One day, a crocodile climbed out of the lagoon and ventured into the bush in search of its dinner. It happened to pass beneath a rose-apple tree where a monkey had made its home. “Hey, crocodile, are you hungry?” the monkey called to the passer-by. The crocodile looked up. “Always,” she replied. “In that case, open wide,” the monkey suggested and it tossed a rose-apple into the crocodile’s mouth. The crocodile chomped on the luscious fruit. “Mmmm,” it sighed. “It tastes like nectar.” The monkey grinned and dropped another rose-apple, which the crocodile gobbled up with relish.

The crocodile began to visit the monkey every day. They sat quietly together—the monkey on the lowest branch, the crocodile at its foot—savouring the subtle flavours of the rose-apple. “I have been thinking,” said the crocodile. “What made you call out to me? Why did you share this fruit with me?” “Well, I couldn’t keep these gifts to myself, could I?” the monkey explained.

The next day, the crocodile brought her partner to the rose-apple tree. The monkey was wary of the newcomer and remained on a higher branch. “Please throw an apple down for my friend, as you did for me,” the crocodile asked. The monkey could not deny the humble request. It tossed a rose-apple to the newcomer, who gobbled it up. The crocodile waited to see his reaction. “It’s good,” he replied, after sucking his teeth. “It tastes like… nectar. Is there more?” “Of course,” the monkey confirmed. It threw more apples to the crocodiles and then, coming down to the lowest branch, took one for itself.

“You have reminded me of something,” the crocodile’s partner began. “A cherry tree whose flavour was so divine it must surely have also been a gift from god. The fruit was most abundant on the highest branches and only accessible to the birds, but someone with your special talents, might reach it and bring it down for us all to share.” “You never told me about this,” said the crocodile, surprised. “It was before we met,” her partner answered. “Can you still find this tree?” the monkey asked, intrigued.

The monkey swung back and forth through the trees as it followed the two crocodiles, excited by the thought of these hard to reach fruit. But something didn’t see quite right. “If the cherries were only accessible to the birds,” it asked. “How did you come to sample them?” The newcomer turned into a clearing, forcing the monkey to drop to the ground. “What was that?” it replied, pretending not to have heard. “How did you come to sample the cherries?” the monkey repeated. “I didn’t,” he answered, bluntly. “Oh,” the monkey paused for a moment, puzzled by this reply.

It was in that moment the crocodile pounced. He seized the monkey in his powerful jaws, crushed its chest and began to consume its heart. The crocodile’s partner was horrified and bewildered. “What are you doing? What are you doing?” she cried. “I am having my dinner,” her partner with a leering grin. “But how will we reach the cherries now?” “There are no cherries. There is no such tree.” “But what of the rose-apples? We cannot reach them without the monkey. Oh, my poor friend,” the crocodile wailed. “My poor, poor friend. What have we done?”

© Richard Parkin 2025

Further reading: Misadventures in the Land of Fables #52