The Monkey and the Crocodile

On the bank of a wide blue river grew a tall mango tree, and in that tree lived Milo, a clever little monkey. Milo was kind and cheerful. Every day he swung from branch to branch, munched sweet ripe mangoes, and shared them with the birds and squirrels. "Life is wonderful," Milo would say, patting his round tummy. Little did he know that a great adventure was about to begin.

A New Friend

One hot afternoon, a crocodile named Croc swam slowly up the river and stopped under Milo's tree. "Hello up there!" called Croc. "Those mangoes look delicious." Milo was happy to make a new friend. Plop, plop! He dropped the sweetest, juiciest mangoes down to Croc, who munched them with delight. From that day on, Croc came every afternoon, and Milo always shared his fruit. They laughed and talked for hours. It was a lovely friendship — or so Milo thought.

A Strange Invitation

But one day, Croc's wife said to him, "Those mangoes are sweet, but I am sick, and the old turtle says only a monkey's heart will make me well. Bring me your friend's heart!" Poor Croc did not want to hurt his friend, but he loved his wife. So the next day he said to Milo with a nervous smile, "My wife would love to meet you! Climb on my back, and I will carry you across the river to our home." Milo trusted his friend and hopped on. But in the middle of the river, Croc began to cry. "Forgive me, Milo," he sobbed, "but my wife is sick, and she needs your heart to get well."

The Clever Answer

Milo's heart pounded with fear, but he stayed calm and thought quickly. "Oh, my dear friend!" he said with a big smile. "Why did you not tell me before? I always leave my heart hanging on my mango tree when I go out to play! It is much too precious to carry around. Quick, take me back to the tree, and I will fetch it for you!" Croc believed him at once and turned around, swimming as fast as he could back to the bank.

The moment they reached the bank, Milo leaped high into his mango tree. Safe among the branches, he called down, "Silly Croc! Does anyone leave his heart hanging on a tree? You tricked me, and now our friendship is over. Be careful, and never trust sweet words without thinking!" Croc hung his head in shame and swam slowly away. From that day on, Milo was more careful about whom he trusted — and he lived happily in his mango tree for many, many years.

Moral of the Story

Stay calm in danger and use your clever mind. Sweet words can sometimes hide a trick.