The Clever Monkey
Large text for little eyes.
Deep in the green jungle lived Milo the Monkey, the funniest trickster anyone had ever met.
He loved three things more than anything: swinging on vines, eating mangoes, and telling jokes that made parrots laugh so hard they dropped their nuts.
One sunny morning, as Milo munched on a juicy mango high up his favorite tree, a voice called from the river below.
“Good morning, Monkey! I’m Carl the Crocodile,” said a toothy grin from the water. “Would you like to come closer for a chat?”
Milo grinned back. “I’d love to, but I’m rather attached… to not being lunch!”
Carl chuckled slyly. “Oh no, no! I just want to show you something shiny on this rock.”
“Nice try, Toothface,” Milo snickered, flicking a mango pit into the river. “If it’s treasure, you can keep it. I’ve already got golden mangoes!”
The Crocodile’s Sneaky Plan
Carl wasn’t used to being teased. “Hmm,” he thought. “I’ll have to be cleverer than this monkey.”
The next day, Carl pretended to look sad.
“What’s wrong, Croc?” Milo asked from his tree branch.
Carl sighed dramatically. “My king, the Great Crocodile, is very ill. The doctor says only a monkey’s heart can cure him!”
Milo gasped. “A monkey’s heart? That’s a strange prescription!”
Carl nodded sadly. “If you come across, I promise we’ll make you a hero. Everyone will cheer your name!”
Milo pretended to think. “A hero, huh? That sounds nice! Okay, I’ll come, but only if you promise not to open your mouth. Your teeth are too shiny. They make me nervous.”
Carl smiled smugly. “Deal!”
The Monkey’s Brilliant Trick
Milo climbed onto Carl’s broad back, and off they went across the glittering river.
Halfway across, Carl couldn’t contain himself any longer.
“Heh heh… time to grab that heart!”
“Grab what?!” Milo cried, clutching his chest. “Oh no! I left my heart hanging on the mango tree!”
Carl blinked. “You left it there?”
“Of course!” Milo said seriously. “Don’t you? I take mine out every night before bed. Can we go back so I can fetch it?”
Carl, being not-so-clever, nodded and paddled back fast.
As soon as they reached the shore, Milo leapt off Carl’s back, raced up the tree, and laughed until his belly hurt.
“Thanks for the ride, Croc! You should try leaving your teeth on the shore next time!”
A Lesson and a Laugh
Carl roared angrily, splashing water everywhere, but Milo just waved and tossed him a banana peel.
“Here, have this instead! It’s the closest thing to my heart you’ll ever get!”
All the animals burst out laughing. The parrots squawked, “Clever monkey! Clever monkey!” and even the elephants trumpeted in amusement.
From that day on, Carl learned to keep his mouth shut, literally, and Milo became the jungle’s funniest hero.
And whenever someone tried to outsmart him, he’d grin and say,
“Brains beat bites, every single time!”
The End !
