The Langmeiton bird (Uchek Langmeiton)

Once upon a tim there was a girl named Heiyainu. Her mother died when she was in her tender age. Her father got married a second wife who born a son. The father had left the house and had gone for his business trip in the interior hills. Before his leaving, he had asked his second wife to take care of Heiyainu and his son.

Everyday, Heiyainu worked hard to extend help to her step mother. She went to the field and collected red spinach, sorral and mint. She also went down in the lake and river and caught fishes. After returning to her home, she had given the fish and vegetable items to her step mother who sold them in the market. The money gotten from selling the items had purchased rice for the family. While the step mother had gone out in the market, Heiyainu rendered household duties. She also took care of the step brother. When the step brother cried for his hungry, she along with the crying brother had gone to the neighbours and fed the boy with breast milk from women who had also child in her arms.

With the step brother grew up day by day, and able to mix with the local children in their playing, she felt happy. The step brother had not eaten his rice and meal if there were not his step sister. He also paid great respect to his step sister. Both the sister and brother loved each other. The neighbours had envied on their lovely nature. However, Heiyainu afraid of her step mother who always took strict vigil upon her step daughter. The step mother always asked Heiyainu to stay her indoor in the home while she was away in the market. Sometimes, she scolded her step daughter without any reason.

The step mother was feeling happy whenever she used her step daughter’s bad name. Sometimes, the step daughter was beaten without finding any mistake. One day, the step mother along with her son had taken the afternoon nap in her bed. Thinking that her step mother was sleeping, Heiyainu took her bath along with her friends. When the step mother got up, she saw cattle trespassing inside their garden. The cattle had brokenthe old bamboo fence and eaten the vegetables grown inside the garden. To see the unhappy scene, the step mother called her step daughter in harsh words. Without completing the proper bathing, Heiyainu ran soon towards her house. Having come to know that her step daughter would be mixing with her friends for bathing in the pond, the step mother drew Heiyainu by her hands up to the pond and beaten her step daughter in presence of her friends. Besides, Heiyainu wa pushed down into the water of the pond by holding head. Heiyainu’s friends had intercepted the step mother when their friend was beaten black and blue by a stick laying there. However, the step mother had rebuked the Heiyainu’s friends for interfering in the family matter. Heiyainu had nothing but crying. The step mother had not only rebuking her step daughter in harsh manner, but also blamed Heiyainu’s late mother. When the name of her late mother was mentioning without any reason, Heiyainu requested her step mother, not to mention any more of her late mother.

Heiyainu said, “Please be not dispraised the name of my late mother. Oh! My step mother, you can make physical torture upon me whatever you like.” The step mother started beating Heiyainu until blood oozing out from her mouth. The step mother left Heiyainu without taking care even though he suffered bleeding injuries. The disheartened Heiyainu came towards the backward of her house and looked up in the sky. She prayed to the soul of her late mother and said, “Oh! My lovely mother don’t you see what I am facing troubles.” Surprisingly, the step mother came out from the house in haste and again beat the step daughter, pulled her down the ground. Later, the step mother closed the door of the house from inside. Heiyainu left alone outside the house all the night. She was not given any meal. She felt hungry. The other day, after beating seriously, Heiyainu was kept indoor all the day long while the step mother had accompanied with her son gone to the market. On their returning from the market, Heiyainu was seen crying at the courtyard of the house. On seeing it, the step mother had closed the door from outside. On that night, Heiyainu cried bitterly and prayed to the Almighty to live her with her late mother. Hearing the woes of her child,  Heiyainu’s mother in the form of dove flew down and perched at a bamboo pole near the countyard of her house.

The bird in her chirping vocal consoled the crying child. Heiyainu did not know the dove was transformed into from the soul of her late mother. So she said to the dove don’t make coo coos. After crying the whole night, she took a sleep in the early hour at the doorstep of her house. In her dream, her mother came and said, “Oh My lovely child, if you are in distress and full of woes in the human life come and follow me. Transform into a bird so as to love a free live. I will send a bird king – Langmei – for becoming what you like.” To follow what her mother said in her dream, Heiyainu at last decided to transform her soul and body into the bird – Lanmei. The next morning Heiyainu with basket went out to search vegetables in the field. While she was collecting the vegetables, flock of birds, Langmei were seen flying across the sky. The bird flock was led by Langmei king. On seeing the birds, Heiyainu at the top voice said, “Oh! Langmei king, oh bird, I am Heiyainu in woes and distresses. My late mother told me she had given responsibility to your king for transforming my body and soul into the Langmei bird. Oh please drop some of your feathers.” On seeing the plight of the girl, the birds had dropped several feathers. She gathered the feathers and hidden in her house without giving any knowledge to her step mother. The other day, while in the field, Heiyainu sought the help of the same birds. She said, “I want to join your flocks. It is better to join in your flock than to live with the step mother. Please drop some feathers.”  Everyday, Heiyainu had done in the same manners. So the collections were large enough to make a large feather for flying. One day, while she was collecting the feathers at her courtyard, his step brother had seen. Her step mother had also gone to the market. On seeing the collection, the step brother asked what to do with the feathers. Heiyainu disclosed what she would like to her step brother. She lovely made a sisterly kiss to her younger step brother and said, “Oh! My lovely brother, I am very distressed and full of woes. On this life would not be meeting again. I would transform my soul and body into the life of bird – Langmei from this day.”

The step sister and step brother cried. While they were crying, the flock of the Langmei birds led by its king flew across their courtyard. On seeing the flocking birds flying, Heiyainu said, “Oh King Langmei from today’s onwards I will join your flocks. Please be received my warmly.”

The flock of the birds and its king had flown down the courtyard. The king of the bird said, “If you decide to join our flocks, you may join today”. Saying this, the king who had a magic diamond inside his beak was handed over to Heiyainu. Before leaving the courtyard, Heiyainu bade a tearful goodbye to her step brother. She said, “Oh! My lovely brother, you stay alone, I am leaving the house.” Saying this, she placed the diamond inside her mouth. With the full supports of the bird flocks, and with the support of the feathers arranged beautifully life the feathers of the birds, Heiyainu flew up from th courtyard. While she was flying into the sky along other birds, she saw her brother a following her on the ground.

Heiyainu told in her loud voice, oh my lovely brother you could not be able to chase us. You are human being. Flying over the sky, Heiyainu saw her step mother was full of surprise but looking upon the flying bird flocks. After some time, Heiyainu’s father who gone the business trip in the interior hills had returned to his house. He also purchased clothes and eatable items for his daughter. Upon reaching home, he made a lovely kiss to his son and distributed sweet meat to him but he asked his second wife where had gone his daughter. The wife was trying to give evasive replies. But the son had informed his father that his step daughter had transformed into the bird – Langmei because of the excessive tortures of his step mother. After inquiring to the neighbours, the man also came to know that his second wife had not given proper meal and treatments to her step daughter. He was full of angry and scolded his wife. The man was unable to take a proper sleep in thinking of his daughter. Next day, the holding his day’s meal was standing and waiting at his courtyard to see flying of birds. Whenever, there were flying bird flocks, the man asked, “Is there my lovely daughter Heiyainu in your flock”?  The bird flock said, “No”. Everyday, the man was doing in the similar manners. One day, a flock of Langmei birds were flying across the courtyard of the man. The man asked the same question. After knowing it was the Langmei bird flocks, the man soaked with tears in his eyes said, “Oh my lovely child Heiyainu, I am returned, let us take food together.”

On hearing the voice of her father, Heiyainu slipped away from her flock and flew down near her father. Amid crying and tears in the eyes, the father said, “Oh my love child, I have purchased your clothes, come again at my house, eat whatever you like.” Hr also asked his daughter, “Have you not a sense of feeling for your father?” Though, she had joined the bird flocks, Heiyainu did not forget her father and step brother. Seeing the tearful face of her father, Heiyainu had not any means but to cry aloud. She said, “My life is full of tears, my fate is to separate with lovely father, I could wait till the full grown of my step brother.”

Oh! My flock birds are far away from me. I would have to miss them. Oh! My lovely pa, I am flying to join my flocks.

Old couple’s aroid plantations (Hanubi-Hanuba pan thaba)

Once there lived an old man and his wife. Theirs’ family was a very small one. While the old man worked in the field, his wife did household chores. They had not any children. They also sometimes worked together in their vast field located near their house. They had good relations with the monkeys who were living in the adjoining jungles. The old man dug earth making well prepared raised beds for cultivation of aroids – Colocasia antiquorim variety in his field. A few days later, the old couple started aroid plantation after preparing ridges and furrows in the fertile field. While planting, some monkeys came in and saw the style of aroid plantations. After looking a few minutes, one of the monkeys told the old couple, “Your style of planting would not produce good results particularly in the production of underground rhizomes. If the aroids were panted in those manners, it will take long time to grow up its underground root stocks.” The old couple felt hesitation in rendering their works. At last they asked the monkeys to give their suggestions for early growing up and yielding good variety of underground rhizomes and its petioles. The leader of the monkeys giving his suggestions said, “first at all, the aroids – rhizome root stocks – supposed to be planted should be washed in neat and clean in the water, then its outside layers would be scratched off. The well prepared aroids should be boiled, covered it with the leaves of the banana plants and then those items should be planted in a row. In that style of plantation, the planted aroids would be tall enough the next morning. The well ground up aroids with its rhizomes and petioles could be served as vegetable curry like potato after cooked or boiled, baked or roasted them well. ”

The couple believed the monkeys’ suggestions. They followed what the monkeys had suggested. After hard working in the field, they made happy talks and then they took their sound sleeps on that night. However, during the dead of night, the monkeys came out in group. They were very happy to see the plantations. Then they had dug out the soil on the earth and they found the boiled aroids. They had eaten all rhizomes.

Before their leaving the field, the monkeys have rooted out the tall and wild aroids plants from the nearby filth filled ditches. They later planted wild plants at the dug out ridges and furrows. The next morning, the old couple was very happy then they saw the tall plants grown overnight. They uprooted some of the plants and its roots were scratched off and washed them in fresh water. Then the old woman had used the roots in the vegetable soup. Both old man and woman had taken the aroid soup. After taking the first bowl of aroid soup, the old man looking at his wife and said, “Oh! Tasty.”

The old man had taken for the second time. Then he felt prick this tongue and throat causing irritation which was created by the acridity caused by calcium oxalate crystals of fresh aroids. The old man couldn’t bear the itching upon his throat. The old man suddenly said on the top of his voice, “Hey old woman, give me hentak – seasoned dry fish to cure the irritation inside the throat.”  Unbelievable what had happened, the old lady also had tasted the dish. After eating, she also felt similar symptom of the itching inside her throat. She also demanded hentak. The couple shared the hentak in the day. On that night the couple spent by eating dried peas. They later know that all were the monkey tricks. The monkeys had planted the wild plants in place of the boiled and eatable aroids. The couple got angry very much. They were planning a plot to teach lessons to the monkeys. They tried to kill the monkeys.

The old man pretended to be dead/ a long stick was also lying near him for hitting and killing the monkeys. The old woman made crocodile tears and was pretending to be cried aloud. All the monkeys rushed in at the spot. When the monkeys were near body of the old man, the old woman cried aloud and later mourned, “Oh My lovely heart, you die of eating aroids, be made rebirth a human being by eating pumpkin”. On seeing the pathetic scene, the monkeys also joined the old woman’s crying aloud and mourning. The old lady further mourned that you the old man died after eating too much aroid soup. The aroid plants grew up overnight.  The plants were planted according to the suggestions made by the monkeys.

As she was crying, she told the monkeys, “I am very old so I could not make a lift the dead body. I need your help for lifting the body up to the outhouse.” Some of the monkeys were feeling pity for the old couple and they started crying in masses. Other monkeys tried to lift the body of the old man, when the man made a spring of surprise by getting up alive. There was a stampede at the door of the couple’s house. In the melee a few monkeys were dead and some of them badly injured. The old man picked up the stick and hit some of the monkeys running on their back. Some monkeys were also killed and some of them got injuries. The injured monkeys ran towards their king and informed the matter. All the monkeys lived in the jungles under the command of their king had approached towards the residence of the old couple. They were trying to attack and kill the couple. To escape from the clutches of the monkeys, the old couple took their shelters inside a large earthen jar lying at the corner of their house. The monkeys searched out the old couple. Some of them looked out atop of the house and some of them inside the kitchen. They also searched the old couple under the bed. However, still they didn’t find out the whereabouts of the old couple. At last found the large earthen jar. Thinking that the old couple would be taken shelter inside the jar, the monkeys using all their forces had lifted the pot up to the courtyard.

Because of the noisy in doing their hard jobs, the monkeys did not hear what the old man and woman were talking the jar. The old woman told his husband, “My stomach is full of air because of heavy eating of peas, I want to break wind.” The old lady broke her wind in a low sound. So the old man also said that he wanted to fart. The old lady said, “Don’t make in loud sound.”  Instead, the old man broke his wind in loud sound. On hearing the loud sound of the breaking wind, the monkeys were afraid of and dropped the large jar. They hurriedly left the place and had taken helter-skelter for their safety. Incidentally, the couple still survived. Theirs hands had been pressing on their waists and said each other feeling of pains in the back.

They got angry each other because of their attempts to kill the monkey were fruitless. Instead they got injuries themselves. After some hot arguments, the old lady consoled the old man. Finally they replanted high yielding variety of aroids on their field. Theirs’ efforts got good successes. Later, they spent happy lives.

My lovely lantern (Ita Thangmei)

Once upon a time, there lived a very hard working old woman. Her husband died a long time ago. She has not children. She lived alone in peace and prosperity. In the early morning she got up and worked till the late night everyday. During the day time, she worked in handloom works and in the night she rendered her duties in cotton works.  She was very wise and had witticism. With her hard working, she became the richer day by day. Her hard works and wealth had spread from her village to another. On hearing the news of her wealth, a thief from another village had kept his eyes on the old woman. The thief who was trying to steal goods from the house of the old woman had bee waiting opportunity to go inside the house. Every night, the thief tried to enter the house of the old woman but in vain. One day, the thief while trying to enter the house, had heard the voices of two persons talking inside the house. The thief was thinking that the old woman was not still taking to her bed. He immediately left the house. The other day, the thief attired in black dresses and covered his head with mask entered the house while the old woman was going out to fetch water for using it in the cooking. The thief was waiting the old woman to take rest to her bed. From the corner of the house, the thief saw the body of old woman by the light of the lantern. Taking with great care, the thief was approaching towards a place for comfortable in his hiding. At last he was hiding behind lantern which was hanging near the fireplace. The old woman was working in the late night. She didn’t know the thief was waiting his time.

Nor did she see the thief was hiding behind the lantern. In a surprise movement, the old woman smelt theft inside the house. If course, there was a sound of bated breath behind the lantern. While doing her works half heartedly, the old woman was thinking that how to trap the thief in an ideal manner. She was alone and old. She thought that if she cries for help at the top of her voice, the thief may either kill her or ran away. So she at last found a well thought plan to overpower thief. But it would not an east task. As the night was far advance, the old woman started her yet another trick. As if in her usual tone of having conversation every night, she started calling, “Oh! Lantern, Oh! Lantern, my lovely friend.” The lantern did not give any reply. There was silence. The lantern was giving light in and around the area as usual. The woman again said, “Oh! Lantern, Oh! Lantern, my lovely friend. Everyday,  you always made replied. Why you remained silent today. Do you want to take a rest? ” The lantern still remained silent. But the woman continued. Every day in the late night, before I am going to my bed we had been talking and discussing on any matter. “Oh! Tonight you remained silent, I know there is something behind it”, the old woman said. What happened tonight? Are you feeling ashamed before someone who was inside our house?

Why you feeling ashamed when a stranger was entering and hiding inside the house. Don’t be ashamed. Give you reply just as we talked every day. The woman was inviting the man hiding in her house and giving a thought provocation idea. The wise woman again said, “Oh! Lantern, Oh! Lantern, my lovely friend, Oh! My lovely friend, Lantern. Everyday, you always made replied. Why you remained silent today.” This time, if you did not give your response,  I would presume that a stranger was inside the house. Seeing and hearing what had happened inside the house, the thief was thinking that the old woman was talking with the lantern every day. He also thought that the old lantern would also not be an ordinary one. It would have the power to take conversation. Indeed, the thief delved in deep thought, “when I take a hide behind the lantern, the lantern is feeling of ashamed her before me. So she did not made her replies. If the old woman continued to talk to the lantern, I would give the replies in place of the old lantern.” The old woman again said, “Oh! Lantern, Oh! Lantern, my lovely friend, Oh! My lovely friend, lantern. Every day, you always made replies. Why you remained silent today.” This time, the thief made a reply ,”Yes, lovely friend”.

On hearing the terse reply, the old woman confirmed that the thief was near the lantern. She thought herself that this thief could be trapped easily. And then the old woman continued, “Why not you speak when I call you several times? Are you sleeping a bit earlier?” The thief behind the lantern again made his replies, “I have taken nab, I don’t hear what you had said earlier.” The old woman said, “I am now feeling of sleeping but I have to complete my day’s work. Until the works complete, let us take our conversation”.  The woman further said that she would tell a story before completion of her day’s works. The thief said, “I would be very happy, I want to hear your story”. The old woman began to tell her story. Once in a far village there lived an old woman. One of her eyes lost its sight. Besides, she was also a deaf person. There was a lantern hanging over the post near the old woman working every night. In the light of the lantern, the old woman worked hard every night. One day, because of her overworks, she took sleep. While taking her sleep, a thief entered the house of the old woman. The thief had collected all the household articles and tried to leave the house along with the booty. To her surprise the old woman opened her one eye and came to know that a thief was trying to collect all the materials from her house. Suddenly, wanting to catch the thief, the old woman at the top of her voice cries out for her help of the neighbors. “Oh! There is a thief, Oh thief inside my house.” The thief was hearing the story attentively. Surprisingly, on hearing loud and sound of the seeking help of the old woman in the middle of the night, the irate neighbors equipped with good weapons rushed into the house of the old woman. The thief was easily overpowered. Thus the old woman had easily trapped the thief.

The pseudo-cat (Houdong Lamboiba)

A long time ago, there lived a very muscular and strong cat in a far village of Manipur. He was very fat. During the night time he had attacked several domestic birds and small animals in the village. And during the day he stayed like an ordinary cat. After killing several birds and animals, the villagers later came to know that the fatty car was the main responsible for killing the birds and animals in their village. The irate villagers tried to kill the cat. After seeing the nature of this cat, the villagers had given him (cat) as the “pseudo-cat”.  Whatever, there were attempted to kill on his life, the wily pseudo-cat managed to escape from the clutches of the villagers. He somehow managed to live from one village to another in the later part of his life. With the passage of time, the pseudo-cat became the older and the older. He hardly caught the wild birds and animals. Sometimes he could trap the mouse and rats. His body became thin day by day. He started a new plan to become good health despite his old age. He thought that if he used the new trick some of the mice would be trapped in his paws. He wanted to take nice food everyday. It was the month of December, the harvesting season in the northern hemisphere. It was indeed the good seasons of all the birds and field mice. The grains and paddies left out of the cultivation were scattered in the field. The mice and birds had taken full of their mouths and stomachs during this season. Even the strong and muscular mouse had kept co-wives. The mice are in plenty in the fields. After taking heavy foods, some of them were basking in the winter sunshine.

On a particular day, the pseudo-cat was passing through the vast field. The previous day he was given a hot cause by some irate villagers. He was not taken any meal since the previous night. So he wanted to make a new trick to trap the mice and to kill them one by one. On seeing the mice, the pseudo-cat began to water on his hungry mouth. Being old and wise, he did not pace up near the mice that were seen gathering in group in the corner of a field. The old cat that was unable to catch any mouse for the past many years had made the new trick. He approached towards the mice and told them, “I am very old; I don’t know which day I would die. Before my death I would like to teach a ‘mantra’ – special spiritual power – taught by my father before he breathed his last.” At first the mice were not trusted the old cat. But among mice, some had told that they wanted to see the old trick. The old cat said that killing of animals was indeed committed sins to the Almighty. “I had given up the works for committing sins.” Although some of the mice didn’t trust the old cat in the earlier stage, at last the mice were agreed to take the mantra. The mice surrounded the old cat. Since then familiarity between the old cat and mice started. Some of mice played upon the bushy and long tail and some of the mice pulled the whisker while the others lapped the sole of the cat which was covered with pad. The next day, the mice requested the cat to teach the mantra. But the old cat told them the mantra would be taught to a mouse who would be very wise and talent for which he would make a trial for it. The cat said, “I will take a sit at the corner of the field having a large tree. One after another you mice can tell me at my ears what you liked. Those mice given their proposal would be gone out to the other side. They could not be mixed with the mice who were not giving their proposal to me”.

The trick began and it worked well. The old cat ate the mice whatever they were coming to tell their words. Among the mice, there was a wise mouse. He approached near the location where the cat was doing his trick. On seeing the trick, the wise mouse, because of fear for his life, fled from the scene. But the cat saw the running mouse and tried to catch it. The wise mouse ran into a hole. The cat caught the mouse by tapping the tips of its tail. Facing the danger of his life, the wise mouse remained motionless. Then the mouse said inside the hole, “Oh!  Old cat what you caught was a small and thin dried reed.” The old cat was suspicious but his paw continued to tap the object. The wise mouse remained motionless. Thinking that it was dried reed, the old cat released it and turned away from the hole. After getting the freedom from the paw of the old cat, the mouse shouted, Oh! Old cat what you had earlier caught was indeed my tail not small and thin dried reed.  Mad with rage the old cat turned back his face and search out the tail. Of course, there was nothing of small and thin dried reed in the hole. And the thus Manipuri proverb (Imei Natte Tourini, Thoura Natte Imeini). The escaped mouse ever feels the taste of bait-trick. After being eaten almost the mice, the pseudo-cat left the field and came to another village to make another trick. As he was running to reach a village ahead of him, it became dusk.

He was unable what to do in the dark. While searching his shelter, he saw a large and tall banyan tree growing on the roadside. With a sigh of relieve, he took a rest under the tree. He decided to stay the night there and anted to reach the village the following day, he stayed the night without taking proper food. He collected leaves of the banyan tree scattered there and made a bed for his comfortable. He took rest there. Being tired from the long journey, he slept soon. Meanwhile, on the top of the tree, there built a nest for a male Pebet and his wife. (According to the historian of Manipur, Pebet is a bird). For a long time, the couple had been staying there. Inside the nest, the couple was sleeping along with their four newly born babies. At the crack of the dawn, the male Pebet awoke. He was afraid of the slumbering sound of the pseudo-cat under the tree. Hi body was trembling with fear. In a love voice, he awoke his wife, “Oh! Honey, you hear me. It becomes day break. Don’t sleep. Awake. Don’t make cry your babies nor make any noise. Take care of four babies. Under the tree, there is one pseudo-cat. He is taking his sleep there since last night. He would not stay away from in and around the banyan tree if he knows that we along with our babies are here atop the tree. Today, I will take my wings alone to search out our foods. Dangers are ahead on our lives and babies.”

The wily pseudo-cat heard whatever the couple was talking, taking care for their babies and heir lives. But he again took a sleep. The old cat awake from his bed when the sun rises atop the grove of bamboos growing nearby. He flexed his muscles. He was very happy when he reminded the last night’s dream. In his dream, he drank mouthful of milk from a cracked earthen pot. But in reality, there were babies birds which would be under his paws soon. This time, the pseudo-cat wanted to make yet another trick to arrange the nice ditches in serial. He delved into deep thought that the irate villagers had given hot chases upon his life, the mice had taken hid when they knew his trick. So the new trick would be made to find a false against the birds atop the tree. Then one by one, they would be my nice meals. He broke the silence and started talking with the female bird to find an important false so as to kill their babies. The pseudo-cat asked, “Hey Pebet, how handsome I am?” On hearing the very sound, the female bird began to tremble on her feathers. She was thinking what replies would be given. If the replies was not given, the old cat would get angry. While she was thinking a lot, the old cat again asked, “Hey Pebet, how handsome I am?” In a state of fear, the female bird made her replies, “Ah, ahh, ahhh, yes your master”. The cat in angry one, “Have you not ears?” The bird said, “I could not hear what you say while lulling my babies.” The cat for the third time asked for finding the false, “Hey Pebet, how handsome I am?” The female bird replies, “Handsome! Handsome!! Handsome!!! Like a seasoned dry fish decorated in a garland!” The cat again asked, “How old your babies?”

The bird said, “Oh! My babies, they are small fries of yesterday, yes small, very small but reddish in color.” Though the pseudo-cat had invited the bird to make an irritating speech but the replies given by the female bird did not make any provocative idea. Without finding any fault from the bird, the cat stepped out for searching foods in the nearby villages. In the evening, the male bird returned to his nest with mouthful of foods for his wife and babies. Upon his perching on the nest, his wife had informed what had happened earlier in the day. After hearing the news attentively, the male bird taught his wife how to make evasive replies to the old cat. As usual, the next morning, the male bird had gone our for searching foods. The old cat started asking questions. Cat say, “Hey Pebet”. The bird said, “Ah, ahh, ahhh, your majesty”.

The cat again asked, “Can you say how beautiful my graceful face and soft fur?”

The bird said, Ah! Ah!! Ah!!! Graceful and beautiful as the reddish flowers of wild bamboos!

The cat again asked, “How old you babies?”

The bird said, “No, no, no wings sticking out.”

This time also the cat left the place. There were not words to find out the false.

The next morning, the car asked, “Hey Pebet?”

The bird said, “Ah, ahh, ahhh, Your highness.”

The cat said, “Hey Pebet, look at me. How is my face? Is it gentle, beautiful?”

The bird said, “Ah, ahh, ahhh, gentle, graceful as if a large basket full of paddy rice and as if an earthen pot full of water. They are worth shameful to see your face.” The cat said, “Let me take and eat one of your babies when it grows up.”

The bird said, “Yes your highness. Who dare it eat my babies while you are keeping stick vigil for us?” The cat was very happy and left the place again to find his foods. Thus everyday, there were questions and answer sessions for a long time. The cat could not find out any fault from the female bird. The evasive replies had made dishearten to the cat. So he wanted to pick up a quarrel with the birds. On the other hand, the parents of the baby birds made a secret plan to escape from the clutches of the wild cat. While the cat was out for food, the growing birds were taught flying from the top of a bamboo grove to another tree top. The birdies were now able to fly in the short distances. Theirs’ father taught them how to escape from the paws of the cat if they were trapped incidentally. The father further said, “All of you should take flight simultaneously when I say fly with my hands clapping three times.” As usual, the cat came and started asking questions.

“Hey Pebet, how handsome I am?”

The lady bird said, “Ah! Ah!! Ah!!! Handsome, handsome and handsome. Your strikingly handsome is like a black pot.”

The cat lifted his ears and again asked again what? What?.....

The lady bird said, “Your grandparents were a cat, your father was also a cat and you too a cat. They are the same as black pot”.

The irritating replies were the first time the cat could heard since his arrival under the tree. The cat lost his temper and in a fit of anger, he climbed up the tree and reached at the nest of the birds. The male tried to translate his teaching practices into reality and started clapping with sound of fly. The male bird said, “Oh! My children start flying on the top of another tree”. Out of the four children, only three could have managed to fly and reached the other tree top safely. But the youngest one, the weakest one, was under the paws of the cat.

The Pebet couple was perching in panic on the other side of the banyan tree. But they were keeping their eyes on the small child under the cat’s paws. Entrapping the small bird in his paws, the cat looked up at the couple and said, “Hey Pebet, your youngest child would be my prey, I will take a delicious meal today.” The male Pebet had the art of repartee. He replies, “We left out our small child because of his weakness. Now it is your turn and the bird is your. Take a nice meal and fill your empty stomach! My child child would also be happy to fulfill your hungry and thirst for long time.” The replied had astonished the cat but he asked the bird, “Tell me, if you know how to make your baby to a delicious meal?”

The male bird said, “If you want to make a delicious dish after killing my child, first the bird in the paws be washed in the clean water. After completing in washing the feathers and its body, expose it to the sun by keeping it on the paws. The feathers socked with water will be dried up when the sunlight hits upon it. After drying up the feathers the bird will spruce up. At that time you must close your eyes and put the bird on the paws and seek a boon from the Sun god whatever you wish. After dedicating the bird to the Almighty,  then you can do whatever you like on the bird now in your custody. If you do what I am suggesting to you, I myself and my wife will be happy. We will look what you are doing from the long distance atop the branches.” The old cat believed what the male bird had said. After all the procedures had been completed, the cat’s mouth began to flow water. He was thinking that he would take a nice meal. The cat put the bird on his paws and sang a song.

Ah! My prey, my nice meal

Grow up, grow up like the sun

Rising up on the eastern sky

Grow up grow up

like the moon on its wax,

Inherit your physical strength

From your grand parents

Inherit your art of repartee

from your father,

Ah! My prey, my nice meal

Grow up, grow up…

With the singing of the song, the cat tossed up the well clean bird into the air. Three times, the bird fell down on the paws. On the fourth occasions, the cat made a long toss into the air. He was thinking that it would be the last toss. And then a good meal! In its last toss, the bird made piss followed by its excreta on the paws of the cat. The cat was caught surprise. He angrily, looked upon the flying bird and  said himself, how fool he was. With the feeling of hungry, he looked at his paws and took the piss and excreta into his mouth. After tasting the piss and excreta into his mouth, the old cat murmured and said to himself how tasty it was.  When the piss and the excreta were so tasty, what about the flesh of the bird for the nice meal? On seeing the cat in the helpless situation, the Pebet couple said, “All cover all lost”. The couple along with their four children shifted their nest at the comfortable tall tree and settled there peacefully. The pseudo-cat was in a state of disheartened and went away from his lair in murmuring manners.