There grew a big tree on the seashore. Half of
its branches were over the land and the other half over the water. A little
monkey lived in the tree. He played in the branches all day, and when he was
hungry he ate the sweet fruit that grew in the tree.
Now, in the sea there lived a shark. One day the monkey threw some of the fruit
into the sea. The shark ate it up. From that day on the shark and the monkey
were friends and the shark asked the monkey to throw some fruit down to him
every day.
"Thank you, friend Monkey," said the shark, "I have only fish to
eat in the sea, and I like your fruit very much."
The monkey was happy to be a friend of the shark and threw fruit into the sea
every morning. Once the shark said to the monkey: "You are so good to me
that I want to do something good for you."
The monkey looked down at the shark and listened. The shark said: "I want
to show you my home. You will meet my brothers and sisters. You are so good to
me that I think they will like you."
The monkey thought a minute and said: "No, I do not want to go, thank you.
I am afraid of cold water, and I cannot swim. I shall be happier if I stay in my
tree."
"Oh, no, no!" said the shark. "Do not be afraid! Come with me, I
shall carry you to my home on my back. I shall not swim very quickly."
The monkey thought: "The day is very hot. It will be nice on the water. I
think I will go."
So the monkey sat down on the shark's back, and off they went.
At first the monkey did not like going on the shark's back because he swam very
quickly. But soon he liked it and looked at the new places and at the fish in
the water. It was so interesting!
"Do you like the sea?" asked the shark. "Is the sea better than
your forest?"
"Yes, it is. How far must we go?" asked the monkey.
"It is not very far," the shark answered. "And now I must tell
you something. Our chief, the biggest shark in the sea is very ill. Our doctor
said to him: "You must eat a monkey's heart. Then you will be well again.
So I am taking you to him, and I am telling it to you because you are my friend.
The poor monkey was ready to cry, but he did not cry. The monkey thought of a
plan to save himself. Then he said: "How silly you are! Why did you not
tell me that before? I have no heart with me. It is at home in the branches of a
big tree. We monkeys always hide our hearts in the branches of big trees in the
daytime. We take our hearts only at night. What will you do if your chief finds
that I have no heart? How angry he will be! I am ready to give my heart to your
chief because I am your friend. But how can I do that when I have no heart with
me?"
The shark asked the monkey: "If I take you back to your tree, will you go
and get your heart?"
"Of course I will, and let us go quickly. Your dear chief must not
wait!"
The shark with the monkey swam back very quickly. They came again to the big
tree. The monkey climbed up the tree saying: "Wait for me! Wait for me! I
will take my heart!"
But the monkey did not come back. The shark was swimming and swimming in the
water under the tree. Then he shouted: "Friend Monkey, where are you?"
There was no answer.
The shark thought: "I am afraid he cannot find the heart in the
branches!"
The shark waited and waited for the monkey. Then he shouted again: "Monkey!
Monkey! When will you come back to me?"
Again there was no answer. Then the monkey began to laugh.
"Do you think I am a fool?" asked the little monkey. "Do you
think I want to give my heart to your big bad chief and then die?"
"But you said your heart was in the branches of the tree," said the
silly shark.
"My heart is in its place in my body. It is always there!" shouted the
monkey. "And you go away! We are not friends anymore!"
And with those words the clever monkey threw a big rotten fruit on the shark's
nose.