The Monkey Who Left His Heart at Home

A monkey living in a fruit tree on one riverbank had befriended a crocodile who rested beneath it each day, sharing fruit with him generously over many months until the two considered themselves genuine friends. The crocodile's wife, however, had grown convinced after hearing of the monkey's kindness that his heart must be especially sweet, and demanded her husband bring it to her to eat, threatening to leave him otherwise.

Torn between loyalty to his friend and his wife's demands, the crocodile reluctantly invited the monkey to visit his home across the river, offering to carry him there on his back as a special treat. The unsuspecting monkey climbed on happily, and they set off — but midway across the deepest part of the river, the crocodile, unable to keep up the pretense any longer, confessed the entire plan honestly, telling the monkey his heart was needed and there was no way back.

The monkey, thinking with remarkable speed despite the danger, replied calmly that he would gladly give up his heart for such a good friend — but unfortunately, monkeys keep their hearts hanging safely in their home trees, removing them each morning to keep them clean, and his was still hanging on a branch back where they'd started. If the crocodile would only swim back, he could fetch it properly. The crocodile, believing him entirely, turned around and swam all the way back — at which point the monkey leapt immediately to safety in his tree and never trusted the crocodile's company again, having learned that even real affection can be overruled by someone else's demands, and that survival sometimes depends on thinking faster than the danger you're already inside of.