The Monkey and the Crocodile

A monkey lived on a jamun tree by a river. A crocodile lived in the river. Every day, the monkey shared sweet jamun fruits with the crocodile, and they became good friends. The crocodile would carry some fruits home for his wife. The crocodile's wife loved the fruits. She thought that if the monkey ate such sweet fruits, his heart must be even sweeter. She demanded that the crocodile bring her the monkey's heart, threatening to stop eating otherwise. The crocodile was heartbroken but gave in to his wife's insistence. The crocodile invited the monkey for a ride across the river on his back. In the middle of the river, he confessed that his wife wanted the monkey's heart. The monkey was terrified but kept his wits about him. He said cheerfully that his heart was left hanging on the tree and they should go back to fetch it. The gullible crocodile swam back to the shore. The monkey leaped onto the tree and called out that a fool should know hearts cannot live outside the body. Their friendship was over from that day.