The ambitious monkey

The monkey said to the tiger:

“Lend me your claws so that I may strike with their sharpness from the heights and become invincible.”

Without hesitation, the tiger agreed and gave the monkey his claws. But the monkey didn’t foresee that the same claws would cut the very branches he swung from. Unable to hold on, the monkey fell to the ground.

Later, the monkey met the giraffe and said, “Give me your neck so I can reach the highest treetops and eat the bananas above.”

After much insistence, the giraffe agreed. But when the monkey stretched out that long neck, he could not bear the weight of his own body, and his head fell to the side, touching the ground.

Finally, a little desperate, the monkey saw a bird passing by and said, “Lend me your wings so I can soar and reach the fruit in the trees.”

The bird replied, “My wings would be of no use to you, stubborn monkey. Instead, let me lend you my beak; at least that way, you could eat the worms from the earth.”

But the monkey, unwilling, replied, “I don’t like worms.”

Seeing his persistence, the bird lent him her wings. However, due to the monkey’s weight, he could only move in circles, never truly reaching anywhere.

Defeated and disheartened, the monkey looked up at the sky and said, “Oh dear sky, I know that to you and others I may seem ambitious, but all I ever wanted was to try new things. If you allow me to return to my original form, I promise this time I will be a better monkey.”

The sky, moved by his words, smiled upon him and granted his wish. And so, the monkey continued trying new things—because that was his true nature.

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This story is part of my book “Short Stories to dream, think and cry a little” available on Amazon.