Who is on the Monkey’s Back?

The Performing Monkey Shows were famous throughout the whole of Lamina. Tickets sold out within minutes for their brilliant shows, be they the famous Spider Monkey Orchestra, the Macaque Dance Troupe or the Orang-utan Comedy Nights. Animals throughout Lamina packed the Monkey Palladium. Shows were so popular that they could not prevent crowds of animals spilling in and sitting on top of one another to catch a sight of the amazing shows.

Tonight was no different as the odd collection of animals streamed into the Palladium. The organisers gave up on seat numbers as animals would huddle up together to catch the spectacle. It was madness – at the front, llamas on top of gibbons on top of elephants, with odd birds perched too. There were other hilarious sights – hordes of mice balanced on the hippos, and gangs of rabbits huddled together on the cows.

Tonight was the Monkey Orchestra performing a range of pieces including some Mozart, some Beatles, but also a new eagerly anticipated piece of music written by Gozo Gorilla, the musical genius in Lamina. He was very rarely seen as he was normally so busy writing but today was making a special appearance to hear his work performed ‘Banana Skins and Monkey Things’.

A hush descended on the Palladium as Gozo Gorilla arrived on stage ready to conduct his work. The mass of animals screamed and screeched with delight as he bowed. And then on came the troupe of spider monkeys on violins, macaques with their flutes, gibbons on percussion, orangutans with their trumpets. The stage was almost as crowded as the auditorium.

The various apes got into place on the stage, adjusting their violins, clarinets, cellos, harps and trombones. And then on came the special solo performer – everyone’s favourite, Spinky, the virtuouso violinist leapt onto the stage to play the main part in ‘Banana Skins and Monkey Things’. Spinky was so good, he had once performed blindfolded, and once played an entire piece with his tail. Animals came from far and wide to see Spinky.

As he arrived on stage, he smiled nervously at Gozo Gorilla who held his bamboo stick in his hand, ready to begin the piece. Spinky nodded his head to indicate he was ready and off went Gozo and the Monkey Orchestra. As Spinky waited for his introduction on his little log with his violin tucked under his paw, he looked round the stage and across the massive palladium where he had performed so many times Soon it was his cue to begin. He got ready, his delicate fingers resting on the fingerboard, his eyes waiting for Gozo’s gesture. And then Spinky froze. He had never frozen before but as Gozo gestured not just once, but twice, his fingers froze and went numb. Gozo groaned audibly tapping his shoulder but by this stage Spinky’s heart was racing, his tiny, speckled brown face was dripping with sweat and he wanted to be anywhere else in the whole of Lamina other than where he was now. The orchestra played on and Spinky tried to rouse himself for the next likely cue for his brilliant solo. And as the moment arrived, he was in a blind panic, not able to even focus on Gozo or the rest of the orchestra. He finally did manage to play, his little, spindly, black hands dancing around, but it was not the usual exuberant confident brilliance. He felt like he was going through the motions and was willing on the piece to finish. Gozo kept staring at him in a concerned way. Spinky felt terrible that he had let down the Great Master. Only when the piece’s ending arrived did Spinky start to regain some of his confidence. As it ended, Gozo bowed, Spinky bowed and then ran off the stage to let Coco Chimp come on and play the legendary Chimp Drum Anthem. Spinky slipped out of the Palladium and jumped his way back home, desperate to avoid Gozo, the rest of the orchestra and the large audience who must have seen him flustered and mess up.

Spinky hid for the next few days in a part of Lamina that the monkey family rarely went to. But as time passed, he realised that the longer he stayed away, the more everyone would be talking. As he worked his way back to face the music, he heard some sheep complement him on the concert. He chose to ignore them. Then he heard a macaque clarinettist approach him and ask if he was alright.
“I’m fine, I just needed to be alone, Manzo.”
“But we’ve all been worried. No one’s seen you for days since the concert.”
“I know, I couldn’t face any of you.”
“Why? You were great. What do you mean?”
“No, no, Manzo, you’re being kind, I lost it.”
“What happened? Were you nervous?”
“Yes I guess so.”
“But you never are nervous. Was it with Gozo being there?”
“I don’t know Manzo”
And the once swaggering Spinky was reduced to buckets of tears. He was inconsolable. How could he ever perform again? What was he without his violin?

Manzo was lost for words for a while. “Are you alright? You know loads of us get nervous. Remember Topi the Baboon…”
“No, not him, surely.”
“Yes, Spinky, he was petrified of playing his violin and nearly gave up on the orchestra.”
“What? Topi is amazing.”
“Yes, then he went to see that Dr Eli Phant, he sorted it out. Why don’t you go there? He only lives and works over there on the East Side of Lamina.”

Spinky thought long and hard about what his friend Manzo Macaque had said, but he couldn’t face going to see a Doctor about the problem. He was embarrassed. Everyone in Lamina thought he was a genius. Surely, it would pass. Maybe, it was just being in awe of Gozo Gorilla which had made him freeze. Spinky waited another day and when some spider monkey musicians asked him if he wanted to play that night at a little concert for some turtles, he thought he’d give it a go. But as he got ready to perform, he felt the same feeling of dread. He had to get out of the small room as quickly as possible. And he did this time. He ran away and thought. Well, well, the cat really is out of the bag now. Everyone knows I don’t have it in me anymore.

And then he really did make an appointment to see Dr Eli Phant. He was so embarrassed that he dressed up in his fancy dress frog outfit so no one would see him on the way. When he got there, Opi Ostrich opened the door and let him in.
“Morning, you’re here for Dr Eli, aren’t you?”
“Yes” said Spinky very quietly.
“It’s Spinky the monkey pianist, isn’t it? I thought I recognised you underneath your frog costume?”
“Yes, it is.”, whispered Spinky.
“Oh I wouldn’t worry, I went to the concert, you were still good, even though…”
“Even though what?” piped up Spinky.
“Oh sorry me and my beak again.”
“Even though I got nervous, thank you.”
As Spinky considered an escape, Dr Eli Phant’s door opened and he had little choice other than to go in.

Spinky was still in disguise as he sat on Dr Eli’s chair.
“So, how can I help you?”
Spinky could not speak for a while.
“You’re Spinky the brilliant monkey pianist, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I was Spinky the brilliant monkey pianist.”
“Well that’s not what I’ve heard.” Replied the doctor. “Why are you here?”
“Because I want to be great again. ”
“Well Spinky, I was at the concert last week and you were brilliant. We all thought so.”
Spinky did not believe Dr Eli. He was just saying the right things.
“Well I was not, I was rubbish, Doctor…I lost it.”
“You got stage fright, that’s very normal, Spinky. What happened?”
“Well I went on stage, and as I was waiting to start my violin bit, I sort of felt weird, I felt like I was not there, I starting sweating, my heart was beating, and I could not remember what to do.”
“But you did play, you didn’t leave the stage.”
“Well I did last night at a smaller gig for some tortoises, you’ll probably hear about that soon.”
“You’re very hard on yourself. Think of how many times you’ve performed.”
“But I never got nervous before. Why has this happened now, Dr Eli?”
“Well we never can be sure but maybe you’re stressed about something. Maybe it was Gozo Gorilla being there, maybe you’re not eating enough or getting enough sleep, or just relaxing enough.”
“Yes, you’re probably right.”

And Dr Eli got Spinky to lie down, without the frog costume, and close his little glazed eyes. He put him in a nice relaxing trance with the sound of music, but not just any music. He was playing some recordings of Spinkys’ which Dr Eli happened to have. And then Dr Eli told Spinky to recall various performances of his – a time when he was a little spider monkey playing bird songs on the violin in the school hall, and the proudest time when he played the National Anthem of Lamina on a state visit from some visiting camels, and as he lay there, other happy memories were slipping through, and Spinky started smiling again.
“Remember that, Spinky, you are brilliant at what you do, tell yourself that now, remember those concerts” and Dr Eli tapped each one of Spinky’s delicate violin-playing fingers, as Spinky lay there in a daydream.
“And now next time you get up on stage, you are going to be brilliant. See yourself getting on stage now in front of everyone. There is Gozo Gorilla, now you are ready to play, tap your fingers, you smile, you say ‘Spinky is brilliant’ and you are playing. Look at yourself playing the violin.”
Spinky lay there for the duration of the concert and then Dr Eli woke him up.
“I feel so relaxed. I feel great, Dr Eli, what did you do?”
“I didn’t do much, you did it.”
“But why did I get scared last week?”
“That’s life, there are often little hiccups, but now you’re back to your old self. I am coming to see you at the elephant’s Christmas concert. I cannot wait. Do come back and see me in a week or two”

And Spinky left Dr Eli and he hadn’t even put his frog outfit on. His swagger with his customary acrobatic tail were beginning to return. He felt so good again. He just wanted to get back on stage now. He loved the audience. He went along to the Palladium that night to see some of his friends in some modern monkey dance. As the show finished, he looked up on stage and saw the violin, he could not resist running up onto the stage. He felt his old confidence return.
The crowds of animals shouted out his name in excitement. He sat there, and performed, his fingers felt light. As soon as the fingers touched the strings, he remembered those great concerts he had given in the past. They came back in a flash. Had Dr Eli done something to them? Had he been programmed? Spinky was on top form and even ended the impromptu gig playing ‘Banana Skins and Monkey Things’, the piece he had frozen at last week. He looked into the audience and saw Gozo Gorilla gesturing with enthusiasm. The concert ended and Spinky ran off the stage towards the audience, greeting and hugging them all with enthusiasm. He loved performing and had been scared last week that he would have to find something different to do. As he went home, he remembered what Dr Eli had told him to do, so he ate a good meal of crabs with shoots, had a long soak, lay down, and closed his eyes and tapped his little fingers. He could not wait until the next concert.