Week 10 Story: The Foolish Monkey and the Clever Crocodile
One day a mother crocodile and her son were taking a swim down the river. The mother began to feel hunger so she said to her son, "I am hungry. Go and fetch me the heart of a monkey so that I may eat it."
"But mother, monkeys live on land and in the trees. I will not be able to get to them." the son replied.
"You'll figure it out little one, it is all a part of growing up." the mother responded.
So the son swam down the river looking with his eyes barely out of the water looking for a monkey whose heart he can take to his mother. Along with way, he decided he could trick the monkey by offering him a ride across the river to the island with ripe fruit that the monkeys could not get otherwise. He decided on the monkey who lived in the highest tree.
"Oh monkey!! Would you like a ride on my back to the island with the ripest fruits?" the little crocodile asked with a wicked smile in his heart.
"Why yes! I have lived in these woods for many years and I have never tasted such fruit." the monkey answered the crocodile with a happy look on his face.
When the monkey jumped down to the crocodiles back, the little crocodile began to take him to the island. However, half way there the crocodile dove far beneath the water. Holding on for dear life the monkey began to feel his breath leave his body and then the crocodile brought him back to the surface.
"Why did you do that?" the monkey asked gasping for air.
"Because I am going to kill you so my mom can eat your heart" the crocodile answered.
Thinking quickly as to how to escape he noticed the crocodile was young and maybe he could trick him, "If it was my heart you sought, you should have told me, I left it in my tree for protection." the monkey said hoping the crocodile would believe him.
The little crocodile laughed an evil laugh and responded, "I think you have me confused with my brother, he was the one who was born yesterday. I however am no fool." The young crocodile dove again far beneath the water, this time much deeper than before and for much longer. He swam all the way to his mother and when she saw that he had brought her the wisest monkey in the forest, she allowed him to instead eat the monkey's heart as a reward for outwitting him. The young crocodile then ate the monkey by biting through his chest. That day, the little crocodile became an adult.
Author's note: So some of you may have read the original tale as well, where the monkey succeeds in tricking the young crocodile and goes to safety. However, I thought that was too easy and while my version may not be the best as a children's tale, I think it does represent a valuable lesson. Don't trust predators. Even in the original, the monkey was clever enough to outsmart the crocodile, however if he was so clever, why did he put himself in danger to begin with? This was a thought I thought to myself and I decided to change the ending to where the monkey dies for his foolishness. However, rather than giving him to the mother, I let the younger crocodile eat him as a form of coming of age rite.
Bibliography: Source: Jataka Tales: Ellen C. Babbitt, Ellsworth Young 1912
"But mother, monkeys live on land and in the trees. I will not be able to get to them." the son replied.
"You'll figure it out little one, it is all a part of growing up." the mother responded.
So the son swam down the river looking with his eyes barely out of the water looking for a monkey whose heart he can take to his mother. Along with way, he decided he could trick the monkey by offering him a ride across the river to the island with ripe fruit that the monkeys could not get otherwise. He decided on the monkey who lived in the highest tree.
"Oh monkey!! Would you like a ride on my back to the island with the ripest fruits?" the little crocodile asked with a wicked smile in his heart.
"Why yes! I have lived in these woods for many years and I have never tasted such fruit." the monkey answered the crocodile with a happy look on his face.
When the monkey jumped down to the crocodiles back, the little crocodile began to take him to the island. However, half way there the crocodile dove far beneath the water. Holding on for dear life the monkey began to feel his breath leave his body and then the crocodile brought him back to the surface.
"Why did you do that?" the monkey asked gasping for air.
"Because I am going to kill you so my mom can eat your heart" the crocodile answered.
Thinking quickly as to how to escape he noticed the crocodile was young and maybe he could trick him, "If it was my heart you sought, you should have told me, I left it in my tree for protection." the monkey said hoping the crocodile would believe him.
The little crocodile laughed an evil laugh and responded, "I think you have me confused with my brother, he was the one who was born yesterday. I however am no fool." The young crocodile dove again far beneath the water, this time much deeper than before and for much longer. He swam all the way to his mother and when she saw that he had brought her the wisest monkey in the forest, she allowed him to instead eat the monkey's heart as a reward for outwitting him. The young crocodile then ate the monkey by biting through his chest. That day, the little crocodile became an adult.
Monkey and Crocodile
Image Source
Author's note: So some of you may have read the original tale as well, where the monkey succeeds in tricking the young crocodile and goes to safety. However, I thought that was too easy and while my version may not be the best as a children's tale, I think it does represent a valuable lesson. Don't trust predators. Even in the original, the monkey was clever enough to outsmart the crocodile, however if he was so clever, why did he put himself in danger to begin with? This was a thought I thought to myself and I decided to change the ending to where the monkey dies for his foolishness. However, rather than giving him to the mother, I let the younger crocodile eat him as a form of coming of age rite.
Bibliography: Source: Jataka Tales: Ellen C. Babbitt, Ellsworth Young 1912
Hey Jake!
ReplyDeleteI like how you changed the crocodile to a son wanting to get something his mom wanted. I think my favorite part of your whole story was the picture! I like that you kept majority of the story similar, but also added your own twist by making the crocodile actually be able to eat the monkey heart and made it into a rite of passage. Overall, great job!
Hi Jake!
ReplyDeleteThis was a great version of the story. I like the lesson that you brought it by making the crocodile victorious in the end. The monkeys in Indian Epics always seem to come out on top, so it was a great twist to have the crocodile win this time. It was even easy to root for the crocodile because his relationship with his mom seemed so sweet and normal.