The sun blazed over the cracked, dry lakebed, where brittle grass crunched underfoot. Two baby monkeys, siblings, clung to each other, their tiny faces streaked with dust. The younger one, barely a month old, wailed, its cries echoing across the desolate shore. Its foot was tangled in a snarl of withered grass, sharp blades cutting into its delicate skin. The older sibling, wide-eyed and trembling, tugged at the grass, chattering nervously.
Their mother had vanished hours ago, searching for food in the drought-stricken forest. The lake, once a shimmering oasis, was now a graveyard of mud and reeds. The baby monkey’s cries grew hoarse, its small body shaking with panic. The older sibling, no bigger than a mango, tried to comfort it, patting its head with tiny hands, but fear glistened in its own eyes.
A rustle in the distance made them freeze. A jackal slunk closer, drawn by the cries. The older monkey screeched, baring its tiny teeth, standing protectively over its sibling. Its heart raced, but it didn’t flee. With desperate strength, it yanked at the grass, freeing its sibling just as the jackal lunged. Scooping up the crying baby, it scrambled up a nearby acacia tree, their small bodies barely out of reach.
The jackal circled below, but the siblings clung tightly to the branch, the baby’s sobs softening. As dusk fell, a familiar hoot sounded—Mother! She bounded through the trees, scooping her babies into her arms. The lake was dry, but their bond was unbreakable, a flicker of hope in a parched world.
