Pitiful tiny baby monkey cried alone in the quiet bathroom, his echoing sobs bouncing off cold tiles. He had wandered there following a faint sound, but when he turned back, his mother was gone. Fear rushed through his small body, and his cries grew louder, thin with panic. Water dripped from a pipe above, each drop startling him anew. He searched the doorway with shining eyes, stretching thin arms toward empty space. No answer came, only the hollow sound of his own voice.
He shuffled in tiny circles, slipping on the damp floor, calling again and again for the warmth he knew. His cries turned hoarse, breaking into weak hiccups of desperation. Loneliness wrapped around him tighter than the cool air. At last he collapsed against the wall, chest fluttering fast, eyes half closed. He pressed his cheek to the cold tile, still whimpering his mother’s name.
Beyond the door, footsteps passed without stopping, and each one felt like a promise breaking. Then a familiar voice cut through the quiet. His head lifted at once, hope flaring bright in trembling eyes. The door opened, warm light spilling across the floor. He cried out with the last of his strength, tiny arms reaching blindly.
Mom rushed in, scooping him up against her chest. His sobs burst free, then softened as safety wrapped around him at last. She rocked him gently, whispering his name again and again until his shaking slowed. The bathroom’s cold disappeared inside the circle of her arms. His breathing steadied, his cries fading into small tired sighs. He tucked his face beneath her chin, clinging with every ounce of trust he had left.
Lost only minutes before, he was found again. The lonely echoes faded, replaced by a heartbeat he knew. In his mother’s embrace, the world was.
