From a Bengali Folk Tale

From a Bengali Folk Tale

 

I was out walking through some seldom-frequented woods not too far from my house when I came upon a silver cage the size of a bedroom, and in that silver cage there stood a beautiful woman gripping the bars. She called to me: "Help! Help! An evil genie locked me in here! The latch is there, too far for me to reach!"

I found the latch and twisted it. The cage door opened, and the woman emerged. And then‑wouldn't you know it?‑she cackled wildly.

"I can't believe you fell for it!" She said. "Now I'm going to gobble you up!"

"Hey, wait a sec," I said. "Why me? I did you a favour."

She pondered this, then said: "I see your point; and yet, I am so very hungry! Find me something good to eat, and you may live!"

Off I went, in more than a little terror, back towards my home. I came across a family of squirrels, and asked them if they would sacrifice themselves for me.

They said: "Why should we do that? You've never given us the time of day. Get lost!"

Proceeding on, I met a farmer and explained my position.

He said: "I don't know you, and I don't think I want to know you. Forget it!"

Then, a block from my house, I came across a rosebush and asked it: "Will you die so I may live?"

The roses said: "All you've ever done is kick us when you lost your ball. We remember that! Beat it!"

Finally, I was in my house. No-one was home save Archie the dog. I said to him: "Oh, Archie, an evil woman in the woods wants to eat me unless I find her something nice to eat instead of myself!"

Archie put his head on his crossed paws to think. Then he said: "I'll do it for you."

"You will?"

"I'm man's best friend."

Archie came with me back to where the evil woman was. I told her: "My dog is willing to be the sacrifice."

Archie interrupted quickly, saying: "Now hold on a minute here. Before I get eaten, I want to know the circumstances." He looked at me. "How did you get into the cage in the first place?"

I said: "I wasn't in the cage; she was in the cage."

"Ah! So, you," he said, turning to the woman, "were just happening along, and you came across my master, who was in that cage‑"

She cried: "He wasn't in the cage, numbskull! I was in the cage!"

"Oh!" said Archie, who proceeded to put his head on his paws once again. "But why in the world would my master think he had the right to eat you, then?"

"It's the other way around! I am going to eat him, unless he finds‑"

"Well, why didn't you say so! But: why did you let him out of that cage?"

"He was never in that cage!"

"What?"

"I was in that cage!"

"But.... Then.... Oh dear, I'm all a-muddle!"

The evil woman, trembling with anger, cried: "Look, this is how it was!" She went over to the cage and fluttered her hands at it. "I was in this cage! Like so!" She climbed into the cage.

Archie darted forth and slammed the cage shut. The lock did the rest.

She cried: "What a terrible trick!"

Archie looked at me and smiled. "Man's best friend," he said.