Long ago, in the State of Jia Shi, there was a city named Bo Luo Nai. Outside the city lay a vast forest, home to five hundred macaques.
One night, the macaques wandered and came upon a Bodhi tree. Beneath it was a deep, ancient well. The water was so clear that it perfectly reflected the full moon in the sky.
The lead macaque peered into the well for a moment. Then, leaping onto the well's edge, he cried out, "Alas! The moon has died and fallen into this well! We must scoop it out together, or the nights will be dark forever!"
The other macaques scratched their heads and ears, fretting, "But the well is so deep. How can we possibly reach the moon?"
The leader had a sudden inspiration. "I have it!" he exclaimed. "I will climb the tree and grasp a branch. Then, another can grasp my tail. If we link together one after another, we can surely reach down into the well!"
Hearing this, the macaques jumped for joy. They linked head to tail, forming a long chain that stretched down toward the water's surface. Just as they were about to touch it, the branch snapped with a loud crack, and all five hundred macaques tumbled into the ancient well.