The Mongoose and The Child
Once, there lived a farmer and his wife. They had a little son. The farmer had a pet mongoose. The little boy and the mongoose were fond of each other. They were good playmates.
One day the farmer was busy at his fields. The farmer’s wife had left to the market. The little boy was fast asleep in a cradle. The mongoose was lying down near the cradle.
A cobra somehow got into the house and it was nearing the little boy. The mongoose sniffed the snake and jumped up. He fought with the cobra. The cobra began to attack. There was a fierce fight between the cobra and the mongoose. The mongoose finally bit and killed the cobra.
The mongoose saw the farmer’s wife returning from market. He ran happily towards her to greet her. She saw blood around the mouth and paws of the mongoose. The farmer’s wife mistook that the mongoose had attacked her son.
The farmer’s wife took a long stick and gave heavy blows on the mongoose and then ran into the house. She was shocked to see a dead cobra lying on the floor near her son. Now she realised her mistake. Her sorrow knew no bounds.
MORAL : Look before you leap.