One peaceful morning in the village, the sun gently rose over the rooftops, bathing the little farm in golden light. The air smelled of fresh hay, ripe bananas, and blooming flowers. It should have been a perfect day. But something was off—very off. From behind the barn, a strange, pungent smell began to spread like a silent warning.
“OUCH… OUCH… OMG!” Thuy screamed, dramatically plugging her nose and hopping backwards. “What is that smell?!”
Lala, the sweet golden dog, wrinkled her nose and barked twice, looking toward the old mango tree. That’s when everyone realized—the baby monkey, Lu, had arrived. But not just arrived—he came in with a stink so powerful it could knock over a cow.
Lu was a tiny ball of fluff, always curious and always in some kind of trouble. He had been missing for hours that morning. Everyone thought he was just playing around in the trees. But judging by the stink trailing behind him, it was clear he’d gotten into something nasty.
Thuy, brave but dramatic as always, cautiously approached Lu with a stick. “Lu… what did you do? Why do you smell like… like rotten eggs mixed with sweaty socks?”
Lu just blinked and gave her a cheeky grin before flopping onto the grass and scratching his belly like nothing had happened.
Lala approached to sniff her little friend and immediately backed away in horror, sneezing violently. She ran behind the chicken coop and refused to come back out.
Soon, the whole yard was in a panic. Uncle Phong came rushing out of the kitchen holding a spatula, thinking a sewer had burst or something had died. “WHO opened a durian inside the house?!” he shouted, waving his hand in front of his face. “No? Then what in the world is that SMELL?!”
All fingers pointed to baby Lu.
He didn’t look guilty at all. In fact, Lu rolled around in the grass, trying to chase his own tail, still emitting a foul, gag-worthy odor. The chickens started squawking, and even the ducks waddled away in protest. It was chaos.
Finally, Thuy grabbed a towel and carefully scooped Lu up like a radioactive piece of garbage
“Alright, mister,” she said, holding him at arm’s length, “we’re going straight to the bathtub. No bananas. No cuddles. No playtime until you smell like a normal baby monkey again!”
Lu didn’t resist. Maybe he knew he had messed up this time. Or maybe he just liked bath time. Either way, he dangled from the towel like a stinky rag doll while everyone kept their distance.
Thuy marched to the back of the house where the outdoor tub sat under the mango tree. She filled it with warm water, added a bit of baby-safe soap, and even dropped in a few slices of lemon for freshness. “This is an emergency spa treatment,” she muttered. “You’re lucky I don’t throw in the whole lemon tree.”
Lu was gently lowered into the tub, and the smell got even worse at first. “Ewwww! It’s like soaking a garbage can in hot water!” Thuy groaned, turning her head.
She scrubbed him with a soft brush, working through his fur. Bits of mysterious goop came off—some sticky sap, something black and gooey that smelled like rotten mushrooms, and even what looked like a squashed insect.
“I don’t even want to know where you went this morning,” Thuy whispered.
As the water turned brownish-gray and Lu began to look cleaner, Lala finally peeked out from behind the coop. Her sensitive nose could tell things were getting better. She slowly crept over, still cautious.
Finally, Lu was rinsed, wrapped in a fluffy towel, and sniffed all over by Lala, who wagged her tail in relief.
“Well,” Thuy said, exhausted, “that was probably the smelliest monkey in all of Southeast Asia.”
Uncle Phong came by, cautiously sniffing the air. “Phew. Much better. But what did he roll in?”
That mystery didn’t stay a mystery for long.
Later that afternoon, Thuy found the answer while fetching mangoes. Behind the old mango tree, hidden under a pile of leaves, was a half-open compost pit filled with old fruit scraps, fish bones, and spoiled rice. Lu must have fallen in—or worse—dove in, thinking it was a magical food treasure.
“No wonder he smelled like fermented nightmares,” Thuy muttered.
That night, Lu was freshly clean and snuggled in his cozy blanket. Everyone gathered on the porch, laughing about the chaos of the day.
Uncle Phong even joked, “Maybe we should invent a baby monkey deodorant. Tropical banana scent?”
Thuy chuckled. “Or at least a Lu-tracking alarm for whenever he sneaks off to explore!”
Lala curled up next to Lu, finally able to rest her nose in peace.
As the stars sparkled above and the smell of fried rice filled the air, peace returned to the little farm. But one thing was for sure—no one would ever forget the day Lu became the stinkiest baby monkey in the world.
The end… and the lesson? Never trust a quiet monkey. Especially when the compost pit is nearby.
