The Fox and the Monkey

The fox and the monkey walked side by side along the road through the old graveyard. All around them stood tall stone monuments, green with moss.

The monkey looked left. He looked right. Then a sly smile spread across his face.

"Do you see all these?" he said, waving one long arm. "They were put up to honour my family. My grandfathers and great-grandfathers were free men and famous men. The whole city knew their names."

"Did it?" said the fox.

"Oh, yes. That tall one is for a great judge. That wide one is for a great general. And the one with the carved top is for the greatest of them all. People used to bow when he walked by." The monkey stuck out his chest.

The fox stopped. Nothing stirred among the stones, not a leaf, not a blade of grass. "You have chosen well," he said. "I am sure that none of your family will get up and call you a liar."