No-one taught Bonkers about worship. He discovered it by watching Stinky, who never got enough credit for what happened.
Stinky really was the most brazen of them. When the square metal god appeared one morning, she chittered challenges as she approached. Without warning, she slapped it as hard as she could. She didn’t run away after this attack, which amazed Bonkers. Instead, she crouched before the god, daring punishment.
For this defiance, she was rewarded. The metal god flashed bright colours, then dropped a banana from the heavens. Anyone less brave would have left it at that, but Stinky was not done. She reared up to slap the god a second time. Again, a banana fell from above. She proceeded to batter the god, demanding more bounty, but the god went dark and silent. Stinky received nothing more.
That night, Bonkers couldn’t sleep. The magic of the metal god was playing on his mind. He crept away from his slumbering fellows to sit in front of the square. For ages he simply watched. Could the god see him? What did it want from him?
His bottom was becoming cold so he roused himself, advancing towards the god. When he was close enough to kiss it, he gently laid a hand on its metal skin. Heat was immediately sucked out of his hand but he kept it there, bound by curiosity.
Expectation became disappointment as nothing happened. He gave the god an experimental tap. This also resulted in nothing. He softly slapped the god with both hands. Further nothing. Bonkers finally accepted that Stinky’s experience had been an anomaly. This was no god. It was simply a part of the world they didn’t understand. Sleepiness was beginning, so he ambled back towards the others.
There was a thud behind him. He turned to find the metal square flashing colours, and a banana on the ground. Fizzing with excitement, Bonkers returned to the god. Slightly blinded by the colourful lights, he mimicked Stinky’s earlier assault. No banana came. Annoyance took over and he slapped the smug god with all his might. Lo and behold, a banana was delivered.
Bonkers surrendered to a frenzy, whacking the god everywhere he could reach. Bananas dropped sporadically, but he didn’t care, he was in the thrall of the trance. He was oblivious to arrival of the others who had come to see what this midnight fuss was about. They remained silent, captivated by the prophet of the bananas, he who was more successful than Stinky.
The banana hoard grew and grew until Bonkers stopped in a lather. One light remained flashing at him on the god. He tapped in and a banana came. A different light flashed. He thwacked it. Another banana. Following the arcane flashing and hooting with delight, Bonkers caused a second deluge.
All of a sudden, the god went dark. The fruit rain stopped. It had gone dormant again. Bonkers let sleeping gods lie.
The tribe feasted then. Stinky was subdued, knowing that she had been beaten. Bonkers was elevated to high priest of the banana god, a position he enjoyed for the rest of his life.
It should be noted that neither Bonkers nor the rest of the tribe gave any thought to the god beyond its mystical delivery of deliciousness. Bonkers had learned the whims of the fickle metal square, but the god played no larger role in their life than the storms or the cold or the freshness of morning dew on their tongues.