The Monkey And The Frog

One day a monkey climbed up a pear tree. He plucked the fruit but as he was eating, a pear fell to the ground. It rolled down to a stream where an old woman was filling a pot with water.
The monkey went to the woman and asked her, "Granny, did you see a pear?"
"Oh, yes," said the woman, "I have eaten it, son. But come to my house and I'll give you something for it."
The monkey went with the woman and she asked him whether he liked to eat rice or corn pudding.
"Give me rice," said the monkey.
The monkey was served corn instead of rice.
"Now, will you take a cow or an ox?" asked the woman.
"A cow," said the monkey.
The woman sent him away with an ox.
The next morning a frog came to the same tree. He climbed it and he also let a pear fall down to the ground. The old woman had once more gone to the stream to fetch water. She saw the pear come rolling down to her. She picked it up and ate it. By and by the frog presented himself before the old woman and asked her if she had seen a pear.
"Oh, yes," said the woman, "I have eaten it. But come with me and I"ll give you something for it ."
The frog went with the woman. At her house she asked him whether he liked to eat rice or corn pudding.
"Corn," said the fox.
The woman fed the frog with rice instead of corn.
"Now, will you take a cow or an ox?" asked the woman.
"An ox will do," said the frog.
The woman gave a cow and sent the frog away.
Now, no sooner had the monkey come home than he thought that the ox was going to give birth and he prepared himself for the event. The frog too thought that his cow was in labour pain and he went to fetch some grass for her.
The frog came across the monkey and asked how he was doing. The monkey told him the news that his ox was going to give birth. At this the frog laughed and told him that only a cow-his cow- was going to give birth.
The two creatures were soon quarrelling among themselves and at last they went to a fox to settle their dispute. But as he heard their claims, the fox seemed to doze off. When the monkey woke him up, the fox explained that he had just then walked across a stream which was on fire, cooking up all the fish in the water. He has had too many fish and it made him feel very sleepy.
"But how can a stream be on fire?" asked the monkey.
"True," said the fox, "But tell me, how can an ox give birth?"