Snapper. “Got to keep an eye on those Secrets. Stop them getting up to mischief! We’re coming too!”


13

The plan is put into action

Back in his bedroom, Jamie concealed himself under the duvet. In case Dad had noticed him missing, he thought it best to pretend he’d been hiding there.
“There you are Jamie!” said Dad as Jamie stuck his head out. “That’s funny, I thought – anyway, why are you hiding? And where’s Ellie?”
“She’s in her room getting changed. Her clothes –well –”
Ellie had arrived back in a wet swimsuit. She had forgotten her clothes, which were where she had left them, neatly folded, on the Secrets’ side of the bridge.
“She didn’t get paint on them I hope!” said Dad.
“No Dad, I think she just – felt like changing them. You know what girls are like.”
Dad smiled. “Well I’m glad you two are getting on better,” he said. “You know Jamie, it might be quite nice for you to have a sister.”
“Yes,” said Jamie, “and I don’t mind about the baby – ” He stopped. He hadn’t intended to say anything about the baby. “I mean,” he continued, only making things worse, “I think it’ll be great to have a baby. Ellie doesn’t though,” he added, seeing his stepsister appear in the doorway. “She thinks there isn’t room. And she’s right really, ‘cos it’ll be awful for her, having it in her bedroom and things.”
“What will be awful for Ellie? What are you talking about?” Jamie hadn’t heard Vee come in. She was standing behind her daughter.
“We don’t want a baby in here,” burst out Ellie. “There’s no room and it’s not fair on us! And you’re always working and you never have time to do anything with us! You shouldn’t have a baby when you don’t even look after us properly!”
“How do you know about this baby?” asked her mother indignantly. “You must have listened at doors! And it is not for you to tell your parents what they should do!”
“I did not listen at doors!” cried Ellie indignantly. “You told me about it this morning. You probably didn’t mean to, but you did. And I have to tell you what to do, because you’re not sensible. If you’re going to have a baby, we need to move somewhere bigger, and you shouldn’t both work so much.”
“Oh you think so, do you madam? In England the girls give the advice to their mothers I suppose? Well, not in this family! You will go to your bedroom and you will not have any tea!”
So this time it was Ellie who lay miserably on her bed; but Jamie was equally miserable eating his tea. It was a very quiet meal. Nobody mentioned the baby again. Jamie said nothing at all, but sat there wishing he hadn’t said what he had and hoping Ellie wouldn’t stop being friends with him because of it. Violetta, still looking angry, talked to Ian a little about work. They didn’t notice that Jamie had a plastic bag under the table.
He got away as soon as he could, slipped quietly into Ellie’s room and deposited the bag on her bed. “Sorry Ellie,” he whispered, “I didn’t mean to let on we knew about the baby.”
“It’s OK,” Ellie whispered back. “It wasn’t your fault. I wanted to say all that stuff anyway. I don’t care if I got into trouble. It was true what I said.”
“See you in my room,” whispered Jamie, “as soon as I’ve gone to bed.”
Ellie nodded. She looked in the bag and grinned: there was a cheese and tomato roll, a banana and a chocolate biscuit. “Wow!” said Ellie, “Thanks Jamie!” She gave Jamie a thumbs-up sign as he left the room.

So that was all right then, thought Jamie. At least they were still friends. He collected things ready for the evening’s adventure, for putting Ellie’s plan into action: two bottles of water, some more biscuits, and a strong torch (borrowed from the glove compartment of Dad’s van). It would have been easier to go on this excursion in daylight, but Ellie had to go to school the next day. At quarter to nine he said goodnight to his father and Vee, called loudly: “Goodnight Ellie!” outside her bedroom door, then got into bed, fully dressed.
Ellie made her way to Jamie’s room, and within a few