The tiger was very enthusiastic because he was getting closer to his meal. He took the fox to the cage and said, “Look, this is the cage. Do you understand that?”
Chature said, “Oh yes! Thank you for showing it to me. Now tell me, what happened.”
Puret Ba looked at the tiger and said, “The tiger was inside the cage, and I, a Brahmin, was on the road passing by the cage on my way to the king’s palace.”
At this point, Chature stopped Puret Ba and said, “Wait! Go slow. Let me be clear. The tiger was your Brahmin and that road was going through the cage?”
Hearing this, the tiger could not help laughing.[break]
He thought the fox was really stupid. Still laughing, he said, “You sure are a fool! I was inside the cage and the Puret was on the road.”
Chature said, “Oh, okay, I think I got it now. Puret Ba was in the cage and you the tiger was on the road, right?”
Still laughing, the tiger said, “No, stupid, I was in the cage and the Puret was on the road.”
Chature sat on the stone, put his hands on his forehead, and said, “This is still too confusing. The whole thing is very puzzling. I can’t understand anything. I’m so stupid. Did you say the tiger was inside the Brahmin and the cage was walking on the road?
The tiger was amazed at Chature’s stupidity. He couldn’t hold himself and rolled on the floor laughing. He just could not stop himself. All the while, Puret Ba was only smiling. He was becoming surer that he would be saved from the tiger.
The tiger said, “You’re a fool indeed. Listen to me, very carefully, one more time. I was in the cage and the Puret was out on the road.”
Chature scratched his head and said, “I don’t think I understand.”
By this time the tiger’s patience had reached its limit and his stomach was growling with hunger. He wanted to get this thing over with as soon as possible and satisfy his hunger with the feast of the man’s and the fox’s meat. Irritated with the fox, he said, “Listen to me, you fool! Why can’t you understand this? I was inside the cage. Look, like this.”
The tiger then stepped inside the cage. Seeing the tiger inside the cage, Chature said, “Aha! Now I understand. You were there inside the cage but you can always come out because there’s no door.”
At this, the tiger was further irritated and said, “Why can’t you understand that the door was closed and locked. So I couldn’t come out.”
Chature said, “Sorry! I can’t understand this, either. I can’t see the door. I sure am stupid. I can’t understand unless I see it.”
Chature looked at Puret Ba and said, “Can you show me where the door is and how it locks?”
By now the tiger had lost all rhyme and reason. He wasn’t thinking straight at all. So he said, “Yes, show this stupid fox the door and how it works.”
Puret Ba was very quick as he closed and locked the door of the cage before the tiger could say anything.
Chature jumped up and down and said, “Now I understand! That’s it, now I understand.” Then he looked at Puret Ba and said, “The door is tightly locked and I suggest it stays that way.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, Puret Ba thanked Chature for saving his life.
Chature further said to Puret Ba, “If you still want to hear what I have to say, it’s that you must never do good to a bad person. Therefore, the tiger is right. Now you better hurry. You don’t want to be late for the king’s puja.”
Puret Ba looked up, thanked God for saving his life from the tiger, and promised to be smart in the future.
Pokharel is an educationist, consultant and author of several children’s books
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