Benjamin Monkey

The author, Carol Hartley Bellows shook her head and laughed, Thirty years of teaching, ministry and farming brought me to canyons, fields and mountains. All along I have lived with the image of Benjamin on my shoulder. The story of Benjamin Monkey is fiction based on truth. When Benjamin first grinned and raised his eyebrows our family's days of loving care for a little Capuchin monkey began. This ten year adventure brought mischief, fun, curiosity and tears, embodied in Benjamin's unusual exploits beyond our wildest dreams. Benjamin excelled at tearing around. He was driven by his bond with Jamie, who had younger siblings, cats and dogs at their home in a small hill-town. After he had riled up the Medical School Research Lab, Benjamin was sad and longed for a friend until he found Jamie. Soon they traveled miles on her 10-speed over dirt roads to secret places. Her Benji held on tight and hid under Jamie's hair to avoid crisis from circling predators, bullies, wild dogs, scary cows, icy wind and lightening storms. Jamie shared Benji's excitement, and encouraged her friends, Josie, David and Mike to enjoy him with kindness. One night while blaring the car radio to hear Joan Baez's Forever Young, Jamie drove with Benji bouncing up and down on her shoulder to show him Big City lights. Loudly singing with Josie, Jamie cruised past a befuddled cop, who just scratched his head and stared. Through a decade of Benji's unusual moments, his Grey Logs family told his stories. When tired from hours of mischief, the small Capuchin loved to curl in Jamie's lap and rock beside hot coals in the fieldstone fireplace. Sturdy 1910 log rafters, tall Maple trees and a special Benji's Bush had become the gentle monkey's favorite habitat forevermore.