In a deep jungle, an ageing lion king took ill. News of his illness spread across the jungle among his animal subjects, and soon all animals started gathering before the lion’s den to pay their respects and enquire after his well being. Mr Fox was too engrossed chasing hens on a nearby farm and did not think his absence at the gathering would get noticed by the lion king. “ No one will miss my presence if I don’t pay a courtesy visit to the King, who any way may die soon”, so thought Mr Fox. But Mrs Fox was a meddlesome woman, she noticed that her husband had skipped his duties and was happily hunting hens on the nearby barnyard. She was a great gossipmonger and could not withhold secrets. So when she went to pay her respects to the lion king, she whispered in his ears how her husband had erred by not showing up to check on his health. The lion was incensed to learn about the uncivil behaviour of Mr Fox. Though ill and weak, he gathered his strength and roared “Guards! Bring that rascal fox before me! He shall pay for his uncouth behaviour towards his king”. Two tigers who were the king’s guards bolted through the jungle in search of Mr Fox.
Meanwhile, Mr Fox got wind of King’s decree and his imminent arrest. “ This is all happening because of Mrs Fox ‘s habit of gossip-mongering. I must make her pay for this” mumbled Mr Fox grinding his teeth in anger. He then set out with an empty burlap sack on his back collecting paper scraps and notes strewn on the streets. Soon he had collected enough papers chits to fill the sack. He reached home and waited to pretend to read each and every paper chit with great care as if he was searching for some important solution. As he was busy scanning through the paper notes, the two tiger guards reached his home and announced “ Mr Fox, You are under arrest. You will face a trial before the lion king’s court for showing disloyalty and disrespect towards your King. You are hereby arrested for treason.”
Mr Fox calmly looked at the guards, heaved the sack on his shoulder and said “ I am ready to face the trial. Let’s go”. Guards handcuffed Mr Fox and produced him and the sack of notes before the lion king. The lion was still seething with anger. He roared loudly saying,“ You cunning fox, your uncivil behaviour has not only insulted my authority but has set a precedent for unlawful behaviour. You deserve the death sentence. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” Hearing the lion’s harsh words, Mr Fox prostrated before him and said in humble words,” Your majesty, I deserve your wrath for delaying my visit to check on your well being. But Majesty, I was so worried and concerned about your health that I wanted to find a cure for your illness. So I wandered to the east, to the west, and then north to the south looking for medicines that can cure your illness. I visited hundreds of physicians discussed your illness and got prescriptions” Saying thus he showed the sack full of paper notes to the lion. “ After reading through all of them I found one medicine that promises a quick and sure cure for your illness”.
After listening to Mr Fox’s struggles to find a cure for his illness, the lion felt sorry for getting angry at him and ordered the guards to release him from bondage. “Mr Fox, I am pleased with your sincere efforts to find a cure for my illness. I am sorry for wrongly arresting you. Please tell me what is the medicine prescribed for my illness”.
Mr Fox, careful opened a paper note and read out carefully “Your highness, to cure your illness, you will have to cut out a three-inch patch of skin from the back of a female fox and place it on your head and keep it there for three days tightly bandaged. You should also sprinkle chilli powder on Female fox’s wound from where you cut out the skin to increase the efficacy of the cure. Your majesty, to make sure everything is done the right way I will personally supervise this operation”
The lion was too eager to get rid of his illness and thus Mrs Fox was brought to the court. A three-inch piece of skin was cut from her back. As she screamed in pain, Mr Fox administered chilli powered on the wound. Mrs Fox started screaming louder and louder “ It is burning! It is burning !!” Mr Fox quietly told her” Yes dear it always burns with gossipmongers”.
Eventually, the lion king’s illness was cured and so was Mrs Fox’s gossip-mongering. From then on Mrs Fox never gossiped about others.
Story Collected by Vidya Kamat
Text source: Abolim by Lucio Rodrigues
Location: Mangalore, Karnataka
Image Copyright: Vidya Kamat
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