The Clever Old Lady

Once there was an old lady who had a grand daughter by the name of Chadni meaning moon light. One day she decided to visit her grand daughter, so she packed some foods and set out early. By midday, she entered into a jungle and picking up courage she started to walk when a tiger spotted her and came ahead on nose with her. ‘Aha, old lady, you are just in time for my lunch’ howled the tiger. But the old lady answered without any fear, ‘what do you want to eat of me, I am only skin and bones.

Wait till I return from Chadni’s place. I will be fat and plump and you can then enjoy my flesh’. The tiger looked at the bony legs and nodded.

            When the old lady reached the middle of the jungle, she came face to face with a ferocious bear who blocked her way saying, ‘old lady, you are just in time for my lunch’. The old lady picked up courage and said, ‘wait a minute, I am only skin and bones, let me come back from my grand daughter’s house and then you can eat me’. The bear looked at her bony arms and said, ‘very well, I will wait for you here’.

As the old lady neared the end of the jungle, a sly wolf jumped in front of her and bared his teeth saying, ‘I have been starving for days and you are just in time, old lady’. But the brave old lady replied in a cool voice, ‘surely you would not enjoy a skinny, bony body. Let me come back from my grand daughter’s house and then you can eat me for I will be fat and plum’. The wolf looked at her wrinkled skin and said, ‘That is true, but I will wait for you here and guard you that you do not deceive my eyes’.

            By this time it was afternoon and the old lady hurried through a bazaar. There she bought a necklace made of conch shell to present if to Chadni. Then she sat down to eat her meal.

            After she finished eating, she looked around for things. She enjoyed looking at a pair of snake charmers and was amazed at the snake uncoiling and dancing to the tune. The pretty girl sang a beautiful song. I the evening she reached her grand daughter’s house. There she related to her every thing that had happened on her way.

            Chadni  treated her old granny very well. Everyday she gave lots of rice and curry to her granny so she would gain some weight. After a few weeks, the old lady became fat and plump.

            When it was her time to go, she called Chadni  and said, ‘there are enemies in the jungle and there is no other way that I can take to go home. So bring a big pumpkin shell and hide me inside it’. The grand daughter did as she was told. Once the old lady was snug inside the shell, the grand daughter kicked it and so it started to roll down the path.

            Pretty soon the pumpkin rolled inside the jungle where the tiger was waiting. When he saw the pumpkin instead of the old lady, he kicked it with disgust and thus the pumpkin started to roll even faster. Then the bear saw the shell rolling and kicked it again but near the end of the jungle, the clever wolf was waiting. The wolf wanted to see what was inside the shell, so he tore it open and out popped the old lady, fat and plump. ‘Now I am going to eat you’ shouted the wolf with hungry eyes.

In the meantime, the tiger and the bear came over and each of them wanted to eat the old lady. The clever old lady thought of a plan and said, ‘wait, do not fight among yourselves. The three of you cannot eat me at the same time’. ‘That is true’ said the tiger.

            ‘Then what shall we do?’ asked the bear.

            The old lady stepped back a little and said, ‘I want the three of you to fight and wrestle, and whoever wins the fight will be able to eat me’. As soon as the animals heard this, they sprang on each other and began tearing themselves. The tiger fell on to of the bear, the bear scratched off the eyes from the wolf. In the meantime, the old lady, quietly slid into the thicket and ran home as fast as she could. When the villagers heard the story, they hailed the brave old lady.