Lily instantly found herself drawn to Sophia. And it wasn’t just because she was beautiful. Lily was sure Sophia had to be the most gorgeous Blue Monkey, even though she had only met three Blue Monkeys so far and other two were males. But it wasn’t about Sophia’s looks. It was something else. Something she saw from the very beginning when they were being introduced. At the sound of her son’s name, Sophia looked over to her son and her big blue eyes glowed with love.
It wasn’t about Sophia’s delicate features or the way her eyes were lined with fine dark blue lashes. Her skin on her face, arms and legs was iridescent—changing from turquoise to pale blue in the light. It wasn’t about how her high forehead was bordered by the bright white fur which surrounded her face down to her cheeks. The thick blue fur on her head fell in waves down to her shoulders.
Then, with a smile lighting up her blue face, Sophia silently reached over and took Lily’s hand in hers. Lily saw in Sophia’s eyes how she could absolutely trust this beautiful creature. As she felt the warmth from Sophia’s fingers spread to her hand, Lily closed her eyes. In her head pictures began to appear. They were scenes of young and old Blue Monkeys. Running, playing, working together. Some had their arms around each other, helping each other. She saw their unconditional love. For the first time in that scary day, Lily felt safe.