Get the Trickster with a Trick

Once there was a young boy named Anuwa who lived with his old mother. When he went to his fields for ploughing, his mother would take his breakfast. One day a jackal met her on her way with her son’s breakfast and warned her to put down the food which she was carrying or he would knock her down and bite her.

When she put it down in fright, the jackal ate most of it and then went away. The old woman took what was left to her son but told him anything about it.

This happened for several days. One day Anuwa asked her why she brought so little rice and that so untidily arranged. She told him how she was attacked every day by the jackal. Then, they made a plan that the next day the mother should go to field, while Anuwa should dress up as an old woman and carry the breakfast.

This they did and the jackal met Anuwa as usual and made him put down the breakfast basket. But while the jackal was eating, Anuwa knocked him head over heels with his stick; and the jackal got up and fled, threatening and cursing Anuwa.

The jackal as he ran away, threatened to eat Anuwa’s malhan plants. So, he put a fence of thorns around them and when the jackal came at night and tried to eat the pods he only got his nose pricked.

Failed in his attempt, the jackal called out ” Well, I will eat your fowls tomorrow.” But Anuwa sat by the fowl house with a sickle at night. When the jackal came and poked in his head, Anuwa gave him a rap on the snout with the sickle. The jackal ran away crying “Well, Anuwa, your fowls have pecked me on the head, you shall die. “

So the next day, Anuwa pretended to be dead and his mother went about crying. She took her way to the jungle. She met the jackal and told him that Anuwa had died because of his curse. She invited him to the funeral feast saying that as he used to eat the rice which she had cooked, he had become like a son to her.

The jackal gladly promised to attend. He collected a number of his friends and in the evening they went to Anuwa’s house and sat down in the courtyard.

Then the old woman came out and began to bewail her son. But the jackal said “Stop crying, granny, you cannot get back the dead; let us get on to the feast.” She said she would fry some cakes first, as it would take some time before the rice was ready.

The jackals approved of this but they asked her to tie them up with a rope first as they should get to fighting over the food. The old woman brought a thick rope and tied them all up and tightest of all she tied up the jackal which had cursed Anuwa.

She went inside and put an iron pan on the fire and from time to time she sprinkled water on it. When the jackals heard the water hissing they thought that it was the cakes frying and jumped about with joy.

Suddenly Anuwa came out with a thick stick and start beating the jackals till they bit through the ropes and ran away howling.

Conclusion

This story teaches us the value of intelligence, quick thinking, and perseverance in the face of adversity. Anuwa and his mother were initially victims of the cunning jackal, but through careful planning and wit, they turned the tables on the trickster. The story highlights the importance of standing up against deceit, protecting what is rightfully ours, and using wisdom rather than brute force to overcome challenges. It also reminds us that those who seek to exploit others will eventually face the consequences of their actions. In life, it is not just strength but cleverness and determination that lead to true victory.

Kalai Selvi Arivalagan

Growing up in an environment enriched with colours of nature adorned with sounds of machines, I enjoyed life with all challenges. Nature is always a great teacher that teaches empathy to live and let live others. Though I am now living in an urban environment, the lesson that nature taught me motivates and allows me to keep on writing. I will always remember the cool afternoons in the shades of trees that made me write more on love.