The Tsiological Orangutan: The Story

One morning, the little boy woke up and told his mother, "I think I will climb the mountain today. Don't worry, I will be careful, and I will be back tonight." He packed some pears to eat and some water to drink, and set out into the forest that stretched upward toward the mountain's peak.

In the forest, the boy discovered many things -- trees that grew upside down with their roots in the air, squirrels making small cities in the treetops with stores and houses and churches, and too many other beautiful things to talk about right now. He walked all morning, always stopping to look at the wonders the mountain had to offer. Just before lunch time, he found a trail of fenceposts with no fence, leading through the trees. On each of the fenceposts, there was a sign:

THE TSIOLOGICAL ORANGUTAN BELONGS TO THIS LAND
ALL TRESPASSERS WILL BE WELCOMED, BUT PLEASE NOT VERY EARLY

The boy did not know what "tsiological" meant, and he had only a vague idea of what an orangutan looked like -- he thought it was something like a monkey, maybe. In any case, the sign said that trespassers would be welcome, and the boy understood what "welcome" meant. "I think I will trespass, then," he said to himself. "After all, I must find out what 'tsiological' means."

There looked to be a little path leading away from the signs to a small house in the middle of a clearing very near by. The boy followed the path slowly, looking around for anything that resembled a monkey. When he arrived at the house, however, he was surprised to find the door open and a sign next to it, which said:

PLEASE ENTER
KNOCK IF YOU WOULD LIKE -- T.O.

"T.O.," said the boy to himself. "Oh! 'Tsiological orangutan', of course!" Looking at the sign again, the boy entered the house boldly.

Inside, he found something that was only a little like a monkey, with long orange fur and a teacup in one hand. The orangutan grinned widely at him and gestured to a comfortable chair. "Please sit," he said cheerfully. "It is lunch time! I was just about to get out the chocolate."

Chocolate for lunch, thought the boy as the orangutan went into the other room. I think I like this orangutan.

"I have pears," the boy said. "I brought them for lunch. Would you like some?"

From somewhere in the house, the boy heard the sound of clinking teacups. The orangutan called back, "Why yes, pears will complete the meal nicely! You drink tea, I should say? It's all I ever drink here. I am a tsiological orangutan, after all, and quite an expert one at that -- you can call me T.O." He re-entered the room carrying a simple wooden tray, on which rested a large box of chocolate and a tea set, steam gently rising from the spout of the teapot.

"Yes, about that," asked the boy, "what does it mean?"

"Orangutan? It means me!" answered a rather confused orangutan.

The boy laughed. "No, the other thing."

"Tsiological? It means tea!" answered a rather amused orangutan. "A tsiologist is a person who studies tea. Rather fascinating subject, tea. It's mostly leaves and water, you know, but there's so much variety to it. Let me show you." To demonstrate, he poured from the teapot into one of the teacups he had brought.

As the tea steamed, the boy watched it. At first, the liquid was mostly clear, with a slight greenish tint. As the boy watched, however, it began to change, first to a deep red tone, and then to a perfect sky blue. The boy realized his mouth was hanging open with amazement. He looked at T.O.

"The leaves of the Dridri tree make some rather spectacular teas," said T.O. with a smile. "Sometimes they simply change to a dark brown, or even a pitch black. Every now and then, though, you will find a batch like this with color to it. Why, I once had a cup of Dridri tea which became a swirl with all the colors of the rainbow. It was quite a good day for me."

The boy looked back at the tea, which was still sky blue. He could almost imagine that he saw fluffy white clouds floating in it. "I think," he said, "that tea is such a wonderful drink. I could drink it all the time, even when I am not eating."

T.O., however, looked aghast at this declaration. "Oh, no," he said. "Tea must have its complement, you know. It's rather the first thing you learn when you are a tsiologist like I am. Take Dridri tea, for example. I find that it goes best with a bit of chocolate." As he said this, he handed the boy a small chunk of chocolate from the box. "Of course, most tea goes well with chocolate, but that's beside the point."

The boy took a sip of his tea. It tasted absolutely wonderful. Then, he took a bite of the chocolate T.O. had given him. As wonderful as the tea had tasted by itself, it was positively perfect when mixed with the taste of the chocolate. The boy smiled, swallowing. "You were right. It is not good to drink tea alone -- every tea must have its complement."

"Quite so," said T.O. "I told you I was an expert tsiologist. Now, I believe you said you had some pears?"

They passed lunch time enjoying the tea and its complements. And when the boy left, he knew quite a bit more about tea, chocolate, orangutans, and (though he didn't realize it) people than he ever had before.