Monkey Lyly was swinging happily through the jungle one bright morning, her long tail curled just right to grab the highest branches. The air smelled of ripe bananas and blooming flowers, and all seemed perfect—until she heard a sound.
Rustle. Snap. Crunch.
Lyly froze mid-swing. She looked behind her, but saw nothing. Still, something didn’t feel right.
She continued on, slower now, and the sound came again.
Rustle. Snap. Crunch.
Her big brown eyes widened. “Is someone following me?” she whispered.
She dropped to a lower branch and peered into the trees. Nothing but leaves and sunlight. But the strange sounds didn’t stop. Every time she moved, they followed.
Lyly’s mind raced. Is it a jungle cat? A sneaky snake? A creature from the dark caves?
She tried to shake it off, but her tail twitched nervously. She swung in circles, doubled back, even tried hiding behind a thick patch of vines.
Suddenly, a voice called out, “Wait! Please don’t go!”
Lyly jumped in fright and spun around. From behind a tree stepped a small, shy monkey with soft gray fur and huge ears. He looked just as nervous as she felt.
“I—I didn’t mean to scare you,” he said, scratching his head. “I’m Milo. I’m new to this part of the jungle. I saw you swinging and… well… I didn’t know how to say hello.”
Lyly blinked. “You were following me?”
“Sort of,” Milo said, blushing. “I thought if I followed you long enough, maybe I’d get the courage to talk to you. But I guess I made it weird.”
Lyly laughed with relief. “You really confused me! I thought you were some kind of jungle monster.”
Milo chuckled. “Nope, just a nervous monkey looking for a friend.”
“Well,” Lyly said, grinning, “you’ve found one.”
From that day on, Monkey Lyly and Milo swung through the trees together, their laughter echoing through the jungle—no more confusion, just friendship.
