Arnie (An Original Children's Story)

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Once upon a time, there was a town that used to be a forest until the trees were all chopped down and were replaced by houses and shops. The animals that used to live there had to find another home, all except for a young monkey name Arnie. He loved being with people, and everyone in town knew him. Whenever they saw him, they gave him apples or bananas or whatever kind of fruit they had. In return, Arnie helped them by doing simple tasks such as delivering mails, carrying things around, and many more.

The monkey stayed in the town, and over the years, he'd grown bigger and taller. He no longer had time to play with the children, for he was always busy doing his chores. The mails became more frequent, and the things he had to carry became heavier. But Arnie never once complained. He loved helping people.

One day, the town was awakened by a commotion. A merchant was hysterically complaining about his lost goods. According to him, he left five boxes of pears inside his shop, and when he returned that morning, there were only three boxes left. The people were alarmed, knowing that there was a thief among them. They were still trying to figure out who it was when a little boy came forward and claimed that he saw Arnie entered the shop the night before.

They all turned to the poor monkey and before he could even speak, they started throwing rocks at him. Arnie had no choice but to run away. He left the town and started a new life in a nearby forest. Soon, the townspeople realized their mistake when the empty boxes were found in the back of an old house where the thief lived. But it was too late to find Arnie.

Months after the incident, the town's market was ravaged by fire, and soon, the houses that surrounded it started to burn too. Arnie heard the cries of his old friends and immediately ran to help them. He swung across the burning houses to save those who were trapped, and tried to save the people's belongings.

When the fire was put out, and when he was sure that everyone was safe, Arnie started to walk away. But this time, the crowd asked him to stay and live with them once more. They apologized to him for what they have done, and Arnie happily accepted their apology.

The people had learned their lesson, and had also learned to value the real meaning of friendship. Arnie had been nothing but honest and helpful to them from the beginning, and chose to remain loyal to them despite of their actions. They realized how lucky they were to have him, just as Arnie had always felt so lucky to have a big family.