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.