In the jungles of what is now Belize, there once lived two monkey brothers — Chico and Mano. They looked alike but could not be more different: Chico was clever and kind, while Mano was clever and cruel.
They lived in a ceiba tree that leaned over the river. Each day they gathered fruit, shared stories, and splashed in the shallows. The river was generous and alive — its waters sparkled like silver, its current whispered songs to those who listened.
But one summer, the sun burned too long. The river thinned, its songs grew quiet, and the jungle’s green turned to dust. The brothers climbed down to drink and saw the river spirit herself — Lady Lura, a tall woman with skin like water and hair of reeds.
“I am tired,” she said. “Your people take without giving. If no one honors me, I will leave, and the land will die.”
Chico bowed. “What can we do to make peace?”
“Share what you have. Feed those who thirst. Respect the river, and I will flow again.”
Chico promised, but Mano only sneered. “We are monkeys, not priests. The river owes us water!”
The next morning, Chico gathered fruits and offered them on a leaf to the river. “For Lady Lura,” he said, “that she may rest.” The water shimmered and drank the fruit down.
But Mano filled a gourd, laughing. “Why give when you can take?” he said, climbing high to drink alone.
That night, a wind rose. The jungle bent and trembled. Thunder rumbled through the trees like the footsteps of a giant. From the north came rain— furious, endless, alive.
The river swelled, swallowing roots and stones. The ceiba shook under the weight of the storm. “Chico!” cried Mano, clinging to a branch. “Save me!”
Chico reached for him, but the river tore Mano from his perch. In the lightning’s flash, he saw Lady Lura’s face in the waves — not angry, but sad.
When dawn came, the storm was gone, and the river ran strong again. Chico found Mano lying on a sandbar, weak but breathing. Beside him, the gourd was cracked and empty.
From that day, Chico shared his food with the river every full moon. The water sparkled where he knelt, and fish always swam near. Mano, though humbled, never mocked the offerings again.
And the elders of Belize still say: “The river remembers who feeds it — and who feeds only themselves.”
Moral of the Story
Nature gives freely, but it demands gratitude. To take without giving back invites ruin.
Knowledge Check
- Who were the Monkey Brothers?
Chico, kind and wise, and Mano, greedy and mocking. - Who was Lady Lura?
The spirit of the river who demanded respect. - What caused the drought?
The people’s neglect of the river spirit. - What did Chico offer to make peace?
Fruit and prayers placed on a leaf. - What punished Mano’s greed?
A great storm and flood sent by Lady Lura. - How did the brothers change afterward?
Chico kept honoring the river; Mano learned humility.
Origin: Garifuna / Creole Folklore (Belize)
