The afternoon sun was blazing high above the quiet countryside, painting the sky with a soft golden glow. The birds were singing, the leaves rustled in the breeze, and little Lala, the mischievous young monkey, was in her favorite spot under the mango tree. Normally, this was her happiest time of day — climbing, swinging, and munching on ripe fruits — but today something wasn’t right.
She scratched her arm. Then her belly. Then her back. “Ooh ooh! Itchy!” she squeaked, wriggling and twisting in frustration. The more she scratched, the worse it got. Tiny red spots had appeared on her soft fur.
Grandma Cheby noticed from the porch and called out, “Lala, what’s wrong, my dear?”
Lala ran over, rubbing her arms. “Ooh ooh! Itchy, Grandma! So itchy!” she whined.
Grandma bent down to take a look. “Oh, Lala,” she said with a kind smile, “you’ve probably been playing in the tall grass again. Maybe some ants bit you!”
Lala’s eyes widened. “Ants?! Oh nooo!” she cried, jumping around as if the ants were still crawling on her. Grandma chuckled softly, shaking her head.
“Come, come,” she said, fetching a small jar of herbal ointment. “Let’s put some medicine on you.”
But the moment Grandma touched the ointment to her skin, Lala yelped. “Ah! Cold! Nooo!” She scampered away, her tail swishing wildly. “No medicine! Lala swim instead!”
“Swim?” Grandma asked, surprised.
“Yes! Swim! Water helps!” Lala declared proudly, already heading toward the nearby pond.
Before Grandma could stop her, Lala had dashed off, her little feet kicking up dust as she ran down the path. The pond sparkled under the sun, surrounded by tall reeds and blooming lotus flowers. It was Lala’s favorite spot to play — calm, cool, and full of life.
She reached the edge and dipped one toe in. “Ahhh!” she sighed in relief. The water was perfectly cool. Without another thought, she jumped in with a splash that startled a few frogs nearby.
The frogs croaked and hopped away, while fish darted in every direction. Lala giggled, splashing around like a happy child. “Ooh ooh! So good!” she squealed.
The cool water soothed her itchy skin immediately. She floated on her back, watching the clouds drift lazily overhead. One cloud looked like a banana. Another looked like a big fluffy chicken. “Hehe,” Lala laughed, pointing at the sky. “Banana moon! Chicken cloud!”
She swam around in circles, making ripples that glimmered like silver rings in the sunlight. She splashed water on her face, dunked her head under, and blew bubbles, giggling at the funny noises. “Blub blub blub!”
A curious turtle popped its head up nearby, blinking slowly at her. Lala gasped in delight. “Hello, turtle friend!” she said, waving. “Do you live here?”
The turtle blinked again as if to say yes, then disappeared underwater. Lala tried to follow, diving down with a splash — but she came up coughing and sputtering. “Too deep!” she said, shaking her head, water dripping from her fur.
Soon, some dragonflies hovered above the pond, their wings shimmering in rainbow colors. Lala reached out, trying to catch one, but it zipped away. “Hehe, so fast!” she giggled, chasing it playfully through the shallows.
The coolness of the water made her feel lighter and calmer. The itchiness faded, replaced by a wonderful sense of refreshment. She splashed around for a while longer, enjoying the way the sunlight danced on the surface.
After a while, she climbed onto a smooth rock in the middle of the pond to rest. Droplets sparkled on her fur as she stretched and sighed happily. “Ahh, much better,” she said. “No more itchy!”
Then she noticed her reflection in the water. Her fur was sticking up in funny directions, and her face was covered in little water droplets that looked like jewels. She made a silly face at herself — sticking out her tongue, puffing her cheeks, crossing her eyes. She burst into laughter. “Haha! Funny monkey!”
While she was busy playing with her reflection, a small group of ducks waddled down to the pond. They eyed Lala curiously, then began swimming nearby.
“Hello, duckies!” Lala greeted cheerfully.
“Quack!” replied the biggest duck, flapping its wings.
Lala took that as an invitation and started splashing playfully toward them. The ducks quacked louder, flapping around in circles. It turned into a little water dance — ducks quacking, Lala laughing, water sparkling everywhere.
But in her excitement, Lala didn’t notice the slippery moss on one of the rocks. She took one big leap — and whoosh! — she slipped and tumbled right into the water with a big splash.
“Glug glug glug!” she sputtered as she came up, shaking her head wildly. The ducks quacked in alarm and scattered. Lala blinked, then started laughing again. “Oops! I slipped!”
From the edge of the pond, Grandma Cheby arrived just in time to see her soaked, smiling granddaughter monkey. “Oh, Lala,” she sighed, shaking her head with amusement. “You really do know how to turn trouble into fun.”
Lala swam over to her. “Grandma, look! Itchy gone!” she said proudly, showing her now smooth skin.
Grandma smiled warmly. “That’s good, little one. But you must be careful. Water is helpful, but too much splashing might make you sick.”
Lala nodded obediently — though her playful grin suggested she wasn’t quite done yet. “Okay, Grandma. Just five more minutes!”
Grandma chuckled. “Alright, five minutes,” she said, sitting down on a rock to watch.
Lala spent her last few minutes twirling in the water like a dancer, chasing her reflection, and humming a cheerful tune. The air was filled with the sound of her laughter, the croaking frogs, and the gentle rustle of the wind through the trees.
When she finally came out, dripping and grinning, Grandma wrapped her in a soft towel. “Feeling better now?” she asked.
“Yes! So good!” Lala said, snuggling into the towel. “No more itchy! Lala clean and cool!”
Grandma nodded approvingly. “Good. Now let’s go home and dry you up before you catch a cold.”
They walked back together, the sun now dipping low on the horizon. The world glowed in shades of orange and gold, and the scent of evening flowers filled the air. Lala hummed happily, swinging Grandma’s hand as they walked.
Back home, Grandma made her a warm cup of honey tea and rubbed a bit of coconut oil into her fur. “This will keep your skin soft,” she said gently.
Lala purred softly, enjoying the attention. “Thank you, Grandma,” she said sleepily.
“Next time,” Grandma reminded, “try not to roll in the tall grass, alright?”
Lala nodded, though her mischievous smile hinted that adventure would find her again soon.
As the moon rose high above, Lala curled up in her little hammock by the window. The cool breeze drifted in, carrying the soft sounds of crickets and rustling leaves. Her fur still smelled faintly of pond water and flowers. She felt calm, refreshed, and content.
Before drifting off to sleep, she whispered, “Swimming is magic. Water makes itchy go away.”
Grandma peeked in from the doorway, smiling at the peaceful sight. “Goodnight, my little swimmer,” she said softly.
And under the gentle glow of the moonlight, Lala dreamed of her pond — of dragonflies and ducks, cool water and laughter — a day when even an itchy little monkey found joy and comfort in nature’s gentle embrace.
— The End —
