"Since you're taking rest under the tree, you're my guest," said the monkey. "It's my duty to offer you food."
The monkey gave jamuns and other fruits to the crocodile to eat. The crocodile ate them and thanked the monkey for his hospitality. The monkey and the crocodile talked together for hours and soon they became friends. They developed such friendship that neither of the two was happy to miss each other's company even for a single day. This became their daily routine, telling stories and eating sweet fruits.
One day the monkey gave some fruit to the crocodile for his wife. The crocodile took the fruit happily to his wife.
The next day, the crocodile's wife said to her husband, "Dear, if these fruits are so tasty, then the monkey who eats these fruits must be ten times more tasty. Why don't you bring the heart of this monkey for my meal?"
The crocodile was shocked to hear these words from his wife. He said, "Darling, the monkey is my friend. It would not be fair to take his heart away from him."
"That means you don't love me", said the crocodile's wife and began to weep.
"Don't weep, dear", said the crocodile. "I'll bring the monkey's heart for you."
The crocodile swiftly swam to the other bank of the river and reached the tree where the monkey lived.
"My wife and I invite you to our home for a dinner. My wife is very angry with me for not having invited you earlier," the crocodile said in a sad tone.
"But how will I go with you?" asked the monkey. "I don't know how to swim."
"Don't worry", said the crocodile. "Just ride on my back. I'll take you to my house."
The monkey happily sat on the back of the crocodile, and the crocodile started his journey in the water. While in mid stream, the monkey became frightened to see the water all around him and asked the crocodile to swim at a slow speed so that he did not fall into the river.
The crocodile thought that he could reveal his real intentions to the monkey, since it was impossible for him to escape from the middle of the river. So he said to the monkey, "I am taking you to my home to please my wife. She wants to eat your heart. She says that since you eat tasty fruits day and night, your heart must be ten times more tasty than those fruits."
The monkey was taken aback to hear these words. He had never expected this type of a request from a friend. He kept his mental cool and said wittingly, "Very well, friend. It would be my privilege to offer my heart to your charming wife. But alas! you didn't inform me earlier. Otherwise, I'd have carried my heart with me. I always keep it in the hollow of the tree."
"Oh!" said the crocodile, "I didn't think of it earlier. Now we'll have to go back to the tree."
The crocodile turned and swam back to the bank of the river where the monkey lived. Upon reaching the bank the monkey jumped off the crocodile's back and quickly climbed up his tree. The crocodile waited for hours for the monkey to return with his heart.
When the crocodile realized that the monkey was taking too long searching for his heart, he said, "Friend, I believe you must have found your heart by now. Now please come down. My wife is waiting for us and getting worried."
But the monkey laughed and said sitting at the top of the tree, "My dear foolish friend. You've deceived me as a friend. Can any one take out his heart and keep that in a hollow? It was all a trick to save my life and teach a lesson to a treacherous friend like you. Now get lost."
The crocodile returned home with his head bent down.
MORAL - Keeping a cool head always pays well
Photo Credit: Tambako the Jaguar via Compfight cc
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