Episode 7

     Have you ever counted the species in a jungle? I dare say you couldn’t if you tried. Each little world, filled with such varieties of plants and life, and unique to themselves. From the large to the microscopic, they team with lives unknown.

        I had the unique pleasure of being shipwrecked when I was a young boy. Old enough to be wary of danger, but still young enough to dance with fantasy. After the terror of uncertainty faded and my eyes grew clear, I found I had washed ashore of a small island, covered mostly with forest. Though the dark woods unnerved me, the approaching storm clouds unsettled me more.

        The trees were tall and thick, as thick as the air that sat beneath them. While I could hear the rain begin to beat down, I saw not a drop hit the forest floor. So, there I sat and pondered my predicament. I had seen movies and read books about situations like this, and therefore had an idea of what I should do next. I thanked any god I wasn’t with a group of other children and tried to form a plan.

        Clearly shelter was a must. I foraged for some sticks and logs that I could use to create a solid structure. Then it was time to find appropriate leaves and other foliage to cover it. The forest had much to offer in that department. From vines to wide leaves, I had no problem finding what I needed. I found a particularly large leaf that would be beyond perfect for my hut. However, it was still attached in the soil and not mine for the taking. I looked around, hoping to see one possibly as large, but independent on the forest floor. That’s when I saw it – him – it.

        In a collection of these too large leaves – I’d be pressed to call it a bush, since it lacked bushiness – was a small yellow cap. At first, I thought it was a small mushroom, maybe a flower not yet bloomed, but neither of those guesses would be correct at all. I gently touched it, as not to harm its growth, and found it be sleek and hard.

“Excuuuuse me! Please do not touch my son!” I jumped back completely off guard, frantically looking around I saw no one. Had I already gone insane? That was pretty quick, even for me. But when I took a step forward, I saw it. A large banana, perhaps a foot in size. But, well, it wasn’t just a banana, it was some sort of banana man. It had legs and arms, two eyes and a mouth. Frankly, it was rather uncomfortable to see.

“I- I’m sorry. This plant isn’t what I was taught a banana tree looked like. I- I didn’t know.”

“How dare you!” The banana man scoffed and stomped off, leaving me and the growing banana son in silence. Have you ever been so stricken with surprise that your body and brain cease to function? This was that moment. Stupefied, I took what leaves I had and walked back to my shelter.

My shelter was complete and the storm outside had calmed, but a storm in my mind was growing. Somewhere out there was a banana man – banana family? Did he have a banana wife? I tossed and turned that night, while making mental notes to search for the banana people in the morning and to never eat a banana again.

I woke to the sounds of bird singing, waves hitting the shore, and the rustling of leaves – I shot up. Why were the leaves rustling? I ran to see but there was nothing there. Maybe it was just some lingering wind from the storm. I walked back into my shelter to see the banana man, sitting in the centre. I stopped, both my movements and breathing. I waited for him to make his. He stared at me and I at him while the minutes crept by. Finally, I spoke, “Hi.”

The banana man let out a large sigh, “Okay. My banana love thinks I was rude. You are clearly just a large dumb animal lost here. So… I wanted to say, my bad if I scared you the other day. Please do not touch my son.” He started to get up, while I stayed silent and still, but a small cough came from outside my hut and the banana man sighed again. “Do you need any help? Clearly you are lost, do you need things? A way to go?”

My interest was peaked, “A way to go? Do you have a way off the island?” Though I hadn’t been gone long, the idea of living my life alone – or with banana people – was not my idea of a future.

“Well, no…” The banana man was about to say more when another banana stormed into my hut.

“Oh my dear you are lost! Did your ship break up into tiny pieces? That happens a lot. We don’t have a way to leave, but we can help you dear. Can’t we Erwin?!” I looked to the banana man, who rolled his little eyes but forced a smile.

“Yep. Yep, we can help the big dumb animal leave.”

“Meet us by the water when the sun is straight above, okay dear?” I nodded quietly while they left, then sat with my head in my hands. Apparently, I was so close to insanity I barely needed a push. Not even one day and I had lost every marble I thought I had. Crazy or not, I met the bananas at noon by the water and hoped they might give me a hand in escaping this odd little place.

I’m not sure what I had expected, but a large pile of various washed ashore items was not it. Pleasantly surprised, I was greeted by a grumpy Erwin and his joyful banana wife. “Where did you find all of this?” The amazement in my voice clearly plucked the heart strings of the banana wife. I’ve never seen a banana smile so large. Magical and terrifying. I sorted through the pile of objects. Some things were just garbage, but others were definitely salvageable. “It looks like thirty ships washed up here! This is amazingly helpful!” If bananas could blush, she would have been.

“Oh, we get ships and their parts washing up here all the time. The wind picks up bad not too far away. Smashes them up and flings it all here.”

“You’re the only big animal to actually get up from the water though. Maybe you’re not as dumb as you look.” I smiled and nodded. The short interactions I had with Erwin told me this was probably the height of his kindness.

I went through the pile and set aside anything I could use. Then I got to work building a raft of sorts. It wasn’t pretty, but it looked like it would be able to get me home. I watched the horizon and sky for any hint of potential storms. It seemed the weather was perfect for my hopeful escape. I said goodbye to my new banana friends and pushed away from the shore. I arrived home safely a week later.

While I have no proof if the banana people who helped me get off that island were real or simply a figment of my imagination - I know I might not be here without them – and I’ve never eaten a banana since.