The Turtle and the Monkey

It was the kind of day that the turtle always loved. The heat from the sun didn’t bother his green, scaly skin too much so he didn’t feel the need to slither back inside his shell while sitting on the fallen trunk of a huge tree that served as a bridge across the river. The sunlight made the river’s current sparkle as if there were so many little stars being carried by the flow, and he could see his reflection smiling up at him unlike on days when the sky was overcast. The turtle had always loved to dangle his feet over the gentle current of the river and just watch the water—sometimes there would be the occasional fish leaping out and then diving back in, and sometimes there would be all kinds of junk carried by the current that were probably left by campers in the forest. On that beautiful day though, there was nothing that the river was offering him, and after just looking at his own reflection in the water he began to feel bored, wishing his good friend was there with him.

As if some higher power answered his wish, he heard a faint rustling to his left and saw his friend monkey emerge out of the bushes. The monkey waved at him from that side of the river, and went over to where the turtle was sitting.

“Hey,” the monkey said, patting the turtle’s shell and sitting beside him. The turtle nodded. “What’re you doing?”

“Nothing, just watching the river…”

“As usual. What is it about this river anyway? There’s always nothing here, you know,” the monkey said, removing twigs and leaves that were caught in his fur.

“But…why do you say that?” the turtle said.

“Well, rivers are useless!” the monkey said, flailing his long arms in the air. “We're better off without it. Bananas don’t grow in rivers. I don’t eat fish, and even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to catch one since I’m afraid of water and I can’t swim. And you don't eat fish too, so it's useless even for you."

A fish leaped out from the water, right in front of where they were sitting on the trunk-bridge. The fish hung in the air for a second, as if displaying its colorful scales for them, and then dived back in the water with a splash. Its scales were a golden yellow that flashed in the sunlight, with little blotches of orange. The turtle smiled and clapped his hands at the sight. But the monkey was startled by the suddenness of it all, nearly falling off the trunk and into the river.

“See! I nearly fell in!” the monkey said, annoyed. “This river is evil. The forest would be better off without it.” He stood up to leave.

The turtle shook his head. “You’re too naïve, my friend. Just because the river doesn’t give you bananas doesn’t mean it’s useless.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you never know what to expect from the river,” said the turtle. “Just like that fish that jumped out of the water earlier. I’ve seen many fishes jump out of the water before, but that was the first time I saw a fish like that, with its golden scales. I’m just saying that there are surprises everywhere, even in places where you least expect them.”

The monkey just shrugged his shoulders. “Whatever, I’m hungry. I’ll go look for some bananas. Be seeing you,” he said, then turned to go.

The turtle sighed, and surveyed his reflection on the water’s surface again. But something floating up ahead caught his eye, a thin line floating lazily along the current. Squinting, he tried to figure out what it was. Maybe it’s just junk from campers again, the turtle thought. But as it slowly came closer to the trunk-bridge, he saw an entanglement of gnarled roots growing out of the slightly faded green trunk as if it were a mass of unwashed hair, and riding at the other end of the trunk was something golden, something the turtle knew his friend would love.

“Monkey! Look!” he called out to the monkey, who was already at the riverbank. The monkey turned and looked to where the turtle was pointing. His eyes widened, glowing golden at the sight of the banana plant, and his jaw slightly dropped. When he had recovered his senses, he looked at the turtle and scratched his head, giving an apologetic smile. The turtle smiled back, and jumped into the river to steer the plant to the river bank.