The morning after the great storm, the forest was unrecognizable. Trees leaned sideways, leaves floated like tiny boats, and muddy water stretched across the ground where dry paths once wound peacefully. But what worried the forest animals most wasn’t the fallen branches or the soggy nests—it was the missing watermelons from Farmer Minh’s garden. Those bright green treasures were the pride of the forest, shared every summer among monkeys, birds, deer, and even the grumpy old tortoise.
At the center of the concern stood Monkey Baby Bon Bon, the smallest but boldest monkey in the troop. Bon Bon adored watermelons more than anything, and the thought of losing them to the flood sparked determination in his tiny heartbeat. While the older monkeys fretted, Bon Bon climbed a tall tree stump and declared, “I will find the watermelons and bring them back!”
His friends gasped. The floodwaters still flowed in swirling, muddy streams. But Bon Bon was already swinging from branch to branch, following the faint scent of sweet watermelon drifting through the wet air.
The journey was not easy. Bon Bon waded through sticky mud that tugged at his feet and dodged floating logs that bumped and spun unpredictably. At one point, he almost slipped into a rushing current, but a friendly kingfisher swooped down, pointing him toward a safer path.
Finally, deep in the flooded bamboo grove, Bon Bon spotted something round bumping gently against a cluster of reeds—one watermelon, then another, then a whole group of them bobbing like green balloons. With a triumphant squeak, he rushed forward.
But rescuing them was a challenge of its own. Bon Bon pushed and rolled each watermelon carefully, guiding them one by one on a floating leaf raft he assembled from broad banana leaves. It took all afternoon, with Bon Bon paddling using a broken bamboo stick, but he never gave up.
By sunset, the entire forest gathered as Bon Bon returned, pulling the leaf raft behind him. Cheers echoed through the trees. The troop lifted him onto their shoulders, proud of their tiny hero with the enormous heart.
That night, under a sky washed clean by the storm, the animals shared the rescued watermelons. Bon Bon received the biggest slice, of course—but the real reward was the joy of knowing he had saved something precious for everyone.
