Mango Grove

A group of mischievous monkeys lived near a river. They all loved to eat fruits. But most of the trees near the river did not bear fruits.

One day, one of the monkeys spied a mango grove at some distance from the river. Every tree in the grove was full of sweet and juicy mangoes. He stealthily jumped over the fence and climbed the nearest tree. He started picking and eating the mangoes. The mangoes were very delicious.

Back in the group, he told everyone about the delicious mangoes that he eaten.

Every monkey wanted to rush to the grove but an old monkey cautioned them. “Let’s not be greedy and let’s us not all rush to that grove. I have seen that grove. And I also know that it is well protected. There are many guards and they are all fearsome. Anyone who gets caught gets a good thrashing.”

“But there must be some way to get those mangoes?” asked Ruskee, a young monkey, who was very eager to become the leader of the group.

“I suggest only six of us should go there around noon time when guards normally take their lunch. Two monkeys should keep an eye on the guards and the remaining should quietly pick mangoes. Once you have picked about thirty mangoes you should leave that place noiselessly. Every one will get one mango to eat.”

Some monkeys were not happy with this scheme and they started grumbling. Ruskee looked at the old monkey angrily.

“Do as you want, but you will repent if you are not careful,” said the old monkey.

Six monkeys including Ruskee went to mango grove. Ruskee and Minnti decided keep an eye on the guards and the remaining four started plucking mangoes.

But Ruskee was not keeping an eye on the guards. He had quietly climbed a mango tree. He plucked a mango and started eating it. It was very juicy and sweet. He could not resist saying, “This is the finest mango I have ever eaten.” And he had said these words so loudly that the guards heard him.

“Monkeys!” shouted one guard. All the guards jumped at once and started chasing the monkeys.

The monkeys dropped the mangoes and ran away. But Ruskee was very greedy. He did not drop the mangoes. He was holding one mango in each hand and one in his mouth.

Of course, he could not run and jump over the fence. Other five managed to escape.

The guards caught and gave him a sound thrashing and then threw him into a filthy ditch.

The old monkey was watching from a distance. He took pity on Ruskee and helped him to get out of the filthy ditch.

“You should have listened to mee.  Greed always leads to misery and pain.”

Ruskee was in tears. But he had learnt his lesson.

*****

A post for A to Z challenge

Today’s letter M

You may like to read my earlier post here Lemons

 

Lemons

The bear came rushing like a wind. The monkey was leaving for the market. The bear crashed into the monkey as he stepped out of his house.

“What’s the matter?” the monkey shouted. “You almost broke my back.”

“Please help me! I am undone! They have come! Again!” the bear appeared terrified.

“Just calm down and tell me what has happened? Who have come?”

“No, no…... we can’t wait. Come with me, right now. Let’s also ask the elephant and the giraffe to come with us,” The bear said, huffing and puffing like a steam engine.

The monkey requested the elephant and the giraffe and they all accompanied the bear to his house.

As the entered bear’s house, the monkey and the elephant and the giraffe looked around. They were watchful and alert.

There was no one in the bear’s house.

“I can’t see anyone here? Not even a fly?” the monkey asked.

“Look at that tree? Can’t you see anything?” the bear said, hiding behind the elephant. He was pointing to a tree in one corner.

“I don’t see anything on that tree except the lemons?”

the elephant said.

“Yes, yes. Please do something, quickly. I am so scared!” said the bear.

“Are you making a fool of us?” asked the giraffe in an angry voice.

“You don’t understand? These lemons are an ill omen. I am undone. Please help me.”

The monkey smiled.

“Big brother,” he said to the elephant. “This is one of his usual pranks. I should have known that he is up to some mischief.”

“Well,” the elephant caught hold of the bear by his neck. “He had gone too far this time. I think a little punishment will do him some good.”

The bear laughed loudly. He had again played a prank and made a fool of his friends.

But he didn’t know what was coming.

The elephant was in no mood to let him off lightly. He thought for a moment and looked at the lemon tree, “Let’s feed him some lemons.”  

The monkey laughed and plucked some lemons and pushed them into the bear’s mouth.

Giraffe too brought some lemons and thrust them into the bear’s mouth and said, “You are right, my friend, lemons are an ill omen.”

“That’s enough,” said the elephant looking at the bear’s tearful face. “Enough ill omen for the day.”

The elephant and the monkey and the giraffe laughed loudly.

The bear, his mouth full of lemons, looked pitiful.

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A post for A to Z challenge

Today’s letter L

You may like to read my earlier post here The King and the General

 

 

 

The King and the General

The king thought that his general was a fool. The general knew that the king was a fool.

One summer the king summoned his general.

“I want you to immediately wage a war, leave now for the battlefield!”

“Your Majesty, I don’t understand? Why do you want to wage a war? No one is threatening us. We have cordial relations with all our neighbours.’’

“You are a fool! The locusts have invaded our kingdom. We have to defend ourselves. If we fail to vanquish them, they will destroy us.  Leave with your army! Right now! That is an order!” the king was almost screaming.

The general was very angry because the king wanted the army to wage a war on insects.

“Your Majesty, I will do as you command. I will take fifty soldiers with me. I will catch the king of locusts alive and bring him before you.”

As the general was leaving, the king looked at his queen and smiled mischievously.

After a few days the general came back.

“Your Majesty, the king of locusts is willing to sign a peace treaty. But he has laid one condition. He says that his armies will keep attacking our kingdom unless we accept this condition.”

“And what is that condition?”

“He wants that Your Majesty should host a royal dinner in his honour.”

“How can we invite an insect to a royal dinner?”

“Sir, if your great army can fight with the insects, then what is the hesitation in inviting their king to a royal dinner?”

The king was not happy.

“Your Majesty, my spies have found out that many armies of locusts are waiting in northern lands. If they invade our kingdom then everything here will be destroyed.”

The king looked at his queen. The queen nodded. The king hosted a royal dinner in honour of the locust king.

A man dressed as a locust came to the place.

“Are you the king of locusts?” the king asked him sneeringly.

“No, Your Majesty, I am his loyal servant. My king is resting in this gold box,” the man masquerading as a locust answered.

He opened the gold box and out came a large locust. The insect looked this way and that way and jumped, suddenly.

It jumped straight towards the king and landed on his forehead.

The king let out a scream of terror. The queen fainted.

The general wanted to laugh but he thought that it would be better to remain silent. His eyes were, of course, sparkling with joy.

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A post for A to Z challenge

Today’s letter K

You may like to read my earlier post here J for Joker

 

Joker

Jumping joker jumps and jumps again.

He likes to jump, again and again

Jumping joker rolls and rolls again.

He like to roll, again and again

Jumping joker hops and hops again.

He likes hop, again and again

Jumping joker laughs and laughs again.

He likes to laugh, again and again

Jumping joker cries and cries again.

But none can see his heart’s pain.

Everyone claps and claps again.

They like to clap, again and again.

Jumping joker waves and waves again.

No one can see the tears of pain.

******

A post for A to Z challenge

Today’s letter J

You may like to read my earlier post here I for Indigo Coat

 

 

 

Indigo Coat

The jackal entered the village, a second time.

Last time he was lucky. He had caught a big rooster. He had spied a foolish rooster, who had come out of coop to enjoy fresh in the night. The jackal had snapped his neck in a flash.

But today luck did not favour him. Street dogs had smelled him as he entered the village. They chased him and the jackal had to run for his life. At one place he tripped and fell into huge tub. There was indigo water in the tub.

The dogs could no longer smell the jackal. Once the jackal felt safe, he came out of the tub.

He returned to his den. He lay hidden there for he was ashamed of coming out in the open. He knew everyone would laugh at him. He could not bear being mocked at.

But when hunger became overpowering, he had to come out.

The moment he was out in the open he heard a loud laugh.

The monkey and the bear and the little elephant were laughing loudly.

“I thought you were my friends. Friends never mock each other.”

“We are not laughing at you,” said the monkey.

“We are not mocking you,” said the little elephant.

“We are laughing at your funny indigo coat,” said the bear.

“You think it’s a funny coat? I can only pity you. If only you knew that it is the most expensive coat designed by Zaka Mira Zaprita of Indigo Fa…... But what do rustics know about fashion!” the jackal acted as if he had not felt insulted.

The monkey and the bear and the little elephant looked surprised.

“Rustics? What does that mean?” the monkey asked the bear.

“I think it means someone who is happy even when he is mocked at,” said the elephant and they all laughed.

The jackal couldn’t suppress his laughter.

The jackal and the monkey and the bear and the little elephant, all laughed, as loudly as they could.

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A post for A to Z challenge

Today’s letter I

You may like to read my earlier post here H for Hogwash 

 

Hogwash

“Dadu, What’s the meaning of this word, hogwash?”

“I think it means something which makes no sense.”

“No! My friend was saying that it means a machine in which you can travel to fairyland.”

“Well, what he is said is just hogwash.”

“Why?”

“There is no fairyland and there is no machine in which you can travel to the fairyland.”

“No Dadu, there is a fairyland and my friend has been there, not once but many times. In fact, he has promised that he will take me with him on his next trip.”

“And when is planning to go there?”

“He said hogwash needs some repairs; it got damaged during his last trip. But he can’t find a good car-mechanic to carry out the repairs.”

“Is hogwash a car?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t seen it. He doesn’t let anyone see it. He keeps it locked in his cupboard.”

“How tall is your friend?”

“Very tall, taller than me.”

“And the vehicle in which he travels to fairyland is kept locked in a cupboard. Strange!”

“I asked him once. He said that it wasn’t very big and it can be kept in the cupboard.”

“How does a boy, taller than you, manage to sit in a such a small machine?”

“Dadu, I think you are right. He must be making a fool of me. Yes, hogwash means something that makes no sense.”

“You see.”

“But, Dadu, there is a fairyland, no?”

“Perhaps there is…. Let me share a secret with you. When I was a kid like you, I too loved fairies and I always wanted to go there and play with them.”

“I too love fairies. I wish I could see a fairy.”

“Turn back and you can see one right now.”

The boy turned quickly. His sister was crawling in. She was beaming with joy; she had just learned how to crawl.

***

A post for A to Z challenge

Today’s letter H

You may like to read my earlier post  here G for Ghost in the Well

 

 

 

Ghost in the Well

“Dadu, I saw a ghost.”

“When? Where?”

“When I was going to the school, I saw him in the street.

“And how do know that he was a ghost?”

“He told me that he was a ghost, yes. And he looked like a ghost. He had very long arms and very long legs. His hands almost touched his feet. And his face was like that of a very old woman, full of wrinkles.”

“He must be a funny ghost?”

“No, he is a sad ghost. He lives in a well. But he is not happy living there. He said he would like to move to the banyan tree that’s behind the Hanuman Temple. But a nasty monkey would not let him live there.”

“He told you so?”

“Yes, and he wanted my help. He said that if I gave him my fruits and sandwiches that would be very kind of me. He would give those things to that nasty monkey and the monkey would let him stay on banyan tree.” 

“And you must have helped him?”

“Of course, I had to.”

At that moment the boy’s mother came in. She was holding his school empty lunch box. She appeared very happy, “Wonderful! Today you finished everything! I am so happy!” She gave him motherly hug, “Good boy!”

The boy looked at his grandpa and smiled mischievously.

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A post for A to Z challenge

Today’s letter G

You may like to read my earlier post  here F for Fortune-tellor