Near the edge of the jungle stood a carpenter’s workshop. There lay a huge teak log with a thick wooden wedge driven only halfway in. The wedge had split the log into two halves, leaving a deep crack.
One afternoon, a mischievous monkey named Lattu came leaping and swinging onto the roof. He spotted the wedge and thought, “What a fun thing! I’ll pull it out and play with it.” He wrapped his tail around the log, grabbed the wedge with both hands, and began tugging with all his might. The wedge moved a little but didn’t come out. This only made Lattu more excited.
He placed his right foot on one half of the log, his left foot on the other, and pulled the wedge with every ounce of his strength.
Suddenly, the wedge popped out! The moment the wedge popped out, the two halves of the log slammed together and trapped Lattu’s tail painfully between them. Lattu screamed, jumped, and wriggled, but the more he struggled, the more it hurt!
His cries brought the carpenter running. Seeing the monkey, he burst out laughing and said, “You fool! Never meddle with things that are not yours!”
With great effort, the carpenter split the log again and freed the monkey. Lattu limped away toward the jungle, tail drooping, whimpering in pain. The carpenter shouted after him, “Remember: this is what happens when you poke your nose into someone else’s business!”
From that day on, Lattu never interfered in anyone else’s work. Whenever a young monkey tried to be naughty, the elders would scold, “Remember Lattu’s fate! Don’t pull out the wedge!”
Moral Lesson: Putting your hand (or anything else) into something that is not yours and that you do not understand brings terrible harm. Never interfere in others’ affairs without thinking.