But Andini shook her head. Her mother had tied it that morning in a special way—a double loop with a single pearl pin shaped like a bamboo shoot. Taking it off felt like forgetting a promise.
"Why are you taking it off?" Kiki appeared, covered head to tail in brown mud.
It came from the thorny raspberry bushes near the stream. Andini crept closer and saw little Miko, a baby tapir, stuck in the brambles. His short snout was tangled in a web of thorns, and every time he struggled, the vines pulled tighter.
The morning sun painted the bamboo forest in soft gold and green. Baby panda, Andini, sat by the edge of the clear mountain stream, her small paws fidgeting with the edge of her new white hijab. BabyPanda Andini Hijab Putih 0305-12 Min
"Oh no! Hold still, Miko!" Andini cried.
"I… I can't get it dirty," Andini whispered, touching the fabric.
"It's dirty," Andini sighed. "Grandma said white shows everything." But Andini shook her head
She began to untie the hijab, ready to hide it in shame.
But there was no time. She carefully unhooked the thorns around Miko's legs. With one last push, she freed him. The tapir nuzzled her cheek in thanks and scampered off to find his mother.
She retied the hijab, stains and all.
So she watched from a rock as Kiki and the other baby pandas slid down mud banks, shrieking with joy. A pang of loneliness pinched her heart.
Andini felt a tear prick her eye. It's ruined.