The Monkey and the Crocodile

A Tree by the River

Beside a wide, slow river in India grew a tall jambul tree, heavy with sweet purple fruit. High in its branches lived a monkey, who feasted on the fruit all day long and was very happy with his home.

One morning a crocodile came swimming up the river and crawled onto the bank to rest in the shade of the tree. The monkey, who was friendly by nature, called down to him.

"Good day, friend! You look tired and hungry. Here — try some of this fruit. It is the sweetest in all the land." And he plucked a handful of ripe jambul fruit and dropped it down to the crocodile.

The crocodile caught the fruit and ate it. It was indeed delicious — sweeter than anything he had ever tasted. "Thank you," he said. "I have never had such a treat."

A Growing Friendship

After that, the crocodile came every day, and every day the monkey shared his fruit. The two became firm friends, talking for hours about the river and the forest. They grew so close that the monkey began saving the very best fruit for his friend.

"My wife would love this fruit too," said the crocodile one day. "May I take some home to her?"

"Of course!" said the monkey, and he filled the crocodile's arms with the sweetest fruit of all.

But when the crocodile brought the fruit home, his wife was not grateful. She was jealous and greedy. "If the fruit is this sweet," she said slyly, "imagine how sweet the heart of the monkey who eats it all day long must be. I want to eat that monkey's heart. Bring it to me."

The crocodile was shocked. "But he is my friend!" he protested.

"If you truly loved me," said his wife, "you would do as I ask." And she would not stop until at last, miserable and ashamed, the crocodile agreed.

The Ride Across the River

The next day the crocodile swam to the jambul tree with a heavy heart.

"Friend monkey," he called, "my wife has prepared a grand feast in your honour, to thank you for all your kindness. Will you come to our home across the river and dine with us?"

The monkey was delighted to be invited. "But I cannot swim," he said.

"Climb upon my back," said the crocodile. "I will carry you safely across."

So the monkey hopped onto the crocodile's broad back, and off they went across the wide river. But when they reached the very middle, where the water was deepest, the crocodile suddenly grew quiet and began to sink lower.

The monkey, no fool, sensed something was wrong. "Friend," he said carefully, "why do you go so deep? You are frightening me."

The crocodile, who was honest at heart and not good at keeping secrets, blurted out the truth. "I am sorry, friend. My wife wishes to eat your heart, for she believes it must be very sweet. I have brought you here to die."

The Clever Trick

The monkey's stomach went cold with fear — but he did not panic. Instead, he kept his voice calm and cheerful.

"Oh, dear friend, why did you not tell me sooner?" he said. "I would gladly give my heart to your good wife. But you see, we monkeys do not carry our hearts inside us. We leave them hanging safely in the tree so they do not get bruised while we jump about. My heart is still back in the jambul tree! If only you had told me, I would have brought it along."

The crocodile, who was not very clever, believed every word. "Then we must go back at once and fetch it," he said, "or my wife will be cross." And he turned around and swam all the way back to the riverbank.

The moment they reached the shore, the monkey sprang from the crocodile's back and scrambled high up into the branches of his tree, safe and sound.

"Hurry, friend!" called the crocodile from below. "Bring down your heart!"

The monkey laughed. "What a silly crocodile you are! No one keeps his heart in a tree — a heart stays inside, where it belongs. You tried to trick a friend who only ever showed you kindness. You may keep my fruit no longer, and you shall certainly never have my heart."

A Friendship Ended

The crocodile hung his head, ashamed. He understood that he had let his greedy wife lead him into betraying the only true friend he had ever known. Slowly he swam back across the river, alone and sorry.

From that day on, the monkey enjoyed his sweet jambul fruit by himself, high and safe in his tree. He had learned to be a little more careful about whom he trusted — but his quick wits had saved his life, and that was a lesson worth more than all the fruit in the world.

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The moral: When danger comes, a clear and clever mind is the surest escape. And take care whom you call a friend — kindness should be shared with those who will be kind in return.

Want more world folktales? Try The Blue Jackal or The Lion and the Mouse next.