How the Fox Eats the Fruit of the Lalob Tree

Once upon a time the fox and the monkey used to stay together in the same forest. The monkey ate the fruits of the Lalob tree. The fox wished he could also eat the fruit of the Lalob tree, but there was no way for him to do so because he could not climb the tree. The fox would try and try to get the fruit, but the monkey would just come along and claim all the fruit, leaving the fox down below under the tree. The fox would feed on the leaves when he was very disturbed by hunger.

One day the fox sat down and thought about what to do since the hunger was becoming such a big problem that it might even cause his death, and he felt the monkey was contributing to the hunger.

The fox went to where the young ones of the monkeys stayed. Their mothers had gone out to eat the fruit from the Lalob tree. The fox inserted one of the fruits into the throat of one of the young monkeys and hid himself near by.

The monkeys returned from eating the fruit and found that one of their young ones was nearly dying; he was crying and crying.

“What is wrong with this child? What kind of sickness is this? What happened in my absence?” wailed the mother, who was carrying a lot of fruits.

The fox came as if he was not aware of what was going on. The fox was believed to have divine or magic powers by the monkeys in their village.

“Mr. Fox, please come!” the mother of the young monkeys cried. “We want you to help us for we know that you have power for healing. Our child is dying and we don’t know what caused the problem!”

The fox said, “What is wrong with the child my dear friend monkey? I am rushing somewhere, maybe it is something slight.”

“Please come, we are begging for your help!” cried the monkeys together. So the fox accepted and came.

“When we left here to collect fruit the child was playing,” said the mother.

“But do you know what is killing your child?” the fox asked slyly.

“We don’t know! Please!” begged the monkeys.

“What is killing this child is that you have your own god that you are refusing to obey,” said the fox, who had put the fruit into the throat of the young monkey. “Are you eating the Lalob?” he asked.

“Yes!” they replied.

“And that is what is killing your child. If am lying, you just see! Get me some hot water to remove it and see.” He removed the fruit and told the monkeys, “Have you seen what was killing your child?”

“Yes we have seen” the monkeys replied, in shock.

“And will you eat this fruit again?” the fox asked.

“No!” the monkey cried, “even now, take all the fruit I have brought!”

Then the fox warned the monkeys, “If you eat this fruit again you will never have a child.” So from that time on they refused to eat the fruit up to today. Instead they decided to feed on the Tamarind tree and never ate the Lalob again.That was how the fox got to eat the fruit of the Lalob tree.

Later, since this fox was so full of wisdom, he said, “We never know when famine will return, so let each one of the foxes defecate in one place. Some day they may easily return to the venue, because each animal may eat their faeces one day. That is why the fox defecates in one place to date.”