Hi!!! Today, I'm going to tell a story from the Panchatantra. This story is about wit in the face of adversity. The crab is a very courageous fellow, because- Wait, I can't spoil the story!! Let's get on with it, then...
in the centre of the dense forest of Tiruchiropolly, was a small pond. What a lovely pond it was! It had so many fish, it was like a city! Olive green lilypads littered the surface of the water, brightening up the murky water. Mottled stones stood like soldiers, guarding the pond from any unwanted visitors. Above the water, all was peaceful. But you should see how it was under! There were fish, bustling with life and activity! There were frantically swimming fish. There were cool, calm crabs who meditated throughout the day. There were oddly-small, odorous octopi, who farted black, stinky ink into the freshwater. There were frivolous frogs, who bounded over the fish, like fireworks that didn't explode. Overall, the whole pond felt like a miniature Bannerghatta Main Road, with fishes waiting to move just an inch in a looooong line. Little cracks in the pond walls provided homes for clownfish, angelfish and whatnot. There was also a stork, who lived on the small hawthorn tree next to the pond. He would eye a large, fatty salmon, who would be minding his own good business, and -SNAP-. The stork would lunge into the water, and the fish would scatter like holi colours, flying from a thrower's stained hand. the salmon would have been dead by now; caught in the sharp beak of the stork. This way, the stork lived a happy life, snacking on a fish or two when he wanted.
But alas, these days were long gone. The stork became old and didn't have any energy left in him, to do the skilful task of hunting. He could fly, no doubt, but his hunting spirit had gone with the wind. He would go days without any food, and occasionally be able to catch a few, small anchovies for food. The stork was a very melancholy person. Though he was wise, he felt that he would die of starvation. "Oh, woe is me!" He would think to himself occasionally. He saw all of the lovely fish, prancing about in the pond, but restrained himself. He couldn't do it. "If I don't do anything, I will surely starve to death. I must come up with a plan." He thought for days, meditating not as a hungry stork, but a calm one. He finally found a solution, but was unsure that it would work. He went with it anyway. It was the best shot that he had.
The stork looked very sad one day. All of the residents of the pond asked him, "What's the matter, uncle Stork?" He didn't answer. He just turned his head at them, and back, then started to cry. The residents were confused, in a sad way. They continued asking him, but he didn't reply. Finally, he gave in. "Oh friends, I weep to see you. I heard that construction workers from Central Tiruchiropolly were going to empty the pond, and convert it into a child's park!!!" The whole gathering of residents were shocked!! They were going to die!! Their pond was going to be converted into a play area!! Kids started crying, octopi started farting for their lives, and frogs lept in terror. The whole pond went into a tizzy!!
The stork tried to assure everyone that everything would be okay, but no one listened. They all just kept running for their lives. "Run for your lives!!!! Everyone will die!!!! I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!!!!!" were the screams that the stork heard. He cawed for everyone to be quiet. "CAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!! EVERYONE KEEP YOUR MOUTHS SHUT!!!!!!!!!" The whole pond fell silent. "I can help you, don't worry. All of you will make it out alive, if -and only if- you cooperate with me. I have an idea. My brother's mother's father's uncle's granddaughter's aunt's mother-in-law's sister's aunt's uncle's brother's sister's dad lives near a pond around, let's say, a mile southwest from here. I can fly you guys towards the pond and you can start your life anew!" The whole pond shouted with happiness and danced happily. They thought that they would live. But little did they know, that the stork was planning the biggest massacre of animals the whole of Tiruchiropolly had ever seen!!
The day of the first travel to the 'pond' had come. A bachelor tuna fish volunteered to go first. The stork held him in his water-filled mouth (So the fish could breathe) and flew off into the distance.
"Wow! What a view, uncle Stork! It looks so pretty!" chirped the tuna. The stork thought to himself, "What's pretty is your body going to be ripped into pieces and eaten!! HaHaha!!" He landed on a rocky mountain, with only a few shrubs growing from the ground. "Uncle Stork, this isn't a pond..." the tuna got concerned. He started shivering. The stork put him down on the dusty surface, and spit the water away. The tuna started flopping around for air, "Air! Air! I need air!!!!" He gasped. The stork laughed a heinous laugh. The tuna's flopping slowed, then gradually stopped. It was dead. The stork gobbled it up with ease, happy with his plan. "The plan works... Super!" cawed the stork.
This continued for two long weeks. The stork munched up most of the fish, crabs and octopi in the pond!! He thought it was smooth sailing until a red and brown crab came up and said, "I want to go!!!! I haven't got a turn!!!" The stork was eager to eat some crab. "Let's see... What would I like to eat today... I'll take the crab..." He thought to himself. The crab got into the stork's mouth, and then they flew from the pond. As they were approaching the mount, the crab saw a scary sight. Bones of various fish and frogs were lying there!! "Uncle Stork, why are these bones here?" He asked curiously. "Well, some stork would've eaten them," replied the Stork. The stork's feet touched the sandy killing spot. The crab was deep in thought, thinking about something...
He pinched the stork's neck with his pincers, and blood oozed out. "AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!" Screamed the stork. The crab said, "It is you who have been killing these innocent creatures, o Stork!" The stork fell down, with his eyes closed. The crab ripped his head off his neck, and the blood exploded out of the neck. Jumping off the body of the stork, the crab crawled back to the pond with the stork's gory head. When he got back to the pond, he told them of the stork's greed and his killing, and how the stork's head was ripped off by none other than the crab himself. Everyone applauded and praised the crab for many days to come. The pond resumed it's old life, and all was peaceful...
Moral: An excess of greed will bring an excess of punishment.
Thanks for reading my variation of the Story of the Deceitful Stork and the Brave Crab!! Please follow for announcements about my posts!!!!
in the centre of the dense forest of Tiruchiropolly, was a small pond. What a lovely pond it was! It had so many fish, it was like a city! Olive green lilypads littered the surface of the water, brightening up the murky water. Mottled stones stood like soldiers, guarding the pond from any unwanted visitors. Above the water, all was peaceful. But you should see how it was under! There were fish, bustling with life and activity! There were frantically swimming fish. There were cool, calm crabs who meditated throughout the day. There were oddly-small, odorous octopi, who farted black, stinky ink into the freshwater. There were frivolous frogs, who bounded over the fish, like fireworks that didn't explode. Overall, the whole pond felt like a miniature Bannerghatta Main Road, with fishes waiting to move just an inch in a looooong line. Little cracks in the pond walls provided homes for clownfish, angelfish and whatnot. There was also a stork, who lived on the small hawthorn tree next to the pond. He would eye a large, fatty salmon, who would be minding his own good business, and -SNAP-. The stork would lunge into the water, and the fish would scatter like holi colours, flying from a thrower's stained hand. the salmon would have been dead by now; caught in the sharp beak of the stork. This way, the stork lived a happy life, snacking on a fish or two when he wanted.
But alas, these days were long gone. The stork became old and didn't have any energy left in him, to do the skilful task of hunting. He could fly, no doubt, but his hunting spirit had gone with the wind. He would go days without any food, and occasionally be able to catch a few, small anchovies for food. The stork was a very melancholy person. Though he was wise, he felt that he would die of starvation. "Oh, woe is me!" He would think to himself occasionally. He saw all of the lovely fish, prancing about in the pond, but restrained himself. He couldn't do it. "If I don't do anything, I will surely starve to death. I must come up with a plan." He thought for days, meditating not as a hungry stork, but a calm one. He finally found a solution, but was unsure that it would work. He went with it anyway. It was the best shot that he had.
The stork looked very sad one day. All of the residents of the pond asked him, "What's the matter, uncle Stork?" He didn't answer. He just turned his head at them, and back, then started to cry. The residents were confused, in a sad way. They continued asking him, but he didn't reply. Finally, he gave in. "Oh friends, I weep to see you. I heard that construction workers from Central Tiruchiropolly were going to empty the pond, and convert it into a child's park!!!" The whole gathering of residents were shocked!! They were going to die!! Their pond was going to be converted into a play area!! Kids started crying, octopi started farting for their lives, and frogs lept in terror. The whole pond went into a tizzy!!
The stork tried to assure everyone that everything would be okay, but no one listened. They all just kept running for their lives. "Run for your lives!!!! Everyone will die!!!! I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!!!!!" were the screams that the stork heard. He cawed for everyone to be quiet. "CAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!! EVERYONE KEEP YOUR MOUTHS SHUT!!!!!!!!!" The whole pond fell silent. "I can help you, don't worry. All of you will make it out alive, if -and only if- you cooperate with me. I have an idea. My brother's mother's father's uncle's granddaughter's aunt's mother-in-law's sister's aunt's uncle's brother's sister's dad lives near a pond around, let's say, a mile southwest from here. I can fly you guys towards the pond and you can start your life anew!" The whole pond shouted with happiness and danced happily. They thought that they would live. But little did they know, that the stork was planning the biggest massacre of animals the whole of Tiruchiropolly had ever seen!!
The day of the first travel to the 'pond' had come. A bachelor tuna fish volunteered to go first. The stork held him in his water-filled mouth (So the fish could breathe) and flew off into the distance.
"Wow! What a view, uncle Stork! It looks so pretty!" chirped the tuna. The stork thought to himself, "What's pretty is your body going to be ripped into pieces and eaten!! HaHaha!!" He landed on a rocky mountain, with only a few shrubs growing from the ground. "Uncle Stork, this isn't a pond..." the tuna got concerned. He started shivering. The stork put him down on the dusty surface, and spit the water away. The tuna started flopping around for air, "Air! Air! I need air!!!!" He gasped. The stork laughed a heinous laugh. The tuna's flopping slowed, then gradually stopped. It was dead. The stork gobbled it up with ease, happy with his plan. "The plan works... Super!" cawed the stork.
This continued for two long weeks. The stork munched up most of the fish, crabs and octopi in the pond!! He thought it was smooth sailing until a red and brown crab came up and said, "I want to go!!!! I haven't got a turn!!!" The stork was eager to eat some crab. "Let's see... What would I like to eat today... I'll take the crab..." He thought to himself. The crab got into the stork's mouth, and then they flew from the pond. As they were approaching the mount, the crab saw a scary sight. Bones of various fish and frogs were lying there!! "Uncle Stork, why are these bones here?" He asked curiously. "Well, some stork would've eaten them," replied the Stork. The stork's feet touched the sandy killing spot. The crab was deep in thought, thinking about something...
He pinched the stork's neck with his pincers, and blood oozed out. "AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!" Screamed the stork. The crab said, "It is you who have been killing these innocent creatures, o Stork!" The stork fell down, with his eyes closed. The crab ripped his head off his neck, and the blood exploded out of the neck. Jumping off the body of the stork, the crab crawled back to the pond with the stork's gory head. When he got back to the pond, he told them of the stork's greed and his killing, and how the stork's head was ripped off by none other than the crab himself. Everyone applauded and praised the crab for many days to come. The pond resumed it's old life, and all was peaceful...
Moral: An excess of greed will bring an excess of punishment.
Thanks for reading my variation of the Story of the Deceitful Stork and the Brave Crab!! Please follow for announcements about my posts!!!!
Loved today's story too Pradyun :) keep up the excellent work!!:)
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Raksha moushi
Thanks Raksha Moushi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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