Faubel’s Fables

At the sound of his voice, the jungle exploded into a frenzy of activity. Lemurs of every size and description leaped from branch to branch and from tree to tree. Some cart wheeled through the limbs. Others used branches for springboards. While others vaulted from one tree to another. The melee was nothing less than a lemur gymnastic event. Front tucks, back tucks, side tucks, layouts, full twists, Arabians, whip-backs and more were expertly displayed. As if the agilities of themselves were not enough, the enthusiasm and eagerness was also something to behold. Lemurs twirled, whirled, pirouetted, and leaped to heights and distances that defied injury and even death. Each lemur executed precise maneuvers without the slightest plan. All motion was free of lanced. All together, the crowd was explosion of fireworks, a symphony of jazz, a shower of meteors. More yep-pep was on display there than a colony of army ants on the march. The LIVELIES was well under way when LEMUEL poked his face through the underbrush to take a peek at the festivities. Just as he did so, a lightning-quick lemur shot through the foliage that was supposed to conceal him. She grabbed him by the paw and yanked him into a nearby tree where the other lemurs whizzed above and below them. Lemuel grabbed a branch and held on for dear life; he was terrified. It had been a long time since he had participated in the LIVELIES. He was sure that he would fall. His uninvited, new acquaintance held his paw with more determination than Lemuel’s. She began to twirl around a branch and Lemuel had no choice but to let go of the branch and hold onto her with a life grip. Round and round the branch he went. She bounded and he bounded. She leaped and he leaped. She twisted and he twisted. She sizzled through the treetops and so did Lemuel. There was not stopping her. There was no stopping him even though he certainly would have were it not for her life grip on his paw. They zipped through a dizzying array of acrobatics, and just when he knew that he could take no more of this happy madness, she left him to cling to a tree trunk. On she cavorted. There was no equal to her. Her every move was precise, athletic beyond belief, and graceful. She was as light as air. She was spring-loaded. She was a happy blast of energy.

Lemuel, out of breath from the stampede through the trees, could only watch in delighted admiration. Round and round the LIVELIES LOCATION she gamboled. Every once in a while, she zipped around Lemuel, who did not know if she were coming or going. During one pass, she held out her paw and despite his fear and trembling, Lemuel accepted her invitation. Off they went. They seemed to skim the treetops. they seemed to fly through the opening in the branches. Eventually, they leaped to the ground and Lemuel let go of her paw. She was about to take another swing through the jungle, when the distinguished lemur howled, “Let the LIVELIES cease.” Immediately the frenzy of activity stopped. Everywhere the ribcages of lemurs heaved as they caught their breath. Little by little, the lemurs settled and began to chat together.

“What’s your name?” asked the unequalled acrobat.

“You want to know my name?” asked Lemuel with surprise.

“Of course, silly, “ she laughed.

“Well, my name is Lemuel,” he said matter-of-factly.

“I haven’t seen you here,” she said.

“I used to come when I was a kid, but I stopped coming,” Lemuel said rather gloomily.

“Well, you came today, and that’s all that matters,” she said with certainty in her voice.

“I guess you’re right,” he said with uncertainty.

“Of course I’m right. Didn’t you enjoy our romp?” she said with certainty.

“I think I did,” Lemuel was confused by terror and exhilaration. “Part of the time, I did.”

The acrobat laughed. She knew that part of the time, he was scared to death. There was something about that non-mocking laugh that disarmed him. He felt comfortable. He felt accepted. Her attitude was light and airy. It was refreshing.

Before he knew it, he asked, “What is your name?”

“You want to know my name?” she teased.

“Of course silly.” Leonard surprised himself with at bit of this lighthearted wit.

Again she laughed. “My name is Lively.”

“Lively?”

“Yes, I’m one of the LIVELIES.”

“As in the LIVELIES?”

“Absolutely!”

“No wonder!”

Lively laughed gleefully. “As a Lively, I have an advantage, but it comes to me naturally like it does all lemurs.”

“All lemurs except me,” he said with discouragement.

“Why, you did great today. You don’t think I carried you through all those stunts, do you?”

“I did those myself?”

“Almost. All I did was give you a tug, a big tug, at this she laughed that charming laugh, and led the way.”

“Maybe I did.” Lemuel felt a sense of success.

“You’ll do more than that when you come to the YEP-PEP stunt club. Consider yourself invited.”

“Invited?”

“That’s what I said. Come to the LIVELIES LOCATION next week at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday.”

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“i’ll see you there, “ she said happily.

“I’ll see you there,” Lemuel murmured to himself as she disappeared into the throng of lemurs who were leaving.

It took a while for the family to find one another. After they had greeted, they began to walk the trail home. Tired from their exertions, they said very little. After a while, Leonard noticed something. He noticed that Lemuel held his tail up while he walked.

Leonard nudged his wife, “Look at that.”

“Amazing,” she whispered.

Leonard thought it might be all right to hazard a question. He asked, “Lemuel, did you have a good time today?”

“No, dad, I had a great time! you never know who or what might come swinging through the trees.”