(Harmlessness)
Once upon a time, Mr Monkey was living by himself near a
riverbank. He was a very strong monkey, and a great jumper. Now, in the middle
of this river was a beautiful island covered with mango trees, jackfruit trees
and other fruit trees. A rock that jutted out of the water lay halfway between
the bank and the island. Although it looked impossible, Mr Monkey was used to
jumping from the riverbank to the rock, and from the rock to the island. He
would eat fruits all day and then return home by the same route each evening.
Besides Mr Monkey, Sir Crocodile and Lady Crocodile were also
staying next to this river. They were expecting their first brood of baby
crocodiles. As she was pregnant, Lady Crocodile sometimes had strange food
cravings. So she made unusual demands on her faithful husband.
Lady Crocodile had been amazed, just like the other animals,
by the way Mr Monkey jumped back and forth from the riverbank to the island.
One day, she suddenly yearned to eat the heart of Mr Monkey, and so informed
her husband about her craving. To keep her happy, Sir Crocodile promised to get
Mr Monkey’s heart for her as dinner that night.
To trap Mr Monkey, Sir Crocodile went and laid himself down
on the rock between the riverbank and the island. He waited stealthily for Mr
Monkey to return that evening, and planned to catch the monkey when he leapt
onto the ‘rock’. As usual, Mr Monkey spent his entire day feasting on the
island. When it was time to return to his home on the riverbank, he noticed
that the rock seemed to have grown. It was much higher above the water than he
remembered. Yet, he noticed that the river level was just the same as it was in
the morning. Immediately, he suspected that the cunning Sir Crocodile might be
up to no good. To confirm his suspicions, he called out in the direction of the
rock, “Hi there, Mr Rock! How are you?” He yelled this three times. Then he shouted,
“You used to answer me when I’d speak to you. But, today you say nothing.
What’s wrong with you, Mr Rock?”
Sir Crocodile thought, “There is no doubt that on other days,
this rock used to talk to the monkey. I can’t wait any longer for this dumb
rock to speak! I will just have to speak for the rock and trick the monkey.” So
he shouted, “I’m fine, Mr Monkey. What do you want?” “Who are you?” asked Mr
Monkey. “I’m Sir Crocodile,” replied the reptile without thinking.
“Why are you lying there?” asked the monkey.
“I’m plotting to take your heart! There’s no escape for you,
Mr Monkey,” blurted Sir Crocodile.
“Aha! He’s right — there’s no other way back to the riverbank
except through that rock, so I will have to trick him,” thought the clever
monkey. Then he yelled, “Sir Crocodile, my friend, it looks like you’ve got me,
so I’ll give you my heart. Open your mouth and take it when I come your way.”
When Sir Crocodile opened his mouth, he opened it so wide
that his eyes were squeezed shut. When Mr Monkey saw this, he quickly jumped
onto the top of Sir Crocodile’s head, and then instantly leaped to the other
side. When Sir Crocodile realised he had been outsmarted, he admired Mr Monkey
for his wits and victory. Being a good sport, he praised the winner. He said,
“Mr Monkey, my intentions towards you were unwholesome — I wanted to kill you
and present your heart as a gift to please my wife, but you wanted only to save
yourself and harm no one. I
salute you!” Then Sir Crocodile returned to Lady Crocodile.
At first, she was displeased with him, but when the little crocodiles came,
they forgot their troubles for a period of time.
The moral is ✏ a good loser is a
true gentleman.
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