The morning sun filtered through the leaves, painting soft gold patterns on the forest floor. Mommy Monkey leaped from branch to branch with her usual grace, her tail curling and uncurling like a question mark behind her. She felt lighter today, freer somehow, but she didn’t stop to wonder why. There were mangoes to find, warnings to call out, and a busy jungle humming with life.
Just hours earlier, hidden in the thick ferns near the riverbank, her baby had been born.
It happened quietly. A rush of pain, a sudden stillness, and then a tiny cry no louder than a falling leaf. Mommy Monkey had been alone, startled and confused, her instincts clashing with fear. The jungle had gone silent in her ears. Before she could understand what had happened, distant roars echoed through the trees. Panic took over. She fled, heart pounding, leaving behind the smallest piece of herself.
Now she swung through the canopy, unaware that her arms felt strangely empty.
Below, the baby monkey lay curled in the grass, eyes still closed, fingers grasping at nothing. Warmth from the earth and the echo of the mother’s scent were all that kept the little one calm. The jungle, harsh and beautiful, watched without judgment. A butterfly landed nearby. Ants marched past. Life continued.
Mommy Monkey paused on a high branch and looked out over the river. A feeling tugged at her chest—an ache she couldn’t name. She pressed a hand against her belly, confused by its softness. Her heart beat faster, as if it were calling for someone, or something, she had forgotten.
She shook her head and chattered to another monkey passing by. They groomed each other, shared fruit, and basked in the sunlight. Yet every laugh sounded hollow to her own ears. Every quiet moment felt too quiet.
As the day wore on, clouds gathered, and the forest darkened with the promise of rain. Down by the riverbank, the baby monkey whimpered, a sound carried gently by the wind, weaving through roots and vines, climbing the trunks of ancient trees.
High above, Mommy Monkey froze.
Her ears twitched. Her breath caught.
She didn’t know why her heart suddenly ached so deeply—but somewhere inside her, something had begun to remember.
