Romanian Fairy Tales
The Monkey and the Crocodile
Once upon a time, in the middle of a dense forest, flowed a mighty river. In that river lived an old crocodile. He could no longer hunt because he was weak and frail.
One day he was very hungry, so he thought to himself:
— It's very hard to go on land and hunt. I should try to catch some fish from the river.
When he tried to catch fish, they slipped away. Tired and disappointed, he decided to rest under a tree by the river.
An Unexpected Friendship
A monkey was sitting on a branch of the tree, eating berries. The crocodile saw the monkey and asked her:
— Oh, dear monkey, what are you eating? Can you please give me some too? I am very hungry.
— These are berries! They are very sweet. Here, have some of these!
— Oh, yes! They are indeed very sweet! Thank you, my savior! I was very hungry, and you saved me. You are very kind. I would be grateful to have a friend like you.
— Yes, yes, why not? We are friends now! I live in the tree. Every time you are hungry, you can come here, and I will give you the best fruit I find.
Fruit for the Crocodile's Wife
After that, every day, the crocodile came by the tree, and the monkey gave him berries. They had a wonderful time together. Thus, they became very good friends.
Sometimes, the crocodile would come and play by the tree, and sometimes the monkey would sit on the crocodile's back, and they would go around the river.
— Listen, my friend! I would like my wife to have some fruit. Can you give me some too? Please, I will take them home.
— Of course, I'll pick them right away! Let's go!
The monkey happily picked some berries and gave them to him. And the crocodile took them to his wife, who stayed on the other side of the river.
The Wife's Evil Plan
— My dear, look what I brought you! Some sweet berries! My friend, the monkey, sent them for you.
— Oh dear! These berries are very sweet! But my dear husband, how much longer can we survive on fruit? Think about it, if these berries are so sweet and that monkey eats them every day, how sweet must she be?
— Yes, yes, she is very proper. And she eats and gives me some too. — Actually, I was thinking how sweet her heart must be! And I haven't tasted meat in a very long time! Can you bring me her heart?
The Crocodile's Dilemma
Hearing this, the crocodile began to ponder and said to his wife:
— How can I do such a thing? The monkey is my friend! I cannot betray her trust! If I give you her heart, she will die! She fed me when I was hungry, and now you want me to kill her?
— I don't want to hear anything! All I want is the monkey's heart! Bring it to me! Otherwise, know that I will take my own life!
Listening to his wife, the poor crocodile felt helpless. Unfortunately, he went to the monkey to convince her and take her home to his wife.
The Monkey Is Tricked
— Dear monkey! My wife is so happy with the berries that she invited you home for lunch! Come! Come to my house! Have lunch with us!
— How kind of her! Let's go!
The monkey agreed to go with the crocodile, and both set off. They walked happily. After a while, the monkey asked:
— My friend, what will your wife cook for us?
— You love bananas, don't you? So she will prepare fresh banana bread and delicious cookies especially for you!
— How lovely! It seems like it will be a real feast today! I'm already drooling!
The Truth Comes Out
Seeing the happiness on his friend's face, the crocodile thought of telling him everything about his wife's intentions.
— Poor monkey! She dreams of a delicious feast, but she doesn't know that my wife wants to eat her heart for lunch. What should I do? I will tell her the truth!
— Dear monkey, I want to confess something to you. My wife wants to eat your heart. Please, forgive me! If she doesn't eat her heart, she will die!
As soon as she heard the crocodile, an idea immediately came to her. The monkey was very clever.
— Yes! I understand! Yes, of course! Why not? My friend, why didn't you tell me this sooner? We monkeys keep our hearts safe in the tree. Now we will have to go back to the tree to get the heart. Take me back to the tree!
The Monkey Saves Herself
— Oh dear! How foolish of me! Now we will have to go all that way back! Alright, let's go get your heart! If we go empty-handed, she'll eat my heart instead!
The crocodile took the monkey back to the tree. As soon as the monkey reached the tree, she quickly jumped off the crocodile's back and climbed into the tree and told him:
— What a foolish crocodile! Can anyone keep their heart outside their body and still be alive? I helped you as a friend and gave you so much food, and this is what you do in return? You are a traitor! Now you will have neither my heart nor the fruit. Go away!
The monkey used her intelligence and cunning to save her life, and the crocodile, because of his foolishness, lost a good friend and the sweet berries.
The Moral of the Story
— So, children, did you like the story? And can anyone tell me the moral of the story? Uh, uh, that, uh, uh, I don't even know.
Alright, then. The moral of this story is that in trouble and dangerous times, we shouldn't be afraid, but instead, we should act wisely, just like the monkey. And under no circumstances should we betray anyone's trust. Otherwise, we will lose everything, just like the crocodile did.
