Why the Monkey Shows His Teeth

A Monkey and a Duiker (a small antelope) were friends. The Duiker was very beautiful, with a sleek coat and graceful horns. The Monkey was plain and very jealous. He went to the Duiker and said, "Friend, how did you become so beautiful?" The Duiker, being kind, said, "It was a gift from the creator." The Monkey did not believe him. "No, tell me your secret!" he insisted. Finally, the Duiker, wanting to be left alone, said, "Very well. I was put in a pot of boiling water. It was painful, but when I came out, I was beautiful." The foolish Monkey believed him. He went home, started a huge fire, and jumped into a pot of boiling water. The pain was unbearable, and he leaped out, his fur scalded off in patches and his skin burned. He was even uglier than before. He was so angry and humiliated by the trick that he has been in a bad mood ever since. And that is why, when you meet a monkey in the wild, it often pulls back its lips and shows you all its teeth. It is not smiling; it is showing you the anger and the pain of the day it tried to become something it was not.