The Ape, the Idiot & Other People

Within this lively anthology, one tale follows Romulus, a circus ape who has spent his whole life behind iron bars. When the dust‑laden wagons finally pause, he spots a weak spot in his cage, pries it open, and darts into the scorching July heat of a California valley. The moment he steps onto the road, the world explodes into colors and sounds he has never imagined, and his first steps are a mixture of wild exhilaration and cautious wonder.

Romulus soon discovers that freedom is both enchanting and bewildering. He watches a ground‑squirrel vanish into a burrow, is startled by silent owls that slip into the night, and clambers into a towering live‑oak, tasting the cool shade after a long climb. A barking dog approaches, and the ape, remembering the rhythm of his old confinement, meets the animal with bold, tentative leaps, testing the limits of his new, boundless life.