Lilac Fairy Book

Chapter 8: Monkey's Heart (1)
A long time ago, in a small green valley at the foot of a cliff, there was a small village of low thatched huts.Of course, people are very careful in building their houses, and they build them in places where the tides that come ashore from the westerly wind can't be submerged.On the edge of the village grew a big tree, half of its branches and leaves covered the huts, and the other half stretched out above the deep sea at the bottom of the cliff.Sharks love to swim to the clear waters to play and play.The branches of that tree were full of fruit, and every day when the sun came out, people could see a big gray monkey sitting on the topmost branch eating breakfast, talking happily to himself.

After the monkey finished eating the fruit on the tree on the side of the village, it swung along the branches to the tree on the other side extending to the sea.Just as he was looking for a nice, shady spot where he could comfortably roost, he saw a shark eyeing him greedily from below.

"Can I do something for you, my friend?" asked the monkey politely.

"Oh! It would be great if you could throw me some of those delicious things, I would be grateful." The shark replied, "After you have eaten fish for 50 years, you will feel like you want to eat fish." For a change. I'm so tired of the taste of salt these days."

"Oh, I don't like salt either," said the monkey. "Then, open your mouth, and I'll throw this delicious and juicy cuwood into your mouth." Picked a fruit.As expected, even when the shark turned over, it was not that easy to throw the fruit into the shark's mouth, and the first cuyu landed on one of the shark's teeth and rolled into the water.However, luck was better the second time, and the fruit just fell into the shark's mouth.

"Oh, how delicious it is!" cried the shark. "Give me another one, please." The monkey was tired of picking kuyus, but the shark hadn't had enough.

"It is very late, and I must go home to see the children," said the Monkey at last. "If you come here at this time tomorrow, I will entertain you again."

"Thank you, thank you," said the Shark, grinning happily, showing all his big ugly teeth, "you can't guess how much fun you have given me." Then he swam into the dark water, Going to take a nap to pass the time until the monkey comes again.

For several weeks the monkeys and the sharks ate breakfast together, and it was a rare thing that there was fruit left on the tree for them to eat.They became good friends, and they told each other about their families and children, and talked about how to teach children everything they should know.Before long the Monkey grew dissatisfied with his green house in a small palm grove beyond the village, and longed to see the strange things under the sea which he had heard about from the Sharks.The Shark felt this very well, and described something still more wonderful with such vividness that the Monkey grew more and more saddened.

So one day the shark said, "I don't know how to thank you for all the help you've been doing these weeks. I don't have anything on me to give you, but I'll give you anything you like if you promise to come home with me." I'd be more than happy to give it to you."

"I don't want anything," cried the Monkey, his teeth chattering with joy, "but how can I get to your house? I certainly can't swim in the water. Ah! I feel sick when I think of water! "

"Oh! don't bother about that," answered the Shark, "just sit on my back, and I promise not a drop of water will splash on you."

The matter was thus agreed upon.The next morning, just after breakfast, the shark swam under the tree, and the monkey jumped on his back deftly without splashing a drop.At first, the monkey felt a little scared in such a strange situation, but after a few minutes, the monkey became very happy, asking the shark a thousand questions about fish, seaweed, and asking the sharks to float past them. What are those strange shapes.The shark answered one by one, and it never occurred to the monkey that many of the things they saw were as foreign to his guide as to himself.

The sun rose and set six times, and then the shark suddenly said, "My friend, we are halfway through the swim now, and it is time to tell you something."

"What's the matter?" asked the monkey. "You speak so seriously, I don't think it's something annoying?"

"Oh, no! Nothing. Only when we were about to set off, I heard that the Sultan of our country was very ill, and the only thing that could cure him was the heart of a monkey."

"Poor man, I'm very sorry for him," replied the Monkey, "you're so stupid to tell me when we're all on our way."

"What do you mean?" asked the shark.The Monkey now understood all the Shark's plots, and instead of answering him at once, he wondered what he should say.

"Why don't you talk?" the shark asked again.

"I was thinking what a pity you didn't tell me about it when I was on shore, or I would have taken my heart with me."

"Your heart! Why isn't your heart on you?" asked the shark with a puzzled look on his face.

"Oh, of course it's not on me. Don't you know that we always hang our hearts on a tree when we leave the house, so that we don't get into trouble? You might not believe me, though, and think that because If you are frightened and making things up, then let us hurry on and swim to your country. As soon as we get there, you can come and find my heart, and if you find it, you can kill me."

The monkey's words were so calm and so indifferent that the shark was completely taken in and he wished he hadn't been in such a hurry.

"If your heart is not with you, what's the use of swimming on?" said he at last, "We'd better hurry back to the village, so you can get your heart."

Of course, that's exactly what the Monkey wanted, but he was careful not to look too happy.

"Really? I don't know," he said indifferently. "It's such a long way, but you may be right."

"I'm sure I'm right," the shark replied, "and I'll swim back as fast as I can." He did what he said, and three days later, they saw the library tree standing high above the water. Cornus.

The monkey breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the branch closest to him and climbed up.

"Wait here for me," he called to the shark. "I'm starving. I need to eat some breakfast and then find my heart." He climbed farther and farther, into the branches, until the shark Never saw him again.Then he curled up and fell asleep.

"Are you still there?" The shark soon got tired of swimming in the bay below the cliff and was anxious to hit the road.

The monkey was startled awake, but he didn't answer.

"Are you still there?" The shark was very angry, and his voice was a little louder than before.

"Oh, yes. I'm still here," answered the Monkey. "I wish you hadn't woken me. I'm sound asleep."

"Have you found your heart?" asked the shark. "We should go now."

"Where are you going?" asked the monkey.

"Oh, of course you took your heart to our country. You can't forget it!"

"My dear friend," replied the Monkey with a chuckle, "I think you must be a little mad. Do you think I am the washerman's ass?"

"Don't talk nonsense," the shark said loudly, he didn't want to be laughed at by others, "what do you mean by the washerman's donkey? I hope you can hurry up, or you won't be able to save the Sultan if you go back too late."

"Haven't you ever heard of the washerman's donkey?" asked the Monkey happily. "Ah, he's one of those brutes with no conscience. I don't feel very well, and I'm afraid I'll get sunstroke if I start out when the sun is so high. If you like, I'll come a little closer and tell you the story of the donkey."

"Well," said the Shark grumpily, "if you don't want to come down and come with me, then I don't think I'll hear the story."

So the monkey began to tell the story:

(End of this chapter)