The sun had barely risen when CUTIS was already wide awake, sitting proudly beside something very important—his precious pile of dragon fruit.
Bright pink, spiky, and perfectly ripe, the dragon fruits lay neatly arranged under a shady tree. CUTIS had spent the entire morning collecting them from a nearby garden. It hadn’t been easy. He had to sneak past a grumpy dog, avoid a very watchful farmer, and carefully carry each fruit one by one without dropping them.
But now, his mission was complete.
And he was not about to let anyone steal them.
Beside him, the baby monkey stared at the fruits with sparkling eyes, licking its lips. It reached out curiously, poking one of the dragon fruits and giggling when it wobbled slightly.
CUTIS quickly pulled the fruit back and shook his head.
“No,” his expression clearly said. “These are special.”
The baby monkey pouted, letting out a small “chik?” as if asking, “But why?”
CUTIS crossed his arms and looked around cautiously.
Because trouble was already on the way.
From the nearby trees came the faint rustling of leaves. A group of monkeys—known troublemakers—had caught sight of the bright fruits earlier. And where there were delicious fruits, there was always competition.
CUTIS narrowed his eyes.
He needed a plan.
The baby monkey tilted its head, watching him think. Then suddenly, CUTIS’s face lit up with a mischievous grin.
Oh, this was going to be fun.
First, CUTIS gathered some large leaves and covered half of the dragon fruits, hiding them from plain sight. Then he took a few small sticks and arranged them around the pile in a messy circle.
The baby monkey watched in confusion.
“What are you doing?” its expression seemed to ask.
CUTIS didn’t answer. Instead, he picked up a dry coconut shell nearby and placed it right in the center of the fruits. Then he tapped it with a stick—tok tok tok—creating a strange, hollow sound.
The baby monkey jumped slightly, surprised.
CUTIS grinned wider.
Then, with great seriousness, he sat down next to the fruits and began acting… very strange.
He puffed up his cheeks, widened his eyes, and started making weird noises.
“Grrrr… chuk chuk… tok tok!”
The baby monkey blinked.
What… was this?
CUTIS pointed dramatically at the coconut shell, then at the fruits, then made a scary face—baring his teeth and shaking his head wildly.
The baby monkey gasped.
Oh.
This wasn’t just a pile of fruit anymore.
This was… something dangerous.
Just then, the rustling grew louder.
Three monkeys approached cautiously, peeking from behind the trees. Their eyes locked onto the bright dragon fruits immediately.
“Look at that!” one of them seemed to say. “Jackpot!”
They stepped closer—but then stopped.
CUTIS suddenly let out a loud, strange growl.
“GRRRRR-TOK-TOK!”
He hit the coconut shell again—TOK! TOK!
The sound echoed strangely through the trees.
The three monkeys froze.
“What… is that?” one whispered.
CUTIS stood up slowly, his movements exaggerated and dramatic. He pointed at the fruits and shook his head violently, then made another series of bizarre sounds.
The baby monkey, catching on, quickly joined in.
“Chik chik! GRRR!”
It tried its best to look scary, though it mostly looked adorable.
The other monkeys exchanged nervous glances.
“Is… is that cursed fruit?” one of them wondered.
CUTIS suddenly jumped forward, waving his arms and making even louder noises.
“GRAAAAH! TOK TOK TOK!”
The coconut shell echoed again.
The monkeys panicked.
“RUN!”
Within seconds, they disappeared back into the trees.
CUTIS immediately stopped and looked around.
Silence.
Then he burst into silent laughter, holding his stomach.
The baby monkey looked at him, confused for a second… then realized what had just happened.
They had scared them away.
With fake magic.
The baby monkey clapped its tiny hands excitedly, bouncing up and down.
CUTIS nodded proudly.
But the day wasn’t over yet.
A few minutes later, a new challenger appeared.
This time, it wasn’t monkeys.
It was a curious bird—big, bold, and not easily scared.
It hopped closer to the fruits, tilting its head suspiciously.
CUTIS narrowed his eyes again.
Alright.
Round two.
He quickly grabbed a piece of vine and wrapped it loosely around the coconut shell. Then he pulled it gently from a distance, making the shell move slightly on its own.
The baby monkey gasped in excitement.
The bird stepped closer.
CUTIS hid behind a bush and tugged the vine again.
The coconut shell moved.
The bird froze.
It hopped back.
CUTIS pulled the vine harder.
The shell rolled slightly, making a hollow sound.
“Tok… tok…”
The baby monkey added a dramatic gasp for effect.
The bird flapped its wings nervously.
“Something’s not right,” it seemed to think.
CUTIS gave one final strong pull.
The coconut shell jumped and spun.
That was enough.
The bird squawked loudly and flew away in a hurry.
CUTIS peeked out from behind the bush and gave a thumbs-up—well, as close as a monkey could get.
The baby monkey cheered, clearly impressed.
They had done it again.
As the afternoon passed, no one else dared to come near the mysterious, “haunted” dragon fruits.
CUTIS and the baby monkey finally sat down to enjoy their well-protected treasure.
CUTIS picked up a ripe dragon fruit, carefully broke it open, and shared it with the baby monkey.
The soft, sweet flesh inside sparkled in the sunlight.
The baby monkey took a bite—and its eyes lit up instantly.
“Chik!” it chirped happily.
CUTIS smiled.
Totally worth it.
They sat together under the tree, enjoying the fruits they had worked so hard to protect.
Around them, the forest buzzed with quiet curiosity. Some animals peeked from a distance, whispering among themselves about the strange noises and moving objects.
No one dared to come closer.
And CUTIS?
He leaned back, satisfied, already thinking of his next clever idea.
Because when it came to protecting what mattered…
A little creativity—and a lot of funny tricks—could go a long way 😂
