The sun was high in the sky, and the afternoon was blazing hot in the little village nestled between the hills. Birds chirped lazily, butterflies flitted among the wildflowers, and in the middle of it all sat Lala—a small, clever, and mischievous little monkey with a big love for sweet fruits. But more than anything, Lala loved watermelon.
Watermelon was Lala’s absolute favorite. Its cool, juicy, sweet pink flesh made her dance in delight every time she took a bite. So when she woke up that morning with the taste of watermelon on her mind, she knew exactly what her mission for the day would be: get a watermelon and enjoy it to the fullest.
She swung down from her treehouse and ran through the fields toward Farmer Cutis’s farm. Farmer Cutis grew the biggest, juiciest watermelons in the village. He was kind and often shared fruits with the animals—but Lala liked to sneak one or two watermelons now and then, especially when she didn’t want to wait.
As she tiptoed near the watermelon patch, her eyes widened. There it was—a huge, perfect, round watermelon resting on the warm earth. It glowed in the sunlight like a green gem. Her mouth watered. She looked left, then right. No sign of Farmer Cutis.
“Just one,” Lala whispered to herself. “He won’t miss one!”
She carefully rolled the watermelon out of the patch. But it was bigger than she remembered watermelons being. Much bigger.
With her little arms, Lala pushed and pushed. The watermelon rolled a few feet, then suddenly veered off and got stuck in a patch of tall grass.
“Hmmph!” Lala grunted, trying to nudge it free. She jumped on top and tried to ride it like a ball, but it wouldn’t budge.
Just then, she heard a loud moo. Bella the cow had wandered over and was now staring at the watermelon curiously.
“Hey Bella,” Lala said, wiping sweat from her furry brow. “Want to help me roll this?”
Bella sniffed the watermelon and gave it a nudge with her nose. It rolled forward a little. Encouraged, Lala and Bella pushed together—one with hands, one with head. Slowly but surely, the watermelon started to move.
But then came trouble.
Thunk! The watermelon hit a rock and stopped dead.
“Oh no!” Lala wailed. “Now what?”
She tried to lift it, but it was way too heavy. Bella tried to nudge it over the rock, but it wouldn’t go.
Lala sat down, defeated. “I just wanted a watermelon…”
Just then, her friend Timmy the turtle walked by.
“Hey Lala,” Timmy said, blinking slowly. “What’s going on?”
“I’m trying to get this watermelon home,” she sighed. “But it’s stuck.”
Timmy scratched his chin. “Maybe I can help. I have an idea.”
Together, they gathered some long sticks and used them like levers. Bella pushed, Lala pulled, and Timmy carefully wedged the stick under the watermelon. After a few tries—pop!—the watermelon rolled over the rock and kept going.
“Yay!” Lala squealed. “Almost there!”
They rolled it toward the clearing near the big mango tree where Lala liked to eat her fruit. The watermelon was now dirty and had a tiny crack in it, but Lala didn’t mind. They had worked so hard to get it there.
Just as she was about to take her first bite, a shadow passed overhead. It was Coco the crow.
“Caaaw!” Coco squawked. “What’s that?”
“It’s my watermelon,” Lala said proudly. “I worked all day to get it!”
Coco landed and poked at the crack with his beak. “It’s already open! Let me try some!”
Lala hesitated. She had done all the work, but she did like sharing… sometimes.
“Okay,” she said, “but just a little bit.”
Coco pecked at the crack and took a small bite. “Mmm, delicious!”
Suddenly, there was a crack—the watermelon split open completely, revealing its juicy, pink insides.
Lala gasped in horror as ants, bees, and even a couple of squirrels came running. The smell had traveled fast, and now everyone wanted a taste.
“Nooo!” Lala cried, holding her arms out to block them. “It’s mine!”
But the animals didn’t stop. They swarmed the watermelon, laughing and chattering. Pieces flew everywhere.
Lala watched, stunned, as her perfect watermelon disappeared piece by piece.
By the time the last ant waddled away with a seed, there was nothing left but rind.
Lala sat down, her face drooping. All that work… for nothing.
Then she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. It was Bella, holding a small slice of watermelon she had saved. Timmy came over too, carrying a bit on his back. Even Coco dropped a piece from above.
“You worked really hard, Lala,” Timmy said. “We want to share with you.”
Lala’s eyes lit up.
“You… saved some for me?”
They nodded. Lala smiled as tears welled up in her eyes—not sad tears, but happy ones.
She took a bite. It was cool, sweet, and just perfect.
As they all sat under the mango tree, sharing what was left of the watermelon, Lala realized something important.
Sometimes, things don’t go the way you plan. Sometimes, even when you try your hardest, you still run into trouble.
But when you have good friends who care… everything turns out sweet in the end.
