The Monkey’s Heart: A Clever Monkey Outsmarts the Crocodile

Based on a classic folk tale | Retold by TaleTreasury

In the dense, sun-drenched jungle where the trees stood tall and the river flowed wide and deep, there lived a crocodile and his wife. Now, if you’ve ever been around expecting mothers, you know they sometimes get the strangest cravings. But it’s not just human moms—turns out, crocodile-ladies aren’t any different.

One morning, as the crocodile’s wife gently rested near the riverbank, she looked up at her husband and declared, “Darling, I want something special. I’m going to lay eggs soon, and I simply must have… a monkey’s heart!”

The poor crocodile blinked in disbelief. A monkey’s heart? That wasn’t exactly something you could pick up at the jungle market—assuming there was one. But he loved his wife, and besides, who says no to a lady “with egg”?

Determined to fulfill her wish, the crocodile devised a clever plan. He knew that across the river grew a lush grove of fig trees—the kind monkeys adored. But the only way across was a narrow wooden bridge. So the crocodile quietly dismantled the bridge, plank by plank, and then waited patiently, lurking beneath the murky waters.

Sure enough, before long, a clever little monkey wandered up to the river, eyeing the distant fig trees.

“Oh, banana skins!” the monkey exclaimed. “How am I supposed to get across now?”

At that very moment, the crocodile surfaced with a sly grin. “Trouble crossing the river, friend? Hop on my back, and I’ll take you across.”

The monkey scratched his head. “That’s mighty kind of you! I’d be bananas not to accept.”

The monkey climbed onto the crocodile’s back, and the journey began. But halfway across, the crocodile suddenly stopped swimming.

“What’s the hold-up?” the monkey asked.

“Well,” the crocodile confessed, “I might’ve left out a tiny detail. I’m actually taking you to my wife because she craves monkey heart soup.”

The monkey’s eyes widened, but he quickly masked his fear with a grin. “Ah! You should’ve just said so! But you see, there’s a problem—you won’t find my heart on me.”

The crocodile frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Unlike crocodiles, we monkeys don’t carry our hearts around inside our chests,” the monkey explained. “It’s much too risky! We keep our hearts safely stored up in the fig trees. That way, we can check on them regularly.”

The crocodile blinked. “Wait… really?”

“Absolutely,” the monkey nodded earnestly. “If you take me to the fig trees, I’ll grab my heart and throw it down to you.”

The crocodile, eager to impress his wife, thought this sounded reasonable enough. So he carried the monkey all the way to the opposite bank, where the fig trees stood tall and inviting.

The moment they reached the shore, the monkey scampered up the nearest tree and perched on a sturdy branch. He plucked a fig and tossed it at the crocodile’s head.

“Here’s my heart!” the monkey called down, laughing.

The crocodile dodged the fig, his face contorting with frustration. “Stop playing! Where’s your heart?”

But the monkey only chuckled, tossing fig after fig down at the befuddled crocodile. “Silly croc! If you believe a monkey keeps his heart in a tree, you’ve got more water in your head than your river.”

Realizing he’d been thoroughly tricked, the crocodile slunk back into the river, soaked, sticky from fig pulp, and dreading his return home. He wondered if his wife would believe the story—or if he’d end up sleeping on a bed of cold stones for weeks.

Meanwhile, the monkey settled into the tree, munching happily on figs and laughing to himself. In the end, wit had won over brute strength, and the jungle echoed with the monkey’s victorious cackles.

Moral of the Story

Quick thinking and cleverness can outwit even the strongest adversaries. Never underestimate the power of a sharp mind, especially when faced with danger.