BED TIME STORIES

A CITY RAT AND A VILLAGE RAT

Once there were two rats who were good friends. One of them lived in a city and the other lived in a village. Both of them exchanged news of their well being through other

rats who travelled between the two places.

Once the city rat wished to meet his village friend. He sent the message through some rats of the village. The village friend was very excited about his friends visit. He made preparations to welcome him. To receive his friend, he went to the border of the village wearing a traditional dress like dhoti, kurta and cap, with a garland in his hand. However, his city friend was wearing a suit, boots and a neck tie. They hugged each other and exchanged greeting.

The village rat welcomed him and said, "We have fresh and unpolluted air here. The atmosphere in the city is impure."

They gossiped a lot and exchanged their views on different topics. Then, they sat down to eat. The village rat served him fruits and boiled wheat grains.

After having food, they went for a stroll outside the village. The fields looked green and the natural beauty of the jungle had its own attraction. The village rat said, "Does the city have such beautiful scenes?" The city rat said nothing but invited the village rat to come to the city at least once to see the comfortable life of the city.

The village rat said he would certainly come to the city one day. The city rat said, "Why don’t you accompany me now?" The village rat replied, "All right, I will consider your proposal."

When the night fell, they came back and slept on the soft grass. Next day, for breakfast the village rat served his friend fresh fruits and cereals. The city rat was irritated and said to the village rat, "Let us go to the city right now. Give me a chance to serve you."

The village rat accepted the proposal and got ready for the journey to the city. The city rat lived in a big house. At night the village rat was surprised to see, the dining table full of different types of dishes. The village rat has not seen such a variety of food before. The city rat asked the village rat to enjoy the meal. Then he started eating. The village rat had a liking for the paneer and finished the piece quickly. At this moment, they heard the voice of a cat. The city rat said, "Quickly hide yourself below the almirah, otherwise the cat will eat us." Both rushed to the almirah and hid themselves under it. After some time, when the cat went away, both came out. The village rat was still trembling. The city rat again started eating the dishes and advised his friend too, "Do not be afraid. It is a part of the city life." The village rat gathered courage and went to the dining table again. This time he quickly finished the cake of his choice. At this juncture, a boy came there with a dog. The village rat being afraid of the dog asked his friend, "Who is this fellow?" The city rat said, "He is Jimmi, the son of the master of this house and the dog is his pet. Be quick and hide yourself there." After their departure, both the rats came out. The village rat was very afraid. He said, "Friend, I think I should go back now. I am thankful to you for the tasty dishes, but there are to many dangers. Thanks again." And he started for the village. On reaching, he heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Oh! Life is precious and above all wisdom."

***********************************************************


The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time there was a prince who wanted to marry a princess; but she would have to be a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one, but nowhere could he get what he wanted. There were princesses enough, but it was difficult to find out whether they were real ones. There was always something about them that was not as it should be. So he came home again and was sad, for he would have liked very much to have a real princess.

     One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the city gate, and the old king went to open it.

     It was a princess standing out there in front of the gate. But, good gracious! what a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. And yet she said that she was a real princess.

     Well, we'll soon find that out, thought the old queen. But she said nothing, went into the bed-room, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom; then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eider-down beds on top of the mattresses.

     On this the princess had to lie all night. In the morning she was asked how she had slept.

     "Oh, very badly!" said she. "I have scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that I am black and blue all over my body. It's horrible!"

     Now they knew that she was a real princess because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eider-down beds.

Nobody but a real princess could be as sensitive as that.

     So the prince took her for his wife, for now he knew that he had a real princess; and the pea was put in the museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.

     There, that is a true story.

************************************************

A WISE PARROT

Once upon a time there lived a parrot in a forest. He was very handsome. His beak and wings were very beautiful. His younger brother also lived with him. Both were living happily in the forest.

One day, a hunter came to the forest. He saw the pair of the parrots and thought, ‘These parrots are very beautiful and special. I will present them to the king,’ He spread his net in the jungle to catch them. Soon both the parrots were trapped.

He kept them in a cage and went to the place. He said to the king, "O king, see this beautiful pair of parrots. I caught them in the deep forest. Seeing their beauty I decided to bring them to you. They will add to the beauty of your palace."

The king was very happy. He gave one thousand coins to the hunter. He kept both the parrots in a golden cage and ordered his servants to look after them well.

The parrots were looked after very well. They were treated as very important birds in the palace. They were served fruits and delicious food. They became the centre of attraction. Even the young prince came to play with them. The parrots were very happy. They got everything without any labour. The older parrot once said to his brother, "We are highly respected in the palace and hence, quite satisfied."

The younger brother replied, "You are right, we are getting royal treatment. It is our luck."

One day, a hunter brought a black monkey named Kala Bahu. The monkey was presented to the king, who asked the attendants to keep the monkey in the courtyard. The king as well as the prince were very happy to see the monkey and his amusing activities. Soon the monkey became the centre of attraction.

With the arrival of the monkey, the parrots were neglected. They sometimes did not even get food. Both of the parrots knew the cause of it. The older parrot was wise and hoped that the days would change again and one should not be depressed. He comforted his brother, "Nothing is permanent in this world. Have patience till the bad days are over."

One day the monkey performed such feats before the prince that he got scared and cried, "Help! Help!" Hearing his cries, all rushed there and took the prince away. When the king came to know about it, he ordered his men to leave the monkey in the forest. The next day, the monkey was sent to the forest.

The bad days of the parrots were now over. They were treated well again. Good dishes and fruits were also served to them. They again became the centre of attraction.

The wise parrot clarified the situation to his younger brother saying that time never remains the same, and one should not be depressed by the temporary unfavorable changes. The young parrot also realized the fact that nothing is permanent in the world and one should never lose patience.

************************************************************

A WOLF AND SEVEN LAMBS

Once there lived a goat along with her seven kids near a forest. She loved her kids very much.

One day while the goat was going to collect food for her kids, she said to them, "Kids! I am going to the forest to bring food. You should not quarrel. And listen! Do not open the door for anyone except me. The Wolf always eyes you greedily." She kissed her kids and bade goodbye.

The wolf was already waiting for the goat to depart. He was very fond of the lamb’s flesh. He went to the hut of the goat and knocked at the door, "Hello kids! Here is your mother. Open the door. I have brought good food for you." The kids were intelligent, they recognized the voice of the wolf and said, "O wicked wolf! Do not try to fool us. Go away!"

Then the wolf practiced speaking like the goat and came again. This time, he spoke in a loud voice, "Hello kids! Open the door. It is your mother here. Be quick."

The kids were intelligent. They peeped through the magic glass of the door cautiously. Seeing the feet of the wolf, they said, "No! We will not open the door. We have recognized you. Your feet are different from those of our mother’s. The color of her feet is white."

Hearing the kids made the wolf go to a grocer’s shop and ask him to cover his feet by the white flour. The shopkeeper was surprised to hear the strange demand of the wolf. But out of fear, he sprinkled some flour on his feet. Thus, the feet of the wolf became white. He came back to the hut of the goat and knocked at the door, "Hello! Dear children, I have come, open the door quickly."

The kids peeped through the magic glass and found the color of the feet white. They

opened the door. But seeing the wolf, made them run here and there to save their lives. Some went under the bed, while some hid behind the curtains. But the cunning wolf caught and ate up all of them except one who had hidden himself in the big clock of the house. The wolf just could not guess that hide out.

After some time when the goat returned to the hut, she was surprised to see the door wide open. She had thought that the kids would be very happy to eat the fresh food. But her happiness vanished soon. She found that the whole house had been ransacked and none of her kids could be seen. She wept and cried bitterly and said, "Oh kids! What happened to you all? Why did you open the door for a stranger. The wolf has won the fight and I have lost to him."

At this moment, the kid who was inside the clock spoke, "Mother! Are you listening to me, the youngest of all? Take me out of the clock." The goat immediately picked her little kid and kissed her again and again. The kid narrated the whole incident. Then they heard the snoring of the wolf. The goat said, "It appears that the wolf is still here. Bring the long scissors."

The kid brought the scissors. They both went to the garden. They found the wolf sleeping there. The goat went up to the wolf slowly and cut open his belly. She found the kids alive and took them out one by one from the wolf’s belly. The goat hugged the kids warmly. Then she asked all the kids to fill stones in his belly. They all picked big stones and put them in the wolf’s stomach. Thereafter, the goat stitched the belly and they all came back to their hut.

Soon the wolf awoke and felt thirsty. He got up and went to the well to drink water. As there were stones in his belly, he could not balance himself and fell into the well with a loud noise. He died by drowning in the deep water.

The goat and her kids were observing everything from the window. Now they all came out of the hut and danced. They needn’t be afraid of the wolf anymore.

***********************************************************