In a small jungle near a gentle river, a curious baby monkey named Tino was exploring the world for the first time without his mother by his side. He was only a few months old, with soft brown fur and big wide eyes full of wonder. Everything was new to him—the leaves that danced in the wind, the chirping of birds above, and the tiny bugs crawling in the dirt.
On this warm afternoon, the troop had come near the river to drink and play. While the older monkeys leapt from branch to branch or splashed in the shallow water, Tino stayed close to the edge, poking at leaves and rocks with his little fingers. His mother was resting high in the tree and didn’t pay much attention to him. For a few minutes, Tino was completely alone.
As he shuffled through the soft mud by the water’s edge, something suddenly moved beside him. A flash of red and a strange clicking sound made him freeze in place. He looked down—and there it was.
A crab.
It wasn’t very big, maybe the size of a human hand, but to little Tino, it looked like a monster. Its hard shell gleamed in the sunlight, and its sharp claws moved up and down like tiny scissors. The crab stood its ground, watching the little monkey with cold, black eyes.
Tino took a cautious step backward. His eyes widened, and his small mouth opened in silent shock. The crab took a step forward, its claws raised high.
Tino let out a sharp cry.
He jumped in the air, arms flailing, and ran a few steps before turning around to check if the crab was chasing him. It wasn’t—it was just standing there. But to Tino, it felt like danger. Real danger.
He let out another frightened squeak, looking up to the trees for his mother. But she was still resting, not noticing her baby’s fear. Tino stood there, shaking a little, unsure what to do. His heart pounded in his tiny chest.
The crab moved again—slow, sideways steps that made soft clicking noises in the mud. Tino’s whole body twitched in fear. He didn’t understand what this creature was. It didn’t have fur or eyes like him. It looked like a strange alien from another world.
Desperate for help, Tino began to cry out louder. High-pitched, baby-like calls filled the air. A few older monkeys turned to look, but none moved to help. It was just a crab, after all. Harmless, they thought.
But for little Tino, the fear was real. He crouched low to the ground, still watching the crab with both awe and terror. Then, suddenly, the crab moved again—this time closer.
Tino screamed.
He jumped back and tumbled into the mud, getting his fur dirty. He scrambled to stand, slipping and crying, his voice full of fear. His face was wet now—not just from the water, but from tears. He felt helpless, confused, and very, very small.
Finally, after hearing enough of her baby’s cries, Tino’s mother slowly climbed down from the tree. She looked at the crab, then at her baby, and walked over with calm steps. With one quick swipe of her hand, she gently pushed the crab aside. The creature scurried off into the reeds, disappearing from sight.
Tino ran into his mother’s arms, burying his face in her chest, still shaking. She held him for a moment, grooming his muddy fur and making soft cooing sounds to calm him down.
The jungle was full of strange surprises. And for little Tino, this had been his first encounter with something unknown and scary. Even though it was just a crab, to him, it had felt like a monster.
As the sun dipped low and the troop moved on, Tino clung tightly to his mother. The mud would wash off, the fear would fade, but the memory of the strange red creature with sharp claws would stay with him.
For a baby monkey, the world is full of lessons. Some are sweet. Some are scary. And some, like the crab by the river, remind them just how big and strange the world really is.
