The morning sun hadn’t even risen yet, but inside the CUTIS family home, there was already a soft rustling sound — a restless little monkey tossing and turning in her tiny leaf bed. Her name was Lala, the most playful and expressive baby monkey in the whole jungle. Normally, she loved her sleep. Once she curled up in her blanket, nothing could wake her — not even the chirping of the early birds or the sound of the river nearby.
But last night… oh, last night was different.
Everything started at sunset, when the family gathered together under the big banyan tree. Mom CUTIS had just finished dinner, while her two children — Bibi, the older brother, and little Lala — played nearby, chasing each other and laughing loudly. The air smelled of ripe bananas and blooming flowers. Everything was peaceful and ordinary… until Mom CUTIS suddenly said the magic words:
“Kids, tomorrow… we’re going on a picnic!” 🍌🌳
The effect was instant. Lala froze mid-giggle. Her tail stopped swishing. Her big round eyes sparkled like the stars overhead. “Picnic?” she squeaked, her voice filled with excitement.
Bibi grinned and nodded proudly. “Yes! To the river meadow! Mom said we can bring snacks and toys and play all day!”
Lala gasped, jumping up and down with joy. “Picnic! Picnic! Lala go picnic!” she shouted, clapping her tiny hands.
Mom laughed. “Yes, sweetheart. We’ll go in the morning. But you have to sleep early, okay? We’ll leave right after sunrise.”
Lala nodded eagerly. “Sleep early! Yes, Lala sleep now!” she said — though, of course, she didn’t mean it.
When bedtime came, Lala’s excitement only grew. She brushed her fur, snuggled into her leaf blanket, and closed her eyes tightly, whispering, “Sleep fast, sleep fast, picnic coming soon…”
But it was no use. Her mind was too busy dreaming of bananas, baskets, and butterflies.
After five minutes, she opened one eye. “Is it morning yet?” she whispered.
Bibi, half asleep in the bed next to hers, groaned. “No, Lala. It’s still night. Go to sleep.”
She pouted and buried her face in her pillow. But her little tail wouldn’t stop twitching. Her mind painted vivid pictures — of splashing in the river, of climbing trees with Bibi, of eating mango slices under the sun.
Five more minutes passed. Lala sat up again. “Bibi?” she whispered loudly.
“What, Lala?” he mumbled, rolling over.
“Do you think there will be butterflies?”
“Yes, Lala. Lots of butterflies. Now sleep.”
She grinned, satisfied — for about ten seconds. Then she asked again, “Do you think there will be bananas?”
“Yes, Lala. Bananas, mangoes, everything. Please sleep!”
She lay back down again, pretending to obey. But her eyes stayed wide open, glowing softly in the moonlight. Every little sound — a chirping cricket, a rustling leaf — made her sit up excitedly, thinking it was morning already.
At one point, she even got up quietly, tiptoed to the window, and peered outside. The moon hung high above the trees, silver and round. “Why is the sun so late?” she complained softly.
Then she spotted a firefly blinking nearby. “Maybe you know?” she whispered to it. “Picnic come soon?”
The firefly blinked again. To Lala, it was a “yes.”
Unable to stay still, Lala decided to prepare instead. After all, if she couldn’t sleep, she might as well be helpful!
She sneaked over to the corner where Mom had placed the picnic basket — half-packed and covered with a cloth. With gentle hands, Lala peeked inside.
“Bananas!” she gasped softly. “And biscuits! Ohhh!”
She almost grabbed one, but stopped herself. “No… not yet. Must wait for picnic.” Her tiny voice trembled with effort.
Then she saw something shiny — a little red ribbon that Mom had used to tie the basket. Lala smiled mischievously. “Lala help! Make basket more pretty!”
She went around the hut, picking small yellow flowers from a vase, then tucked them all around the basket, humming quietly to herself. When she was done, she looked at her creation proudly. “Beautiful!” she whispered.
After that, she tiptoed back to bed, confident that her good deed had made morning come faster.
It didn’t.
Minutes felt like hours. The jungle was silent except for the chirping of crickets and the occasional hoot of an owl. Lala sighed dramatically, rolling from side to side. “Why so longggg?” she whispered to the ceiling.
She tried counting — one banana, two bananas, three bananas — but that only made her hungry. She tried singing softly to herself, but that made her giggle. Finally, she climbed over to Bibi’s bed and poked his arm.
“Bibi… wake up…”
He groaned. “What now, Lala?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Then close your eyes.”
“I did. Eyes closed. Still awake.”
“Then pretend you’re already at the picnic.”
Lala gasped. “Oh! Good idea!”
She lay back down, closed her eyes tight, and began to imagine.
In her dream, the sun was shining bright. The river sparkled like glass, and she and Bibi were splashing water everywhere. Mom CUTIS laughed as she spread out a big leaf mat and opened the basket. The air was full of sweetness — mangoes, pineapples, and honey. Birds danced in the trees, butterflies floated by, and everything smelled like happiness.
She was so lost in her dream that she didn’t even notice when her breathing slowed, and her little tail stopped twitching. Finally, Lala had drifted off — smiling in her sleep, whispering softly, “Picnic… picnic…”
Morning came. The first rays of sunlight peeked through the window, landing right on Lala’s sleepy face.
She stirred, rubbed her eyes, and blinked — then gasped. “Morning! Morning!” she shouted, leaping out of bed like a spring.
Bibi jolted awake, startled. “Lala! What—”
“It’s picnic time! Wake up! Wake up!” she squealed, running around the room.
Mom CUTIS, still tying her scarf, laughed as Lala rushed over and hugged her leg. “Mommy, Lala ready! Lala didn’t sleep — waiting for picnic!”
Mom raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t sleep?”
Lala shook her head proudly. “No! I waited all night! I so excited!”
Bibi yawned. “That explains the mess around your bed,” he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Then Mom noticed the picnic basket — decorated with tiny flowers. Her eyes softened. “Lala, did you do this?”
Lala nodded shyly. “I wanted to make it pretty for picnic.”
Mom knelt down and hugged her. “It’s beautiful, my little artist. You made our picnic even more special.”
Lala beamed. “Really?”
“Really.”
When they finally reached the river meadow, the sunlight sparkled across the water just like in Lala’s dream. Birds fluttered overhead, and the smell of ripe fruit filled the air. Mom spread out the blanket while Bibi gathered fruit from nearby trees.
Lala danced in circles, shouting, “Best day ever! Best day ever!”
Mom and Bibi laughed as she ran barefoot through the grass, chasing butterflies and splashing her feet in the water.
Later, as they sat together eating bananas and biscuits, Mom CUTIS looked at her children and smiled softly. “You know,” she said, “sometimes the best part of a picnic isn’t just the food or the place. It’s the excitement — the love that starts even before the day begins.”
Lala leaned against her, munching happily. “Lala love picnic. Lala love Mommy. Lala love everything!”
Mom kissed her forehead. “And Mommy loves you too, my little restless dreamer.”
That night, after a long, wonderful day, Lala didn’t even need to be told to sleep. The moment she curled up in her blanket, she was out — dreaming once again of flowers, sunshine, and laughter.
And though she had waited all night for one picnic, it turned out that the real magic wasn’t in the waiting — it was in the joy that came from her pure, impatient little heart.
🐒💛🌸
