Missing By: Kristi DeSimone

It was a warm summer afternoon when Shawn Jonson first went missing. She was at the gym as usual. She had just finished her floor routine and was very hot and tired. She had been training for a long time that day and was finally finished. She went to locker to get changed. She was all dressed and ready to go, she got in the car and drove home. Once she was home she took her shoes off, sat on the couch and called her friend Audrey. Shawn asked her if she wanted to go to the mall with her. Audrey said she couldn’t because she was going to the park with her little cousins. Shawn went to the mall anyway because they were having a sale in Modells and she needed new grips. Shawn put her shoes back on, grabbed her bag and off she went.

Meanwhile the leader of the monkey gang, BP, was planning who his next victim would be. The monkey gang kidnaps celebrity’s and uses the in their circus videos. Flippie, Nutty, and Tummy are the other 3 monkeys in the gang. They will do anything BP asks for. BP thought of 3 possible victims, Paris Hilton, Shawn Johnson, or Miranda Cosgrove. The Gang chose Shawn Johnson because she would be perfect for the acrobatics, trapeze, and aerial arts.

BP assigned Nutty the job of finding information about Shawn. Flippie had the job of planning the kidnapping. Tummy didn’t like the whole idea of kidnapping people but he did it any way. His job was to follow Shawn around. The next day Tummy reported back that Shawn was going to the mall. The gang hopped in the monkey mobile and headed for the mall.

It was 1:15 when Shawn arrived at the mall and the monkey gang was not far behind. Shawn was searching in her bag for her phone when the gang arrived. They got out of their cars at the same time. Shawn saw the monkeys and gave then a confused look. The monkeys just smiled and waved to her. The monkeys held the door for the monkeys as they entered. She would regret that later. Shawn was wondering what the monkeys were doing at a mall. Shawn decided to go to the security desk and tell them what she saw. The security guard was a big man wearing a navy blue shirt and a heavy belt. When she told him about the monkeys in their car and waving and walking around the mall watching her he just laughed and said, “They’re here all the time, don’t worry your pretty little head off.” Shawn was upset that the security guard didn’t take her seriously and went on to Modell’s.

Shawn arrived at Modells and the monkeys were right behind her. She asked an employee where the gymnastic things were. He smiled and said, “Aren’t you Shawn Johnson?” She answered back, “Yes I am thank you for recognizing me.” He said, “No problem, hey can you sign this for me?” Shawn took the paper and signed it then went on to find the grips. The monkeys were looking at baseball equipment and the same worker who just talked to Shawn saw them. He went over to them and said, “Guess what? Shawn Johnson is in my store! My store!” The monkeys just smiled and nodded their heads. The store worker ran behind the desk and called his friends. BP quietly crawled through the aisles, when he saw Shawn he motioned to Flippie and Nutty to come over. They had taken some supplies from a camping store and a supply store. Flipped was carrying a rope and Nutty was carrying tape. Since Tummy didn’t like kidnapping people his job was to be lookout. The store employee was still on the phone, now with his mom when the gang attacked.

BP was the first to go up to Shawn. He went up to her and made the biggest smile he could and hugged her. Shawn was a little scared when that happened but after a while (it was a long hug) she thought it was cute. After the 3-minute hug BP gave the gang another signal to give him the rope, they did and he tied her up. Shawn thought it was a monkey game so she said, “Aww, you guys are so cute I cant believe I was scared of you.” BP gave Nutty a look. Shawn didn’t see it so she asked, “What kind of game is this?” BP looked at her and shrugged. Nutty ran over with the tape, now Shawn was scared. Flippie had written on a piece of paper: If you’re quiet we won’t have to use the tape. We are taking you with us. We will tell you why later. Get up and follow us. Shawn stared to cry but she did as the monkeys said and followed them to the monkey mobile.

The monkeys took Shawn to their studio where they film their videos. Shawn still didn’t understand what was going on. Flippie wrote Shawn another note. This one said: We are the monkey gang. I am Flippie, this is Nutty, and that is Tummy. Our leader is Banana Peel (BP). We make circus videos and you will be in our newest one. We will let you go when we’re done. Just follow us and everything will be fine. Shawn did as they said and headed to their circus set. They would begin filming tomorrow.

Shawn’s family became very worried. They called in Detective Dally. Detective Dally is also Shawn’s uncle so he became very involved in this case. He searched everywhere she went, the gym, the mall, and many other places. He even interviewed her friends. Audrey told Dally that Shawn was going to Modell's. He immediately went to Modells. He asked the employee at Modell's if he had seen Shawn. The employee screamed, “SHAWN JOHNSON!” Dally replied, “Yes, she is my niece. She was here yesterday and she never came home.” The employee explained how she came in and asked where the gymnastic things were, and gave him an autograph. He also explained about the monkeys following her around. Dally thanked the employee and left. Dally arrived at the police station and searched “Monkey Gang” on Google. Many results came up and he found the one that was closest to them. He found the address and planned to go the next day.

Meanwhile the gang and Shawn had finished the circus video. Shawn had preformed on trapeze, tightrope, and floor stunts. Shawn and the monkeys were talking when Dally burst through the door. "Get on the ground." he shouted. The monkeys and Shawn did as they were told. Dally ran over to Shawn and she got up and hugged him. Shawn explained to him how they made their capture, about the videos, and how surprised she was at how well she was treated here. Dally was taking out his animal cuffs when Shawn yelled, "Stop!" Dally stopped right away and looked at Shawn. She explained, "Please don't arrest them. They are innocent animals and they promised me they would never do it again. Please Uncle Dally. Please." Dally looked over to the monkeys and BP made a gesture to Shawn. She knew they were saying please too. Dally left the monkeys alone and took Shawn home. Shawn said an e emotional goodbye to the gang, then left.