The 3 friends!

Once upon a time, in the land of Silbaripuram, there lived three close friends. One day, they set off into the forest to collect some honey. After walking a long distance, they spotted a large hive of stingless bees (cheruthen) tucked high up in the hollow of a tree branch.

They remarked, "Even if there is only a little honey, the taste of cheruthen is simply superb!"

But there was a problem—the tree was completely entwined with wild creepers. These were no ordinary vines, but 'Chorikinanam' (stinging nettle) vines that cause a terrible itch all over the body.

Then, one of them suggested, "Because of the stinging vines, we cannot climb the tree. But, if one person stands on another's shoulders, and then the third person climbs on top... we can reach the honeycombs."

Everyone agreed to the plan. One by one, they climbed onto each other’s shoulders. Balancing carefully to avoid a fall, the man at the very top stretched his hands out and began to harvest the honeycombs.

However, as the hive was full of larvae, he had to detach each piece very slowly. In the process, the honey cells broke, and the golden liquid started trickling down onto the shoulders of the man standing at the bottom.

Immediately, he began to mutter, "Is he cheating both of us and drinking the honey up there?"

Thinking this, he tried to look up, but because the second man was standing on him, he couldn't see clearly. As he twisted his body to get a better look, the second man slipped! The third man lost his grip and came crashing down first! The honeycombs fell and scattered in the mud.

The second man fell too! Instantly, the third one roared, "You two purposely made me fall!"

The first man didn't back down: "The proof that you drank all the honey is right here on my shoulders!"

The second man screamed, "You both played the fool and made me fall as well!"

The three of them began to fight and thrash one another. After a long time, exhausted and limping, the "friends" went their separate ways.

> Moral: Where there is no mutual trust, everything will eventually end in ruin.