Among them was sweet Lily — a gentle and curious little monkey who loved to climb high and gaze out at the canopy from above. She wasn’t the fastest or strongest, but she was kind, careful, and well-liked by many.
But on this day, something unexpected happened.
LEO and Brady, two wild and energetic young male monkeys, were showing off. They were climbing the tallest tree in the area, leaping from branch to branch, swinging at top speed, and challenging each other to daring moves. They weren’t being mean — just overly excited and a bit careless.
Lily had followed them up the tree, not to compete, but to sit on her favorite branch near the top. It gave her the best view of the river and the pink flowers blooming across the treetops.
“Hey Lily!” Brady called. “Come swing with us!”
“I’m okay here!” she smiled, waving back.
But as the boys flew from branch to branch, they landed harder and faster. LEO swung right past Lily and nearly knocked her off her perch.
“Careful!” Lily shouted, gripping the branch tighter.
Brady laughed and followed right behind. “It’s just for fun!”
But their rough swinging made the branches around Lily shake. Suddenly, the branch Lily was holding onto cracked — just slightly, but enough to shift her balance. With a frightened squeal, she slipped and tumbled down.
“LILYYYY!” several voices shouted.
She fell through the branches, scraping against bark and leaves before landing on the ground with a soft thud. Her body rolled, and she cried out in pain.
A crowd of young monkeys rushed to her side. Lily lay on her side, clutching her left hand and whimpering.
“My hand… it hurts. I can’t move it,” she whispered.
LEO and Brady climbed down quickly, guilt and worry all over their faces.
“We didn’t mean for that to happen,” LEO said, eyes wide.
“We were just playing,” Brady added softly, avoiding eye contact.
Mama Kiri, the elder female monkey, quickly arrived with a few others and gently examined Lily’s hand. It was swollen and slightly twisted. Not broken, but definitely injured.
“You won’t be swinging for a while, little one,” she said kindly. “You need rest.”
Lily nodded, holding back tears. It wasn’t just the pain — she felt embarrassed and upset. She had trusted LEO and Brady to be careful. But they hadn’t been.
“I’m sorry, Lily,” Brady said, his voice quiet now. “We didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“We just got too wild,” LEO added. “It won’t happen again.”
Lily gave a small nod. She knew they weren’t trying to hurt her, but that didn’t change the fact that they had been reckless. Accidents still hurt.
Over the next few days, Lily rested in the lower branches with her arm supported by a leafy sling. Many monkeys came to visit her, bringing her fruit and keeping her company.
But the biggest surprise was LEO and Brady. Every morning, they came by to check on her, help her get fruit, and even sit quietly beside her.
One day, Brady brought her a bouquet of purple flowers.
“I picked them myself,” he said. “For your tree-view spot when you get better.”
Lily smiled. “Thank you.”
As time passed, Lily’s hand began to heal. And while she wasn’t swinging anytime soon, she knew she wasn’t alone. The fall had hurt — but it also taught LEO and Brady a lesson they’d never forget: being wild can be fun, but not at the cost of someone else’s safety.
From that day on, they were much more careful when others were around. And Lily? She climbed again — slowly, wisely, and always with a watchful eye.
