Makranda the Naughty Monkey and the Dangerous Wedge
Among all the monkeys, there was a young and very active monkey named Makranda. Makranda was full of energy. He loved to jump, run, and swing all day long. He climbed the tallest trees and leaped from one branch to another without fear. The other monkeys watched him with surprise.
“Makranda, be careful,” the senior monkeys often warned him.
“Do not jump so fast,” said one old monkey.
“Danger can come when you do not listen,” said another.
But Makranda did not listen. He laughed and said, “I am strong and fast. Nothing can hurt me!” Then he would jump even higher and run even faster.
One bright morning, something unusual happened in the grove. A group of humans came into the forest. They were carrying big axes, ropes, and tools. The monkeys became scared when they saw the men cutting trees.
“Oh no!” cried one monkey.
“They are destroying our home,” said another.
The monkeys climbed high into the trees and watched carefully. After some time, they understood that the men were only clearing a small part of the grove. They were building a temple. The rest of the grove was safe.
Every afternoon, the workers stopped their work and went away for lunch. When the humans left, the monkeys came down from the trees. They touched the tools, climbed on the logs, and played around the building site.
One day, Makranda saw a very big tree trunk lying on the ground. The workers had cut the tree and placed a wooden wedge inside a crack in the trunk. The wedge was used to stop the trunk from closing while splitting it.
Makranda became curious.
“What is this piece of wood?” he thought.
“Let me pull it out and see what happens!”
The senior monkeys shouted from the trees,
“Makranda, stop!”
“Do not touch human tools!”
“It is dangerous!”
But Makranda did not listen. He jumped down and tried to pull the wedge out. He pulled with both hands. His face turned red. His tail shook with effort.
Suddenly, whoosh!
The wedge flew out of the trunk. Before Makranda could move away, his leg got stuck in the closing crack of the wood.
“Aaaaah!” Makranda screamed loudly.
All the monkeys rushed closer, but they could not help him. The tree trunk was too heavy. Makranda cried in pain and fear. He felt sorry for not listening to the elders.
When the workers returned from lunch, they saw the poor monkey trapped in the trunk. They felt sad for him. Carefully, they opened the wood and freed Makranda’s leg. His leg was badly hurt. He could not run or jump.
The workers gently applied balm on his leg and tied a bandage around it. Then they stepped away, letting the monkeys take Makranda back.
Makranda slowly walked back to the grove, leaning on his friends. He felt ashamed. He said to the senior monkeys,
“I am sorry. I did not listen to you.”
“I promise I will never be so careless again.”
The senior monkeys smiled kindly.
“Learning from mistakes is good,” they said.
From that day on, Makranda became careful. The monkeys stayed away from the building site. They played safely in the trees and enjoyed their fruits.
When the temple was completed, the workers left the grove forever. The monkeys lived peacefully again. Makranda grew wiser and became an example for the younger monkeys.
THE END
Moral of the Story:
The story of Makranda teaches us to listen to advice, be careful, and never touch things that do not belong to us. Respecting others’ work can save us from pain and trouble.
Comprehension Questions and Answers for Kids
1. What is the name of the young monkey in the story?
Answer: The name of the young monkey is Makranda.
2. Where did Makranda and the other monkeys live?
Answer: They lived in a large green grove full of fruit trees.
3. What kinds of fruits grew in the grove?
Answer: The grove had bananas, oranges, chikoos, and pomegranates.
4. What kind of monkey was Makranda?
Answer: Makranda was young, active, playful, and careless.
5. What advice did the senior monkeys give Makranda?
Answer: They warned him to be careful and not do dangerous things.
6. Why did the monkeys get scared one day?
Answer: They saw humans cutting trees in the grove.
7. Why were the humans cutting the trees?
Answer: They were clearing land to build a temple, not destroy the whole forest.
8. What did the monkeys do when the workers went for lunch?
Answer: The monkeys came down and played with the tools.
9. What is a wedge?
Answer: A wedge is a piece of wood used to keep a tree trunk open.
10. Why did Makranda touch the wedge?
Answer: He touched it out of curiosity and did not listen to warnings.
11. What happened when Makranda pulled out the wedge?
Answer: The tree trunk closed and hurt Makranda’s leg badly.
12. Could the other monkeys help Makranda?
Answer: No, they could not help because the trunk was too heavy.
13. Who helped Makranda in the end?
Answer: The construction workers helped him.
14. What did the workers do for Makranda?
Answer: They freed his leg, applied balm, and tied a bandage.
15. What promise did Makranda make to the senior monkeys?
Answer: He promised never to act foolishly again.
16. What lesson did Makranda learn from his mistake?
Answer: He learned to listen to advice and be careful.
17. What lesson did the other monkeys learn?
Answer: They learned to stay away from things that are not theirs.
18. What happened after the temple was completed?
Answer: The workers left the grove, and the monkeys lived peacefully.
19. How did Makranda change after the accident?
Answer: He became wiser, calmer, and more careful.
20. What is the moral of the story?
Answer: Always listen to elders, be careful, and never touch things that do not belong to you.
Bonus Discussion Questions
21. Why is it important to listen to elders?
Answer: Elders have experience and help keep us safe.
22. What could Makranda have done differently?
Answer: He should have listened to the senior monkeys.
23. Have you ever learned from a mistake like Makranda?
Answer: (Encourage children to share their own experiences.)
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