Vishnu Sharma | India
The Monkey and the Crocodile
A clever monkey outsmarts a crocodile, who tries to betray their friendship to please his wife, and they part ways.
Once upon a time, a clever monkey lived in a tree near a river. One day, a crocodile swam to the tree and asked the monkey for some fruit. The monkey was kind and gave the crocodile some fruits.
The crocodile liked the fruits and came back the next day to ask for more. The monkey agreed, and soon the crocodile came every day for fruits. They became good friends, and the monkey trusted the crocodile.
One day, the crocodile’s wife tried the fruit and loved it. She wanted more and asked the crocodile about it. She became greedy and wanted to eat the monkey’s heart too. The crocodile didn’t want to hurt his friend, but his wife said she would leave him if he didn’t bring the monkey’s heart.
The crocodile made a plan. He told the monkey that his wife invited him for dinner and asked if he wanted to come. The monkey trusted the crocodile and agreed. He climbed on the crocodile’s back, and they started to cross the river.
When they were in the middle of the river, the crocodile told the monkey about his plan. The monkey was scared but very smart. He told the crocodile that he left his heart in the tree and they needed to go back to get it. The crocodile believed him and swam back to the riverbank.
As soon as they reached the shore, the monkey jumped off the crocodile’s back and climbed up his tree. The crocodile realized he had been tricked. The monkey then said that a real friend would never harm another for selfish reasons.
