The Big Versus The Small
Long long ago, in a forest of Africa lived a huge animal named Ghaun Ghaun. Of course, he had other names too. But Ghaun Ghaun is the name it liked most, for it sounded good and the sound was similar to its roar. Ghaun Ghaun, surely, was a kind of tiger, but four times bigger than the tiger you or I have ever seen. With his size and thunder-like voice, he terrorized all the other animals in the forest. Always he had his way. Once Ghaun Ghaun was sleeping on a hill when it began to rain. He grew furious. He looked at the clouds and shouted, "You flying loafers! Didn't you see that I, the great Ghaun Ghaun, was lying in the open? How dare you drench me?" "Well, Ghaun Ghaun, if we look into everybody's convenience before we start raining, we can never rain. For, if you are lying in the open today, a lion is getting married tomorrow and a boar is throwing a feast day after tomorrow. We have to act according to our rules and not according to the whims of the different creatures!" "Shut up! Who needs your rain at all? Get out I say, get out!" roared Ghaun Ghaun.
"Thank you. We can use our precious water elsewhere!" said the clouds and they flew away at double speed. There was no rain for a full year, and then for yet another year! The waterfalls in the forest became mere sprinklers. The lakes became pools. By and by all of them completely dried up. Only one lake which was at the center of the forest still had water in it. All the animals of the forest flocked there to quench their thirst. Ghaun Ghaun too was obliged to go there. But he suspected that this last lake too would dry up before long. There were many crabs in the lake. Ghaun Ghaun summoned their chief and told him, "This is my lake. No other creature should be allowed to drink from it. Right?" "Right, Ghaun Ghaun, Sir!" "And tell the other crabs who are in the lake itself not to drink too much water!" "Right, Ghaun Ghaun, Sir!" Ghaun Ghaun went away. Soon the jackal came to drink the water. "Don't you touch the water. It belongs to Ghaun Ghaun!" the head crab cautioned him. The jackal slank away but waited under a bush. Soon there came the boar. He too was warned by the crab. And he too retreated, and took position near the jackal. Then came the wolf, followed by the boar, followed by the tiger, followed by the lion, followed by the elephant. The crab told all of them to refrain from touching the lake. And all of them stood on the bank, not knowing what to do. They were awfully thirsty, at the same time they were not prepared to arouse Ghaun Ghaun's wrath.
Then came the little rabbit. He was rather hard of hearing. He straight went to the water and had a sip of it. The moment the other animals saw the little rabbit defying the ban, they all rushed to the water and quenched their thirst. They had just finished drinking when Ghaun Ghaun arrived. At his terrific roar, the animals trembled and felt like running away, but nobody was prepared to prove himself a coward before the others. So, all stood, waiting to see what would happen next. Ghaun Ghaun had seen them drinking. He wanted to punish them. But he had never seen so many of them together. He could thrash any one or even two of them. But it was risky to attack the tiger, the lion, and the elephant at one go! But he must show his authority! "You head crab! Did I not order you to guard my lake?" he demanded. "I warned all of them to keep away, Sir, but they disregarded my order!" explained the crab apologetically. "You did not warn them properly, I am sure. You must die. I will chew you. Come out. Let everybody know what happens to one who does not obey me," said Ghaun Ghaun.
The crab crawled up to the bank, reluctantly. Suddenly the rabbit said something. It was not audible to Ghaun Ghaun. The elephant lifted the rabbit with his trunk and placed the gentle creature on his own back. Said the rabbit, "Ghaun Ghaun, Sir, anybody can chew up a crab. Even the creatures called men who are so much afraid of us that they always live outside the forest, chew up crabs. We would like the great Ghaun Ghaun to swallow the crab instead of chewing it up!" "I accept your suggestion!" said Ghaun Ghaun and he lifted the crab and swallowed it. Then he surveyed the animals gravely. But soon his face looked distorted with pain. He rolled on the ground and groaned. It went on for fifteen minutes. Then the crab was found coming out of Ghaun Ghaun's tummy, cutting his way with his sharp claws. Ghaun Ghaun lay still. It was dead. The animals danced around the crab and rabbit. The two little creatures could put an end to the biggest and most ferocious creature in the forest, Ghaun Ghaun the tyrant. The animals then climbed the hill and prayed to the clouds to be kind to them. The clouds returned to the sky over the forest. It began raining profusely. The lakes were soon full. The waterfalls began to murmur and then roar!
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