Little Poki the monkey woke up with one thing on his mind—milk! His tummy rumbled as he rubbed his eyes and looked around the cozy corner of the house where he and his big sister Pupu were resting. With a sleepy yawn, Poki stood up, waddled over to Pupu, and tugged gently at her arm.
“Pupu,” he whispered, “I want milk…”
But Pupu, who was busy peeling a banana and clearly in no mood for nonsense, shook her head. “No, Poki,” she said firmly. “You already had milk this morning. You can have some fruit now.”
Poki frowned. “But I want milk, just a little!” he pleaded, pointing to the kitchen with both hands. “Just one sip, Pupu! Please?”
Pupu sighed. “Milk is for babies, Poki. You’re a big boy now. You need to eat your fruit so you grow strong like me!”
Poki pouted, crossing his arms. “Big boys still like milk…” he mumbled under his breath. Then he came up with a plan—if asking nicely didn’t work, maybe being extra cute would! He tilted his head, gave Pupu his biggest smile, and wrapped his arms around her leg.
“Pupu, you’re the best sister in the world… the smartest… the kindest…” he said sweetly. “And you give the best milk!”
Pupu laughed so hard she nearly dropped her banana. “Nice try, little Poki,” she said, ruffling his hair. “But the answer is still no!”
Poki’s shoulders slumped, but just as he turned to sulk in the corner, Pupu pulled out a surprise—a cup filled with warm banana smoothie.
“This is better than milk,” she said. “And it’s full of good stuff that will help you grow strong.”
Poki’s eyes lit up. He took a sip and smiled wide. “Mmm… this is yummy! Thanks, Pupu!”
And just like that, Poki learned that sometimes “no” just means there’s something even better waiting for you.
