AN ADVICE

It was a cold night. In a jungle, a monkey was jumping around some red seeds, crying, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!” He was warming himself mistaking those red seeds to be balls of fire!

From a nearby tree, a little bird saw what the monkey was doing. She said, “My friend, those are not balls of fire… they are just red seeds.”

“Shut up, you silly bird,” the monkey yelled, “Mind your own business.” He continued to jump around the seeds, screaming, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!”

The little bird felt sorry for the monkey. She tried to explain to him, once again, “My friend, I am telling you, they are not fire balls… they are our jungle seeds.”

“I have warned you once, and I am warning you again,” the monkey blasted, “get off my way, you dumb bird!” Then, he continued to warm himself, jumping and shouting, “Ouch, it is very cold! Ouch, it is very cold!”

The bird couldn’t see it, any more. She came down from the tree, sat close to the monkey and pleaded, “Believe me, my friend, they are not balls of fire… They are just red seeds from our jungle.”

“This is the last warning I am giving you,” the monkey breathed fire, “You better leave me alone before it is too late.” Then, he went on jumping and crying, “Ouch, it is very cold… Ouch, it is very cold!”

“I can show you, my friend,  that they are just our jungle seeds,” the little bird bent down to pick up the seeds.

“Go to hell, you dumb idiot,” the monkey grabbed the delicate bird by her neck, “this is what you deserve for being so stupid.” He started smashing the little bird hard on the ground... till she was torn into a thousand pieces!

 

I like to tell this story 

to my little birds in the class room. 

“We should give advise to others,” 

I tell the little ones, 

“but, only when advice is asked for.”

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

Pics.: Roopa Sushil