The Monkey and

the Turtle
Filipino folktale
A monkey, looking very sad
and dejected, was walking along
the bank of the river one day when
he met a turtle.
“How are you?” asked the turtle,
noticing that he looked sad.
The monkey replied, “Oh, my
friend, I am very hungry. The squash of Mr. Farmer were all taken
by the other monkeys, and now I am about to die from want of
food.”
“Do not be discouraged,” said the turtle; “take a bolo and follow me
and we will steal some banana plants.”
So they walked along together until they found some nice
plants which they dug up, and then they looked for a place to set
them. Finally the monkey climbed a tree and planted his in it, but
as the turtle could not climb he dug a hole in the ground and set
his there.
When their work was finished they went away, planning what they
should do with their crop. The monkey said:
“When my tree bears fruit, I shall sell it and have a great deal of
money.”
And the turtle said: “When my tree bears fruit, I shall sell it and buy
three varas of cloth to wear in place of this cracked shell.”
A few weeks later they went back to the place to see their
plants and found that that of the monkey was dead, for its roots
had had no soil in the tree, but that of the turtle was tall and
bearing fruit.
“I will climb to the top so that we can get the fruit,” said the
monkey. And he sprang up the tree, leaving the poor turtle on the
ground alone.
“Please give me some to eat,” called the turtle, but the monkey
threw him only a green one and ate all the ripe ones himself.
When he had eaten all the good bananas, the monkey
stretched his arms around the tree and went to sleep. The turtle,
seeing this, was very angry and considered how he might punish
the thief. Having decided on a scheme, he gathered some sharp
bamboo which he stuck all around under the tree, and then he
exclaimed:
“Crocodile is coming! Crocodile is coming!”
The monkey was so startled at the cry that he fell upon the sharp
bamboo and was killed.
Then the turtle cut the dead monkey into pieces, put salt on
it, and dried it in the sun. The next day, he went to the mountains
and sold his meat to other monkeys who gladly gave him squash in
return. As he was leaving them he called back:
“Lazy fellows, you are now eating your own body; you are now
eating your own body.”
Then the monkeys ran and caught him and carried him to their
own home.
“Let us take a hatchet,” said one old monkey, “and cut him into very
small pieces.”
But the turtle laughed and said: “That is just what I like, I have
been struck with a hatchet many times. Do you not see the black
scars on my shell?”
Then one of the other monkeys said: “Let us throw him into the
water,”
At this the turtle cried and begged them to spare his life, but
they paid no heed to his pleadings and threw him into the water. He
sank to the bottom, but very soon came up with a lobster. The
monkeys were greatly surprised at this and begged him to tell them
how to catch lobsters.
“I tied one end of a string around my waist,” said the turtle. “To the
other end of the string I tied a stone so that I would sink.”
The monkeys immediately tied strings around themselves as
the turtle said, and when all was ready they plunged into the water
never to come up again.
And to this day monkeys do not like to eat meat, because they
remember the ancient story.

SUBMITTED BY: MERLA S. BONITA

GRADE 11- BRILIIANCE