Only three days had passed since newborn baby monkey Titas arrived at his new home.
Everything around him felt strange.
The room smelled different.
The sounds were unfamiliar.
And worst of all, the tiny monkey could no longer feel the comforting warmth he remembered from before.
That afternoon, Mom carefully laid Titas on a soft blanket inside his little bed while she prepared his bottle nearby.
At first, the newborn monkey looked around quietly with his wide eyes.
But after a few moments, his tiny hands began searching the empty air beside him.
He rolled slightly onto his side.
Then onto his back.
His little fingers grabbed only the blanket.
No warm arms.
No gentle cuddles.
No heartbeat to rest against.
Titas let out a small cry.
Mom smiled softly from across the room.
“I’ll be there in just a minute, little one.”
But to Titas, a minute felt like forever.
His cries became louder.
Then louder still.
Soon, the tiny monkey was screaming at the top of his lungs, his face turning red with frustration and sadness.
He kicked his little feet angrily against the blanket and waved his tiny arms through the air.
It almost looked as if he was shouting an important message.
“Why aren’t you holding me?”
Tears rolled down his tiny cheeks as he cried harder than ever before.
The poor baby wasn’t being naughty.
He wasn’t being stubborn.
He was simply scared.
Newborn monkeys spend nearly every moment close to their mothers, wrapped safely against warm fur and familiar heartbeats.
Being alone, even for a short time, felt terrifying to him.
Mom hurried over and gently touched his tiny hand.
But Titas pulled away and cried even louder.
He wanted more than a hand.
He wanted cuddles.
He wanted comfort.
He wanted to know he wasn’t alone.
Finally, Mom carefully lifted the trembling baby into her arms.
The change was immediate.
Titas stopped crying for a moment and looked up at her face with watery eyes.
Then, as if making sure she wasn’t going anywhere, he wrapped both tiny arms tightly around her finger.
Mom held him close against her chest.
Slowly, the little monkey listened to the soft rhythm of her heartbeat.
His breathing became calmer.
The screaming turned into quiet whimpers.
Then into soft little sighs.
Within minutes, Titas buried his face into Mom’s shirt and refused to let go.
Mom laughed gently.
“So this was the problem all along.”
The tiny monkey wasn’t angry.
He was lonely.
He simply needed to feel loved.
As Mom rocked him back and forth, Titas slowly closed his eyes.
One tiny hand still held tightly onto her finger as if he was afraid she might disappear again.
Before falling asleep, he let out one final sleepy squeak.
This time it didn’t sound angry at all.
It sounded peaceful.
Safe.
Loved.
From that day forward, Mom understood something important about little Titas.
Sometimes newborn babies don’t cry because they want something.
Sometimes they cry because they need someone.
And for baby monkey Titas, nothing in the world felt more important than a warm cuddle and the promise that he would never be alone again.
