In the dense, emerald heart of the forest, where sunlight filters through towering canopies and the air hums with the sounds of life, a young monkey sits alone. His wide, amber eyes scan the branches above, searching desperately for the family he has lost. The rustling of leaves and distant calls of his kin fade into an eerie silence, leaving only the whisper of the wind as his unwanted companion.
He had been playing near the riverbank, chasing fluttering butterflies and leaping between the roots of ancient trees. In his innocent delight, he had not noticed his troop moving on. When he finally looked up, they were gone—vanished into the endless green maze. His small body tensed with fear as the realization settled deep into his chest.
Hunger gnawed at his belly, but it was nothing compared to the ache in his heart. He called out, his tiny voice carrying through the trees, but no reply came. The other creatures of the forest watched from a distance—birds tilting their heads, a curious squirrel peeking from behind a branch—but none could replace the warmth of his mother’s embrace, the safety of his siblings huddled beside him at night.
As the sky turned from golden dusk to inky black, the jungle around him became a world of unknown threats. The young monkey curled into himself, pressing his face into his arms, trying to remember the scent of his family, the soft coos of his mother reassuring him. But now, only silence answered him.
In that moment, beneath the indifferent stars, he was just a small soul adrift in a vast world—left behind, unheard, and heartbreakingly alone.
