The morning sun rose over the green hills, spreading its golden warmth across the small, peaceful yard where Baby Monkey, CUTIS, and the family of ducks usually played. But that morning felt strangely quiet. No laughter, no cheerful quacks, and no mischievous monkey giggles filled the air.
Baby Monkey rubbed his sleepy eyes, yawned, and peeked outside from the bamboo hut. He expected to see CUTIS swinging from a branch or teasing the ducks near the pond. Instead, he saw… nothing. The pond was still, the banana tree empty, and the yard completely silent.
“CUTIS?” Baby Monkey called softly. “Quacky? Ducky? Where are you guys?”
Only the rustling of the leaves answered him. His small heart sank with confusion. Usually, CUTIS was the first one to wake him up — sometimes by tickling his feet or dangling bananas above his head. But today, even the bananas lay untouched on the ground.
He hopped out of bed and began searching around. “CUTIS! This isn’t funny! Come out!”
Still no answer.
He ran to the pond, expecting to find the ducks paddling happily. But the pond’s surface was calm and lonely. No ripples, no cheerful “quack-quack,” just silence. Baby Monkey’s tail drooped.
“Where did everyone go?” he whispered sadly.
He searched every corner — behind the banana trees, under the big log where CUTIS liked to hide snacks, even inside the wooden basket near the kitchen. Nothing. It was as if CUTIS and the ducks had simply vanished.
Panic started to rise in Baby Monkey’s chest. “Did something bad happen? Did they… leave me?” His eyes filled with tears.
He sat down beside the pond, his reflection rippling as tears slid down his cheeks. “CUTIS promised we’d play today… he promised.”
He remembered last night vividly. They had all played together under the stars — CUTIS had taught the ducks how to catch fireflies while Baby Monkey giggled nonstop. Before going to sleep, CUTIS had said, “Tomorrow, we’ll build a little boat for the ducks, okay?” Baby Monkey had nodded excitedly.
And now, everyone was gone.
Baby Monkey sniffled and wiped his eyes. “No, CUTIS wouldn’t just go. Something must’ve happened.”
Determined, he began his search again — this time, carefully looking for clues like a tiny detective.
Near the banana tree, he spotted small footprints. Some were monkey prints — CUTIS’s for sure — and others were webbed duck tracks leading toward the forest.
Baby Monkey gasped. “They went that way!”
He picked up a banana leaf to use as a fan — his “detective tool” — and followed the trail. The forest was quiet, with only the sound of distant birds echoing. The ground was soft and covered in fallen leaves.
He followed the tracks deeper, whispering softly, “Hold on, CUTIS. I’m coming.”
After a few minutes, he heard something — a faint quack. His ears perked up. “Quacky?! Is that you?”
He rushed toward the sound, heart pounding with hope.
But when he arrived, he found… only a small puddle with a few floating feathers. No ducks. No CUTIS.
Baby Monkey’s lips trembled. “No… no, no…”
He sat down beside the puddle, clutching a feather in his tiny hand. “Where are you guys? Please come back…”
Just as he started to cry again, he heard a rustling sound behind the bushes. His ears twitched. Someone was there!
He slowly crept closer, holding his banana leaf like a shield. The bush shook again — and suddenly, a loud BOO! burst out!
“AAAHHH!” Baby Monkey screamed, jumping into the air — only to see CUTIS rolling on the ground, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.
“HAHAHA! You should’ve seen your face!” CUTIS giggled, tears of laughter in his eyes.
“CUTIS!” Baby Monkey shouted, half angry, half relieved. “Where have you been?! I thought you were gone forever!”
CUTIS wiped his eyes, still laughing. “Relax, little one! We went to the pond behind the forest to pick lotus flowers for Mom! The ducks came too!”
Just then, Quacky and the other ducks waddled out from behind the bush, each carrying a flower in their beaks. “Quack-quack!” they chirped proudly.
Baby Monkey blinked, staring at them all. “You… you disappeared just to get flowers?”
CUTIS nodded proudly. “Yup! We wanted to surprise you! Look!” He held out a pink lotus flower. “It’s for you, because you’re our best friend.”
Baby Monkey’s anger melted away instantly. His face softened, and a tear of relief slid down his cheek — but this time, it was a happy one.
“I thought you left me,” he whispered. “I was so scared.”
CUTIS’s smile faded for a moment. He crouched down beside Baby Monkey and patted his head gently. “Hey, I’d never leave you. You’re my little buddy. We’re family.”
Quacky quacked in agreement, flapping his tiny wings.
Baby Monkey smiled through his tears and hugged CUTIS tightly. “Don’t ever disappear like that again!”
CUTIS hugged him back. “Promise. Next time, I’ll tell you before we go on any secret flower missions.”
They all laughed together, the sound echoing softly through the forest. The ducks waddled around them, shaking water off their feathers, and CUTIS handed out more flowers.
“Here,” he said, giving Baby Monkey another blossom. “This one’s called the friendship lotus. It means we stick together — no matter what.”
Baby Monkey’s eyes sparkled. “It’s beautiful! Can we show Mom?”
“Of course!” CUTIS said, standing up proudly. “Let’s take them all home!”
The small group marched back through the forest like heroes returning from an adventure — Baby Monkey holding his flower like a trophy, Quacky waddling behind, and CUTIS humming a happy tune.
When they reached home, Mom was standing by the yard, hands on her hips. “Where have you all been? I was starting to worry!”
CUTIS grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, Mom! We went to get flowers for you!”
He held out the bouquet proudly. Mom’s expression softened instantly. “Oh, CUTIS… they’re beautiful.”
Then she noticed Baby Monkey’s eyes were still a little red from crying. She knelt beside him. “Were you scared, sweetheart?”
Baby Monkey nodded slightly. “I thought they disappeared forever…”
Mom pulled him into a warm hug. “Aww, poor little one. But see? They’re all here now. Sometimes friends go on adventures — but real friends always come back.”
CUTIS scratched his head shyly. “I didn’t mean to scare him, Mom. I just wanted it to be a surprise.”
Mom smiled. “Well, it definitely was.”
They all laughed again, and soon the sadness of the morning faded into pure joy.
That evening, they placed the flowers in a jar on the table, and CUTIS, Baby Monkey, and the ducks sat around eating bananas and rice grains. The air was filled with the sound of happy chatter and soft quacks.
Before bedtime, Baby Monkey snuggled next to CUTIS and whispered, “You really scared me today.”
CUTIS chuckled softly and wrapped his tail around Baby Monkey protectively. “I know. I’ll never do that again. Promise.”
Baby Monkey smiled, closing his eyes. “Good. Because I don’t ever want to lose you or the ducks.”
CUTIS smiled back, patting his little friend’s head. “You won’t. We’re a team — forever.”
As the moon rose above the trees, its silver light shimmered on the pond where the ducks slept peacefully. CUTIS and Baby Monkey drifted into dreams of laughter, friendship, and more adventures — but this time, together from start to finish.
And from that day on, whenever CUTIS went anywhere, he always left a banana on Baby Monkey’s pillow — a sweet little sign that said: Don’t worry. I’ll be back. 🐒💛🦆
