Myth of the Rain Forest Monster by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Author:Gertrude Chandler Warner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Published: 2021-08-02T00:00:00+00:00

AN EXPEDITION

Jessie awoke to a low growl. It was still dark out, and she was so startled, she sat up to look around. The growling grew louder and louder. Soon everyone was awake.

“What is it?” Benny said. “Is it a mapinguary?”

Nigel dashed down from his hammock and held up a recorder. “It might be!” He circled the camp and then went into the forest. “I’ll be back soon,” he called.

“Don’t get too excited,” Kwini said. He got up and went over to the firepit. He raised his voice to be heard over the noise. “It’s just howler monkeys.”

“That sounds like growling, not howling,” Henry said. Everyone climbed out of their hammocks and joined Kwini at the fire.

“I know, but that is the sound they make every morning,” Kwini explained. “Each monkey picks a tree where they will spend their day eating leaves. Then they call out to let the other monkeys know the tree is already taken. I guess they don’t like to share.”

“Really?” Jessie asked. “That’s funny.”

Kwini smiled. “That’s what I’ve always been told.”

“Are they dangerous?” Violet asked.

“No, but they are smart.” Kwini added wood to the fire. “My father told me that at one camp he worked at, the monkeys learned how to unzip backpacks. They would sneak into camp and take candy bars. That’s why we need to keep the food in sturdy containers.”

Kwini opened a box full of kitchen equipment. Jessie went over to see what was inside.

“Was there supposed to be a kitchen at the campsite?” she asked. “That’s a lot of cooking supplies.”

“I don’t think so,” said Kwini. “We don’t need all these things.” He pulled out a round pan with a clasp on the side. When he opened the clasp, the bottom of the pan fell out. “I don’t even know what you’d make in this kind of pan.”

“It’s for cheesecakes,” Jessie said. “We aren’t going to be making cheesecakes here, are we?”

Kwini laughed. “No, definitely not. I make good pancakes, but I’ve never tried a cheesecake.”

“Can I help with breakfast?” she asked. “I’ve made pancakes before.”

Benny volunteered too.

Kwini held up a wooden spoon. “You can stir, Benny. Jessie, can you get the pancake mix out of that container?”

Jessie went over and opened the container’s lid. “Uh-oh.” She held up a bag with a hole at the top and a bit of pancake mix at the bottom. “Something got at one of these bags of pancake mix.”

Henry looked down at the ground behind her. “There’s a trail of it leading into the forest.”

Kwini sighed. “Ants. The flour should have been double bagged or put in a metal canister. Ants will chew through bags and carry off what they can. I thought Nigel would have checked that.”

Together, they followed the trail of flour to the edge of the clearing. “Here’s one of the thieves. Come look.”

Benny ran over and crouched down to get a good look. “That’s the biggest ant I’ve ever seen!” he said. He held his hand next to it. “It’s as long as my little finger!”

“Yes, they are big, and they bite too,” Kwini warned.

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