Here is the biggest tree in the world. It is home to all the apes. It’s rare for anyone to climb down to the ground. “It’s dangerous down there”, they will say.
On an early summer morning the apes were awakened by a strange noise. Buzzing. Grinding. A few young apes hurried up through the branches to wake the elders.
“Hairless apes are sawing the tree!” they yelped. The bravest moved to the lower branches to look. Indeed, a group of hairless apes were using a machine to cut into the enormous tree trunk. The apes looked at each other.
“It will take years for them to saw through that”, said Threepot, a slow talking orangutan. “Maybe if we ignore them they will go away”.
But an hour later, the noise was unbearable. Figgledump The Wise liked to read in the mornings, and was the first to complain. Then others joined the chorus.
“No problem in the history of the tree has ever gone away by ignoring it”, insisted Figgledump. “And who knows what damage is being done to the entire tree”. “And we can’t hear ourselves think”, said an ape on a nearby branch.
The apes looked at each other. Figgledump sighed. “There is only one thing to do” he said.
A spider monkey named Wobblypits swung down to a low branch and crouched down into a squatting position.
“No no no”, said Figgledump! Wobblypits stood up, blushed and pulled himself up to a higher branch. “Sorry”, he said through a toothy grin.
“Only the Old Crystal will work against the hairless ones”, intoned Figgledump. Out of the darkness of the inner tree branches, a great silver back gorilla, Mr. Kittlebelt, moved slowly into view. In one hand was a large blue crystal that sparkled even in the dark.
“We must all concentrate”, said Mr. Kittlebelt. The apes closed their eyes. The crystal turned from blue to yellow and began to shine brighter. The apes began to hum.
Figgledump spoke. “They cannot be fought; more would come. They do not respond to reason; this has been tried. Only forgetfulness. They must forget. They must not see us…” Rays of light beamed out of the crystal in random directions. The hairless apes suddenly stopped. One by one they turned, carrying their tools, and walked off into the jungle.
“So glad we have that thing”, said Wobblypits. Everyone agreed.