At the appointed time, Shark and Monkey assumed their places at the starting line, and they quickly set off.  As expected, Shark resolutely plodded away on his fins, his great tail flapping futilely in the air, while Monkey dashed off, lengthening his lead with each stride.  Dust puffed up from the little creature’s flying heels as he bounded to the first turn.

Scampering around it, he was perplexed to see Shark’s tail waving in front of him.  “How on earth did the stupid plodder pass me?”  Monkey wondered.  He knew better than to waste time wondering, though.  He sprang around his rival and charged furiously down the track to make his second turn.

Rounding it, Monkey was shocked to find Shark once more lumbering ahead of him.  Monkey could hardly believe his own eyes: He bolted past his ponderous opponent and kept up a furious pace going for the third corner.  But when he skidded around it, there was Shark again!  He almost stopped in his tracks, so baffled was he, but urged himself on.  “I mustn’t stop.  There’s a garden to win.  All I have to do is show my heels to this lumbering brute for the last time.”

As he surged away from his rival and toward the finish line, Monkey’s eyes were filled with so much dust and sweat he could not see clearly.  It was only after he had reached it that he realized Shark was already there.  Monkey had lost!

A Timorese king and his wife dressed in tribal finery similar to what their warrior ancestors would have worn into battle.

"The whole garden’s mine now,” gloated Shark.  “Greed has cost you everything.  From now on, I’ll cooperate only with my real brothers."

Demoralized, the bewildered little fellow wept as he slunk home, eyes downcast and tail dragging in the dirt.  Meanwhile, the four sharks (all of whom looked the same to a Monkey in a hurry) triumphantly left their respective staging points around the track and reunited in the middle of the garden to take possession of it.

Offering explanations

Like folktales, Timorese legends entertain.  Yet, as with myths, they may also offer explanations for natural phenomena, customs, and values.