The Gorilla and the Forbidden Fruit

A Gorilla was the guardian of a sacred fruit tree that stood in the middle of the forest. The forest spirit, Jengi, had forbidden anyone from eating its fruit. A man, driven by hunger and curiosity, decided to steal the fruit. He snuck past the Gorilla guardian and climbed the tree. But as he ate the fruit, he was transformed into a gorilla himself, losing his ability to speak and his memory of being a man. His family searched for him for many days. They found the new gorilla sitting at the base of the sacred tree, looking sad and confused. They did not recognize him, but they saw the peel of the sacred fruit in his hand and understood what had happened. They knew they could not bring him back. The story is told as a warning: the forest has its own laws and its own sacred powers. To break those laws out of greed or disrespect is to risk losing your own humanity and becoming a part of the wild thing you sought to steal from.