The Monkey and the Wedge

On the edge of a busy town, a wealthy merchant decided to build a grand temple. He hired many skilled carpenters and woodcutters. Every day, the workers would saw giant logs of wood. Zzzt-Zzzt! The sound echoed through the garden. To make their work easier, when they cut a thick log halfway, they would put a small triangular piece of wood, called a wedge, into the crack. This kept the log open so their saw wouldn’t get stuck.

One hot afternoon, the lunch bell rang. Ding-Dong! “Time for food!” said the head carpenter. “Let’s go.” The workers left their tools. They left a huge log half-sawed, with a big wooden wedge sticking out of the crack. The garden became quiet.

Soon, a troop of monkeys came swinging down from the trees. They were playful and curious. They jumped on the scaffolding, threw wood chips at each other, and chased around the logs. Among them was a young monkey named Miko. Miko was very naughty. He touched everything he saw. “Look at this!” he chirped, hopping onto the half-sawed log. He saw the wedge. It looked like a fun toy. “Why is this piece of wood stuck here?” he wondered. “It doesn’t look like it belongs.”

An old, wise monkey called out from a tree branch. “Miko! Get down from there! That is dangerous human work. Do not touch it!” “Oh, grandfather,” waved Miko. “You worry too much. I’m just looking.” Miko sat on the log. His long tail dangled into the crack of the wood. He grabbed the wedge with both hands. He shook it. Wiggle, wiggle. “It’s loose!” he laughed. “I can pull it out!”

“Don’t do it!” warned the other monkeys. But Miko didn’t listen. He braced his feet against the log and pulled with all his strength. “Heeeave… Ho!” He pulled and pulled. Suddenly—POP! The wedge came out. SNAP! The two sides of the huge log clamped shut instantly like a giant mouth. And poor Miko’s tail was caught inside! “Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” screamed Miko. “My tail! My tail!” He tried to pull it out, but the wood was too heavy. He was stuck fast.

Just then, the workers came back from lunch. They saw the monkey jumping up and down, trapping by his tail. “Look at that mischief-maker!” shouted the carpenter. “He has ruined our saw line!” The workers chased Miko away. Luckily, when they pried the log open to fix their cut, Miko managed to yank his tail free. He ran up the nearest tree, his tail throbbing and sore. He looked down at the wise old monkey, feeling very foolish. “I should have listened,” whimpered Miko. “I will never meddle with things I don’t understand again.”

Moral of the Story: Don’t interfere in affairs that don’t concern you. Curiosity without caution can be painful.