*****
Giggle Book Two
Jungle Fever
In the thickest and darkest jungles of Africa there lied a smidgen of jungle that only a thin beam of light shined through; it was called Zoobuland. Now, in this land lived the Zoobu Tribe. Doc Bones, the village doctor, was the only tribe member that still lived in Zoobuland. The story is told among the tribes of the jungle that it all started late one night as Doc Bones slept in his little grass hut. Zzzzzz sounded his snores as they faded into the darkness of the night. In the distance, a faint cry could also be heard. A short time later there were two cries, this time a little louder. Then there were three, four and five cries that screamed through the thick, dark night. The cries became so loud that they caused old Doc Bones to twist and turn in his sleep. He rolled over and over. He stretched this way and that. He grabbed his pillow and covered his head, but that didn’t help either.
Frustrated, he jumped up and shouted, “What on earth is that ungodly noise?”
He stopped, tilted his head slightly and listened in the still of the night. He heard moans, groans, cries of pain and even sniffles of a tear.
“What on earth is that?” he asked as he paced back and forth in his hut. What could it be, he thought as he rubbed his chin and scratched his head.
There it was again, only this time it was worse than before. Carefully, he stuck his head out of his hut and looked around. He looked to his right and then to his left; he glanced up and then down. He tilted his head, just so, to listen. He quickly pulled his head back in and stood there thinking. As he patted his foot on the dirt floor, dust shot up between his toes.
“Uh oh,” he said with a quick wink of his eye. “It is jungle fever, but what kind and how much? Could it be a different kind? Oh, no, I hope not.” He listened again to the moans and groans. “It’s going to be a long night,” he said. “Yep, it’s definitely going to be a long night.”
He lay in his hammock and tried to go back to sleep. But, he couldn’t; he heard the screams and cries all night until the breaking of dawn. He eventually fell asleep but he was awakened by an African Chicken, a-cock-tata-do-do. Quickly, he leaped to his feet, grabbed his black bag and rushed out of his hut. Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly looked around the waiting room; it was full.
“Just as I suspected,” he said, “jungle fever and from the looks of it it’s all kinds.”
The waiting room was filled with all kinds of patients with all kinds of ailments. The cries and moans in the night had come to old Doc Bones for help.
“Take a number, please,” instructed Glenda the gorilla.
Slowly each patient gathered single file in front of Glenda’s desk to take a number.
“Take a number, please,” she said “and be seated. The doctor will be with you in a moment.”
“Okay, Ms. Glenda, you can send in the first patient,” instructed Doc Bones.
“Number one,” yelled Ms. Glenda.
The first patient was Chip the monkey.
“What seems to be the problem, Chip?” asked Doc.
“You see, Doc, it’s my tail. It seems to be broken,” Chip explained. “I was playing around on the monkey bars and you know how those monkey shines can be. I slipped and fell on my tail; I think it’s broken. It hurt so much that it kept me up all night.”
“I know,” said Doc Bones. “Well, Chip, let me look at it. Let me see,” he mumbled.
He took his time and looked the situation over. He slowly walked around Chip as he rubbed his chin. Suddenly, he reached out, grabbed Chip’s tail and yanked it hard. Chip grabbed his mouth with his hands and his eyes bulged out of his head. He tried to hold back his screams as his tail was popped, snapped and cracked. Then Doc yanked it again, but this time he wrapped it in a splint. Chip fell to the ground and lay there for a moment.
“Thanks, Doc,” said Chip as he got up. “It feels a whole lot better.”
“See you later, Doc,” said Chip as he made his way out and grabbed a banana from the table.
About that time, Glenda yelled, “Number two!”
“Oh, Doc,” came a moan from across the room, “oh, me.”
Slowly, Clorisa the giraffe eased her way in to see Doc Bones.
“Well, Clorisa, what seems to be the trouble today?” asked Doc.
“I have this sore throat that has just about gotten the best of me. It hurts so bad; it keeps me up all night,” she said.
“I know,” he replied. “Let me take a look at it.”
Slowly, he climbed up a palm tree. Clorisa eased over to him and opened her mouth. Doc stuck his head in and shined his flashlight down her neck.
“Oh, me,” he said, “oh, my. Your throat is red as fire.”
He looked into her eyes. They looked like a road map with tears. Suddenly, she sniffled.
“A runny nose, also,” he said. He thought for a few moments and said, “Clorisa, I’m going to wrap your neck in palm leaves soaked with coconut oil. I want you to get some rest and drink plenty of warm coconut milk.”
“Okay, Doc,” she replied.
“And, I almost forgot, keep your head out of the clouds. That cool air is too much for you,” he stated as he wrapped her long, slender neck with wet palm leaves.
“Goodbye, Doc,” she said as she bowed her head and walked out.
About that time, Billy Bob the leopard leaped in.
“Number three,” yelled Glenda as Billy Bob zoomed by.
“Doc, Doc, Doc, you have to help me. Oh, please, Doc, you must, you must,” he cried.
“What seems to be the problem, Billy Bob?” asked Doc.
“Well, Doc, I’m seeing spots before my eyes, big and little ones. They are dashing to and fro; it’s about to drive me crazy. You know, Doc, I haven’t slept all night.”
“I know,” he replied.
“Can you help me, Doc? Can you? Can you?” begged Billy Bob.
“Billy Bob,” replied Doc. “Don’t be such a scaredy-cat. Settle down and let me look into your eyes. Hold still, Billy Bob,” demanded Doc.
“Ayiee,” screamed Billy Bob when Doc shot a beam of light into his eyes.
“Uh huh,” whispered Doc.
“What is it Doc? Am I going blind?”
“Ayiee,” screamed Billy Bob again as Doc shot another beam of light into his other eye.
“Now, I see,” said Doc.
“I know you can see,” replied Billy Bob, “but, what about me?”
Doc placed two big magnifying glasses in front of Billy Bob’s eyes.
“Billy Bob, I want you to read the eye chart that’s on that tree over there.”
Billy Bob squinted and strained his eyes as he tried to read the chart.
He read, “I can’t see.”
“Okay, Billy Bob, read the sign next to it.”
Billy Bob squinted his eyes again. He strained so hard that tears came to his eyes.
He read, “I still can’t see.”
“Okay, what about the sign under it?”
Billy Bob looked at it and read, “I’m blind.”
“Good,” said Doc, “that’s very good. You’ll be alright, Billy Bob. You take this bottle of spot remover, shake it good and put three drops in your eyes, three times a day. Also, I want you to wear these sunglasses all the time; come back and see me in a week.”
“Yes, sir,” cried Billy Bob as he slipped on the sunglasses and shook the bottle of spot remover. “Three times a day. Three times a day,” he mumbled as he walked out the door.
“And, Billy Bob, be careful with that spot remover. If you spill it on yourself you’ll lose those spots too.”
“Yes, sir. Yes, sir,” cried Billy Bob. “I’ll be careful.”
Yes, old Doc Bones was right. It was jungle fever and the worst kind. There were all different kinds of ailments. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, but he heard Glenda yell for number four.
Boom,
boom, boom came a loud jarring sound from the waiting room. Doc quickly looked around; it was Bubba the elephant.
“Why, hello, Bubba,” he said.
Bubba stood quiet and still; he didn’t say a word. But, old Doc didn’t mind. He knew Bubba forgot things and couldn’t see very well.
“Well, Bubba,” asked Doc. “What seems to be the problem today?”
“Huh,” replied Bubba with a puzzled look.
“What seems to be the problem today?” asked old Doc, a little louder this time.
“Huh,” replied Bubba with a puzzled look.
“What seems to be the problem?” screamed Doc.
“Why are you screaming?” asked Bubba.
“Cause you can’t hear!” screamed Doc.
“Oh, yeah, oh, yeah,” mumbled Bubba as he bent down to Doc. With a whisper he said, “That’s why I’m here.”
“Why can’t you hear?” asked Doc.
“Huh,” replied Bubba.
Bubba tilted his head slightly and Doc asked him again.
“Why can’t you hear?”
Bubba sort of chuckled and patted Doc on the back with his trunk and said, “I don’t know why I can’t hear. That’s what I thought you could tell me,” he replied with a big laugh.
Doc burst out laughing and said, “It must be the fever.”
“You know, Doc,” said Bubba. “My ear has kept me up all night.”
“I know,” replied Doc. “Now, let me take a look at it.”
Carefully, Bubba kneeled down so Doc could look in his ear.
“Uh huh,” said Doc as he looked in Bubba’s ears. “I see a lot of swelling and I hear a weak beat of the eardrum.”
“Will I be able to hear again?” asked Bubba.
“I believe so,” replied Doc. “I want you to put two drops of this earache medicine into your ear twice a day for a week. This medicine is made from the fufu tree root and it should take the swelling down. Also, I want you to wear this hearing aid until the swelling is gone,” he instructed as he sat a minor bird on Bubba’s shoulder.
“Bubba, this is Minnie. She will be your hearing aid.”
“How does it work?” asked Bubba.
“I’ll show you,” replied Doc. “Can you hear me, Bubba?” asked Doc.
“Can you hear me, Bubba?” Minnie repeated in Bubba’s ear.
Bubba quickly perked up and said, “Yes, Doc. Yes, I can. Oh, thanks, Doc. Thank you so much. It’s so good to hear again.”
Boom, boom, boom sounded Bubba as he hurried off with Minnie bouncing up and down on his shoulder.
“Can you hear me, Bubba?” she yelled.
Bubba replied, “Yes, I can. Yes, I can.”
As Glenda yelled the next number, Chopper the crocodile walked in all irritable and fussy.
“Now, Chopper, I know you are upset,” said Doc. “But don’t snap my head off.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Doc. I wouldn’t do that,” he replied. “I don’t mean to be so grouchy, but I have been up all night with a toothache and haven’t slept.”
“I know,” replied Doc. “Haven’t we all. Now let me take a look,” said Doc as he placed a stick inside Chopper’s mouth to hold it open. “Ooh wee, what a set of teeth, Chopper. It looks like you have taken really good care of them. But there must be a bad one here somewhere.” Doc picked up his hammer and gently tapped on Chopper’s teeth one at a time. “Is it this one? Could it be this one? What about this one? Well, it’s got to be here somewhere,” he said.
Chopper patiently waited as Doc tapped away on each of his teeth.
Then all of a sudden, “Ouch!” cried Chopper.
“That’s it,” said Doc. “I found it; I knew I would eventually find the right one. All I had to do was keep on tapping. Now, where is my string?”
Frantically, Doc looked around for his string.
“Oh, yes,” he said, “here it is. It’s right here in my pocket.”
He rushed back over to Chopper, stooped down and tied the string around the bad tooth. Abruptly, he stopped and looked the teeth over; they all looked the same. He had forgotten which tooth was bad. He grabbed his hammer and began to tap on Chopper’s teeth again. Sweat ran from Chopper’s face as Doc tapped and tapped.
“Which one was it?” he mumbled.
“Ouch!” yelled Chopper.
“There it is,” cried Doc.
Hurriedly, he tied the string around the tooth. He pulled, yanked, jerked and twisted as Chopper nervously watched. Suddenly, the string broke and Doc fell back on his behind.
“Oh, this is going to be a stubborn one,” he said. “But, I am determined to get it.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out some pliers and walked back over to Chopper. He was still laughing at Doc for falling.
“Now bear with me,” said Doc as he placed the pliers around the tooth and firmly planted his feet into the ground.
He pulled, twisted, jerked and yanked. Suddenly, the tooth popped out and old Doc staggered backwards with the tooth still in the pliers.
“Oh, thank you, Doc,” said Chopper as Doc took the stick out of his mouth. “Thank you,” he said.
“Don’t forget the gauze,” yelled Doc.
Ssssss Doc heard from above his head. Immediately, he looked up. It was Slim the snake, hanging from a limb.
“Why, hello, Slim,” said Doc. “What brings you by to hang around?”
About that time, Glenda walked in.
“Hello, Glenda…sssss.”
“Slim,” yelled Glenda, “you didn’t take a number!”
“Oh, I know,” he said. “I just slithered in the back way. I hope you don’t mind?”
Glenda poked her bottom lip out, turned and ran out.
“Phooey,” she said.
“Well, what seems to be the problem today?” asked Doc.
“Well, Doc, I have a stomachache,” explained Slim, “and it has me all tied up in knots.”
“Yes, I can see that,” replied Doc.
“I’ve been up all night with a bellyache and haven’t been able to sleep,” he said.
“I know,” said Doc. “I don’t think anyone has slept. Well, let me take a look at it,” said Doc.
He examined Slim from head to tail.
“Do you think you can help me?” asked Slim.
“I think so,” replied doc. “I’m going to give you something that will straighten you out. Take a swallow of this.”
Slim opened his mouth and sipped down the medicine. He twitched, wiggled and squirmed, this way and that. Then he began to loosen up and move; he slowly untied himself from the knot.
“Gee, thanks…sssss. That is so much better.”
As Slim slithered off into the jungle, old Doc collapsed to the ground.
“Will this madness ever end?” he cried.
He was tired and worn out. All he could hear was number so and so echoing throughout his head. The day went on, number after number. As old Doc finished with one patient, Glenda would call another number.
Finally, as the sun slowly slipped away and the darkness crept in, Glenda yelled as she grabbed her bag and rushed for home, “That’s it, Doc. There are no more patients.”
Old Doc fell to the ground, exhausted from the busy day. He got up and headed to his hut so he could finally get some sleep. Quietly, he listened to the still of the night. It sounded so peaceful. What a relief, he thought as he shut his eyes. Suddenly, he heard something. What is it? What on earth could it be, he thought. He stopped and listened again. It was me, he thought. I have a tiny little sniffle.
“Oh, no,” he said, “not me, too.”
It has been told that on that night, while all the others slept, there was a tiny little sniffle in the still of the night along with a few small groans and moans coming from old Doc Bones’ hut.