CHAPTER 4: King Julien’s matunda Salad
Marlene was just about to serve chajio, chakula cha jioni for Skipper when they both heard a loud voice coming out from upstairs. They saw all sorts of fruits: bananas, coconuts, pineapples and pears, falling down on the ground one after another.
Skipper didn’t have to wait for King Julien to appear, he already knew who was the cause of all the commotion.
“Ringtail!” he cried, pressing his flipper to his aching forehead. “What is it this time?! Throwing fruits all over our HQ? What has got into you? Seriously, Marlene, that monkey is going crazier kwa each day!”
“He-heeeh! No one, I mean NO ONE can beat me up in my marvelous matunda supply!” stated King Julien, jumping down on the ground. “Maurice!” he shouted, his head turned towards the entrance . “Hurry up a little, okay? We’ve got some work to do!”
“Coming, Your Majesty!”
“Guys, guys, I think wewe owe us some explanation!” alisema quickly Marlene. She put Skipper’s plate aside and leaped up towards the lemurs. “What’s with all this mess?”
“For your information, Pretty otter Lady” started King Julien, haughty expression plastered on his face. “We are just about to start our famous “King Julien’s matunda saladi Treatment”.
“Woo, woo , woo.. wait a minute, what are wewe talking about, what.. saladi Treatment?”
“That silly penguin, auk – friend of yours got sick, right?” continued King Julien. “Therefore I want wewe to know, that the only way to put him back on his feet is to treat him with my own “King Julien matunda Salad”. It’s tasty, it’s healthy, it’s got all sorts of vitamins. And I know the recipe! So, will wewe excuse us!” he pulled Marlene away and made his way towards the table, Maurice and Mort following him. Mort was stooping under the weight of a jikoni knife, while Maurice was carrying a basket full of raisins, nuts and figs. Before Marlene had a chance to respond, all threesome had already made themselves comfortable round the table.
Marlene sent Skipper a desperate look. She didn’t have a clue what was going on. But Skipper just sat in his bunk, watching over the lemurs in silence, his eyes goggled out.
“Marlene, would wewe please lead me a hand, there are too much things for one person to take care of!” barked King Julien.
Marlene looked at Skipper again.
Not a single word of protest came out of his beak, so she reluctantly set off to help the lemurs.
“Maurice! Bring me the knife!” ordered King Julien. “I need to cut this silly coco-nut into half!”
“Just one question, Julien” asked Marlene few dakika later, when Julien was fighting with a pear.
“All wewe want to do is to make some matunda saladi - do wewe really need to use Skipper’s HQ for this goal?”
“ We don’t have the kitchen, silly Otter” muttered King Julien without even raising his head from the pear. “Besides, we already had in plans to pay him a visit”.
He squeezed his pear too hard – a thick, machungwa, chungwa stream of juisi splashed against Marlene’s face.
“Darh! Watch it man!” she barked, her eyes covered with pear’s sweet muss. He turned her face towards Skipper ; he was doing his best not to burst out in laughter.
“Nice face mask, Marlene” he ametoa maoni loudly.
“Enjoying yourself over there, Skippa?” she barked out in anger, violent blush leaking on her face. Skipper stopped laughing, dropped his head and smiled apologetically.
“Mort, fetch me a handkerchief” she muttered to the youngest lemur.
“Why won’t wewe pull yourself together, Marlene?” ametoa maoni King Julien fuzzily. His nonchalant remark only stirred up her anger. “Women” he muttered under his nose.
Marlene balled her paws into fists, but alisema nothing. She didn’t want to kick a row in front of Skipper.
They continued their work in peace now, chopping and cutting fruits into small pieces. When the saladi was ready, Maurice poured some zabibu mash all over the plate and decorated it with raisins, nuts and figs.
“Teheeeh! No one can deny it, I truly AM a master!” alisema King Julien, clasping his hands together and watching over his saladi with delight. “Marlene, what do ya think about my abstract pineapple – pear- apple composition?
Marlene leaned over the plate and took a peak.
“Looks interesting” she nodded.
“Hey, wewe silly penguin, the saladi is ready!” cried King Julien to Skipper who was napping in his bunk, wrapped in kitanda sheets. Marlene aliiba a glance at the penguin, auk and realized he looks really cute and cuddly. She barely ever got a chance to see him sleeping. There was a couple of times when she was forced to invade their HQ in the middle of the night due to some emergencies, like flood in the habitat, au two, angry, bloodthirsty badgers, chasing her all over the zoo.
Skipper lifted himself on his arm and rubbed his eyes dreamily. kwa the time he regained full consciousnees, King Julien was already kneeling beside him, his hands holding a plate of salad. Skipper goggled his eyes out, glanced at the lemur, then again at the salad.
“You really made this one.. for me?” he asked both astonished and touched.
“But of course, wewe silly penguin” replied King Julien, watching over his fingertips. “No dish, I mean NO DISH can equal with my Kingly matunda Salad. It has been aliyopewa special powers kwa the Sky Spirits!”
Skipper chuckled under his beak and asked Marlene to bring him a fork.
Meanwhile Private, Rico and Kowalski returned from shopping. They gazed at the fruits, wallowing on the floor. Skipper smiled under his beak and waved towards his comrades
“Everything’s under control, soldiers!” he said.
A couple of dakika later, the whole group was sitting round the table, talking, bantering and wolfing down King Julien’s matunda Salad.