In a dense forest lived three friends—Bear, Monkey, and Tortoise. Every day, they roamed together, searched for food, and spent time telling stories. The tortoise was slow but wise, the monkey was mischievous and lively, and the bear was calm by nature, though he had a weakness for food.
One day, the monkey noticed a strange tree a bit far from the forest. Hanging from it were big, ripe, and delicious fruits. He quickly climbed the tree, ate some fruits, and brought some back for his friends.
The bear was overjoyed after eating the fruits. He had never tasted anything so sweet before. From that moment, greed grew in his heart—”What if this tree was only mine?”
The next morning, he went early to the tree and hid nearby. When the monkey and tortoise arrived, the bear said, “I found this tree. From now on, it’s mine alone.”
The monkey angrily said, “I saw this tree first!”
The tortoise calmly said, “We are friends. Is it right to behave like this over one tree?”
But blinded by greed, the bear scolded them and drove them away.
He didn’t know that the real owner of the tree was an old man. To stop fruit theft, he had already set traps around the tree. When the bear climbed the tree, a swarm of bees attacked him—he had put his hand in a nearby honey jar!
Hearing his cries and pain, the monkey and tortoise rushed to him. They drove away the bees from his body and used herbal leaves to ease his pain.
Crying, the bear said, “I made a mistake, friends. Please forgive me.”
The tortoise slowly said, “When you share love, it grows—but greed only brings destruction.”
From then on, the bear never acted greedy again. Their friendship became even stronger than before.
Moral: Greed destroys friendship and invites danger. True wealth lies in friendship, trust, and shared love.