Tales from India

by Bali Rai

  Kunal’s father, the rajah, grew irritated by his son’s actions. Kunal was being foolish, and mocking his father’s honour. Exasperated, the rajah turned to his aunt, who was a powerful and evil witch.

  ‘Pah!’ said the witch when she heard. ‘Kunal is a weakling! I told you to strangle him at birth!’

  ‘But he is my only son,’ the rajah replied.

  ‘You are young enough to have more sons,’ the witch told him.

  ‘Perhaps, dear aunt,’ said the rajah. ‘But Kunal is the only one, for now …’

  ‘Very well,’ said the witch. ‘I will find this girl for him.’

  She took the scarf from Kunal and inhaled Gita’s scent. Then, transforming herself into a bee, she flew off. Her senses were sharp, and after a few days she found Gita. Dropping to the ground, she became a frail old woman, bent over in mock pain with a walking stick for support. When kind Gita saw her, she went to help at once.

  ‘Dear child,’ said the witch. ‘My family have deserted me. I am homeless and hungry. Please help me …’

  ‘Of course!’ Gita cried. ‘How terrible your children must be! Let me help you into the house.’

  ‘Oh, thank you, girl,’ the witch replied. ‘If only my own daughters were as kind as you.’

  When Navin returned from hunting with his faithful pets, Gita explained what had happened. Navin smiled.

  ‘Dear woman,’ he said. ‘Of course you can stay. We are blessed with plenty and happy to share.’

  ‘You are too kind,’ said the witch, trying not to smile too.

  The couple treated the witch as a mother. She wanted for nothing, her every need taken care of. As each day passed, the witch learnt more of Navin’s enchanted possessions. One evening, she pulled Gita aside.

  ‘Dear girl,’ she began, ‘my husband was just as loving and noble as Navin. But then he died suddenly and left me with nothing.’

  ‘How terrible,’ Gita replied, growing tearful.

  ‘I worry for your future, lovely Gita,’ the witch continued. ‘What if, God forbid, Navin should be killed whilst hunting? Your special ring would be lost, and you would be left all alone.’

  Gita understood her meaning at once. The old woman was wise and caring, and Gita decided to tell Navin.

  ‘Why didn’t I think of this?’ said Navin, when they spoke. ‘How very foolish of me.’

  Two days later, Navin woke early and went for a swim. The witch saw her chance and asked Gita if she could see the magical ring.

  ‘Just for a moment,’ she added.

  Gita suspected nothing and agreed. But, as soon as the ring appeared, the witch snatched it from Gita’s hand. In an instant, she transformed back to a bee and flew away. The cat and the dog could only watch and weep with their mistress.

  Upon her return, the witch went straight to Kunal. The prince lay on his bed, groaning.

  ‘Get up, you worthless rat!’ she howled. ‘Here is your ring!’

  ‘But where is the girl?’ the prince wailed. ‘I want the girl!’

  ‘The ring will bring her to you,’ the witch explained. ‘Now stop acting foolishly and show some honour!’

  The witch explained the enchanted ring’s powers and Kunal hurried outside. As soon as he’d spoken, the magnificent bungalow appeared in the palace gardens. Almost mad with desire, Kunal rushed inside. Gita, scared and bewildered, sat weeping on the floor.

  ‘My love!’ cried Kunal. ‘I have dreamt of this day!’

  Gita looked up, shaking her head. ‘I am not your love,’ she whispered. ‘My husband is Navin. I will never be yours.’

  Kunal grew angry.

  ‘The ring, the bungalow and everything inside it now belong to me!’ he shouted. ‘That includes you!’

  As the witch appeared, Gita began to understand what had happened. Saddened and angry, she turned to Kunal. ‘Do what you like,’ she told him. ‘I will never accept you.’

  ‘Nonsense!’ Kunal declared. ‘In a month from now, we shall be married. Until then, you will stay in this bungalow.’

  ‘There is no escape,’ the witch added, taking the ring and swallowing it. ‘And no ring, either …’

  Gita sobbed as they left, and prayed that Navin would find her.

  When Navin emerged from the river, he fell to his knees in anguish. His beautiful Gita and their wonderful home had vanished. His faithful companions were all that remained. The dog lay crying and the cat paced in distress. Navin stood and stumbled towards them.

  ‘What evil is this?’ he asked.

  The cat explained what had happened, and Navin felt his heart breaking.

  ‘There is nothing left, then,’ he replied.

  ‘We couldn’t stop the witch,’ said the dog. ‘We failed you.’

  ‘But we will make it up,’ the cat added. ‘We will find Gita and the ring. I promise you!’

  Navin nodded but said nothing. Instead, he went back to the riverbank, sat down and wept.

  The cat and dog searched high and low for Gita. They followed the meandering curves of the mighty river, asking everyone they met for news. Then, some days into their quest, they came across a farmer’s daughter in the neighbouring kingdom.

  ‘The rajah’s aunt,’ she said, when the cat described the old woman who turned into a bee. ‘She is an evil witch with dark powers. Everyone is afraid of her.’

  ‘Did she return here?’ asked the dog.

  ‘Yes,’ the girl replied. ‘People say that a magnificent bungalow appeared in the palace grounds.’

  ‘At last!’ cried the cat.

  They waited until dusk before creeping into the palace grounds. The shadows were long and the guards failed to spot them. Soon they discovered their master’s house, and inside was Gita, her face ashen, her eyes sore from tears.

  ‘Mistress!’ the dog said. ‘We have come to rescue you!’

  Though overjoyed to see them, Gita grew frightened. ‘But what if the witch catches you?’ she said.

  ‘All we need is the ring,’ the dog replied. ‘Then we can escape.’

  Gita shook her head in sadness. ‘The ring is gone,’ she whispered. ‘The witch swallowed it. All is lost!’

  ‘We will find a way!’ said the dog.

  Suddenly, the cat thought up a cunning plan. She pulled the dog to one side. ‘Rats!’ she whispered.

  ‘What do you mean, dear friend?’ the extremely puzzled dog asked.

  The cat grinned. ‘Come with me,’ it said. ‘I shall explain on the way.’

  In the shadow of the palace wall, the cat explained its plan. It pointed out a large rat hole.

  ‘See?’ she said. ‘I saw many rats as we entered the palace gardens.’

  ‘Yes,’ said the dog, ‘but I still don’t understand.’

  ‘Just follow me,’ the cat replied. ‘Rats have a king. And where there is a rat king, there will be a rat prince …’

  They crept down into the rats’ nest. The tunnels were narrow and smelly, but soon they emerged on to a rock ledge, overlooking a huge cave. Below, hundreds of rats scurried about, in preparation for a great wedding. In the far corner, the Rat King sat and watched. At his side was his son, the Rat Prince.

  ‘The prince is getting married,’ said the cat. ‘But imagine a wedding without the bridegroom …’

  The cat took off suddenly. It crept round the ledge, before dropping to some rocks directly behind the Rat King and his son. It waited patiently for the king to move away, and then, with one swipe of its paws, grabbed the Rat Prince and jumped back up to the waiting dog.

  ‘Hurry!’ it mumbled, with the Rat Prince firmly wedged between its teeth.

  They ran back to the opening, and across the palace gardens, until they reached the bungalow. Inside, they found a wooden box, into which they put the Rat Prince.

  ‘Stay calm, brother rat,’ the cat said. ‘We will not harm you.’

  When Gita saw them, she grew angry.

  ‘Release that poor creature at once!’ she said.

  ‘I can�
�t, mistress,’ the cat replied. ‘I have a plan. Don’t worry, the box has air holes and I will bring him some food.’

  ‘But why kidnap him?’ Gita asked.

  ‘Because now the Rat King will help us,’ the cat explained. ‘I had no choice …’

  With the Rat Prince safe, the cat and the dog returned to the palace walls. They found the Rat King searching for his son.

  ‘Who would take my son so cruelly?’ the Rat King cried. ‘And on the eve of his wedding?’

  The cat stepped from the shadows and purred. ‘Why, it was I, Your Majesty,’ it said.

  As the other rats cowered in terror, the king stood firm. ‘But why?’ it asked. ‘And why boast of your wickedness? You are unlike any cat I’ve ever met.’

  ‘I do not wish to harm your son,’ the cat replied. ‘I only need a favour.’

  The Rat King was baffled. ‘But why not just ask?’ it said.

  ‘Because I’m a cat,’ the moggy replied. ‘Why would you listen to me? I usually eat rats …’

  ‘Oh,’ said the Rat King. ‘Fair enough …’

  The cat explained everything to the Rat King, before revealing its plan. The Rat King agreed at once, anxious to save his son.

  ‘We will rescue your charmed ring,’ said the Rat King. ‘I promise on the life of my only son!’

  ‘Yes,’ said the cat. ‘I thought you might …’

  By midnight, the witch was soundly asleep. The Rat King’s bravest warriors, having heard the plan, were ready. The first rat kept watch on the witch’s windowsill. When he was certain she wouldn’t wake up, he summoned his sister. She slid to the floor and weaved across the room, until she was under the bed. A third rat quickly joined her. This one climbed the sheets, until it reached the pillows. Taking a deep breath, it crept gingerly across the witch’s face.

  Slowly, deliberately, it pushed its tail deep into the witch’s mouth and down her throat. Then it gave a sharp wiggle. The witch coughed, once, twice and then a third time. Suddenly the charmed ring erupted from her belly on a wave of vomit. The third rat leapt up, knocking the ring with its paw. The ring sailed through the air, towards the second rat, who caught it between her teeth. As the witch sat up and roared, the second rat flicked her jaws, and the ring sailed towards her brother, still balanced on the windowsill. He took the ring, and as the other two vanished behind the walls, he scurried away.

  The witch ran to the door and threw it open. ‘My ring, my ring!’ she cried. ‘They have taken my ring!’

  As alarm bells rang, the cat and the dog received the enchanted ring and returned to the bungalow. Inside, the Rat King thanked Gita for taking such good care of his son.

  ‘I would invite you to his wedding,’ the Rat King said. ‘But I fear we will have to find a new home. The witch will come after us, for sure.’

  ‘Dear Rat King,’ said Gita. ‘Summon all of your subjects, quickly. We will take you all with us.’

  The Rat King called to his guards, who drew tiny trumpets and blew on them. Suddenly every last rat scurried inside, until each room was teeming with rodents.

  The cat and the dog were anxious to leave, and urged Gita to use the enchanted ring. Taking it from the cat, she whispered …

  Navin sat by the river, certain that he would never again see his wife or his friends. He wondered where Gita was, and whether she was thinking of him. Suddenly he heard the barking of his faithful dog.

  ‘Master, master!’ the dog panted. ‘We have the ring, but be quick! There is no time to lose …’

  Navin sprang to his feet, his heart pounding with unbridled joy. Could it be true? The magnificent bungalow had reappeared, and standing at the door was Gita.

  ‘Oh, my love, my life!’ Navin cried, ‘You have come back!’

  ‘Hurry!’ Gita urged him. ‘We must leave this place before the witch comes looking for us!’

  ‘But where will we go?’ Navin asked.

  ‘Anywhere,’ Gita replied. ‘Only far from here.’

  As Navin stepped across the threshold, five small rats crawled up his legs and clung on to his tunic.

  ‘Hello!’ they squeaked.

  ‘We have a few extra guests,’ said Gita.

  Navin smiled and took the ring from her. He imagined a place just like the one they were in. Somewhere with a mighty river, perhaps in a valley, bordered by ancient trees that rose into mountains. Then he asked the ring for his dream. The bungalow’s door slammed shut and they were gone …

  The Rabbit and the Lion

  Once there lived a mean and boastful lion. Although he was already king of his domain, the lion was often very cruel. He wanted the other animals to fear him, and he bullied them every day.

  ‘Pah!’ he’d say. ‘I am more noble than any of you!’

  His poor younger brother, tired of the Lion King’s bullying, decided to challenge him one day.

  ‘The other animals don’t respect you,’ he said.

  The Lion King chuckled.

  ‘You’re wrong!’ he boasted. ‘Of course they respect me. Look how they tremble when I approach them!’

  ‘That is fear,’ his little brother replied. ‘It’s not the same thing.’

  ‘But …’

  His brother shook his head.

  ‘They are scared of you,’ he said. ‘But they don’t like you. And why would they? You are mean and unfair.’

  ‘Who cares?’ said the Lion King. ‘I am the strongest, the bravest and the most clever. Who can challenge me?’

  ‘There’s always someone stronger or cleverer,’ his little brother warned. ‘One day you might regret your pride …’

  The Lion King ignored his younger brother’s warning. Instead, he went for a walk round his kingdom. But eventually he grew concerned that his brother was right. Maybe the other animals didn’t respect him. So he decided to ask some of them, and soon he came across a brown-coated jackal.

  ‘You, jackal!’ roared the Lion King. ‘Tell me who is the strongest animal!’

  The jackal began to tremble, but replied quickly. ‘Why, you are, Your Majesty,’ it said.

  ‘And do you respect me …?’

  The jackal wanted to tell the truth but was far too frightened. So he lied.

  ‘Yes,’ he whimpered. ‘I respect you …’

  Satisfied, the Lion King walked on. By a fallen tree, he found an ebony-scaled cobra, snoozing in the sunshine.

  ‘Wake up, you slithering wretch!’ the Lion King growled.

  At once, the cobra sat up, ready to strike. But when it saw the Lion King, it grew worried.

  ‘Tell me, sly snake,’ said the Lion King. ‘Do you respect me?’

  ‘Why, of course,’ the cobra hissed. ‘You are the king.’

  The lion smiled. ‘And you’re not lying because you’re scared of me?’

  ‘No, no,’ the snake lied. ‘I would never lie to you, mighty lion!’

  The lion grinned and walked on. The next animal it met was a huge water buffalo drinking from a lake.

  ‘Your Majesty!’ the buffalo cried. ‘Please don’t hurt me!’

  ‘No, no,’ said the Lion King. ‘I’m not hungry today, so you’re perfectly safe. I just wanted to ask you something.’

  ‘Anything,’ the poor creature said, shuddering anxiously.

  ‘Do you respect me?’ asked the Lion King.

  ‘Yes,’ the water buffalo lied. ‘You are mighty and noble, and king of the animals …’

  ‘Excellent,’ said the lion. ‘Actually, I am a little bit hungry …’

  And with that, the cruel Lion King pounced on the buffalo …

  The following day, as the Lion King rested, his belly full of buffalo, a rabbit happened to hop past. The Lion King looked up.

  ‘You!’ he snapped. ‘Come here at once!’

  The rabbit leapt towards the lion, completely unafraid.

  ‘Yes?’ asked the rabbit.

  ‘Do you respect me?’

  The rabbit shrugged. ‘No,’ it said truthfully. ‘Not really
…’

  The Lion King was confused. ‘I’m sorry,’ he replied. ‘Did you say no?’

  The rabbit nodded and the Lion King sat up. ‘But you are frightened of me?’

  ‘Not really,’ the rabbit replied. ‘I mean, you’re scary but that doesn’t bother me.’

  The Lion King was enraged. He rose to his feet and growled. ‘Why not?’ he demanded. ‘I am the greatest animal in the kingdom!’

  The rabbit shook its head. ‘No,’ it said. ‘There is someone greater than you!’

  ‘What?’ the lion roared, baring his sharp teeth. ‘Who is greater than me?’

  The rabbit smiled. ‘I’ll show you, if you like.’

  The Lion King agreed, and set off after the rabbit. They walked past the lake and through the forest, until they reached a clearing. There, next to a deserted hut, was an old well.

  ‘He’s in there,’ said the rabbit.

  ‘Who?’

  ‘The scariest, noblest and greatest animal in the kingdom,’ the rabbit replied. ‘Be careful, though. He might eat you!’

  The Lion King sneered with pride. ‘You are very mistaken!’ he said. ‘No animal is a match for me!’

  The Lion King leapt to the well and peered over the side. Then he gave his loudest and most fearful roar. But, instead of cowering in terror, the animal in the well simply growled back.

  ‘See?’ said the rabbit. ‘He’s not scared of you.’

  The lion tried again, but this time the roar that came back was even louder.

  ‘Is that another lion down there?’ he asked the rabbit.

  ‘Oh yes,’ the rabbit said. ‘He’s very strong and much cleverer than you. He’s the one I respect …’

  The Lion King grew furious. ‘We’ll see about that!’ he snarled. ‘I will challenge him to a fight!’

  And, with that, the lion jumped into the well. The rabbit sighed and shook its head.

  ‘What a silly lion,’ it said, hopping away.

  The Cruel Crane

  One day, a huge ivory crane flew over a shimmering lotus pond, which lay below a pear tree. Candy pink flowers floated on the water and beneath them swam many delicious fish. However, a long dry season had begun to evaporate the water in the pond, and its inhabitants faced great danger. Unless the monsoon rains came early, the fish would face certain death.