A young monkey once lived all alone in a huge mango tree near Tana River. One day, a crocodile swam up to the bank of the river and befriended the monkey. Whenever the crocodile came to visit, the monkey collected the ripest mangoes from the tree and throw them down for his new friend to eat. After sharing this meal for several days, the crocodile invited the monkey to his home on the other side of the river.
“How shall I reach your home when I don’t know how to swim?” asked the monkey.
“Don’t worry, I will carry you on my back,” the crocodile reassured his friend.
With that, the two set off for the crocodile’s home. When they reached the deepest part of the river, the crocodile stopped abruptly.
“Why are we stopping?” inquired the monkey.
“I cannot swim anymore because I am tired,” said the crocodile. “Why don’t you give me your heart to eat before we continue our journey?”
“Why didn’t you say so before? I would love to give it to you, but monkeys don’t travel with their hearts. I left mine up on the mango tree. Let’s go back and get it,” and with that the two turned back in the direction they had come.
When they were a short distance away from the tree, the monkey jumped off the crocodile’s back and disappeared above the leafy foliage. Moments later, the monkey dropped something into the water and the crocodile immediately lunged towards it, only to realize it was a mango fruit.
“Ha ha ha!” laughed the monkey, “My heart is not in the tree, it is in my chest and I will not give it to you. Now go away!”
To this day, monkeys stay at the tops of trees. They are careful to look around before climbing down to drink water from a river because a crocodile might be lying in wait to retrieve their hearts.
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This Swahili story reminds us to be careful of the friends we make because not everyone is as trustworthy as they may seem.