The Crocodile and the Monkey Story
This is an educational story about the importance of cleverness and caution against the dangers of the cunning. The fable emphasizes that those who appear friendly may not always have good intentions, teaching children a valuable lesson about trust.
Once upon a time, in a distant land, a crocodile who lived in a river running through a lush green forest became friends with a monkey who lived in the red apple trees along the riverbank. The apple trees were always full of juicy and sweet apples. The monkey spent his days happily on these trees.
One day, the crocodile came to the riverbank as usual and said to the monkey, “I am very hungry. I haven’t eaten anything for days, please, would you give me some apples?” The kind-hearted monkey gave him a few apples. The very hungry crocodile devoured them all eagerly, and as soon as his stomach was full, he returned home.
The crocodile began to visit the riverbank more often. Over time, they became very good friends and started sharing stories about their daily lives. The monkey was very open-hearted, always giving the crocodile plenty of apples. In return, the crocodile would give the monkey rides on his strong, broad back across the river. They spent their time together happily.
During this period, the crocodile got married. Since the monkey was a good friend, the crocodile invited him to the wedding. However, the monkey was afraid of deep water, so he politely said, “I won’t be able to come.” The crocodile accepted his refusal with understanding.
Even after getting married, the crocodile continued to visit every day as before. The monkey was very happy, as the crocodile’s marriage had not affected their friendship at all. One day, the monkey gave the crocodile a few fresh, pinkish-red apples as a gift for his wife. The crocodile was very happy with these beautiful apples, took the gift home, showed the apple to his wife, and told her all about his friendship with the monkey.
After eating the juicy red apples, the crocodile’s wife thought to herself: “These apples are so red, juicy, and delicious… How sweet and kind-hearted the monkey who feeds on these apples must be! I wish I were friends with this kind-hearted monkey, so he would give me plenty of apples. But perhaps there is another way to get him here…”
A few days later, she started pretending to be sick. The crocodile told his wife that she could see a doctor if she wished. The next day, the woman started crying, and the crocodile asked her what was wrong. The woman replied: “My dear husband, I am very upset; I do not feel well at all. To feel better, I need to spend time with someone very kind-hearted. Your monkey friend is said to be very kind-hearted. If you bring his kind heart here, I will be very happy.” The crocodile was surprised to hear these words and began to think about what he should do.
The next day, the crocodile came to meet the monkey as usual. The monkey climbed onto the crocodile’s back, and they set off for a ride. When the monkey noticed the water deepening, he became frightened and asked, “Where are you taking me?” The crocodile said that his wife was very eager to meet him and had invited him for dinner. “So please stay calm, let’s go to our home together,” he said.
Thereupon, the clever monkey said to the crocodile: “Why didn’t you tell me this before? When visiting a friend’s house, I should prepare and bring a small gift. I forgot my gift basket in the hollow of the tree. Please take me back so I can get it.” The crocodile believed the monkey and swam back towards the shore. As they approached the tree, the smart monkey quickly jumped onto the branch and said to the crocodile:
“True friendship is not built on secret plans. Trying to deceive me deeply saddened me. A friend’s most valuable asset is love and honesty, not his body or his heart! If you ever truly learn to be an honest and trustworthy friend, perhaps then we can be friends again. But for now, I need to stay away from you,” he said.
The crocodile understood his mistake and silently swam away. From that day on, the crocodile learned that friendship can only be established through honesty. He decided to treat every creature living in the river better.
The Lesson of the Fable: True friends are trustworthy people who act with good intentions. We should not trust anyone unconditionally just because they look or speak nicely; we must be careful when forming friendships. To avoid being deceived, we must evaluate their words and intentions.