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This story from Japan shows us that we should respect the old – even an old monkey. It’s about a dancing monkey who has served his master faithfully all his life. Now he is too old to dance, his master wants to get rid of him. The monkey consults an wise old wild boar, who hatches a plan to remind the master of his monkey’s faithful service.

The plot of this story resembles Old Sultan by the Brothers Grimm from Germany – suggesting that there is something universal about a good plot.

Read by Natasha. Duration 7.13. Sponsored by AudibleKids

Long, long ago, there lived in the province of Shinshin in Japan, a
traveling monkey-man, who earned his living by taking round a monkey
and showing off the animal’s tricks.

One evening the man came home in a very bad temper and told his wife
to send for the butcher the next morning.

The wife was amazed and asked her husband:

“Why do you wish me to send for the butcher?”

“It’s no use taking that monkey round any longer, he’s too old and
forgets his tricks. and now he won’t dance properly. I must now sell him to the butcher and make what money out of him I can. There is nothing else to be done.”

The woman felt very sorry for the poor little animal, and pleaded
for her husband to spare the monkey, but her pleading was all in
vain, the man was determined to sell him to the butcher.

Now the monkey was in the next room and overheard ever word of the
conversation. He soon understood that he was to be killed, and he
said to himself:

“I never knew my master was so cruel and heartless. I have served him faithfully

for years, and instead of allowing me to end my days comfortably and
in peace, he is going to let me be cut up by the butcher, and my
poor body is to be roasted and stewed and eaten? Woe is me! What am
I to do. Ah! a bright thought has struck me! There is, I know, a
wild boar living in the forest near by. I have often heard tell of
his wisdom. Perhaps if I go to him and tell him abut the trouble I am in
he will give me his advice.. I will go and try.”

There was no time to lose. The monkey slipped out of the house and
ran as quickly as he could to the forest to find the boar. The boar
was at home, and the monkey began his tale of woe at once.

“Good Mr. Boar, I have heard of your excellent wisdom. I am in great
trouble, you alone can help me. I have grown old in the service of
my master, and because I cannot dance properly now he intends to
sell me to the butcher. What do you advise me to do? I know how
clever you are!”

The boar was pleased at the flattery and determined to help the
monkey. He thought for a little while and then said:

“Hasn’t your master a baby?”

“Oh, yes,” said the monkey, “he has one infant son.”

“Doesn’t he lie by the door in the morning when your mistress begins
the work of the day? Well, I will come round early and when I see my
opportunity I will seize the child and run off with it.”

“What then?” said the monkey.

“Why the mother will be in a tremendous scare, and before your
master and mistress know what to do, you must run after me and
rescue the child and take it home safely to its parents, and you
will see that when the butcher comes they won’t have the heart to
sell you.”

The monkey thanked the boar many times and then went home. He did
not sleep much that night, as you may imagine, for thinking of the
the following day when the butcher was due to come to the house. His life depended on whether the boar’s plan succeeded or
not. He was the first up, waiting anxiously for what was to happen.
It seemed to him a very long time before his master’s wife began to
move about and open the shutters to let in the light of day. Then
all happened as the boar had planned. The mother placed her child
near the porch as usual while she tidied up the house and got her
breakfast ready.

The child was crooning happily in the morning sunlight, dabbing on
the mats at the play of light and shadow. Suddenly there was a noise
in the porch and a loud cry from the child. The mother ran out from
the kitchen to the spot, only just in time to see the boar
disappearing through the gate with her child in its clutch. She
flung out her hands with a loud cry of despair and rushed into the
inner room where her husband was still sleeping soundly.

He sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes, and crossly demanded what his
wife was making all that noise about. By the time that the man was
awake and they both got outside the gate, the
boar had got well away, but they saw the monkey running after the
thief as hard as his legs would carry him.

Both the man and wife were amazed to see the monkey chasing the thief. And when he bought the baby back safely to them, they could not stop crying with joy and gratitude.

“There!” said the wife. “This is the animal you want to kill–if the
monkey hadn’t been here we should have lost our child forever.”

“You are right, wife,” said the man as he carried the
child into the house. “You may send the butcher back when he comes,
and now let us us all have a good breakfast and the monkey too.”

When the butcher arrived he was sent away with an order for some
meat for the evening dinner, and the monkey was petted and
lived the rest of his days in peace.