Baby Koi lay curled on the cool floor, his tiny chest rising and falling with sobs that came straight from his little heart. The moment he woke up and realized Mom wasn’t right beside him, everything inside him collapsed. His face scrunched tightly, his mouth opened wide, and a heartbreaking tantrum burst out of him—loud, sharp, and desperate.
He kicked his feet against the floor, tiny toes trembling as he cried louder and louder. His arms reached upward, but no one was lifting him. The emptiness where Mom should have been made his emotions explode again. He wanted to be picked up. He wanted to be held. He wanted his mother, and nothing else in the world mattered.
Koi rolled onto his side, then onto his back, crying so hard his little voice cracked. His tears soaked the floor, but the crying didn’t stop—it only grew stronger. His tiny fingers stretched toward the doorway as if Mom might appear at any moment. He didn’t understand where she had gone. He didn’t understand why she wasn’t sweeping him up into her warm arms.
His tantrum became more dramatic. He kicked harder, his whole body trembling with frustration. He arched his back, whining between sobs, begging in the only way a baby monkey could: through raw emotion. Koi wasn’t just upset—he was overwhelmed, confused, and scared without the comfort he depended on so deeply.
Mom finally heard him and hurried back inside. The moment her footsteps touched the floor, Koi’s head snapped toward the sound. His cries grew louder, but not in fear—this time in sheer relief. He stretched both arms toward her, his little body shaking as he begged to be picked up.
Mom knelt beside him, gently placing her hand on his back. Koi instantly pressed into her touch, but he wasn’t fully calm yet. He kept crying, demanding her arms, demanding closeness. So she lifted him slowly, carefully, giving him exactly what his tiny heart needed.
As soon as he was pressed against her chest, the world became peaceful again. His sobs softened into whimpers, then into tiny breaths. His fingers grabbed onto her shirt, refusing to let go.
Koi didn’t want anything complicated.
He didn’t want toys.
He didn’t want food.
He just wanted his mom.
And now, safely in her arms, he finally felt whole again.
