The Monkey Who Tricked Himself

Hello, and welcome to Storynory! You’re listening to Jana and I’m back with a tricky Monkey story.

When the animals in the Jungle want to hear some gossip, they drop by the Monkey’s Mango Tree. More often than not he is perched on a branch boasting about the tricks he has played.

Like the time he told the crocodile he must count his teeth every morning in case one had fallen out.

Or when he persuaded the parrots that silence would make them better talkers.

Or the day he convinced the tigress she was invisible.

His stories brighten a dull morning and make the animals laugh –  and sometimes groan too, especially when the monkey begins to boast, which he is very fond of doing.

One morning he called out:

“Tee-hee-hee! There isn’t a single animal in the Jungle that I can’t trick!”

Now when the Monkey made that bold claim, the Bear happened to be listening.

And the Bear called out:

“That’s not true, Monkey. I know of one animal you will never be able to trick.”

“No you don’t, Bear!” cried the Monkey. “I’ve tricked you a million times!”

“I didn’t say it was me,” said the Bear calmly. “But I do know one animal you will never trick. And I’ll bet you a whole beehive of honey that you can’t.”

Now the Monkey liked sweet, delicious honey, but he rarely tasted it, because the bees guard their hives very closely — and besides, they have very sharp stings.

“You’re on!” declared the Monkey. “I bet you a whole heap of bananas that I can trick any animal in the Jungle!”

“But I don’t like bananas,” grumbled the Bear. “No. When you fail to trick the animal I’m going to name, you must bring me a whole hive of honey. Fair and square.”

“Done!” said the Monkey.

He was so certain he would win that he did not stop to think about stealing a hive and getting stung by the bees.

“So tell me then,” he said eagerly. “Who is this animal you think I cannot trick? Name this wise creature!”

“That’s easy,” said the Bear.

“It’s you, Monkey. I bet you cannot trick yourself!!!!!!”

All the animals burst out laughing, because for once the Bear had played a clever trick on the Monkey.

“That’s not fair!” cried the Monkey, flustered for once. “How am I supposed to trick myself?”

“Ha! Then I win,” grinned the Bear, triumphantly. “Hand over the honey!”  

(lots of squarks and jungle sounds) 

Now the Monkey was not pleased at all, because he was thinking about those sharp bee stings.

“No, no,” he said quickly. “Give me a few days. I’ll manage to trick myself — you’ll see!”

“All right then,” said the Bear. “You can have three tries and no more. And no tricks — except against yourself. The birds will watch to make sure you don’t cheat. And let the Owl declare the winner – that will be me – in three days’ time.”

The next day the Monkey sat in a clearing, with all the birds watching, and tried to persuade himself to swap a bunch of beautiful bananas for two peanuts.

He said aloud:

“But these aren’t ordinary peanuts. They are magical peanuts! If you plant them in the ground they will grow into the sky and you can climb up to the land of everlasting bananas and golden mangoes!”

But try as he might, whenever he replied to himself he could not help saying:

“Oh go on, pull the other one,  who do you think you’re trying to kid? I’m not dumb like the Bear!”

He shook his head. 

“This isn’t going to be easy,” he muttered. “I’m just too clever to trick.”

The next day he tried a different  plan.

He decided to frighten himself.

He sat quietly on the ground, picking lice out of his fur, and then suddenly — when he was least expecting it, or so he thought — he shouted:

“LOOK OUT MONKEY! THE TIGRESS IS ABOUT TO JUMP ON YOU!”

But he could not help laughing, because the whole idea was so silly.

“Oh dear,” he laughed. “I just can’t help laughing at my own tricks!”

He had one more try.

If he failed this time, he would have to steal the beehive full of honey for the Bear.

He knew he could not fail, and he needed to make an extra effort, good and proper. 

So he decided to put on a disguise so brilliant that not even he would recognise himself.

He rubbed mud on his face. He stuck leaves in his fur. He twisted a vine around his head like a hat.

Then he crept down to the river where the water was smooth like a mirror.

He looked into the water and said in a deep voice:

“Good evening. I am not a monkey. I am a Very Important Stranger.”

But the Monkey looked into his own reflection, saw his big brown eyes, and instantly recognised himself.  He frowned.

“Hmm.”

And he changed his voice.

“I am a fierce jungle warrior!”

The monkey in the water copied him perfectly. But he didn’t look like a fierce warrior at all.  He  looked just like a monkey playing a trick! 

At last the Monkey sighed.

“Well… that’s disappointing.”

The birds burst out squawking with laughter.

Before long, the whole jungle was talking about how the Bear had outsmarted the Monkey. 

A great crowd of animals and birds waited  by the Mango Tree for the Owl to declare the winner.

The Bear said proudly:

“Your Honour, as every animal in the Jungle now knows, I am the winner because the Monkey failed to trick himself three times!”

“Twit-twoo,” said the Owl. “I declare that the winner is – ”

“Hold on, hold on!” interrupted the Monkey.

“First let me explain why I’m the winner.”

“Don’t listen to him!” shouted the Bear, exasperated. “He’s going to try one of his Monkey Tricks!”

“Excuse ME! You’ve had your say,” said the Monkey. “Now let me speak.”

The animals fell quiet.

The Monkey drew a deep breath.

“You see, Your Honour, right at the start I said there was no animal in the Jungle that I could not trick. Is that correct?”

“Indeed,” said the Owl.

Even the Bear nodded.

“And then the Bear bet that I could not trick myself.”

“That’s right!” agreed the Bear. “And now he owes me a whole hive of honey!”

“And then,” continued  the Monkey, “I tried to trick myself three times. And each time I failed.”

“Yes!” cried the Bear. “Exactly!”

“ERGO” said the Monkey, sagely, “I scientifically proved that I was wrong.”

The animals looked puzzled.

“You see,” explained the Monkey, “I had tricked myself into believing that I was so wise that I could trick any animal in the Jungle. But that was only boasting. I boasted so much that I deceived myself.”

He spread out his arms.

“So it is absolutely true — I did trick myself. And therefore I won the bet!”

At this all the animals began chattering.

Some understood what the Monkey meant, but others — including the Bear — were still completely baffled.

“Quiet! Quiet!” hooted the Owl.

“The Monkey has shown great wisdom. He has discovered that we often deceive ourselves. Indeed, some of us hardly know ourselves at all!”

The Owl puffed up his feathers.

“I therefore declare that the Monkey is the winner. The Bear owes him a hive of honey.”

“But… but… I don’t get it,” said the Bear. “How can that be? The Monkey wins even when he loses!”

The animals laughed.

The Tigress explained it to the Bear once.

Then she explained it again.

Then she explained it a third time.

At last the Bear sighed.

“All right,” he said. “I suppose a bet is a bet.”

So the Bear trudged off into the forest and returned dragging a great dripping piece of honeycomb.

“Here you go,” he grumbled. “Your prize.”

The Monkey looked at the honey.

Then he looked at the Bear.

Then he broke off a big sticky piece and handed it back.

“Half for you,” he said.

The Bear blinked.

“Why?”

The Monkey licked honey from his fingers and grinned.

“Because,” he said, “today I learned something.”

“What?” asked the Bear.

“That I’m not as clever as I thought I was.”

“That’s the first sensible thing you’ve said all year,” sighed the Bear. And from that day on, every now and then, the Monkey tried very hard  to trick himself – just for a good old laugh at his own expense!  

And was The Monkey who  Tricked Himself

Read by me Jana for Storynory.com

And Bertie’s here, to explain why he wrote the story. 

Well some stories are mysteries – like murder mysteries, or who stole the Jam tarts? But other stories are mysteries in which we learn some truth about the world, or about ourselves.  And this is one of those stories. You see, we all trick ourselves, just a bit.  And as the monkey is a famous trickster, this lesson fits his character perfectly. 

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Until next time, from me Jana, bye bye!