by Elizabeth

I glide swiftly through the upper canopy of the rainforest. I am extremely agile and make almost no sound as I balance on my long tail. I am a squirrel monkey and one of the 5,000 left in Central America. I eat a fig as I swing. Figs make up 90% of our diet! That's why mother named her first child, my 2 1/2 year old brother, Fig. Siblings are almost always a year apart, since females usually don't give birth to more than one at one time. I have become independent because I am slightly over a year old. I am 1 1/2 pounds, my body is 10 inches long, and my tail is 16 inches.

It is mating season again. The males are naturally bigger than females, but during mating season they put on almost 1/5 of their body weight. They're HUGE! At least I think so, since we are supposed to be the size of squirrels (whatever those are). As I finish my fig, I munch on a blossom from the trees. That's why mother named me Blossom. They are my second favorite food, after figs. This year, mother is giving birth again. We always give birth during the wet season because it has the most figs and other fruit. As I reach for another blossom, I hear my mother peep. We have a wide range of calls, from chirping to squawking to purrs, barks, and screams. Her peep means her baby is born, so I rush over. She looks so much like Fig and me, with a white mask around her eyes, a slightly protruding black muzzle, orange arms and legs, with the rest of her body grayish. She gobbles up the berries mother feeds her, so she is named Berry.

Suddenly, a threatening scream arises. Humans! We know too well what humans mean. They used insecticides to kill 400 monkeys in my father and uncles' packs. They caught one of our oldest packs for zoos and lab research. We live approximately 21 years, but they were all dead at somewhere from 5-9 years old. We started to recognize Humans as the dreaded Larry, for he was the one who captured the pack.

Suddenly, as I guard Berry, a human face appears. She has sparkling blue eyes, blonde curls, and plump, rosy cheeks. She giggles in delight when she sees Berry. Her father calls, "Shirley, come back. Don't wander. You could get lost in here. And you could kill yourself if you fall." My mother gives a hiss. Oh, no! That means the father is the dreaded Larry who killed many of my kind. However, we have no time to worry. The sky is darkening, and we squirrel monkeys are diurnal, which means active during the day. I quickly settle into a deep sleep.

Berry is missing! I give a threatening, loud bark. We all go crazy and find only two possibilities: she fell from our tree, or Larry took her. Both mean death. We knew better than to just go down to see if she was on the floor of the rain forest. A cheetah could eat us! However, Fig goes down. He makes a narrow escape from a jaguar and rushes up, shaking his head. That means Larry took her! That's when I remember: Ralph. He is a wise, old dog known for finding things. He used to work with humans as a rescue dog but since they treated him badly, he ran away.

I set out to find him, but it seems like days when I finally see Ralph. He is huge, towering above me by 4-5 feet. Despite his size, his glistening shaggy black fur, bright yellow eyes, and sharp teeth, he has a kind face. I hiss and silently scream, but he does not understand. Stupid me! He is a dog; he doesn't understand my language. So I cradle my arms and wait for his answer. He nods, as if he knows I mean "baby". Then I make a wipeout motion with my arms and hiss He seems to understand I mean "gone". Then I stand up on my hind legs and grab at the air, trying to imitate Larry taking Berry. Ralph growls. He doesn't seem to like Humans any more than I do. Then he slowly walks around in circles, exaggerating his sniffing, cradles his arms, walks back to me, and "puts the baby" in my arms. I jump up and down, nodding and clapping violently in my excitement. I think he meant that he was going to try and find Berry!

I go back to mother and tell her about Ralph. I hurry back to him with the pit of a fig Berry had eaten. It seems like months by the time I get back, but it has only been 2 days!

Ralph waves goodbye and takes the pit with him, sniffing it as he goes along. I go home quickly. How I wish to see Berry again. And oh, how my arms and legs ache, for in the past week I have gone back and forth between Ralph and home so many times! However, it is good to be home, and all of the 173 females in the pack I live in treat me like a queen (especially Ivy, a cousin of mine). Our packs can get up to 500! They make me a nest to rest on made of the softest leaves, flowers, buds, and mosses. I rest there for a long time, to regain my strength. Whenever I am awake, I am welcomed with more figs and blossoms I could ever imagine. They comb and curry my fur, which is soft and we take great pride in. I am happy and content except for one thing, Berry.

However, I trust Ralph and know he would find her…until one of the macaws comes with bad news: Ralph is dead! He had seen Ralph being beaten to death by Larry right before his eyes, or so he thought. At this, I give a cry of grief for two reasons. The first and main reason is Ralph had died for me, or rather, for Berry. The other less minor reason is I will never see Berry again. Mother purrs sympathetically. I know I shouldn't trust macaws; they're known for telling false stories. I frown. Who should I believe? The macaw or my knowledge of their stories?

But I don't have time to think. There are excited chirps and squawks from my pack. I send Ivy questioning looks. She points. Ralph is back, and Berry is with him! This is the happiest day of my so far short life. Ralph comes up to me. He growls at an invisible thing and attacks and kills it. Then his face turns kind as he turns and cradles his arms. He hands me Berry, and behind him is Shirley. Since Larry is dead, Shirley is an orphan. Now I understand! Larry had been Ralph's cruel owner! Ralph waves goodbye, and with Shirley on his back, he walks away.