Once upon a time,
By the banks of a wide,
Peaceful river,
There lived a little monkey in a mango tree.
Its branches stretched over the water,
And every morning,
The wind would make the leaves dance like tiny,
Silent drums.
The monkey loved this simple life.
He picked the ripest,
Sweetest mangoes and savored them while listening to the birdsong.
One day,
A crocodile slowly approached the riverbank.
He lifted his shining eyes toward the mango tree and said,
Hello,
Little monkey,
Your mangoes look delicious.
The monkey smiled and reached out a mango to the crocodile.
Here,
Taste it,
It's as sweet as the morning sun.
The crocodile bit into the fruit,
And his eyes sparked.
Thank you,
Little monkey,
You are very generous.
Every day,
The crocodile came back,
And every day,
The monkey offered him a mango.
A friendship blossomed,
Simple and beautiful,
On the banks of the river.
But one evening,
The crocodile came more slowly than usual.
He looked troubled.
What's wrong?
Asked the monkey.
The crocodile lowered his eyes.
My wife is ill.
She says she would recover if she ate the heart of a monkey as kind as you.
The monkey stayed silent.
Then,
Gently,
He said,
Come back tomorrow.
I have something to show you.
The next day,
The crocodile arrived,
And the monkey leaped onto his back.
Together,
They crossed the river.
In the middle of the water,
The crocodile said,
My friend,
I'm sorry,
I have to take you to my wife.
The monkey,
Calm and serene,
Replied,
Oh,
If only you had told me sooner,
I would have brought my heart.
I leave it in the tree every night so it doesn't fall while I sleep.
The crocodile,
Surprised,
Turned back.
Once they reached the mango tree,
The monkey quickly climbed up and said,
My heart is here,
With my fruits,
My dreams,
And my leaves,
And here it shall stay.
The crocodile then understood what true wisdom was,
And what true friendship meant.
He never returned with bad intentions again.
And every evening,
The wind hummed through the branches a song only true friends can hear.
You,
Too,
Can keep your heart warm right where your dreams live.
Close your eyes and let the wind teach you songs of wisdom.
You see,
Little one,
This story shows us that even if someone seems bigger or stronger,
That's not what truly matters.
What truly matters is having a calm heart,
A clever mind,
And staying true to yourself.
The little monkey didn't shout,
He didn't fight.
He simply thought with kindness and protected himself without harm.
That's a beautiful kind of courage.
And you,
Too,
Have that power within you,
The power to keep your heart warm,
In the place where you know it's safe.
With your dreams,
Your thoughts,
And all the beautiful things that live inside you.
Now,
Close your eyes and let your heart listen to the leaves singing softly,
Just like in the monkey's mango tree.
Good night.
