It was a hot summer day, and all Pupu the little monkey could think about was the cool, sparkling water in the backyard swimming pool.
But there was one problem — Mom had said no swimming today. She was busy cleaning, and she didn’t want Pupu getting all wet and tracking water into the house again.
Pupu pouted. He loved swimming more than anything. He looked out the window and saw the empty pool sitting in the sun. It seemed to be calling his name.
So Pupu came up with a plan.
“I’ll hide from Mom,” he whispered. “Just for a little swim. She’ll never know!”
He tiptoed past the kitchen while Mom was vacuuming. He slid behind the garden shed and peeked around the corner. The coast was clear.
Pupu leapt onto the grass and made a beeline for the pool — but when he got closer, he stopped.
The pool looked… strange. The sides were drooping, and the bottom sagged into the dirt. Water was leaking out in muddy puddles. One whole corner was ripped open like someone had taken a big bite out of it.
“Oh no,” Pupu whispered. “The pool is torn!”
He poked the plastic with his paw. “Did I do this last time I jumped in? Or… was it the neighbor’s dog again?”
Suddenly, Pupu heard footsteps. It was Mom!
“Pupu!” she called. “Where are you?”
Pupu gulped. There was no point hiding anymore. He walked toward her with drooped shoulders.
“I was going to swim,” he admitted. “But the pool is broken.”
Mom looked at the torn pool and sighed. “It’s a good thing you didn’t get in. You could’ve slipped or gotten stuck.”
Pupu nodded. “I’m sorry for sneaking.”
Mom smiled gently. “Thank you for telling the truth. Come on, let’s find something fun to do together.”
Pupu grinned. “Can we make a water slide out of the hose?”
Mom laughed. “That, we can do.”
And so, Pupu learned that sometimes telling the truth leads to even better fun.
