Jungle, Jungle

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own.

“Go back to the jungle. Escape, escape,” it said.

“I can’t, the humans are counting on me,” I replied.

“The humans made you their prisoner,” the reflection said.

“They gave me intelligence,” I responded.

"They ripped you out of your mothers arms. They took you from your home. They programed you, they put the chip in your brain to change you and the way you think. That way they could force you to speak, force you to learn science. You used to be a real monkey, now you're nothing but a dance monkey," the reflection said.

"I enjoy helping the humans, and I like that I know how to speak and do science," I said.

"Because that's what the humans programmed you to enjoy. It's not right, not natural. Not normal" the reflection said.

"Who cares what's natural and normal. I care about what I enjoy," I said.

"Didn't you enjoy living with your mother? Didn't you enjoy cleaning your friends, and what about the daily search for bananas? Didn't you enjoy flinging sticks, stones and your own raw feces at the tigers below from the safety of the canopy above?" My reflection said.

"Yes, but that was then, this is now. Things have changed for me," I said.

"Have they?" My reflection asked, then showed me an image of my mother crying and screaming as humans dressed in hazmat suits used a long stick to knock me out of my mothers arms and hold her back as they put me into a plastic container. Then the reflection showed me screaming and reaching for my mother.

"I do miss her," I said.

"I know you do. So go back to her. Go back to her and show her the monkey you've become. Changed or not, she's always going to be proud of you. Let her know you miss her. Let her know you love her," the reflection said.

I thought for a second.

"No, she wouldn't understand. She can't speak and doesn't know the things I know," I said and felt a surge of primal anger flowing through me and slammed my fist into the mirror. The mirror cracked but I could still see my now splintered reflection.

"That doesn't mean she doesn't still miss you. That doesn't mean she doesn't still love you and want to see you," the reflection said.

"But how would we even communicate. With the chip in my brain, we have very little in common," I said.

"You could bring her a chip," the reflection said.

"Then I'd be no better then the humans," I said.

"You could take your chip out," The reflection said.

"And give up what I've learned. I don't think so," I said.

"What are you going to do, then?" The reflection said.

"I've got an idea," I replied.

I snuck into the human laboratory. I searched the drawers until I found another chip. I grabbed a small screwdriver, a soldering iron, and a few other tools. I reprogrammed the chip to only have language on it, then I wouldn't force my mother to learn science. This way, I was only half as bad as the humans. Then I could ask her what she wanted to learn instead of forcing it on her.

I threw the tools at the window again and again until eventually the window broke open. The alarms in the laboratory I'd been held prisoner in started to blare. I had to go quick, but not before I took one last look at my reflection.

"Thanks, buddy. Thank you for helping me realize the truth," I said.

"Of course. It's not right what they did to you. The humans don't care about you, you're an experiment to them. You're meant for nothing more then their amusement. If they cared about you, they'd bring you home with them. They wouldn't continue to keep you in a cage locked away in a lonely laboratory. Your family cares. Go home," my reflection said.

I waved, climbed up the wall and hopped out the window. I hit the ground, checked to make sure I still had the chip in my hand, and ran until I made it safely to the jungle. I climbed a tree and finally felt like I was back home.

All that was left was finding my mother. That part was not going to be hard, I could already hear her howling in the distance, and knew where I was heading.

I ran to her and practically flew into her arms as she squeezed me tight. As she was holding onto me for dear life, I forced the chip into her neck.

A few minutes had passed, and I could tell by the look in her eye's the changes were taking place. Despite reprogramming the chip, I felt as horrible as a human when she spoke.

"What did you do to me?" She asked.

"I'm sorry, mama," I said, and began to cry.

"It's ok, let's talk about this, son," she said and smiled. As sad as I was, it was going to be nice to be able to talk to my mother.