The Goat and the Python

Munni was a goat who lived in a forest at the foot of the mighty Himalayas.    She lived there with her five kids.  The kids were born in the summer of that year.  They were little and helpless.  She was very proud of them and loved them very much. 

The trees of the forest were tall and imposing.  There were green meadows full of juicy and wholesome grass on the slopes of the hills.  Munni would graze there every day.    The kids would stay in the cave as she went out.  She was anxious about their safety.

The hills were the home to many animals including wolves, foxes and snakes.    The wolves with their sharp fangs were a terrifying sight.  The foxes were wily and could never be trusted.  The snakes were extremely poisonous.  Some other snakes called pythons could swallow large animals whole.  Every goat on the mountain learned to be careful of these predators.  A young kid would be a tasty snack.

Every day as she left her children while going to the meadows, she would call them together and warn them about the danger lurking outside,   “Little children, never open the door to anybody other than your mother.  I will always call you once I come home. “, She would tell them, “You should open the door only once you see me through the window and hear my voice.“  “Yes, Mama”, the little ones would nod in unison; “We will always keep the door closed.”

With an anxious heart, Munni left for the meadows to graze.  “I will be quick today”, she said to herself.  As for the kids, they closed the door.  Soon they were busy playing with one another.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.  The kids paused.  The knock was heard again.   The kids were puzzled.  “How could mother come home so soon?”, they thought.  They did not open the door.

Soon, they could hear the door creaking.  Someone was pushing the door open.  They froze in alarm.  They were helpless.  They door and its hinges creaked as if it would break any moment.  Who could it be?”, they thought as they huddled together in terror.

Just then a tremendous thud was heard as the door gave way.  A huge python crept into the house.    It opened its wide gaping jaws and with one massive sweep swallowed the kids whole.    It all happened so fast.  The python looked around to see if anything else was there to eat.

 It did not see that one of the kids had escaped its gaping jaws.  The kid quickly slipped beneath a table and lay still.  The python left the house as silently as it had come.

An hour later, Munni came home.  She had had a good fill of the grass.  It was enough for a couple of days for her.  She looked forward to spending time with her kids.  As she came near her house, she knew that something was amiss.  The door was opened.   Her heart beat fast as she entered the house.  There her worse fears were confirmed.  The house had been ransacked and worst of all, her children were gone.  Munni was devastated.  Just then the lone kid who had survived the carnage came out of its hiding place.  Sobbing, the young kid told Munni what had happened.  Munni was too numb to react.

She rushed to the home of her sister, Nutan.  Nutan lived a few hills away.  She narrated her tragic story to her sister.   Nutan was sad and tried to console her sister.   “Let us see if we can find the python”, she said.    She also took Munni and a few other goats, her friends, along.   The goats went around looking for the python.   The little kid was left safe at Nutan’s home.

They searched everywhere they could.   But they could not locate the python.  Suddenly, one of the goats saw a long creature moving in a distance.  They went closer to investigate.  It was a python indeed.  The python had just eaten something.  Its belly was so large that it could hardly move.    Munni and the other goats were so overcome with anger and rage. They fell upon the python and attacked him with their sharp horns.

The horns pierced and tore open the belly of the python.  And lo and behold, the little kids which the python had swallowed whole jumped out of the python’s belly.  Munni’s joy knew no bounds.  She embraced her kids.  She was overcome with joy.  As for the python, he tried to slither away but the goats would not leave him.  They stabbed him with their horns and soon he was dead.  That was the end of the wicked python.

Children, this story teaches us not to lose hope even in the midst of tragedy.  With the support of our friends, we may still be able to salvage the situation even when it appears to be hopeless like the goat Munni who got her kids back.