Dodo let out a scream that echoed through the treetops. Birds flew away in confusion. Baby monkeys stared. Even the old chief monkey stopped scratching his chin.
“Dodo,” Lila sighed calmly, “you’re growing strong now. Milk time is over. Fruit will make you even tougher!”
But Dodo refused to listen. He threw himself back dramatically, waving his small arms as if the whole forest needed to understand his misery.
He stomped.
He kicked leaves.
He screamed again—loud enough that a lizard hiding nearby nearly fell off its branch.
The troop watched patiently. They all knew Dodo was going through an important moment—one every young monkey must face. Growing up wasn’t always easy, and sometimes, it meant letting go of things you loved.
Dodo ran from branch to branch, complaining loudly to anyone who would listen.
“Grandpa Moko! Mama won’t give me milk!”
Grandpa Moko chuckled. “When I was your age, I also screamed. But when I started eating mangoes, ohhh, I became the fastest climber in the whole jungle.”
Dodo didn’t want to hear that.
He went to Auntie Zara. “She won’t give me milk!”
Zara smiled warmly. “Little one, fruit gives you strength. You want to be big and strong, don’t you?”
But Dodo covered his ears dramatically. “I WANT MILK!”
His cousins tried to distract him by offering him games, nuts, and even a bright green leaf shaped like a star. But Dodo was determined to stay upset.
Finally, after screeching so much that his own throat began to feel dry, Dodo slumped down on a branch. His tiny stomach growled loudly—so loudly that a nearby parrot imitated the noise, and the other monkeys giggled.
Embarrassed and tired, Dodo hung his head.
Lila approached gently and placed a mango slice in front of him. “Just a bite,” she whispered. “No milk. Just try.”
Dodo stared at the mango slice suspiciously. He poked it. He sniffed it. He opened his mouth just a little and took the smallest nibble any monkey had ever taken.
Suddenly his eyes lit up.
It was sweet.
It was juicy.
It was delicious.
He took another bite. Then a bigger one. Then he stuffed the whole slice into his mouth and reached out for more.
Lila smiled proudly. “See? You’re strong enough. You’re growing.”
The troop cheered as Dodo continued eating, forgetting entirely about the milk he had been so desperate for just moments earlier.
After finishing, Dodo wiped his sticky face and grinned. “Look! I’m strong now, Mama!”
“Yes,” Lila said warmly, “you were always strong. You just needed to believe it.”
From that day on, whenever a younger monkey threw a tantrum about giving up milk, Dodo would puff out his chest and declare proudly:
“I used to scream too! But look at me now—I’m big, brave, and tough!”
And he truly was.
