The Monkey and The Crocodile
Orientation:
Once there lived a monkey in a jamun tree by a river. The
monkey was alone - he had no friends, no family, but he was happy and content.
The jamun tree gave him plenty of sweet fruit to eat, and shade from the sun
and shelter from the rain.
Complication:
One day a crocodile came swimming up the river and climbed
on to the bank to rest under the monkey's tree. 'Hello', called the monkey, who
was a friendly animal. 'Hello', replied the crocodile, surprised. 'Do you know
where I can get some food?' he asked. 'I haven't had anything to eat all day -
there just don't seem to be any fish left in the river.'
Resolution:
'Well,' said the monkey, 'I don't eat fish so I wouldn't
know - but I do have plenty of ripe purple jamuns in my tree. Would you like to
try some?' He threw some down to the crocodile. The crocodile was so hungry
that he ate up all the jamuns even though crocodiles don't eat fruit. He loved
the sweet tangy fruit and shyly asked whether he could have some more. 'Of
course', replied the monkey generously, throwing down more fruit. 'Come back
whenever you feel like more fruit', he added when the crocodile had eaten his
fill.
After
that the crocodile would visit the monkey every day. The two animals soon became
friends - they would talk and tell each other stories, and eat as much of the
sweet jamuns as they wanted. The monkey would throw down all the fruit the
crocodile wanted from his tree.
Complication:
One day the crocodile began talking about his wife and
family. 'Why didn't you tell me earlier that you had a wife?' asked the monkey.
'Please take some of the jamuns for her as well when you go back today.' The
crocodile thanked him and took some of the fruit for his wife.
The crocodile's wife loved the jamuns. She had never eaten
anything so sweet before. 'Imagine', she said, 'how sweet would be the creature
who eats these jamuns every day. The monkey has eaten these every day of his
life - his flesh would be even sweeter than the fruit.' She asked her husband
to invite the monkey for a meal - 'and then we can eat him up' she said
happily.
The crocodile was appalled - how could he eat his friend?
He tried to explain to his wife that he could not possibly eat the monkey. 'He
is my only true friend', he said. But she would not listen - she must eat the
monkey. 'Since when do crocodiles eat fruit and spare animals?' she asked. When
the crocodile would not agree to eat the monkey, she pretended to fall very
sick. 'Only a monkey's heart can cure me', she wailed to her husband. 'If you
love me you will get your friend the monkey and let me eat his heart.'
Resolution:
The poor crocodile did not know what to do - he did not
want to eat his friend, but he could not let his wife die. At last he decided
to bring the monkey to his wife.
'O dear friend', he called as soon as reached the jamun
tree. ' My wife insists that you come to us for a meal. She is grateful for all
the fruit that you have sent her, and asks that I bring you home with me.' The
monkey was flattered, but said he could not possibly go because he did not know
how to swim. 'Don't worry about that', said the crocodile. 'I'll carry you on
my back.' The monkey agreed and jumped onto the crocodile's back.
The crocodile swam with him out into the deep wide river. When
they were far away from the bank and the jamun tree, he said, 'My wife is very
ill. The only thing that will cure her is a monkey's heart. So, dear friend,
this will be the end of you and of our friendship.' The monkey was horrified.
What could he do to save himself? He thought quickly and said 'Dear friend, I
am very sorry to hear of your wife's illness and I am glad that I will be able
to help her. But I have left my heart behind on the jamun tree. Do you think we
could go back so that I can fetch it for your wife?'
The
crocodile believed the monkey. He turned and swam quickly to the jamun tree.
The monkey leaped off his back and into the safety of his tree. 'False and
foolish friend,' he called. 'Don't you know that we carry our hearts within us?
I will never trust you again or ever give you fruit from my tree. Go away and
don't come back again.'
Re-orientation:
The crocodile felt really foolish
- he had lost a friend and a supply of good sweet fruit. The monkey had saved
himself because he had thought quickly. He realised that a monkey and a
crocodile could never be true friends - crocodiles preferred to eat monkeys
rather than be friends with them.
