The Jackal and the Drum
Once upon a time, in a forest there lived a jackal named Gomaya.
On a windy day, feeling hungry he was wandering in the jungle in search of food.
“Rumble..Rumble..” went his empty stomach.
Strong winds swept the forest, making the trees sway, whoooosh… whoooosh…
Suddenly –BOOM!BOOM!BANG!
The hungry jackal heard the noise and was terrified out of his wit.
“Yipe! What was that?” he cried.
Again he heard the sound-
BOOM! BOOM! BANG!
The jackal’s heart beat fast. THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!
He began to run away but he could not go far.
His hungry tummy rumbled so much that he soon felt worn out.
He thought, “I can’t just stay hungry and scared. Let me investigate what is making this noise near my lair.”
Step by step…Tip… tip… tip…he started walking in the direction of that noise.
The wind blew harder — Whoooosh!
And again — BOOM!BOOM!
The jackal jumped, but continued to walk.
When he got close to the noise, he quickly hid behind a bush. Peep!
He saw something big and round under a tree. The branches of the tree were hitting it.
Tap! Tap! BOOM!
Now, unknown to the jackal, some soldiers had finished their training and accidentally left a drum behind.
It was this harmless drum, that was causing all those loud and scary noises.
Relieved, the jackal laughed, “Hee-hee! It’s only a drum!”
The wind blew again.
Whoooosh!
The branches struck again BOOM!BOOM!DHAM!
The jackal wasn’t scared this time.
He went near the tree and the drum.To his delight, he found some food left behind by the soldiers.
He sniffed eagerly.
Sniff-sniff!
“Oh ho! What’s this?” he said happily.
He tasted it.
Chomp! Chomp! Munch-munch!
With a full stomach and a happy heart, the jackal danced around the drum.
The content and well-fed jackal learnt an important lesson that day:
Our fears feed our imagination and we jump to conclusions and panic. Sometimes, this fear of the unknown turns out to be nothing.
It might turn out to be something beneficial if we face it with courage and understanding.
Moral of the Story:
Don’t be afraid of the unknown. Face your fears with courage and you get rewards beyond your expectations.
If you are interested in getting a physical book for your kids, you can check out the below listed books. These books have attractive illustrations and stories in simple words.
