Stories 31-40!

Story 31

This is a Hindi story, after his trip to Mumbai!

Why Elephants Can't Fly

A long time ago, much longer than most people can remember, elephants could fly! They had four enormous wings and they whizzed through the sky so fast that it amazed the other animals.  But these big beasts were sometimes also stupid.  But shhh… the other animals would keep quiet about it and never discuss it.

Because the elephants were so strong and so fast, God decided to take their help.  He could ride on these big beasts and they could help Him to put the finishing touches to the world.  In a moment He could be in China and from there, within the blink of an eye, He could zoom off to Iceland!  And these elephants were so strong that they pushed and pushed at mountains and icebergs, shifting them until everything in the world was perfect. For example, they helped God to put the Himalayas in India and in Tanzania, they had Mount Kilimanjaro.  By riding on these elephants, God sorted the whole world out and made it absolutely perfect.

Once this big job had been completed, God told the elephants that they could have a permanent holiday.  Uh… that is, until He had something else for them to do.  Now the elephants did not have very much to do.  Then do you know what happened?

The elephants became idle and to pass their time, they talked about the old days.  They talked about how strong they had been. They talked about how fast they were, and how God had favoured them. And the more they talked, the more they came to think that they were much, much better than all the other animals on earth.   They were definitely the most important!

The elephants chattered idly to each other.   ‘Look at that peacock,’ they would say unkindly. ‘See how ugly and brown his little wings are compared to ours!’ And they would always make sure to raise their voices high so that the little peacock could hear their mean words. And the poor peacock, who was kind and humble at heart, could not disagree with the elephants.  He thought – ‘The elephants are right.  I am small.  My wings are not beautiful like those of the fairies and nor am I strong like the elephants.’

As time went on, the elephants began to pride themselves.  They began to think that they could do whatever they wanted.  The greedy elephants would take all the bananas from the banana tree, leaving none for the other animals.   The other animals were sad because they did not get even one banana for their meal!  And you know what the elephants did with these bananas in their trunks?

The elephants would come down into a village, any village they liked – they would spread their wings like a carpet and sit down to have their picnic.  The whole village would be squashed under the weight of the elephants. The houses would be flattened and the fields would be ruined and the villagers would be deeply upset. 

The poor villagers were very angry at the destruction of their homes, and the animals with their empty stomachs were also very cross.  And so God decided enough was enough. These proud and greedy elephants had gotten far too big for their trunks, and needed to be taught a lesson!

God invited all the elephants for a chat. He said to them – ‘Oh mighty elephants, listen to Me.  I am very grateful to you for helping me make the world perfect.  So I want to throw a party. Only for the elephants.

All the elephants were very happy.  One elephant said to another – ‘See!  Even God can see how strong and brave we are.  How much we have helped Him.  It is right that He should have a party just for us!’

So the greedy elephants, all puffed up with pride and confidence, turned up to the feast one by one.  As promised, God had found the best food, and there were mountains of it!  Bright yellow bananas, deep red pomegranates, tangy guavas, juicy mangoes … whatever fruits you could imagine, they were there.  The greedy elephants were delighted.  And they ate it all up. Every last bit.

By the end of the meal the elephants were so full that one by one they dropped off to sleep surrounded by discarded banana peels and mango skins. This was the moment God had been waiting for.  When the last elephant had closed his eyes, God took out a very big knife.  Quietly, He went to each elephant and chopped off their wings.  And He gave these beautiful wings to the little peacocks.  The little peacocks were so happy that they ran into the forest to sing and dance.

Have you seen the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance?

Have you seen the peacocks dance, all around the trees?

Yes, I’ve seen the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance, the peacocks dance,

Yes, I’ve seen the peacocks dance, all around the trees.

And now think of the elephants.  When the elephants finally awoke from their long sleep, they were shocked to see the beautiful peacock swishing his impressive feathers at them.  They were really, really angry.  But God had no time to listen to their complaints. Instead He said, ‘I want you elephants to become nicer, kinder.  I want you to use your strength and help the villagers to  re-build their houses.’ 

The elephants felt very ashamed of what they had done.  They resolved to help the villagers as much as they could.  So even today, in every village, there are elephants that come and go, helping people as they pass by. 

Hindi Story by Becky Walker, can be found on http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/131-when-elephants-did-fly/english

Story 32!

In his first journey around the World in 80 Days, Phileas landed in some great difficulties leaving Bombay. He had been travelling on The Great Indian Penisular Railway and had discovered that the line ended in a little Hamlet called Khloby and started again 50 miles down the route at Allahabad. This caused Phileas much dismay, as he was then required to hire a guide and ride the next part of his journey by Elephant!
During his journey to Allahabad by Elephant, Passepartout and Phileas rescued an Indian woman Aouda, from her death! She then joined Phileas on his journey around the World!
As Phileaus arrived in Khloby, he remembered this moment and hired a guide to ride by Elephant once more.
Whilst journeying, his guide shared with him some stories. 
Here's one of those for you to enjoy!

The Clever Old Woman

Once upon a time there lived an old woman in a kingdom ruled by a beautiful queen.  She had four sons but they use to fight a lot and their wives were also unkind to each other.  They all lived in the same house but as they argued so much, everyone had separate kitchens. The old woman was very sad as she wished that they would be able to live as one big happy family, helping each other.  She threatened to throw them out of the house if they could not learn to live as a united family and in order to save money she told her sons and their wives that they would only be able to use one kitchen.  She hoped that this would mean that the wives would learn to live in harmony with each other.  The sons were also fed up with the situation and agreed to their mother’s command.

As the old woman was very poor, the sons all gave their daily earnings to their mother.   One day the youngest son went to find work in the city but had no luck. He saw a dead snake when returning home that evening and sadly he picked it up in order to take something back to his mother. When the old woman asked for his earnings, he told her that he had been unable to find work that day and passed the dead snake to her.  She consoled him and asked him to try again the next day.   But knowing that the snake would not make a good meal for them all, she threw the dead snake onto the roof of her mud house.

On that same day, the queen of the kingdom went to a beautiful pond to take a bath. She removed her expensive diamond necklace and left it near the bank in the care of her maids.  Suddenly, an eagle appeared overhead.  The eagle was attracted to the bright shining necklace and swooping down, she clasped it in her claws and flew away. The maids screamed but to no avail. The queen was so upset that she made an announcement that whoever could find the lost necklace would be granted a grand prize.

After flying for a while, the eagle saw the dead snake on the old woman’s roof.  Realising that the snake could be eaten while the necklace could not, she left the necklace there and took away the dead snake.

The next day, the old woman went up to her roof to put some clothing to dry in the sunshine when she spotted the necklace. She understood that this was the queen’s stolen necklace and that the queen desperately wanted it back.

It happened that the festival of light known as Diwali was in 2 days time.  At that festival, everyone lights oil lamps and candles to appease the Goddess of Wealth. The old woman made a plan. She went to the queen’s palace and asked the guard if she could see the queen. When the queen saw her necklace, she was very happy and promised to give the old woman a large sum of money.  

But the old woman declined.  Instead she said, “Thank you very much, my lady, for your offer but I am poor and won’t be able to guard this treasure.  If you agree, I want that on the night of Diwali only my household should be allowed to light oil lamps, and no one else should be allowed to light their lamps.”   

The queen was surprised at this request, but was so grateful that she granted the old woman her wish and issued instructions that only the old woman’s house would be lit at Diwali that year.

The festival of Diwali came.   The old woman asked all the members of her household to clean every nook and cranny of the house and decorate it with beautiful scented flowers.  Everyone worked together on these tasks and in the evening, the old woman lit lamps and candles in every part of her house.

At midnight, the Goddess of Wealth came for her annual visit.  She was disappointed to see pitch darkness everywhere in the kingdom.  Then she saw beautiful lights shining from the old woman’s house.  As the goddess loved lights, she quickly made her way straight to the old woman’s house and knocked on the door.  Hearing the knock, the old woman opened the door signalling her sons, daughters in law and grandchildren to welcome the goddess with flower garlands, perfume and sweets. This they did and the Goddess was very pleased. She asked them what they would like her to give them in return for their devotion to her.

The old woman came forward and said “We ask that you stay in our house forever so that we live in prosperity and happiness.”

The Goddess thought for a moment and said “I am happy to stay here in your house for ever but only if you all stay united, not fighting but loving each other. If anyone disobeys this condition, I will leave the house.“

Everyone was so happy to know that the Goddess was pleased, that they all agreed to her request and since then all the members of the family lived in harmony, filled with love and respect for each other.  The old woman was very happy as her desire for her children to live peacefully had finally been granted. And the Goddess of Wealth stayed in their house for all the coming generations. 

A Hindi Story by Mansha Sahay

Story from:

http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/156-the-clever-old-woman/english

Story 33

While Phileas was exploring Indian he has sent a story back for you all. It is called The Gift of the Forest by Bindu Chander

Venu had spent the day with his mother at the busy bazaar in Kodaikanal town selling their crops of fresh cauliflower, cabbage, garlic and onions. As they wearily made their way back to their village, Venu played his flute. He carried this flute everywhere and played exquisite music which always made his mother happy.

On entering their farmhouse in Vilpatti, Venu sat on a stool next to the bed where his father was resting. ‘Tantai,’ said the boy, ‘please eat some more rice. It does not look like you have eaten at all today and the doctor said you need to try and keep eating regularly so that you might keep up your strength.’

The old man looked lovingly at his son. ‘Venu, my sweet boy, the doctor says all sorts of things, but the truth is my health is getting no better. If only I had not worked in that mining factory for all those years I am sure my health would not be so bad. Poor Adhir’s wife has received no compensation from the company after losing her husband and he worked so hard. What does the company do? They just brush it aside under the carpet as if nothing happened. They are getting away with murder!’

Venu was always upset whenever his father spoke of his illness. ‘Tantai, please don’t talk like that, it makes me sad. I love you, Tantai!’

‘I love you too, my boy, but there is no future for you here.’ It was then that the old man’s face took on a very serious expression. ‘That is why you must leave this place. I do not want you ever working in the mining factory. Not ever!’

‘But I don’t want to leave, Tantai. I love the forest and have many friends here. I don’t want to leave.’

The boy was very upset at his father’s words and he began to cry, but the old man, despite his sickness and his frailty, remained stern. He said:

‘How many times have we discussed this, Venu? There is no cure that can rid my body of the damage done by the mercury pollution. No cure for me or for my fellow workers. These companies have no shame: coming to our beautiful land and taking over, destroying nature just for money. They do not care about the beautiful trees or the animals who make their home deep within the forest.’

'But I care!’ said Venu as he jumped to his feet and stormed out of the house. His father knew where the boy was going: to his favourite place, his beloved forest.

Venu had always loved the forest, ever since he could remember. It enchanted him, made him feel alive, safe and loved. He felt a freedom within the forest that he did not feel in any other place in the whole wide world. And he loved to play his flute there, alone with the wildlife and the music.

Deep within the forest, the blue and purple flowers of the Kurinji were in bloom. ‘How majestic,’ thought Venu as he admired the colourful plants spread here and there between the big cypress, eucalyptus and acacia trees.

Venu’s favourite gifts of the forest were the wonderful fruits which he could pick off of the trees and eat. He spotted a tree with peaches on it and picked himself a plump, juicy specimen that he knew instinctively would be ripe. He bit into the red and orange flesh and the rich juice oozed out and ran down his cheeks.

How he delighted in this simple pleasure, sitting in his forest eating his peach while watching the nilgiri monkeys up above chasing each other from branch to branch. Vinu also admired a beautiful flock of Red-Whiskered BulBul birds that flew towards him out of the blue sky above. Then he saw Laila the baby elephant approaching. He had been witness to her birth the previous year and they had been close friends ever since.

Venu walked up to Laila and offered her the remaining half of his luscious peach which she accepted in one mouthful. The boy looked at his friend, his heart full of sorrow. ‘My father has plans for me to leave Kodaikanal, to leave my forest, but I don’t want to go! This is my home.’

Once these words had left Venu’s lips, the young boy began to cry. Laila looked up at the boy and said:

‘Venu, my mother and father are both dead after drinking from the lake where the factory dumps its mercury waste. It is not safe here anymore. They have spoiled our paradise and they are not stopping. You must leave, Venu. I do not want you to fall ill! When you arrive in your new home, tell them what is happening to our forest. Tell them that the forest needs help. Tell them that the factory and the mines must go!’

Venu wiped the tears from his eyes. ‘You are right, Laila. That is exactly what I am going to do. I will let people know what is happening here.’

As the sun slowly fell from the sky, the two friends sat side by side in silence and took in the variety of sounds, textures and colours of their beloved forest. Eventually Venu got to his feet and brushed himself down. He felt much better for being in the forest but it was time to get home.

'Laila, I must leave now. Dusk is falling and I ran out of home in a real huff. Tāy and Tantai are probably worried sick.’

The little elephant smiled at the young boy. ‘Ok, Venu,’ she said, ‘you go home. And thank you for caring.’

‘Thank you for being my friend,’ said the boy. And with these words they parted company.

Venu got back to his house and saw a star in the night sky. It was all alone, but it was so bright and it twinkled silver and white in the night sky. Venu stopped to admire this sight until his thoughts were interrupted by his father’s voice.  

‘Venu, come here, my son.’

The boy approached his father and gave him a big hug. The old man was very grateful to have such a loving son. He said:

‘Your mother and I are not angry with you. We do not want you to leave. We just want what is best for you. A very generous friend in London has offered you a place in his home and he will support your schooling there. You will be leaving next week. I am sorry, my son. I cannot work anymore so we cannot afford to keep you with us.’

Venu put on his bravest face but was unable to stop the tears. ‘Yes, Tantai,’ he said in a quiet voice, ‘I understand that you love me and want what is best for me so I will go to London.’

Venu held his father as tightly as he could because he did not know when he would see him again. The young boy was also very nervous because he knew nothing of London or of Britain. But he carried a glimmer of hope in his heart; He hoped that one day he would return to the forest, that he would come back and see the tall trees and the monkeys. He would see Laila and together they would watch the kunjiri flower bloom once again.

Venu was deeply unhappy about leaving his parents, but the forest needed him to stop the factory so he braved the shock of landing in a foreign land with the most courageous face he could muster.

He was met at the airport by his father’s friend who was known to him simply as Balu. Balu was a large man with a jolly disposition. His favourite pastime was singing along to Tamil songs whilst he prepared his meals. Balu wanted to make the boy feel at home so he had prepared a large array of dishes for Venu’s first meal in London.

Tamil songs played on the radio in the background as the two of them ate together that first evening. Venu shared with Balu what was happening in the forest back home, how the gifts of the forests were being destroyed, polluted by the mercury from the mining factory. ‘I am saddened to hear of what is happening to our beloved forest,’ said Balu.

‘I need to tell people about what is happening back home so that they might help us,’ said Venu, ‘but all I can do is play my flute. I do not know what else I can do.’

The man and boy sat in silence over their dinner. They enjoyed the music on the radio but neither of them had a very good appetite. Then, quite suddenly, Balu shot up out of his seat with a look of excitement etched on his face.

‘That’s it!’ he exclaimed.

‘What is it?’ asked Venu

‘We will make a song about the forest and we will put it on the internet. We will get people to sign a petition to stop the factories and the pollution!’

‘How will we put a song on the internet? I have never done that.’

‘It’s easy,’ said Balu. ‘You have the talent. Your father has told me many times about your beautiful flute playing. And me... well, I have the technology. Ha, ha! I love doing stuff like this, making up Tanglish songs. This is going to be fun, I can feel it.’

'What is Tanglish?’ asked Venu.

 'It is when the words of a song are a mixture of Tamil and English... Pretty cool hey?’ said Balu, chuckling to himself as though he had just found a secret key. ‘Come on, let’s do it now. We’ve had a lovely meal and I feel good. I’ve got all my equipment set up in the living room already. You have got your flute haven’t you, Venu?’

The young boy was very excited by Balu’s idea, but he was also a little bit nervous as he had never recorded his music before. He said:

‘I take my flute everywhere, but I am not sure about playing and recording. So many people might listen if we put it on the internet.’

‘That is the whole point, my boy! And you are not just going to play,’ said Balu with a big, mischievous smile. We are both going to sing too, you and I. We shall sing about the beautiful forest and how the factories are destroying our lands. Come on, let’s get started.’

And so Balu and Venu spent the whole night recording music and thinking up lyrics that would capture what Venu wanted to say about the forest and all of its natural beauty and wonder. And most importantly of all, Venu wanted to tell people how the factories were causing damage to his beloved forest and how they should be made to stop.

All night long the duo worked on their song about the forest. They wrote and recorded the lyrics that would fit nicely alongside Venu’s flute playing and some very strange and wonderful sounds that Balu created on his computer. All night long they worked, right up until the young boy was so tired that he dragged himself to bed and fell asleep instantly. 

‘Good Morning, Venu,’ said a cheery Balu as the young boy walked into the kitchen the following day. ‘Did you sleep well? Was the duvet warm enough for you? Britain can be very cold at times.’

Venu took a seat at the table as Balu prepared a breakfast of paratha and sweet chai.

‘I’ve got a surprise for you,’ he said.

‘What is it?’ asked Venu, still half asleep.

‘Well, after we finished creating our song last night, I uploaded it onto the internet. I was just too excited and wanted to share it with everybody as soon as possible. You’re not angry with me are you, Venu?’  

‘Not at all. It was finished and it is our song. It belongs to us both.’

‘Good, good,’ said Balu, now barely able to contain his excitement, ‘because guess what? We’ve already had over three million people listen to it so far! Three million!’

'What!’ said Venu, his mouth full of paratha.

'It’s gone viral! Unbelievable! And there are emails from people who are asking about the petition. An environmental charity wants to talk to you as soon as possible. They want to stop the mercury pollution from further damaging the forest, and they say they have the power to do this. Can you believe it?’

‘Venu could barely believe his ears. ‘Let’s call them!’ he said, as excited as Balu. ‘I’m ready to talk to them right now!’ He jumped out of his chair and hugged his friend. ‘Without your help none of this would have been possible. Thank you Balu.’

‘I just want you and all children to experience the gifts of our forest. No company has the right to destroy such a beautiful place. Come on; let’s call the environmental charity who are going to help us.’

Balu dialled the number and Venu spoke to the serious sounding gentleman who answered the phone. The man explained how many of the people who worked for the charity had listened to the song on the internet and how they were all very impressed. Venu told the man about the factories and how his father was sick, and how Laila’s mother and father had died after drinking from the contaminated lake.

The man from the environmental charity promised Venu that the factories would be made to stop. ‘It will not be easy,’ he said. ‘It will be a long fight. But we will make sure they leave the forest in the end. And we shall make them pay compensation to the workers.’

When Venu put down the phone he was as happy as he had ever been. He and Balu had begun the process of saving the forest. Venu realised that one person could make a difference if they really cared, and he promised himself that he would never forget this lesson. ‘And one day soon,’ he thought, ‘I will return home to my family and to Laila and the kurinji flowers, and all of the beautiful gifts of the forest.’

Story can be found at: http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/128-the-gift-of-the-forest

Story 34

Hello all Phileas here!

As you all know I am currently in the beautiful country of India, and I have been told the most wonderful story.

I want to save this story to tell you all in person at the Fairlop Fair, which takes place on July 6th 2013.

Hope to see you all there,
Your friend,
Phileas

Story 35

The Lion and The Crane

The Bodhisatta was at one time born in the region of Himavanta as a white crane; now Brahmadatta was at that time reigning in Benares. Now it chanced that as a lion was eating meat a bone stuck in his throat. The throat became swollen, he could not take food, his suffering was terrible. The crane seeing him, as he was perched an a tree looking for food, asked, "What ails thee, friend?" He told him why. "I could free thee from that bone, friend, but dare not enter thy mouth for fear thou mightest eat me." "Don't be afraid, friend, I'll not eat thee; only save my life." "Very well," says he, and caused him to lie down on his left side. But thinking to himself, "Who knows what this fellow will do," he placed a small stick upright between his two jaws that he could not close his mouth, and inserting his head inside his mouth struck one end of the bone with his beak. Whereupon the bone dropped and fell out. As soon as he had caused the bone to fall, he got out of the lion's mouth, striking the stick with his beak so that it fell out, and then settled on a branch. The lion gets well, and one day was eating a buffalo he had killed. The crane, thinking "I will sound him," settled an a branch just over him, and in conversation spoke this first verse:

"A service have we done thee

To the best of our ability,

King of the Beasts! Your Majesty!

What return shall we get from thee?"

In reply the Lion spoke the second verse:

"As I feed on blood,

And always hunt for prey,

'Tis much that thou art still alive

Having once been between my teeth."

Then in reply the crane said the two other verses:

"Ungrateful, doing no good,

Not doing as he would be done by,

In him there is no gratitude,

To serve him is useless.

"His friendship is not won

By the clearest good deed.

Better softly withdraw from him,

Neither envying nor abusing."

And having thus spoken the crane flew away.

And when the great Teacher, Gautama the Buddha, told this tale, he used to add: "Now at that time the lion was Devadatta the Traitor, but the white crane was I myself."

This story was Taken from:

Indian Fairy Tales

Editor: Joseph Jacobs

Published: 1910

Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, London

Story Number 36

Here is a gruesome excerpt from Around the World in 80 days... When Phileas encountered a procession of Indian men, women and children whom were about perform a human sacrifice for the Goddess Kali, although the story may contain strong imagery it is a fascinating insight into a Hindu ritual.

...The guide unloosed the elephant and led him into a thicket, at the same time asking the travellers not to stir. He held himself ready to bestride the animal at a moment's notice, should flight become necessary; but he evidently thought that the procession of the faithful would pass without perceiving them amid the thick foliage, in which they were wholly concealed.

The discordant tones of the voices and instruments drew nearer, and now droning songs mingled with the sound of the tambourines and cymbals. The head of the procession soon appeared beneath the trees, a hundred paces away; and the strange figures who performed the religious ceremony were easily distinguished through the branches. First came the priests, with mitres on their heads, and clothed in long lace robes. They were surrounded by men, women, and children, who sang a kind of lugubrious psalm, interrupted at regular intervals by the tambourines and cymbals; while behind them was drawn a car with large wheels, the spokes of which represented serpents entwined with each other. Upon the car, which was drawn by four richly caparisoned zebus, stood a hideous statue with four arms, the body coloured a dull red, with haggard eyes, dishevelled hair, protruding tongue, and lips tinted with betel. It stood upright upon the figure of a prostrate and headless giant.

Sir Francis, recognising the statue, whispered, "The goddess Kali; the goddess of love and death."

"Of death, perhaps," muttered back Passepartout, "but of love-- that ugly old hag? Never!"

The Parsee made a motion to keep silence.

A group of old fakirs were capering and making a wild ado round the statue; these were striped with ochre, and covered with cuts whence their blood issued drop by drop--stupid fanatics, who, in the great Indian ceremonies, still throw themselves under the wheels of Juggernaut. Some Brahmins, clad in all the sumptuousness of Oriental apparel, and leading a woman who faltered at every step, followed. This woman was young, and as fair as a European. Her head and neck, shoulders, ears, arms, hands, and toes were loaded down with jewels and gems with bracelets, earrings, and rings; while a tunic bordered with gold, and covered with a light muslin robe, betrayed the outline of her form.

The guards who followed the young woman presented a violent contrast to her, armed as they were with naked sabres hung at their waists, and long damascened pistols, and bearing a corpse on a palanquin. It was the body of an old man, gorgeously arrayed in the habiliments of a rajah, wearing, as in life, a turban embroidered with pearls, a robe of tissue of silk and gold, a scarf of cashmere sewed with diamonds, and the magnificent weapons of a Hindu prince. Next came the musicians and a rearguard of capering fakirs, whose cries sometimes drowned the noise of the instruments; these closed the procession.

Sir Francis watched the procession with a sad countenance, and, turning to the guide, said, "A Sati."

The Parsee nodded, and put his finger to his lips. The procession slowly wound under the trees, and soon its last ranks disappeared in the depths of the wood. The songs gradually died away; occasionally cries were heard in the distance, until at last all was silence again.

Phileas Fogg had heard what Sir Francis said, and, as soon as the procession had disappeared, asked: "What is a Sati?"

"A Sati," returned the general, "is a human sacrifice, but a voluntary one. The woman you have just seen will be burned to-morrow at the dawn of day."

http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Jules_Verne/Around_the_World_in_80_Days

Page by Page Books.^TM

Jules Verne

Story Number 37

Look at this lovely illustration of Phileas travelling from Kholby to Allahabad found at http://christineparkdesign.com/blog/?p=1217 <!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]-->

Below you can see the railway journey from Bombay to Allahabad, look how far it is! Phileas traveled most of this by elephant...what a long way to travel! The line is 1,322 miles long!

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Visit http://maptal.es/tales/9#step9 to see an interactive map of Phileas's journey!!!

The Four Fox Cubs

This can be enjoyed in Punjabi, just follow http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/44-the-three-fox-cubs/english

A Punjabi Story by Mohindro Ram Thaper & Kamleish Ram Parfect

There was once a family of foxes who lived in the woods. There was a mother fox, a father fox, and four baby fox cubs. The cubs were named Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul.

One day, the daddy fox said to his four cubs, ‘I must go out to work and I may be gone for many days. You must promise me that you will be good and do what your mother tells you while I am gone.’

The fox cubs all agreed to do as their mother instructed. And when it was time for their father to leave, the cubs all gathered at the door and waved goodbye and wished him luck on his journey.

Several days passed in which the cubs played and did their chores and behaved as their father had instructed. But one day, mother fox realised that the cupboards were all empty of food and she would have to go to the market. She said to her young cubs, ‘I must go out to the market to get food, but I cannot take you with me as it is too dangerous and I cannot look after you alone. You must stay here at home even though I do not like to leave you. At least here you will be safe.’

The mother fox thought about how best to protect her cubs for the short while she would be at the market, then eventually she said: ‘You must keep the door locked the whole time that I am gone, and you must only open the door when I return.’

The youngest of the cubs asked, ‘Mother, how will we know that it is you at the door?’

And the mother replied, ‘I shall call out your names like so... Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door! And you will recognise my voice and let me in.’

Then the mother fox went off to the market and the cubs continued to play games at home, making sure to keep the door locked and not to open it unless they heard their names being called.

But there was a very sneaky and very greedy lion who was walking close by, and the lion had heard everything that the mother had said to her young cubs. The sneaky lion thought to himself, ‘Aha! I can go to the house where the cubs live. I can stand by the door. And I can call out... Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door! They will not know that it is me,’ thought the sneaky lion. ‘They will think that I am the mother fox and they will open the door and let me in. And then I will eat them all up!’

So the sneaky lion crept up to the door of the house where the cubs lived, took a very big breath, and called out, ‘Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, open the door!’ 

When the young cubs heard the call they thought, ‘That is very strange. Those are our names being called, but that does not sound like our mother. What shall we do?’

Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, grew very scared because they were not sure whether to open the door or not, and they wished that their father and mother were at home to protect them.

Luckily the cubs had very good neighbours. There were many fox families nearby, and there was also a monkey who was very brave and very strong. The family of foxes who lived closest to the cubs had heard the lion calling out and quickly found the monkey. They asked him, ‘Monkey, monkey, what shall we do? That lion is going to eat those little fox cubs while their mother and father are away!’

‘Do not worry,’ said the brave monkey, ‘I shall protect the little cubs from the lion.’ And with that the monkey searched the forest floor until he found a big, heavy branch. He raised the branch above his head and charged towards the sneaky lion. Whack, whack, whack, went the monkey with the big, heavy branch as he chased the lion away from the house and out of the forest.

When the mother fox and the father fox both returned home they were very grateful to the brave monkey and to the other foxes for protecting their cubs while they were away.

And that was the day that young Arjan, Surjan, Ganji, and Bulbul, learned a valuable lesson indeed. The young cubs learned that it is very important to know your neighbours and be kind to them because they will always look after you in return, and will offer help when you need it most.

Story Number 38

Today Phileas decided to spend the day at the zoo. While he was there he saw so many different animals from Elephants to Monkeys to Lions and Tigers. While Phileas was at the Tiger pen a worker came along called Abbey Ledger-Lomas and told him a story about one the tigers, and he wanted to share it with you as well

Aharsi the Bengal Tiger

Aharsi the big Bengal Tiger was having a good think. It was winter and he was still getting used to the feeling of ice on the pads of his paws. He shivered a little, missing the warm ooze of mangrove mud. Aharsi was missing lots of things. He missed the way the sun made his coat glow a regal orange, or how the glare of midday brightness made his black stripes look so bold and striking like black lightening bolts. He missed dozing in the evening heat and catching the last shafts of sunlight as they cut through the jungle vines. He wondered if he would ever again hear Doyel birds chattering in the trees, or catch the scent of ripe mangoes on the breeze. It was these fleeting, poignant moments that the Bengal tiger was trying so hard to picture in his mind. Aharsi missed his home.

His whiskers bristled as he let out a big sigh, sending the starlings that had been pecking at the frozen ground scattering up into the grey sky. Three hours had passed, and despite his intense concentration, all the tiger had managed to remember was some vague half images of mangoes and mangroves. He was worried that he was forgetting about his old home all together.

When Aharsi first arrived at the zoo in England with his mother and father, everything was so exciting. He lapped it all up; his amber eyes burned with curiosity as he jumped from tree to tree or smelled each flower or pawed at each tiny insect.

‘Now just calm down, Aharsi,’ his mother would say. ‘You have come a long way. There is plenty of time to explore; now you must rest.’

But the young tiger was too busy to rest. There were new animals to meet, new trees to climb. There was so much to learn about his new home. Before the sun went down on that first day, Aharsi had bounded around all of the animals’ cages, asking them question after question, absorbing the strange exotic colours of the paradise birds and smelling the sweet and unfamiliar smell of the hay in the rhino stalls. But the more he explored, the more Aharsi realised how different his new home was to where he’d come from. And now the young tiger was worried that he’d lost all of the precious memories he had of his homeland. He was worried that he had forgotten all about being a Bengal Tiger.

Aharsi squeezed his eyes closed and flicked his tail purposefully from side to side: ‘Remember,’ he told himself. ‘Try to think harder!’

Hours passed, the day grew dimmer and the rest of the animals started to settle down in the twilight. After a while, Aharsi felt someone looking at him. He opened one eye, keen to stay as focused as he could on reclaiming his lost memories. It was Zody the Leopard.

‘What are yoooouuu doing?’ came the deep, purring voice.

‘I’m remembering,’ Aharsi answered. ‘Now if you don’t mind…’ Aharsi closed his eye once more and tried to concentrate even harder.

‘Reeeemembering?’ asked Zody.

‘Yes. I’ve forgotten all about being a Bengal Tiger, and where I’ve come from, so I’m trying to remember it before it’s all gone forever. Now if you don’t mind…’

Once again Aharsi squeezed his eyes shut and tried to summon images from his homeland.

‘You won’t get faaaar with your eyes closed,’ said Zody.

Aharsi opened his eyes wide and looked quite annoyed. ‘I won’t get anywhere unless you leave me alone to think!’ he said. ‘You wouldn’t understand anyway, you’re not even a tiger, let alone a Bengal Tiger! You’re a leopard!’

‘You silly animal!’ said Zody, rattling with laughter. ‘Look there!’ She pointed to a shiny slick patch of ice on the hard ground.

Aharsi stared back at Zody in some confusion. ‘I think you may have gone a bit bonkers, Zody,’ he said, and just then he almost wanted to laugh himself.

‘If you want to remember how to be a tiger,’ said Zody in a kind voice ‘just look.’

‘Fine, if you’ll leave me alone then I’ll look.’

Aharsi bent his neck a little and peered into the glassy ice mirror on the ground. Zody purred over his shoulder.

‘What beautiful stripes you have,’ she said. ‘When I look into the mirror I see my spots. Nobody else has spots quite like mine. My mother had spots, and my mother’s mother, and my mother’s mother’s mother… all the way back to when my great great great Grandma prowled the grasses of South Africa!’

Aharsi noticed Zody’s eyes get brighter as she pictured the sun baked savanna and plush green jungles of her home. ‘When I see my spots,’ she continued, ‘I see my whole history. And I will always have my spots.’ She winked at Aharsi. ‘After all,’ she said, ‘a leopard never changes its spots!’

‘But don’t you ever get homesick or sad?’ the young tiger asked in a slight mewl. ‘Everything is so different here.’

‘We all get homesick,’ Zody replied while pawing at the ice, ‘but look here at our reflections. We are not so very different. You are from Bengal and I am from Africa, but see how we have the same whiskers. And see here…’ Zody cut an impressive jagged line in the ice with her sharp claws and then raised them up so that they shone in the fading light. ‘We both have these,’ she said with a grin.

Just then there was a great trumpeting sound from the elephant’s enclosure in the east corner of the zoo.

‘Well that’s not so amazing,’ said Aharsi. ‘We are both cats. But I’m nothing like the elephants over there, am I?’

Zody giggled. ‘They might look different and sound different, but I’ll bet even elephants get homesick too. That is something you have in common.’

Aharsi looked unsure as he thought that the elephants were far too big and strong to ever be sad. ‘I bet they still remember where they are from,’ he said. ‘My mother told me that an Elephant never forgets.’

Zody hissed and giggled and rolled around on the hard ground. ‘That’s true!’ she admitted. ‘An elephant never forgets!’

‘And I bet the Zebras don’t get scared,’ Aharsi continued, still a little bit sulky but starting to smile at his friend’s antics.

‘Haven’t you seen them running from the zookeeper’s tractor?’ asked Zody

‘And… and the crocodiles? Do they get scared and sad too?’ Aharsi asked.

‘Haven’t you seen them hiding beneath the water?’ Zody replied as she gave her friend a playful bump with her nose. ‘We all miss home sometimes, Aharsi. But that is why we all look different. We are different so that we can remember. Look at me. I have this beautiful tail which reminds me that we leopards are the best at balancing up high in the trees.’

Aharsi felt much better and soon began to rumble with a deep purr. ‘And I will always have my stripes for hiding in the tall grass. We tigers are the best hunters in all of Bengal!’

‘Your stripes go wherever you go, Aharsi,’ Zody said with a smile.

‘And when the elephants feel sad they can look at their trunks to remember that they are the best at splashing in the water,’ said Aharsi. ‘And when the crocodiles feel sad or scared they can look at their webbed feet and remember that they are the fastest in the river…’

The young tiger trailed off a little, his eyes were growing heavy and he yawned without noticing. It was evening now and the zoo was alive with the crooning calls of countless animals. Some were stripey, some were spotty. Not any one of them was the same as the other. As night fell and a million stars filled the sky, Aharsi began to understand that though all of the animals were different, they all felt the same sometimes. That is when he knew he would never be alone, and that is when he knew he would always carry his home in his heart forever.

This story can be found at http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/120-aharsi-the-bengal-tiger

Story 39!

As Phileas is in Allahabad, he decided to experience some of the rich Culture. In January of this year, more than 100 million people, yes ONE HUNDRED MILLION people attended the Hindu festival of Kumbh Mela, which took place over the space of 55 days. Phileas was told that on the opening day, people bathed in the river Ganges and Yamuna. It is the belief that a festival dip in the water will cleanse the sins. 

Here is a Hindi story called 'To Give', that Phileas read whilst in Allahabad. Enjoy!

To Give

Once upon a time, there was a very powerful and very generous King who gave much of his gold to the poor people of his lands. Each morning, the King would wake up early and share his gold with the poor people who had gathered at the gates of his palace so that they might buy food and clothing.

One night, a peasant crept up to the palace and huddled up against the wall where he would not be seen. The peasant decided that he would camp by the gates of the palace so that he would be the first in line to receive some gold pieces from the King the following morning. ‘If I am the first,’ reasoned the peasant, ‘then perhaps the King will give me more gold and I will no longer be poor or hungry.’

But when one of the royal guards noticed the peasant creeping around at the gates of the palace, he thought that the man must be a thief come to steal the King’s gold in the night. And so the guard captured the peasant and locked him away in the prison beneath the palace.

The next morning, after being told of the events of the previous night, the generous King decided to go and talk to the peasant who was locked in his prison.

The King approached the dark and damp cell and asked the peasant, ‘Why would you want to steal from me when all you had to do was ask for gold in order to feed and clothe yourself; do you not know that I would have given it to you gladly?’

The poor man explained that he was not a thief at all, but simply a peasant who had fallen on hard times and now needed help. ‘I was once a good farmer and a good businessman,’ said the man, ‘until the droughts came and thieves stole my cattle.’

The peasant looked directly at the King. ‘I did not come to steal from you,’ he insisted, ‘I came in the night so that I might be the first to receive some gold in the morning. That is all, I promise.’

Upon hearing the peasant’s story, the generous King was much moved. He ordered the guards to release the man from his prison, then he gave the peasant ten gold pieces with which to change his fortunes. The peasant thanked the generous King and left the palace with his gold.

But the next day, the peasant was not satisfied with his gift of ten gold pieces. Each night he returned to the palace and waited by the gates, and each morning the generous King bestowed upon the peasant ten more gold pieces.

This went on for many nights and many days, until the King asked the peasant, ‘Why do you continue to come to my palace when I have given you so much gold.  Surely you are no longer poor or hungry?’

‘But I wish to be like you,’ said the peasant to the King. ‘I want to be rich and powerful.’

‘But will you also be generous to the poor of the land?’ asked the King.

The peasant thought about this question for a few moments before he answered. ‘Yes indeed I would, Your Majesty.’

‘Then I shall give you half of my Kingdom and half of my riches,’ replied the King, ‘but you must promise me that you will always be generous to those who might need your help.’

The peasant agreed, and so the King gave half of all his wealth and half of his entire Kingdom.

The years passed quickly and the peasant proved to be a wise and generous man. He used much of his gold to plant food and raise cattle, and very soon he had doubled his riches and was able to share more and more wealth with the poor people of the land.

The King watched from his palace and was very pleased with what he saw. He knew then that to give was the greatest pleasure there ever was in the world. By sharing what he owned with others, the generous King was able to make many people happy. The peasant had learned this lesson well and he too shared his wealth and happiness with those around him. And very soon, because both the King and the wise peasant both gave so generously, there was no more poverty or hunger in the whole of the land.

A Hindi Story by Vimal Shinagadia

on: http://www.worldstories.org.uk/stories/story/94-to-give

Story Number 40

The Talkative Tortoise

The future Buddha was once born in a minister's family, when Brahma- datta was reigning in Benares; and when he grew up, he became the king's adviser in things temporal and spiritual.

Now this king was very talkative; while he was speaking, others had no opportunity for a word. And the future Buddha, wanting to cure this talkativeness of his, was constantly seeking for some means of doing so.

At that time there was living, in a pond in the Himalaya mountains, a tortoise. Two young hamsas, or wild ducks, who came to feed there, made friends with him. And one day, when they had become very intimate with him, they said to the tortoise:

"Friend tortoise! the place where we live, at the Golden Cave on Mount Beautiful in the Himalaya country, is a delightful spot. Will you come there with us?"

"But how can I get there?"

"We can take you, if you can only hold your tongue, and will say nothing to anybody."

"Oh! that I can do. Take me with you."

"That's right," said they. And making the tortoise bite hold of a stick, they themselves took the two ends in their teeth, and flew up into the air.

Seeing him thus carried by the hamsas, some villagers called out, "Two wild ducks are carrying a tortoise along on a stick!" Whereupon the tortoise wanted to say, "If my friends choose to carry me, what is that to you, you wretched slaves!" So just as the swift flight of the wild ducks had brought him over the king's palace in the city of Benares, he let go of the stick he was biting, and falling in the open courtyard, split in two! And there arose a universal cry, "A tortoise has fallen in the open courtyard, and has split in two!"

The king, taking the future Buddha, went to the place, surrounded by his courtiers; and looking at the tortoise, he asked the Bodisat, "Teacher! how comes he to be fallen here?"

The future Buddha thought to himself, "Long expecting, wishing to admonish the king, have I sought for some means of doing so. This tortoise must have made friends with the wild ducks; and they must have made him bite hold of the stick, and have flown up into the air to take him to the hills. But he, being unable to hold his tongue when he hears any one else talk, must have wanted to say something, and let go the stick; and so must have fallen down from the sky, and thus lost his life." And saying, "Truly, O king! those who are called chatter-boxes— people whose words have no end—come to grief like this," he uttered these Verses:

"Verily the tortoise killed himself
Whilst uttering his voice;
Though he was holding tight the stick,
By a word himself he slew.

"Behold him then, O excellent by strength!
And speak wise words, not out of season.
You see how, by his talking overmuch,
The tortoise fell into this wretched plight!"

The king saw that he was himself referred to, and said, "O Teacher! are you speaking of us?"

And the Bodisat spake openly, and said, "O great king! be it thou, or be it any other, whoever talks beyond measure meets with some mishap like this."

And the king henceforth refrained himself, and became a man of few words.

India Fairy Tales

Author: Various
Editor: Joseph Jacobs
Published: 1910
Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, London