Abandoned at dawn, tiny baby monkey sat beside lake shivering, watching ripples where his mother bathed.
Mud clung to his fragile fur while his wide eyes searched every reflection for a familiar moving shadow.
He waited without understanding time, believing each small wave might carry her back to him.
The morning birds called above him, but none of their songs answered the ache growing inside his chest.
Hunger twisted his belly, yet hope held him still, anchored to that lonely spot by stubborn faith.
Tiny hands trembled as he hugged his knees, guarding the last warmth of yesterday against cold morning air.
Hours felt endless to a heart so small, each heartbeat whispering that she would surely return.
Tears slid silently into the lake, disappearing as quickly as his strength and confidence were fading away.
A soft wind brushed his ears, sounding almost like footsteps he longed to hear again.
Still he did not move, afraid that leaving would mean missing her return by a single cruel moment.
His cry stayed trapped inside his chest, too tired now to challenge the wide lonely water.
When shadows lengthened across the shore, fear finally crept louder than hope into his trembling little body.
A distant human voice broke silence, and instinct told him to answer with of his strength.
His weak call carried across the water, fragile yet filled with everything he had left.
Footsteps rushed closer, splashing through mud and reeds as rescue finally replaced the long cruel waiting.
Warm hands lifted him from the ground, and the lake reflected a future he almost never reached.
Wrapped in cloth and tears of relief, the baby trembled between fear and fragile returning hope again.
The lake grew quiet again behind them, holding only the memory of a child who waited for love.
