Long, long ago, on the banks of a wide river, there grew a tall jamun tree. A monkey lived happily in that tree, swinging from branch to branch all day.
In the river below lived a crocodile. Over time, the monkey and the crocodile became the best of friends. Every day, the monkey would toss sweet jamun fruits down to his friend in the water.
One evening, the crocodile took some jamuns home for his wife. She ate them and a greedy thought crossed her mind. 'If the fruits are this sweet,' she said to herself, 'how sweet must the heart of the one who eats them every day!' She turned to her husband. 'Bring me that monkey's heart,' she said. 'I must have it — or I cannot live.' The crocodile was in a terrible fix.
The next morning, the crocodile went to see his friend. 'My wife would love to meet you,' he said, smiling. 'Climb on my back — I will take you across the river.' The monkey, delighted, jumped on without a second thought.
Out in the middle of the river, the crocodile told the truth. But the monkey did not panic. Calmly, he said, 'Oh! Why didn't you tell me earlier? I left my heart back on the tree. Take me back — I will fetch it for you!'
The crocodile turned around and swam back to the shore. Quick as a flash, the monkey leaped off and scrambled up the tree. Safe on his branch, he called down: 'Do you think anyone carries their heart around with them? You tried to trick me — but wisdom saved me today.' And from that day, the monkey never trusted the crocodile again.