Chapter 1

On the weekend, I asked my girlfriend, Katie Luke, to go to the zoo with me. Out of nowhere, my cat suddenly spoke up.

It said, "Bring some grapes with you. The monkeys at the zoo go crazy for grapes. There's a chest of gold buried under the fake mountain where those monkeys hang out.

"If they get their paws on our grapes and get in a good mood, they'll give the gold to you. After that, you can live any life you want."

We showed up at the zoo all excited, only to find that practically everyone was carrying huge bags of grapes.

The lion perched atop the fake mountain, giving everyone a creepy stare, its grin stretching all the way to its ears.

It growled, "I can't stand grapes. If you bring grapes into my park, you won't even leave in one piece!"

It leapt right next to me and snapped the head of the person beside me clean in half.

*****

Katie told me the zoo in Lavero was opening up this weekend, and they had a ton of rare animals. She acted all cute and coaxed me into taking her so we could join the fun.

I agreed right away.

Katie had a thing for those short-tailed monkeys, so I brought a big bag of peaches for her to feed them.

While Katie was in the bathroom, I suddenly heard someone yawning nearby, and then a voice like a little kid drifted into my ear.

It said, "Bring some grapes with you. I heard the monkeys at the zoo go nuts for grapes. There's a chest of gold buried under the fake mountain where those monkeys hang out.

"If they get their paws on our grapes and get in a good mood, they'll hand over the gold to you. After that, you can live any kind of life you want."

I stared, wide-eyed, thinking I was losing my mind. When I looked closer at the cat, it was just squinting and licking its paw, acting like nothing had happened.

Did monkeys even like grapes? Weren't they supposed to be all about peaches?

And if there was really gold buried under the fake mountain where the monkeys lived, wouldn't someone have found it when they were building the place?

But hey, you never knew. If there really was gold at the zoo, Katie and I would be rolling in cash and could get hitched in no time.

However, I'd snacked on most of the grapes at home, and there were only a couple left. No way that'd be enough for the monkeys.

I tried to get some delivered, but weirdly enough, every store around was completely out of grapes.

Well, I still had some bananas and peaches at home. Maybe the monkeys wouldn't mind those instead.

I figured I was just stressed out lately, and that was why I was hearing things.

It was just a trip to the zoo to see some animals. How did I end up thinking about treasure hunting?

I couldn't help but wonder I must be losing my mind over money.

I shook my head wryly at myself, then stuffed the bananas and peaches into my bag, along with the special lunch I'd made for Katie with love.

But I never could've guessed that just a regular day at the zoo would turn my whole world upside down.

On Saturday morning, after breakfast, we hopped in the car and headed to the zoo. There was already a long line at the entrance, everyone waiting to get through security.

I took one look at the crowd and couldn't help but gasp.

Most people were carrying huge bags of grapes, their eyes practically gleaming with excitement and greed.

Everyone was sizing each other up, like they were guarding some priceless loot and everyone else was a potential thief.

I asked myself, "Was I the only one who heard the cat talk, or did everyone else catch that too?

"But that white cat's always been at my place. How would anyone else even know about it?"

I muttered to myself, then suddenly let out a snort of laughter.

I told myself, "I'm probably just overthinking it. Monkeys loving grapes isn't exactly news.

"Everyone knows that, so it's no surprise they're bringing some to feed the monkeys.

"But if what my cat said is actually true, these folks are about to strike it rich."

The whole thing just reeked of something weird. Even if there really was gold, it'd be easy money.

But who knew what kind of price I'd have to pay for it? Maybe it was best not to get involved.

While Katie went to grab some juice, a guy walked up and clapped me on the shoulder.

He said, "Shawn, remember me? I'm Pablo, your senior from college. Check out all these people. Bet they all heard that white cat talking last night too."

White cat? Did he just say that?

Pablo Richardson glanced around, then pulled me aside.

I remembered him. He was the track team captain back in college, but we never really talked much. We probably only exchanged a handful of words back then.

He kept glancing around, then leaned in and whispered in my ear.

He said, "Last night, after hitting the bar with some buddies, I was heading home when I bumped into this cute white cat.

"It rubbed up against my foot, and then, out of nowhere, started talking to me like a person.

"It told me I should bring grapes to get on the monkeys' good side, since they're guarding a box of gold buried under the fake mountain.

"If I make them happy, they'll just give me the gold.

"Honestly, I was so wasted that I figured I was just hallucinating. I couldn't help but laugh at myself. It all sounded so ridiculous."

"But check it out. Everyone's lugging around grapes. No way that's a coincidence. They must've seen that cat too, just like I did.

"An entire chest of gold, man! If we actually score that, we'll be filthy rich, at least millionaires!"

He stomped around, pissed off, then let out a long, heavy sigh.

He went on, "I totally blew it. I thought it was just some drunk hallucination and didn't bother to get ready at all. Now it's way too late to do anything about it.

"All that gold, and guess I'm not getting a single coin. Damn it."

He gritted his teeth, looking like he was about to slap himself silly.

He continued, "My dad's got cancer, and we've burned through almost all our money trying to treat him. I promised him I'd ask my friends for help, but no one wants to lend me a hand.

"If I had the cash, my dad could get treated. It's still early. If he gets the surgery, he could easily live another ten years."

Back in college, I'd heard Pablo's family was just getting by, not rich by any means.

His mom was always sick, his dad had cancer, and he had a disabled younger brother who needed to be looked after all the time.

No matter how much he made, it was never enough to cover everything.