At first, he didn’t realize it. He tried to pull back, but his little mouth was glued firmly to the branch. He tugged harder. Nothing. His tiny arms flailed, his legs kicked, and his eyes darted around in panic.
“Mmmmmmph!” he squeaked through his sealed mouth.
He wiggled and twisted, trying to free himself, but it was no use. The sap had hardened quickly, and it held him like nature’s glue. Lips was dangling awkwardly from the branch by his face, legs swinging in the air and tail flipping wildly.
Back on the ground, the other monkeys started to notice something strange. They heard odd squeals and saw movement in the tree above. When they looked up, they gasped.
“Eeeeek! It’s Lips!” shouted one of the young monkeys. “He’s stuck!”
The troop rushed to the base of the tree. Lips’ mama was the first to climb up, followed by a few older monkeys. They found him still hanging by his mouth, looking both embarrassed and terrified. His eyes were wide and teary, and his lips were stretched like chewing gum.
Mama monkey gently held his body, trying to ease the pressure. One elder monkey tried to scrape the sap off with a stick, but it only made Lips whimper louder. Finally, an older female came up with an idea: she gathered some water from a nearby stream using a curled leaf and carefully poured it over the sticky branch.
Slowly, the sap began to soften.
Mama gently massaged his mouth, and after a few more minutes of wiggling, POP!—his lips came free.
He fell back into his mama’s arms, both exhausted and embarrassed. The troop erupted in relieved laughter. Lips pouted dramatically, rubbing his mouth while making exaggerated grumpy sounds.
But the worst part was… the sap had left a sticky red ring around his lips. It looked like he was wearing lipstick!
The other young monkeys couldn’t stop laughing. They teased him gently, calling him “Lipstick Lips” and “Sticky Face” for the rest of the week. But Mama monkey cuddled him close and kissed his forehead, saying softly, “That’s what happens when you put your mouth on everything.”
Later that evening, Lips sat quietly under a tree, his mouth sore, watching the others eat fruit. He didn’t feel like chewing anything for once.
But then… a tiny beetle crawled by, and he leaned in to sniff it. Just as he opened his mouth—Mama gave him a stern look.
Lips smiled sheepishly, leaned back, and decided maybe not everything was meant to be tasted after all.
That day became one of the most memorable stories in the troop. Monkeys would talk about “the time Lips got stuck” for seasons to come. It became a tale told to every curious baby monkey as a funny—but important—lesson about being too curious for your own good.
And for Lips, though his pride was a little bruised, he learned a valuable lesson: sometimes, you don’t need to put your lips on everything to understand it.
