In the heart of a lush green jungle, a young monkey named Lyly swung through the trees with a frown on her little face. Her usually cheerful eyes were cloudy with frustration. She had always been the center of her mother’s world—until recently.
Lyly’s mother had given birth to a new baby just a few weeks ago. Since then, all her time and attention had gone to the tiny newborn. She was always cuddling, feeding, or grooming the baby, while Lyly sat nearby, watching quietly.
“Mommy doesn’t love me anymore,” Lyly whispered one day, sitting on a low branch with her arms crossed. She watched other monkeys play with their siblings and mothers, and her chest tightened with envy.
She tried to get her mother’s attention. She swung upside down from a branch. No response. She tried making silly faces. Nothing. She even pretended to fall and cried out—but her mother only looked up briefly before returning to the baby.
Lyly’s heart ached. She didn’t understand why everything had changed.
Later that evening, while the sun painted the sky orange, Lyly wandered a bit too far from the troop. She sat by herself, staring at the jungle floor, missing her mother more than ever.
Suddenly, she heard rustling. A snake slithered out from the grass, heading right toward her. Lyly froze in fear—but before the snake could get closer, a strong arm scooped her up. It was her mother, fierce and protective, hissing at the snake until it retreated.
Clutching Lyly tightly, her mother whispered, “I could never stop loving you.”
Tears welled in Lyly’s eyes. She buried her face in her mother’s fur, realizing she hadn’t been forgotten—just that her mother’s heart was big enough to love two.
From that day on, Lyly stayed close, learning to help care for her baby sibling, and slowly, her jealousy faded into love.
