This is the poorest monkey in the monkey world. Mother monkey has never treated him kindly
In the deepest corner of the jungle, where the trees leaned together like gossiping elders, lived the poorest monkey in the monkey world. His fur was thin and uneven, his tail bent from sleeping on hard branches, and his stomach almost always whispered complaints. While other young monkeys swung freely and stole fruit with laughing mouths, he watched from a distance, counting mango skins and half-eaten bananas left behind.
His mother was a strong monkey with sharp eyes and sharper patience. She never hugged him close or checked if he had eaten. When he tripped, she scolded. When he failed to climb as fast as the others, she turned away. Some said she treated him harshly because life was harsh. Others whispered that he reminded her of a time she wished to forget. The poorest monkey never knew the reason—only the feeling.
Each morning, he woke early to search for food alone. He learned which trees dropped fruit at dawn and which birds were careless eaters. He learned to be quiet, to be patient, and to thank the ground for whatever it offered. Hunger taught him kindness. When he found something extra, he shared it with ants, with birds, even with a limping old monkey no one else noticed.
At night, when the jungle cooled and the stars blinked awake, he curled up on his favorite branch and dreamed. In his dreams, he was light and fast, leaping across the sky. No one pushed him away. No one told him he was too slow or too small.
One season, a great drought came. Fruit vanished. Strong monkeys fought. Mothers panicked. The poorest monkey, used to little, survived on almost nothing. He remembered every hidden tree, every forgotten vine. Quietly, he led others to food. Even his mother followed, tired and afraid.
She never said sorry. But one evening, she sat beside him and shared a fig without taking the larger half.
The poorest monkey was still poor in fruit and comfort, but rich in something rarer: resilience. And in the jungle, that kind of wealth lasts longer than any feast.
