The Monkey And The Crocodile

There was once a river. It was a beautiful river around which all plant and animal life were present. On the banks of the river was a huge mango tree. On the mango tree lived a monkey. He was very smart for a monkey his kind. In the river lived a family of crocodiles. The young crocodile and the monkey were very good friends. They used to meet at the riverbank and eat mangoes, play in the water and have fun.

One day, the crocodile returns home after playing with the monkey. He goes to his mom, "Mom, what do we have for dinner?" he asks. His mom frowns at him. "Son, your father and I are getting old. You are the oldest of your brothers and sisters. So you need to be the next breadwinner of the family. We depend on you to get us food." she says. "Say, you're friends with that monkey on the mango tree, right? I think it's time that you bring him here for dinner." The young crocodile knew exactly what was on her mind. She is going to eat the monkey the moment he arrives. But he couldn't disobey his mother. he would get kicked out if he had done something like that. He sighed and said, "Okay, mom."

The next day, he went to the tree and shouted, "O monkey! Come down and play with me." The monkey instantly came down. They played for some time. For a moment the crocodile forgot his mother's words. When the sun started setting, he asked the monkey, "Hey, my mother invited you to join us for dinner. Would you like to come?" The monkey thought for a moment and replied, "Oh, sure. I would love to come." He hopped on the crocodile's back and they started swimming towards his home.

On the way, the monkey noticed that something was wrong. The crocodile had tears in his eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked. The crocodile replied, "My mother wants to eat you. That is why she wants you to come. I am sad to see my only friend go. But it's my only choice." he sniffed. The monkey panicked. Then he thought for a moment. He turned to the crocodile and said, "Wait! I forgot my heart on the tree. A monkey would never taste good without a heart. You have to take me back." The crocodile said, "Oh, is that so? Fine, then," and took him back to the tree.

Once they came back, the monkey quickly climbed up and stood on the topmost branch. He shouted from there, "You fool. How can an animal live without a heart? Did you think of eating your only friend? Well, I will never allow you to do that. Never come back to this tree. And remember, never betray someone who trusts you."

MORAL: In times of danger, we must not get scared. We must act smart.