Fables for Clever Girls - Two Cats and a Monkey

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Last night Ishani came to me for another story.

And I began thus:

Once upon a time, under a banyan tree, two cats were fighting over a slice of bread they found on the ground.

The Brown Cat was saying:

"I saw the bread first...so it is mine"

The Black Cat argued:

"But I picked up the bread first...so it is mine"

Their fight grew serious. They began first mewing, then growling, then pawing, then scratching, and finally biting...

A Himalayan Monkey was watching their fight from the branches of the banyan tree. And he came down and sat in front of the two cats and said:

"Why are you fighting like India and Pakistan over Kashmir? You should settle the dispute amicably through talks"

"No, we are done with talking, and we want to settle the dispute fighting, once for all"

"Fighting will only tire you out...let me settle between you two and divide the slice of bread equally for you"

"You won't cheat, will you?"

"No, no, not at all...I am your peace-loving neighbor, you know!"

"Ok, then, we will abide by your settlement. But please see to it that each of us gets precisely half of the slice"

"Ok...ok"

And then the Himalayan Monkey took the slice in his hands and split it into two pieces and handed them over to the two fighting cats, one piece each. 

And the Brown Cat protested:

"Her piece is bigger...I won't agree"

The Himalayan Monkey looked at the two pieces and said:

"Yes, you are indeed right...your piece is a bit smaller"

And then he took the bigger piece back from the Black Cat and bit it and handed it over to her and said:

"Ok, now?"

And then the Black Cat protested:

"See, now what you have done! Her piece is now bigger...I won't agree"

And the Himalayan Monkey looked at the Brown Cat's piece and said to the Black Cat:

"Yes, you are right...your piece is indeed a bit smaller"

And then he took the bigger piece back from the Brown Cat and bit it a bit and handed it over and said:

"Ok, now?"

And then Ishani smiled at me and said:

"I know what is going to happen now...the Himalayan Monkey bites away the two pieces one by one till he eats both of them entirely and runs away and climbs and hides in the top branch of the banyan tree, no?"

"No, dear...you are not right"

"Then, how does this story end?"

"As the two fighting cats were watching and arguing and watching and arguing endlessly, the Himalayan Monkey first screeches and then howls and then lies on his back and then closes his eyes and then faints and then dies peacefully"

"Why?"

"This slice of bread was poisoned"

"Did the two cats know it?"

"Yes, yes, very much"

"Then why were they fighting?" 

"Theirs was a mock fight...they wanted to kill the Himalayan Monkey"

"Why?"

"They wanted to take revenge"

"How did they know that the Himalayan Monkey would come down from the banyan tree and offer to settle their dispute?"

"Oh...they were then in UKG and they had read Aesop's Fables in their Nursery Class"

"Very very clever!"

"Yes, remember, not all cats in the world are copycats"

http://dreamlandpublications.com/images/81-7301-222-9-img.jpg

...Posted by Ishani

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