It was a warm, sunny afternoon in the cozy countryside home where Lala, the cheeky little monkey, lived with her loving family. The air smelled of fresh flowers and ripe fruit, and the garden trees were heavy with mangoes, bananas, papayas, and guavas. Lala, with her wide eyes and twitchy little tail, had been playing quietly under the guava tree. But her little monkey nose had caught the sweet scent of ripe fruit—and that was when the mischief began.
Earlier that morning, Thuy, the gentle caretaker and motherly figure of the household, had told everyone not to touch the fruits she had picked. “These are for dinner!” she said with a smile. She had gathered the juiciest mangoes and had plans to make her special tropical fruit salad. Lala nodded obediently, but her mind was already swirling with temptation. Those mangoes were so golden, so soft, and so full of sweet juice!
After lunch, Thuy went inside to prepare some iced tea. Lala looked around. No one was watching. She tiptoed—well, tip-scampered—to the fruit basket sitting under the shaded porch. Her tiny fingers trembled with excitement as she reached out. She gently pulled a ripe mango from the top. Then another. And then, with her little arms full of juicy treasure, she scurried away behind a bush.
Safely hidden, Lala dug into the fruit. The mango juice dribbled down her chin as she squealed with joy. She licked every finger and even nibbled the seed. After finishing two mangoes, she eyed a guava she had picked earlier from the garden. Just one more bite, she thought
But as Lala munched happily, she suddenly heard the sound of a door creaking open. It was Thuy, returning to the porch.
“Hmm?” Thuy looked at the basket. “That’s strange… I thought I had more mangoes.”
Lala’s ears perked up. She froze.
“Lala?” Thuy called.
Lala’s heart raced. Mango peels scattered around her feet, and her face was covered in sticky juice. Oh no! She’ll know it was me! she panicked. She quickly tried to bury the peels under leaves, wiped her face on the grass, and scampered up the nearest tree.
From high up in the tree, she watched Thuy glance around. “Where did those mangoes go?” Thuy wondered aloud.
Lala gulped and hugged the tree branch tightly. Her tail twitched nervously. Her tummy was full, but her heart was heavy with worry. What if Thuy got mad? What if she didn’t get her special fruit salad tonight? Maybe she’ll send me to bed early… or worse—no dessert for a week!
She sat in the tree for a long time, trying to decide what to do. Down below, she saw Thuy sweeping the porch with a calm face. Maybe Thuy wasn’t angry yet. But Lala knew she couldn’t hide forever.
Suddenly, Cutis the golden dog came trotting by, sniffing the air.
“Lala! Why are you up there?” he barked playfully.
“Shh! Cutis! Don’t tell Thuy I’m here,” Lala whispered.
Cutis tilted his head. “Why?”
“I… I took some mangoes,” Lala confessed with a pout. “I was hungry and they smelled sooo good. But now Thuy might punish me.”
Cutis wagged his tail. “Well, you did sneak them, Lala. But maybe you should just tell her the truth.”
Lala sighed. That was the hard part. Saying sorry was never easy, especially when you knew you were wrong. But Cutis was right. Maybe being honest would help.
So, with her tiny heart thumping like a drum, Lala slowly climbed down from the tree. Her fur was still a little sticky, and she didn’t even bother trying to hide it anymore. She walked up to Thuy, who was arranging bowls on the kitchen table.
Thuy looked down and smiled gently. “Oh! There you are, little one. I was wondering where you went.”
Lala shuffled her feet and looked up with big, guilty eyes. “Thuy… I have to tell you something.”
“Yes?” Thuy said, raising an eyebrow.
“I ate the mangoes. I know you said not to… but they looked so yummy. I didn’t mean to be bad, I just… I couldn’t help it. I’m really sorry.”
Thuy paused. She looked at Lala, then at the fruit basket, and then back at Lala again. The silence made Lala squirm.
Finally, Thuy knelt down and gently wiped a bit of mango from Lala’s cheek. “Lala,” she said softly, “thank you for telling the truth. I can see you feel sorry.”
Lala’s eyes brightened. “You’re not mad?”
“Well,” Thuy chuckled, “I was surprised. But I’m not angry. I’m glad you were honest with me. That’s more important than fruit.”
Lala threw her arms around Thuy. “I promise I won’t sneak food again!”
Thuy smiled and patted her back. “Next time, just ask. We always have enough to share. And guess what?”
“What?”
“I saved some bananas and guavas to make a smaller fruit salad. Do you want to help me prepare it?”
Lala’s face lit up. “Yes, yes!”
So the two of them worked side by side in the kitchen. Lala washed the bananas while Thuy sliced the guavas. Cutis watched from the doorway, wagging his tail approvingly.
As they sat down later that evening with their colorful fruit salad, Lala felt warm and happy inside. Not just because of the tasty food, but because she had done the right thing—even though it was hard.
From that day on, Lala made a promise to always ask before taking something and to be honest when she made mistakes. And though she still had her mischievous moments, Thuy always knew that Lala had a good heart.
And sometimes, when no one was looking, Thuy would quietly slip Lala an extra slice of mango—just to see her face light up with joy. 🍋🐵❤️
