Man in Monkey Costume Comes to School Then First-Grader Disappears – Story of the Day

Holly's first-grade class was so excited about the monkey and gorilla lecture a kind man from the local conversation zoo gave. When the uproar calmed, she noticed one of her kids, Tommy, was missing, and she had to act.

"The biggest gorillas are called silverbacks!" the man in the monkey zoo said, walking around the classroom with his arms raised. All the kids clapped excitedly. It was always a good day when they were so happy.

Holly loved being a teacher to first graders. They were eager to learn, especially when lessons were made in exciting ways. She always wished there was a way to teach older kids the same way they did younger children, so they would never lose that thirst for knowledge.

The man continued walking, making monkey sounds between the facts he revealed about gorillas and monkeys. He worked for the local conversation zoo.

Aside from being informative, these kinds of lectures were supposed to help because zoos in this economy suffered. They needed more visitors. Additionally, children needed to be encouraged in sciences like biology and subjects like animal protection and preservation.

It was important, so Holly didn't mind having to push some of her planned curriculum for a monkey day. She knew the kids wouldn't stop talking about it even after the man left, so she planned several activities, including drawing their own monkey.

"Well, kids! It's time for this gorilla to leave," the man stated. She hoped to get his name later to plan another kind of event, like a field trip direct to the zoo, but it would have to wait.

"Let's take a picture with Mr. Gorilla, everyone," Holly said, and all the kids lined up in front of the chalkboard with the nice man while she snapped several shots. "Everyone, say, 'Banana!'"

"Miss Holly! Let me see! Let me see! If I don't look pretty, you have to photoshop that photo!" one of her students, Lauren, said imperiously.

Holly's eyes widened slightly. Jesus, kids were so advanced in technology these days, she thought. "There will be no photoshopping, Lauren. You'll be beautiful just as you appear. But here."

She still showed the little girl her phone while the others ran around. When Holly looked up, the gorilla man had left, and she wanted to run after him, but the class was in a tizzy. "Ok, everyone! Back to your seats! Come on!"

Holly had to repeat her words a few times before they all finally sat, and she grabbed a piece of chalk but addressed the class first. "Everyone, take a piece of paper out, and we're going to draw…" she started but paused to build suspense.

That's when her eyes went to an empty desk, which was odd because her class was full. All the kids had attended, knowing they had a special visitor. "Where's Tommy?" she asked instead of finishing her previous sentence.

All the kids turned to the empty desk. Most were confused. "I saw him following the gorilla!" Hunter, another of her kids, said, smiling.

But Holly's instincts pricked. "Stay here, guys," she said, running to the hall. It was empty. She ran to the next-door classroom, asking Mr. Thompson if he had seen anything. When the older man shook his head, she asked him to keep an eye on her kids.

Her heels clicked on the linoleum, but not as loudly as her heart as she rushed to the school entrance. Outside, she saw an old Buick taking off. The man had taken his costume head off to drive, and she didn't see Tommy, but his quick exit was off.

She chucked her shoes off and ran to the principal's office. They called the police immediately and Tommy's mother, Linda.

"Oh, my God!" she yelled on the phone. "It has to be Aston! He's angry that I'm divorcing him! Oh, my God!"

Aston was Tommy's stepfather, whom Holly had never met, but she knew her student was happier now that they left his house. Linda came to the school quickly, joining the police to check the CCTV. She confirmed it.

It took a while, but the cops had managed to close all the exits of their small town. It helped that Linda had reported Aston for harassment several times and had a temporary restraining order because it made the matter more serious.

Only two hours later, they located Tommy and brought him back to the school, where Linda embraced him. But as soon as they separated, she ran to Holly. "Thank you! Thank you!" she gushed, wiping the happy tears. "You saved my boy!"

"No, I'm the one that got careless," Holly lamented.

"No, anyone else wouldn't have noticed or acted so quickly," Linda insisted. "No wonder Tommy says you're his favorite teacher."

The principal and the police also praised Holly for what she did, and the class was officially dismissed for the day.

The PTA later demanded that strangers could only enter the school if they showed personal and professional I.D., and several teachers would have to be present during the presentation or lecture just in case.

The staff agreed, knowing that something worse could've happened to Tommy. Aston was arrested for kidnapping, and eventually, Linda and Tommy moved several states away.

Holly continued her love of teaching young kids but rose through the ranks over the years. She had all the kids on her radar, and no one ever went missing while she was at the school.

Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a boy who kept disappearing from school until his mom followed him to find out where he was going.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.