The Red Monkey at 108 hangs from the doorknob by his wrists, bound together on the other side of the cold steel knob. His fuzzy, neon red, ten-inch body hangs lifelessly. His head no larger than a tightly clenched fist displayed his deeply furrowed brow, which rests above his eyes. They are as dark as black holes, consuming every ounce of light that crosses his gaze, filled with hate and anger. This anger is disguised by the pink, lacy bow delicately wrapped around his neck.
They carelessly shut his door and induce insurmountable pain, typically crushing one of his legs within the door frame. On occasion both of his legs are trapped. The pain that he is forced to bottle up like everyone around him must be excruciating, similar to a message being sent out to sea, never to return. Though I’m sure he wishes he could explode, when Mentos are dropped into Diet Coke.
I lack the power to help him from his bar-less cage that he has been placed within. Hopefully after I have gained the power to disassemble my own cage, I can attempt to free him from the door. I am unsure where it is that this cage has come from, yet for as long as I can remember it has trapped me from expressing myself. It holds no bounds on where I may travel to, but suppresses me from enjoying that which surrounds me.
He is free today! As I leave my cave of darkness, light shines brightly towards me; neither of my friend’s legs are trapped within the door. Though his face has not changed, it has become softer in its expression. His eyes no longer consume the light. Instead, they shine with all they have consumed.
Joy immediately washes over me. I could free him from his cage and show him the world today, but we are both still trapped and someone would come searching for him, if they realized he had disappeared.
I would take him to the forest, and allow him to live out the rest of his lifeless days with an ever-changing view of the world before him. Is it what he wants or is it simply an idea forced upon him by the world? I do not know, as I am still lost looking for a meaning to life besides hanging from the door.
Maybe he has found a simple happiness here. He must know pain, but does this not mean that he must also know love? Did he first discover love before being haphazardly placed upon the door? A young girl may have shown him what love meant before she lost sight of its meaning. The Red Monkey was brought along to remind her of happier times. So he hangs to greet her every day that she returns from the wilderness beyond the door.
I hope to save you from these confines and relocate you, not to another door, but maybe a bag so that your view will not be based upon those who pass you, but the places that you pass through. May both of our cages crumble together and we be united in our freedoms to explore the space that is not yet lost around us.
Jeff Teachout moved to Paul Smith’s College in the fall to pursue a degree in Environmental Studies. Passionate about nature, studying at Paul Smith’s was an excellent fit. Jeff has been exploring the great outdoors his entire life, from summers camping with family and friends, to quiet hikes alone. He hopes that one day he can join the fight in preserving nature, through any means possible; be it through writing about views he has seen hiking or maybe some Monkey Wrenching. He has found a home for himself within the Paul Smith’s community.