Separated by Cedar Slats
A baby monkey pressed its chest against the base of a tall wooden fence, digging its small claws into the dirt.
On the opposite side, an adult monkey reached gray fingers through the narrow gap between the boards.
The infant screeched, opening its pink mouth wide as its hands scrambled across the pickets.
A man walking down the gravel shoulder slowed his pace and stopped a few feet away.
He wore shorts, running shoes, and a baseball cap pulled down low over his brow.
The gravel crunched beneath his soles as he stepped off the pavement and approached the fence line.
On the other side of the wood, the mother monkey shifted her weight on the grass, keeping her eyes fixed on the man.
Closing the Distance
The man bent his knees, dropping into a deep squat beside the baby.
He kept his hands low, fingers open, moving them slowly toward the infant’s ribs.
The small animal let out another high-pitched cry, clinging tighter to the bottom of the fence posts.
Behind the barrier, the mother pressed her reddish face between two vertical planks, watching every inch of his movement.
Her hands stayed extended through the lower opening, knuckles brushing the green weeds on the roadside.
The man did not jerk his arms or make sudden gestures.
He slid his palms under the baby’s forearms, supporting its small torso against his thumbs.
The infant writhed for a fraction of a second, its tail whipping through the air.
He gently lifted the young animal off the gravel, bringing its body upward away from the ditch.
Lifting Over the Barrier
The fence stood nearly five feet tall, its sharp wooden points lining the upper edge.
Standing back up, the man raised both arms and extended the baby over the top of the fence.
The infant kicked its legs against the open air, squealing as it cleared the wooden railing.
On the grass below, the mother sprang upward, bracing her feet firmly into the turf.
Her arms shot straight up into the air, reaching as high as her shoulders could stretch.
The man tilted his wrists forward, lowering the baby downward toward the mother’s outstretched grasp.
Her gray hands latched onto the baby’s hips, pulling the infant firmly down into her chest.
The man immediately pulled his empty hands back across the top rail and stepped back onto the gravel path.
Back to the Greenery
The mother tucked the infant securely under her belly, wrapping both forearms around its back.
The baby buried its face directly against her fur, its long tail dangling near her feet.
She took a quick step sideways, turning her body away from the wooden fence.
Without pausing, she dropped to all fours and pushed through the dense green leaves along the tree line.
The leaves rustled and closed behind her, leaving only the empty strip of grass visible through the pickets.
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