Tiny monkey Ariana perched on a low branch, her little tail twitching with excitement as she watched the morning sun filter through the canopy. Today felt special—she had woken up with something important to say, though she wasn’t entirely sure how to express it yet. Below her, Mom Toma gently groomed baby Tilly, who kept bubbling with high-pitched squeaks and playful wiggles.
Ariana cleared her throat with exaggerated drama. “Mom! Tilly! I have an announcement!”
Toma looked up, amused. “An announcement? That sounds serious for such a small monkey.”
Tilly clapped her tiny hands. “’Nouncement! ’Nouncement!”
Ariana puffed out her chest. “Yes. I have decided that I am officially a big girl monkey now. And big girl monkeys have big ideas.”
Toma nodded patiently. “All right, sweetheart. What’s your big idea?”
Ariana scrambled down from the branch, landing with a little hop. “I think we should explore beyond the mango grove. I heard parrots talking earlier—they said there’s a sparkling stream not far from here. I want to see it! Maybe there are shiny stones. Maybe there are fish. Maybe”—she lowered her voice dramatically—“maybe there are secrets.”
Tilly gasped even though she didn’t fully understand. “Seekrits!”
Toma chuckled. “Ariana, you and your imagination. But you’ve never been that far from home before.”
“I know,” Ariana admitted, twisting a leaf between her fingers. “But I want to learn things. I want to find new smells and new sounds. And I want Tilly to see the world too—she should start early, right?”
Tilly bounced happily at the sound of her name, tugging on Ariana’s arm as if to say, Let’s go right now!
Toma looked at her daughters—Ariana’s eagerness, Tilly’s curiosity—and felt a soft warmth in her chest. They were growing fast, each in their own way.
“Well,” she said slowly, “maybe we could take a short adventure. The stream isn’t dangerous if we stay together.”
Ariana’s eyes widened. “Really? You mean it?”
