Strange things happen

In a certain forest there lived a monkey and an eagle. There was a strange friendship that developed between them. The monkey used to praise the qualities of the eagle. In turn the eagle too tried to praise some qualities of the monkey. “Ours is a strange friendship, the whole animal world in this forest is talking about our companionship,” said the monkey. The eagle went on listening.

“Why do you call it a strange friendship?” Asked the eagle.

“No monkey in the monkey world would dare to come closer to an eagle and the vice versa too is true.”

The eagle knew that though the monkey was a close companion, he too had some repulsive tendencies. The eagle didn’t like some behaviour patterns of the monkey. The monkey too disliked some qualities of the eagle. But they went on living together. True enough, the other animals too knew their attitudes.

“Who has the loudest voice?” asked monkey one day while perched on a branch of a tree.

“I think you have the loudest and the most powerful voice,” said the eagle.

“I don’t agree with you, I think you have the loudest voice,” said the monkey trying to pacify the situation.

“Why don’t we test it?” Asked the monkey breaking the silence that ensued.

“I don’t know how to do it,” said the eagle.

“Why don’t you make a loud noise so that the whole forest will tremble?” Asked the monkey. The eagle felt some what diffident.

“No I think you should start. Then I will follow you,” suggested the eagle.

The monkey stood still and made a noise in the loudest possible manner given to him by nature. At this moment the eagle knew the capacity of the monkey. But he didn’t want to make any comment.

A few minutes later the eagle made a trembling noise as if he had been shuddered by thunder. On hearing that noise, the monkey trembled and fell down. At the foot of the tree was a muddy pool like mire. To this the monkey fell. He became a victim, while the eagle had nothing but to fly away from the spot. The monkey who fell into the mire struggled hard to come out but he found it difficult. The struggle went on when several animals passed by and found that the companion of the eagle had fallen down. “Please help me,” the monkey cried out.

A rabbit who passed the spot said, “I am helpless. My limbs are feeble. There are many more animals who will pass the way. They will perhaps help you out.”

The rabbit was followed by a fox who watched the pathetic state of the monkey. The fox said, “I am helpless. Perhaps the elephant will help you to get out of the mess.”

The elephant who passed the spot stopped and asked, “Where’s your companion eagle? Where has he gone?” To this the poor monkey could not respond.

“Help me! Help me!” Cried the monkey.

A hungry tiger happened to pass the spot. The tiger watched the pathetic state of the monkey. He asked, “How did this happen?”

“It’s bad luck.” The monkey replied. Then the tiger went on.

“Perhaps I can kill this monkey and eat his heart.”

Tigers believed that monkey meat was a delicacy. The monkey too knew this as some of his own relatives had been victims of the tiger.

“If you take me out of the mire I will lend you my heart,” he said.

“But you are in an unclean state. I can’t touch you,” said the tiger.

“If you take me out of the mess I promise myself to appear before you.”

As the tiger was quite hungry, he had nothing to ponder over trivialities. The tiger stretched his fore paw to his monkey. The monkey in a fearful state of mind touched the paw and came out of the mire. As soon as he came out the monkey lay down.

“Oh sir I need to clean my body now.”

“I will get someone to clean you. Remember to fulfill the promise. Do you remember what you said?”

“Yes sir.”

The tiger moved off from the spot to call another creature to come over to the spot. As soon as the tiger moved off, the monkey saw a lean bamboo tree swaying in the wind.

“If I get hold of the bamboo reed and climb up and up, the tiger will not have the chance of killing me,” thought the monkey. So the monkey in his sneaky voice called the bamboo tree.

“Oh dearest bamboo tree. Please bend down and get me on to you to escape from the tiger.”

The bamboo tree knew the foolish and good qualities of the monkey and wanted to help him.

When the tiger came back to the spot he found a bamboo reed that had bent down toward the monkey.

“I have come to kill you, foolish monkey,” cried the tiger.

But the bamboo tree was helpful. As soon as the bamboo tree touched the ground, the monkey clung on to it. Then the bamboo tree stood still as it normally does. The hungry tiger came closer to the bamboo tree and felt that he had been outwitted by the monkey.

The elder narrator told me this: “Each person has their own personality and identity.”