Caps for Sale

In a small village surrounded by rolling hills and tall trees, there lived a peddler who sold caps. His name was Mr. Pagoolio. Every morning, he would neatly stack his caps—red, blue, green, yellow, and brown—on top of his head and walk through the village calling, “Caps! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!” Mr. Pagoolio's house, cozy and a little cluttered, was filled with colorful ribbons, thread, and bits of fabric, all used to make his special caps. One sunny morning, after a quiet breakfast, he decided to go into town to sell his caps. As always, he carefully balanced them on his head in a tall, wobbling tower. On his journey, as he passed friendly faces and waving neighbors, Mr. Pagoolio felt his steps grow heavier. By lunch, he was tired and decided to rest under a grand, shady tree. Leaning against the trunk, his eyes grew heavy, and soon he fell fast asleep. When Mr. Pagoolio awoke, he reached up to check his caps—and to his horror, found his head bare except for his own special, checked cap. “My caps! Where are my caps?” he exclaimed, jumping to his feet. Desperately, Mr. Pagoolio looked around, then up into the tree. To his amazement, every branch was filled with chattering monkeys, each wearing one of his caps! “Hey, you monkeys, you give me back my caps!” he demanded, shaking his finger. The monkeys only chattered louder and mimicked his movements. Mr. Pagoolio tried to reason with them, shaking his fists and stomping his feet. Each time, the monkeys mirrored his actions with giggles and squeals. Finally, exasperated and out of ideas, Mr. Pagoolio took off his checked cap and threw it on the ground in frustration. To his surprise, the monkeys copied him again, each tossing their stolen cap to the ground. Mr. Pagoolio quickly gathered up his caps, carefully placed them back on his head, and breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, clever monkeys,” he chuckled, tipping his cap toward the tree. “Next time, I’ll share my lunch with you if you just ask nicely!” With a friendly wave to the monkeys and his caps neatly stacked, Mr. Pagoolio walked back to the village, his heart lighter and a story richer for his adventures. The villagers laughed and clapped as he shared the tale, all while purchasing caps and imagining their own clever monkeys up in the trees. From that day on, Mr. Pagoolio always looked up and smiled, knowing the mischievous monkeys were watching over him and his colorful caps. And every now and then, he'd scatter breadcrumbs beneath the grand tree for his playful, thieving friends.