“I know that part,” squealed Penny. “The name, Rama, magicked her so she could see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. We have the three little monkeys. They aren’t green like Sita. They’re on a desk blotter Mommy bought in the ten-cent store.”
“I’ve seen those three little monkeys on desk blotters lots of times!” exclaimed Judy. “Horace used to have them on his desk. I never knew where the idea came from, though.”
The magician laughed.
“Well, now you know. They were part of the monkey band who rescued Sita from the demon’s cave. You’ve taught us something, Penny.”
Judy, turning around, could see a puzzled expression on the little girl’s face as she replied, “But you already knew.”
Peter had appeared to be concentrating on his driving, but Judy could tell he was listening with interest to the conversation that was going on behind him. When Judy told how the children’s mother remembered playing the story of the “Ramayana,” the magician said, in an oddly different voice, “Ask her to write it down just as she remembers it, please. We may have time to put it on as an extra attraction.”
“That’s a wonderful idea!” exclaimed Judy. “I’d love to see it. But who will take the parts? Do you think the children will have time to learn them?”
“A narrator can read them,” he replied, “but without the little idols the play may not have much meaning. We must all look for them.”
There it was again! They were supposed to look for things in spite of the warning. Judy was determined to find out the truth.
“We were warned not to,” she said. “Did you warn us?”