Monkey

The Jellyfish and the Monkey

                                                       Title: Sea Nettle Jellyfish
                                                       Author: Tom Murphy VII
                                                       URL: Wikipedia


"My Lord," the young geisha said. "It is important to remember the story of the Jellyfish and the Monkey as you are about to attack the Akechi clan."

Once upon a time in the Land of the Ocean ruled the all-powerful Dragon King. He was very powerful and none in the ocean doubted him. He held in his possession the Jewels of the Ebb and Flow of the Ocean and all who saw these were convinced of the Dragon King's power. The Dragon King's name was Samonoske.

Samonoske had built an amazingly beautiful palace. It was considered the most beautiful of all the creations in the Land of the Ocean. The walls were made of the living coral, pearls adorned the walls, and all of the most colorful fauna grew from the walls and the floor.

Despite having all the power in the ocean, Samonoske was not happy at all. He wanted a wife. Samonoski reasoned that not only would he be happier but, if he had a wife, he would be more respected by his subjects.

Samonoski sent some of his most faithful servants out into his kingdom to find the most beautiful of his subjects. Some weeks later all of his servants returned
with the most beautiful dragons of the Land of the Ocean. Samonoski's eyes fell on a bright blue dragon and he instantly fell in love. He married her and they ruled in happiness.

One day Samonoski's wife fell gravely ill and he called all of his advisers together to figure out how to heal his beloved wife.

"Only a monkey's liver will be able to cure her." said his chief medical adviser. "However, monkeys live on land and none of us can get on land."

"The jellyfish can!" said Samonoske's most trusted adviser, "The jellyfish has four legs which he can use to walk on land just like a tortoise."

"Summon him at once!" declared Samonoske. The jellyfish appeared and the king explained the situation. "You, jellyfish, must go to the Island of the Monkeys and capture a monkey to help save the Queen."

The jellyfish, after much complaining went to the Island of the Monkey and saw a monkey named Jubei sitting in a tree.

"Noble, monkey," proclaimed the jellyfish, "I bring greetings from the Land of the Ocean. My people have not had a chance to meet with yours and we would very much enjoy a chance to have good relations with you."

"Well spoken, my friend. How shall I meet with your people since I can not swim?" the monkey asked.

"I can carry you to the palace of our great Dragon King, Samonoske, on my shell. I might not appear to be strong but appearances are deceiving."

The monkey, who was very trusting, decided that he would allow the jellyfish to take him to the Land of the Ocean because the monkey was very interested to see not only what the land looked like but also to meet its people.

As the jellyfish and the monkey made their way to the Land of the Ocean, the jellyfish was trying to make small conversation and wanted to make sure that the monkey had brought his liver with him.

"My good friend, where does a monkey keep his liver?" the jellyfish asked.

"Why do you want to know?" The monkey asked and began to become suspicious about the jellyfishes motives.

The jellyfish and the monkey continued to ask the same question of each other until finally the jellyfish told the monkey of what was going to happen to him and how sorry he was for the monkey.

"Well," said the monkey, "I wish you would have told me that for I left my liver in the tree in which you met me."

The jellyfish became worried and turned around to allow the monkey to get his liver. Once they returned to the Island of the Monkey, the monkey climbed the tree.

"Ha, ha!" proclaimed the monkey. "I am not coming down and now you won't get me or my liver. You revealed you plan to me and now I am safe from you. So go back to your king and tell him that he will not have this monkey's liver."

The jellyfish hung his head and returned to the Land of the Ocean and the palace of Samonoske. He revealed that he had stupidly told the monkey of the plan to take his liver. Samonoske's rage was so great that the ocean quaked and the waves swelled to great heights.

"Servants," the King raged, "take the jellyfish out and remove every bone of his body! You are to remove the shell and legs that he is so proud of!"

"My lord," the young geisha said, " that is why the jellyfish is thrown about on the waves. Now there is an important lesson to be understood."

"And what is that?" Nobunaga said, interested in how the young geisha would attempt to instruct him the great unifier of Japan.

"Well, my Lord, we must take steps to ensure that we do not allow a mistake made out of stupidity to bring about our destruction." the geisha instructed the mighty Shogun.

"That is nothing new to me." Nobunaga proclaimed. He was however, very interested that a young geisha could have come to such an advanced idea regarding life. "Well, this evening has been quite entertaining I must retire to begin my preparations."

"My Lord," the geisha proclaimed, "You mustn't leave, for there is another tale which you must hear before you leave. It is the tale of The Ogre of Rashomon."

Author's Note: I chose to maintain a relatively similar retelling of the story. I cut out some of the speech between the king, his advisers, and the jellyfish. I also gave the kind a bit more personality than was originally in the story.

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Bibliograhpy: "The Jellyfish and the Monkey." Japanese Fairy Tales. Yei Theodora Ozaki. Published in 1908.