Little Peachling

Many hundred years ago there lived an honest old woodcutter and his wife. One fi ne morning the old man went off to the hills with his billhook, to gather a faggot of sticks, while his wife went down to the river to wash the dirty clothes. When she came to the river, she saw a peach fl oating down the stream; so she picked it up, and carried it home with her, thinking to give it to her husband to eat when he should come in.

The old man soon came down from the hills, and the good wife set the peach before him, when, just as she was inviting him to eat it, the fruit split in two, and a little puling baby was born into the world. So the old couple took the babe, and brought it up as their own; and, because it had been born in a peach, they called it Momotaro, or Little Peachling.

By degrees Little Peachling grew up to be strong and brave, and at last one day he said to his old foster parents:

"I am going to the ogres' island to carry off the riches that they have stored up there. Pray, then, make me some millet dumplings for my journey."

So the old folks ground the millet, and made the dumplings for him; and Little Peachling, after taking an affectionate leave of them, cheerfully set out on his travels.

As he was journeying on, he fell in with a monkey, who gibbered at him, and said: "Kia! Kia! Kia! Where are you off to, Little Peachling?"

"I'm going to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure," answered Little Peachling.

"What are you carrying in your girdle?"

"I'm carrying the very best millet dumplings in all Japan."

"If you'll give me one, I will go with you," said the monkey.

So Little Peachling gave one of his dump lings to the monkey, who received it and followed him. When he had gone a little further, he heard a pheasant calling: "Ken! Ken! Ken! Where are you off to, Master Peachling?"

Little Peachling answered as before; and the pheasant, having begged and obtained a millet dumpling, entered his service, and followed him.

A little while after this, they met a dog, who cried: "Bow! Wow! Wow! Whither away, Master Peachling?"

"I'm going off to the ogres' island, to carry off their treasure."

"If you will give me one of those nice millet dumplings of yours, I will go with you," said the dog.

"With all my heart," said Little Peachling. So he went on his way, withthe monkey, the pheasant, and the dog following after him.

When they got to the ogres' island, the pheasant fl ew over the castle gate, and the monkey clambered over the castle wall, while Little Peachling, leading the dog, forced in the gate, and got into the castle. Then they did battle with the ogres, and put them to fl ight, and took their king prisoner. So all the ogres paid homage to Little Peachling, and brought out the treasures which they had gathered. There were caps and coats that made their wearers invisible, jewels which governed the ebb and flow of the tide, coral, musk, emeralds, amber, and tortoise shell, besides gold and silver. All these were laid before

Little Peachling by the conquered ogres. So Little Peachling went home laden with riches, and maintained his foster parents in peace and plenty for the remainder of their lives.

Source: Developing English Competencies for Grade XI of Language Programme

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Teddy Bear Time

When a visitor to Bearborough last year forgot to put on her watch, she asked some local bears the time and she got some strange answers.

"Half past three," the bear who sells fruit and vegetables said, glancing up at the Town Hall clock.

"A quarter to nine," the bear in the bakery replied, looking at the clock high on the church.

"Nine minutes after fi ve," the bear who sells ice cream on the corner of the main street said, peering at the clock in front of the train station.

You have probably guessed that all the clocks in Bearborough were wrong. That was because old Mr Minim, the only clock mender in town, had become a little shaky on his legs. Although fi t and well in every other way, he simply could not face climbing up a ladder to mend clocks high up. As you can imagine, the clocks really were a problem. The trains were never on time, and the shopkeepers didn't know when to open their shops.

Then, one day, Bearborough had two very special visitors. They were bears called Alfred and his friend Jumble-who was an elephant! Now most bears in Bearborough had never seen an elephant before, so they all gathered round. And the elephant, pleased to show off his size and strength, wrapped his trunk around each of the little bears in turn and lifted them up high, squealing with excitement.

"Excuse me, Jumble," said Mr Minim, tapping him lightly on the toe with his walking stick. "Could you lift a grown-up bear, like me, for example?"

In seconds, Mr Minim found himself dangling above the crowd, yet he felt as safe as if he was standing on fi rm ground.

And that is why, if you visit Bearborough these days, all the clocks are exactly right, for Jumble visits every twelve months, and Mr Minim always says that's the highlight of his year!

Taken from My Treasury of Five Minute Stories, 2000

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Miss Mole Catches a Ghost

Quite often Miss Mole would look after the young ones who lived in the woodland, when their parents went out in the evening.
"I just love baby-sitting," sighed Miss Mole, as she gazed at the little animals, "you're all such darlings!"
"But we're not babies," grumbled the fieldmice twins, "we're almost grown up!"
"Well you'll always be babies to me," giggled Miss Mole, as she gave them all a great big hug.
But one evening when Miss Mole was baby-sitting, something very strange happened ...


All the little animals had walked over to Miss Mole's house just before dark. They were laughing and joking
and making lots of noise as they went along. All of a sudden one of the rabbits heard a strange sound. Then one or two of the little animals saw something move near the top of the trees.
"What was that?" gasped a baby badger as he grabbed one of the squirrels.


Then, as the wind rustled the leaves on the tree ... they all saw it ... a spooky white thing fl ying through the
branches!
"It's a ghost!" screamed a small hedgehog. And everyone ran as fast as they could and landed on a heap at Miss Mole's front door.
"Whatever is wrong?" cried Miss Mole as she opened her door, and in fell all the little animals.
"We've seen a ghost!" sobbed the rabbit. "It's chased us all the way through the wood, and now it's up in
that tree!"
Miss Mole put on her extra strong glasses and took a good look.
"Goodness me," she gasped, "there it is!"
Right then and there, brave Miss Mole reached for her longest broom and pulled something out of the branches above.
"Here's your ghost," laughed Miss Mole. "It's a plastic bag. I lost it on my way back from the woodland
supermarket!"
All the little animals breathed a big sigh of relief as Miss Mole took them inside and closed the door.
"Gather round and I'll tell you a story," she said kindly.
"As long as it's not a ghost story," whispered the baby badger.


soure:Developing English Competencies for Grade XI of Language Programme

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The Four Friends

One day, a Mama Ostrich returned home from gathering food for her two dear chicks. She

looked and looked for them but could not fi nd them anywhere. Imagine her alarm when she

discovered lion tracks around her two-footed chicks’ tracks! Fearful but determined to fi nd her

babies, she followed the lion tracks.

The tracks led into the woods and fi nally ended at the den of Mama Lion. In the opening

through the cave there lay her own dear chicks in the arms of Mama Lion. The Mama Lion did not

want to give the chicks back. She said they were her cubs. Then she challenged Mama Ostrich.

She said to Mama Ostrich that if she can make an animal to look her in the eye and tell her that the chicks are not her cubs, she will give them back to her. Mama Ostrich agreed and set out to

her friends to ask for help.

She told all the animals that there is an important meeting and that they should come.

Then, when she came to mongoose she told him the story and he said that he had an idea. The

Mongoose told her to make a hole under an anthill, as a second exit. Then, Mama Ostrich did

just what the mongoose had told her to do.

The next morning, the entire animals gathered near the anthill. Then, Mama Ostrich told

them the story and asked one of them to stare the Mama Lion in her eyes and say that the chicks

were not her cubs. The animals wanted to help her but they didn’t want to risk their life. One by

one they said that the chicks were her cubs. Mama Ostrich was disappointed that her friends

would not help her.

When it was the mongoose’s turn he said, “Have you ever seen a mama with fur has babies

that have feathers? Think of what you are saying. Mama Lion has fur! The chicks have feathers!

They belong to the ostrich!” having said that, Mongoose jumped down the hole under the anthill,

and escaped out the other end.

At once, Mama Lion jumped after him, and when she did so the two ostrich chicks were

freed. Mama Lion could not escape from the anthill and had to stay there for a long time.

Taken from: Interlanguage: English for Senior High School Students XI

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Why Does the Cock Eat the Millipede?

Long ago the cock had a pair of beautiful horns

on his head. But at that time there was a dragon who

was prevented from ascending into heaven because he

lacked a pair of horns. And so he offered the millipede

as a guarantor, and borrowed the horns from the

cock!

When the millipede came for the horns, he said to

the cock: "When you want your horns back, you must

call out at dawn: 'Give me back my horns!' and they will

be returned to you at once. You need have no occasion

to be concerned in the least."

The kind cock knew how difficult it was to

ascend to heaven, so, reassured by the good security

the millipede offered, he loaned his horns without

hesitation, just twisting them right off his head. He

also thought to himself that when the dragon returned

form his visit to heaven, they could sit down and have

a good conversation; he would ask the dragon to tell

him how things were in heaven, and if it really was

beautiful there, as he had always heard. If it was true,

he might consider going there himself someday, he

thought.

So, next morning at daybreak (for the dragon's visit

was scheduled to be brief), the cock called out loudly:

"Give me back my horns!" But, even though he repeated

this demand ten times over, there was no sign at all

of either the dragon or the horns. Worried, the cock

promptly went off to complain to the millipede, who

soothed him, saying: "If the dragon has not returned

the horns this morning, then he will certainly do so

tomorrow. At the very latest, the day after that. Just

learn to be a little patient and your horns will soon be

back on your head, just as before."

The cock did wait several days, but although he

called out every morning at sunrise: "Give me back

my horns!" They never did reappear. The cock was

extremely annoyed at this deception and loss, as you

can well imagine, therefore he ordered all the members

of his family to eat millipedes on sight.

Even so, the cock has not yet given up hope of

getting his horns returned. He ordered his descendants

always to call out at the break of day: "Give me back my

horns!" He still hopes that the dragon may hear him!

Taken from The Asian Animal Zodiac, 1998

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The Chipmunk That Ran Away

Once upon a time, there was a nervous little chipmunk. She was always afraid

that something bad happened to her.

One day, she heard a little noise. It was really only an apple that fell to the ground.

But the little Chipmunk was afraid and said “The sky is falling in.” Then she ran

away as fast as she could go.

Soon she met an old brother Chipmunk, who asked, “Where are you running

to, little Chipmunk?”

And the little Chipmunk answered, “The sky is falling in, and I am running

away.”

“The sky is falling in?” said the old brother Chipmunk. And he told the story

to his brother chipmunk, until at last there were a hundred brother Chipmunks

shouting, ”The sky is falling in.”

Soon the larger animals heard what the Chipmunks were saying. The Deer,

Unit 8 - Long, Long Time Ago, There Was ... 127

the Sheep, the Pig, the Camel, the Tiger, and the Elephant began to say, “The sky

is falling in.”

Then the wise Lion heard all the noise and wanted to know what was

happening. He stopped all the animals and asked, “What are you saying?” The

brother Chipmunks said, “Oh we heard it from that little Chipmunk!” And the

Lion said, “Little Chipmunk, what made you say that the sky was falling in?”

And the little Chipmunk said, “I saw it there near the tree.”

“Well,” said the Lion, “Come with me and I will show you how something”.

“Now get on my back.” The Lion took her on his back, and asked the animals to

stay where they were until they returned. Then he showed the little Chipmunk

that the apple had fallen to the ground. This made the noise that had made her

afraid. The little Chipmunk said, “Oh, I see. The sky is not falling in.”

The Lion said, “Let’s go back and tell the other animals.”

So they went back. At last all the animals knew that the sky was not falling in.

(Source: Dit. PSMP, 2006)

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Goldilocks And The Three Bears

Once there were three bears that lived in a house in the woods: a papa bear, a mama bear, and a baby bear. One morning they decided to take a walk before breakfast to let their porridge cool.

A little girl named Goldilocks lived with her mother nearby. Goldilocks took a walk through the woods and found the bear’s house. She smelled the porridge in the kitchen and went inside. Goldilocks tasted the porridge in each bowl and finally ate up the porridge in the small bowl.

Then she sat on a big chair, but she didn’t like it, because it was hard.

Afterwards she sat on the small chair, and it was just right. But while she was sitting on it she broke it. After eating the porridge, Goldilocks felt full and sleepy, and then she went upstairs. There she found a small bed. She lay down on it and fell asleep.

While she was sleeping, the three bears came home. When they went into the kitchen, they got very surprised. Someone had tasted their porridge, even eaten up baby bear’s porridge, while they were taking a walk. Moreover the poor baby bear was upset when he found that his little chair broke into pieces. When they went upstairs, they found out that Goldilocks was sleeping. Baby bear cried out,

“Someone has been sleeping in my bed and here she is!”

Goldilocks woke up when she saw the three bears; she jumped out of bed and ran out of the house to her home. Never again did she make herself at home in anyone else’s house.

(Source: Dit. PSMP, 2006)

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It Could Be Worse

I entered the hotel manager's office and sat down. I had just lost £50 and I felt very upset. "I left the money in my room,' I said, "and it's not there now.' The manager was sympathetic, but he could do nothing. ‘Everyone's losing money these days,' he said. He started to complain about this wicked world but was interrupted by a knock at the door. A girl came in and put an envelope on his desk. It contained £50. "I found this outside this gentleman's room,' she said. "Well,' I said to the manager, "there is still some honesty in this world!'

Taken from Practice and Progress, 1994

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The Wolf and the Dog

Once there was a wolf who was nearly dead with hunger. He was very thin, so that the outline of his bones could be seen clearly beneath his thinning coat of hair. With hardly enough energy to walk, the wolf had little hope of finding food. As he lay beneath a large tree, a dog out for a walk noticed him. Seeing how thin and hungry looking the wolf was, the dog felt sorry for him and said, "You are in terrible shape! You look as if you haven't eaten for many days."

"You're right," said the wolf. "I haven't eaten because you and your friends are doing such a good job of guarding the sheep. Now I am so weak that I have little hope of finding food. I think I will surely die."

Then why not join us? Asked the dog. "I work regularly and I eat regularly. You could do the same. I will arrange it. You can help me and the other dogs guard the sheep. In that way, we won't have to worry about your stealing the sheep any more and you won't have to worry about going hungry any more. It's a good deal for both of us."

The wolf thought it over for a few minutes and then decided that the dog was right. So they went off together toward the ranch house where the dog lived. But, as they were walking, the wolf noticed that the hair on a certain part of the dog's neck was very thin. He was curious about this, for the dog had such a beautiful coat every where else. Finally, he asked the dog about it.

"Oh, don't worry about that," said the dog. "It's the place where the collar rubs on my neck when my master chains me up at night."

 "Chained up!" cried the wolf, "Do you mean that you are chained up at night? If I come to live with you, will I be chained up at night too?"

That's right," answered the dog. "But, You'll get used to it soon enough. I hardly think about it anymore."

"But, if I am chained up, then I won't be able to walk when I want to take a walk or to run where I want to run," the wolf said. "If I come to live with you, I won't be free anymore." After saying this, the wolf turned and ran away.

"The dog called after the wolf, saying, "Wait! Come back! I may not be able to do everything I want to do, but I'm healthy, well-fed, and I have a warm place to sleep. You are too worried about keeping alive to enjoy  life. I'm more free than you are."

Taken from Opportunities Elementary, 2003

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The Legend of Beowulf

Once upon a time, there was a horrible monster called Grendel. He was half-man and half-monster. He lived in Denmark. One day, he went to the King's castle. The king and his men tried to kill the monster but their swords were useless. A knight called Beowulf heard about the problem and went to Denmark to help the king.

That night, Beowulf and his men took off their armour and put away their swords and went to sleep. The monster came into the castle and killed a knight. Beowulf woke up and fought the monster-he pulled off an arm! Grendel went back to his home in a lake and died. Grendel's mother was very angry and the next night she went to the castle and killed a knight.

In the morning, Beowulf went to the lake. He killed Grendel's mother with a special sword. When he came back, the king was very happy and he gave Beowulf presents and money.

Beowulf went back to his country and became a king. He was king for fifty years. But one day, a dragon came to his country, and it attacked people. It lived in a cave with treasure. The dragon was very big and breathed fire. The knights were afraid and they did not want to fight the dragon. King Beowulf was an old man but he put on his armour again and went to the dragon's cave with his men. …

Taken from Opportunities Elementary, 2003

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The Fortune Teller

In the great city of Taipei, there lived a man called Lin and his wife. They had no children. Because of this, they were very unhappy. One day, they found a baby boy outside their door. He was wrapped in a blanket and crying. They took the baby into their house and called him Sau Ling. They loved him very much.

 When Sau Ling was a young man, a fortune-teller came to the house. "You must send your son away," he said. "One day he will become a thief and cause you a lot of trouble."

Mr and Mrs Lin were very sad to hear this. They believed what the fortune-teller said. They gave Sau Ling some clothes and money and sent him away.

Several years later, Sau Ling was having a meal in an inn several miles from Taipei. He put his bag on the floor near his table. After finishing his meal, he picked up his bag. "That's strange!" he thought, "It feels so heavy." He looked inside. It was full of small gold bars. Then he realised that someone had taken his bag by mistake and left another bag, in its place.

 That evening, a young man came to the inn, "Has anyone seen my bag?" he asked. Sau Ling was very honest. He returned the bag to him. The young man thanked him. "You are really very honest," he said, "I shall ask my Read the following words taken from the text. Then find their synonyms. father to give you a job." The young man's father was a rich merchant. He gave Sau Ling a good job. "But go home first," he said, "and take a holiday." Sau Ling returned to Taipei. Mr and Mrs Lin were delighted to see him again. The fortune-teller was also present. Sau Ling told them what had happened. The fortune-teller did not know what to say. He left the house without saying a word. Mr and Mrs Lin never believed in fortune-teller after that. Sau Ling took them to live with him and they were very happy and contented until the end of their lives.

Taken from Favourite Stories from Taiwan, 2000

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A Story about Red

"Rosaura! Rosaura!"

If you were tall enough, you might have seen a little splash of red in the tall grass. And if you had looked closer you might have seen a small girl wearing a red ribbon.

Rosaura was hiding from her mother and father. It was her favourite game. She crouched quietly, listening to the faint sound of her mother's voice. All Rosaura could see were the swaying green stalks of the corn. They rustled above her head where the sky stretched clear and blue. Suddenly, a bright yellow butterfly darted by. Rosaura jumped up to chase the butterfly, forgetting all about her hiding game.

"Rosaura! There you are," called her mother. "It's time for lunch."

It was dark and cool in the cottage where Rosaura lived with her parents. Rosaura ate her meal quickly. She wanted to go back into the sunshine to play. As soon as she had finished her food she slipped down from her chair.

"Rosaura, where are you going?" called her mother.

She caught a glimpse of Rosaura's

red ribbon disappearing around the door. But Rosaura was already through the gate, and heading for the fields.

"Rosaura! Rosaura!"

Was that the sound of her mother calling, or the wind whispering in the corn? Rosaura was not sure. All day long through the hot summers she loved to run in the fields. Her feet were scratched and her toes bruised on stones as she chased after the mice hiding in the corn stalks. Her skin was brown as a nut from the sun. In her tangled black hair, her red ribbon fluttered.

The afternoon stretched out long and hot. As the sun reached the far side of the field, Rosaura's father walked back to the cottage. His eyes scanned the fields for Rosaura's red ribbon. But it was nowhere to be seen.

"Hasn't Rosaura come back yet?" asked her father as he came through the door.

"Not yet," said her mother, "I'm sure she'll be back soon."

But the supper was ready and still there was no sign of Rosaura. Now the sun had set, casting a red glow over the fields. Rosaura's mother and father stood at the door of their cottage, staring over the field, looking for the red ribbon.

"Rosaura! Rosaura!"

Soon the shadows were deep blue in the yard. It was too dark to see the red ribbon now. Rosaura's parents began to walk and call for her in the field. As night fell, they fetched lamp that lit up patches of corn and grass and startled the sleeping mice. But they could find no red ribbon.

Rosaura's parents called and called all through the night. In the dawn, they stood alone and sad amongst the corn. The red morning sun lit up their tired faces.

"Look!" cried Rosaura's mother suddenly. "There she is!"

 They began to run towards the red ribbon that she had spotted among the corn. But oh! It wasn't Rosaura's ribbon at all, but the red petals of a flower. Rosaura's mother and father had never seen such a flower before. Her father looked away in disappointment.

"I see her!" he cried.

And again they ran towards the dear red ribbon. But it was another red flower. As the sun came up bright and strong, Rosaura's mother and father looked around the field. It was filled with red flowers swaying and fluttering in the tall grass. Rosaura's mother and father felt so sad.

"Rosaura won't be coming home anymore," said her mother. "She was always happier in the fields."

"But the spirits have left us these flowers to remind us of her," said Rosaura's father. "They will stay with us!" Every year, when the corn ripened and the evenings grew long,

Rosaura's parents stood at the edge of the fields and watched the red flowers dancing under the sun. And that, say the Indians, is how the red poppy came to be.

Taken from Childcraft: World of Colour, 2003

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Shadow Puppet Show: Durna's Trap

The story started with Durna who was teaching the art of archery to the children of Hastina Kingdom at the palace's yard. From far away, a young man watched the practice. He was Ekalaya, the crown prince of Parang Gelung Kingdom.

Ekalaya wanted to study with Durna but was rejected, since the man promised only to teach children of Pandawa and Kurawa. Still Ekalaya was neither angry nor revengeful. His strong will to study from Durna influenced him go to the forest and create a statue of Durna as a symbol of Durna's presence. With this statue as his ima ginative teacher, Ekalaya learned how to shoot arrows by himself. The result was astonishing; Ekalaya turned very skillfull in shooting arrows just like Arjuna, Durna's favourite student.

Ekalaya finally encountered Arjuna, who was hunting in the forest. Arjuna was surprised to find that an arrow struck the animal he was hunting. It turned out the arrow belonged to Ekalaya. Innocently, Ekalaya said he was Durna's student.

Durna was surprised when Arjuna told him about Ekalaya. When he met Ekalaya, Durna trapped him saying he would admit Ekalaya as his student if he cut off the thumb of his right hand as evidence of his loyalty to his master.

 Ekalaya followed the request but then rea lised he had been cheated. Angry and disappoin ted, he knew Durna did not want anybody to rival Arjuna. Ekalaya became angrier when he was told by his wife that Arjuna was in love with her and challenged Arjuna to a duel.

Taken from Childcraft: World of Colour, 2003

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Three Foolish Sons

There was a rich man who had three sons. They lived in a large house in the town of Keelung in northern Taiwan.

 One day, he said to his sons, "You are no longer children. You must do something to earn your own living. When I die, I am not going to leave you very much money. I started with nothing and made a fortune by working hard. You must do the same. Now, here is two hundred dollars for each of you. You can use it to start your own

business."

The three sons went off separately. The eldest son met a hunter. He thought that hunting would be fine so he bought a gun from him for two hundred dollars. The second son met a basketmaker. He bought a set of tools from him so that he could make baskets. The third son met a doctor who told him that he had a medicine which could cure all diseases. He bought it from him for two hundred dollars.

When the rich man heard what his sons had done with the money he had given them, he was very angry. "What stupid sons I have!" He said.

One day, the eldest son tried to shoot a fly on his father's forehead. Instead, he killed his father. The second son picked up his tools and tried to repair the damage to his father's head. The third son tried to cure his father with medicine which he had bought.

Everyone said that the three sons were very foolish. They had spent all their money uselessly.

Taken from Favourite Stories from Taiwan, 2000

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Blind Listening

A stupid man was sent by his father to sell salt. He first went to a mining area but nobody there wanted his salt. When he returned home, his father told him that if he had helped the miners to dig, they would have bought his salt.

The man next went to a house where a wedding was taking place. There he dug a huge hole. This made the people angry and they chased him away. When he returned home, his father told him that if he had beaten a drum and danced instead, the people there would have bought salt from him.

 Then, he went to a village where there happened to be a fire. Rushing to the place, he started drumming and dancing, only to be thrown out by the people. His father told him that he should have poured water on the fire instead, if he wanted to sell salt there.

 In the next place he went to, a couple were fighting with each other. The foolish man poured a bucketful of water on them, again to be chased away. His father later told him that he should have tried to settle the quarrel, in which case they would have bought salt from him. In the final event, the man saw two bulls fighting with each other. He stepped in to stop the fight and was gored to death by angry bulls.

Taken from English Bestseller 12, 2001

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The Tiger Who Would Be King

One morning the tiger woke up in the jungle and told his mate that he was king of beasts.

 "Leo, the lion, is king of beasts," she said.

 "We need a change," said the tiger. "The creatures are crying for a change."

 The tigress listened but she could hear no crying, except that of her cubs.

 "I'll be king of beasts by the time the moon rises," said the tiger. "It will be a yellow moon with black stripes, in my honour."

"Oh sure," said the tigress as she went to look after her young, one of whom, a male, very like his father, had got an imaginary thorn in his paw.

 The tiger prowled through the jungle till he came to the lion's den. "Come out," he roared," and greet the king of beasts! The king is dead, long live the king!"

 Inside the den, the lioness woke her mate. "The king is here to see you," she said.

 "What king?" he inquired, sleepily.

 "The king of beasts," she said.

 "I am the king of beasts," roared Leo and he charged out of the den to defend his crown against the pretender.

 It was a terrible fight and it lasted until the setting of the sun. All the animals of the jungle joined in, some taking the side of the tiger and others the side of the lion. Every creature from the aardvark to the zebra took part in the struggle to overthrow the lion or to repulse the tiger, and some did not knot know which they were fighting for, and some fought for both, and some fought whoever was nearest and some foughtfor the sake of fighting.

"What are we fighting for?" someone asked the aardvark.

 "The old order," said the aardvark.

 "What are we dying for?" someone asked the zebra.

 "The new order," said the zebra.

When the moon rose, fevered and gibbous, it shone upon a jungle in which nothing stirred except a macaw and a cockatoo, screaming in horror. All the beasts were dead except the tiger, and his days were numbered and his time was ticking away. He was monarch of all he surveyed, but it didn't seem to mean anything.

Taken from Readings to Remember, 2004

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