There once lived a king. One day he was walking in the palace garden when he saw the gardener carry something wrapped in a towel. He summoned him.
“What is that you are carrying so delicately?” Asked the king.
“It is a baby monkey, Your Majesty,” said the gardener, bowing before the king. “I found him near the east boundary wall.”
The king looked at the small creature with big eyes. “He looks adorable. I shall keep him.”
“But…your majesty…,”
“Hand him over to one of my attendants,” said the king and continued with his walk.
The little monkey soon had his own attendant and came to be known as the royal pet. He grew up in the palace with the best of fruits and plenty of milk. He often got into trouble. But the king did not like anything bad being said about the monkey.
“He is my friend. I love him and no one shall complain about him.”
“But your majesty, he is always doing something stupid…,” an attendant ventured to speak up.
“Throw this wretched man out of the palace,” shouted the angry king.
Thereafter, nobody spoke ill of the monkey.
One day the king went to bed for his siesta. The monkey played nearby. Soon the monkey saw a fly land on the king’s chest. The monkey shooed him away. But the fly again came back and this time sat on the king’s stomach. The monkey shooed him away again.
But the relentless fly was back. Furious, the monkey picked up a sword and chased after the fly. The fly landed on the cushion and the monkey struck the cushion with all his might. The fly escaped and landed on the drapes. The monkey scooted after him with the sword.
The fly, undeterred, was back on the king’s chest. The monkey was by now in a frenzy chasing the fly. He struck at the fly with the sword as he sat on the king’s chest and inadvertently killed the king. Even as the attendants and servants ran into the king’s chamber, the fly flew out leaving the befuddled monkey holding the sword behind.
Moral: A foolish friend can be more harmful than an enemy.
