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Published by mayuri, 2018-09-25 06:43:13

STORY BOOK- Potpourri of Cultures

STORY BOOK- Potpourri of Cultures

The Whispering Palm

Mori was a little girl with big brown eyes. She lived with her parents in
a beautiful coconut grove next to a small blue lake.

Every morning, she balanced a big empty basket on her head as she
walked down to the lake. Her mother followed with the laundry and her
father brought the big fishing net. Her mother washed the clothes on
a stone next to the lake while her father went fishing.

When he dragged the net ashore, they collected the fish in a big
basket.

Sometimes a turtle got stuck in the net, but Mori always hurried to the
rescue.
One sunny morning while fishing with her father.
Mori : If we catch so many fish, one day there won’t be any left.
(Mother laughed)
Mori’s parents saw her sitting with a worried expression.

Father: Why are you looking worried Mori?
Mother: Yes Mori, What is it?
Mori: I am so worried. If we catch so many fish, one day there won’t
be any left!
Father: Hmm… there must be some way out.
Under the shade of the trees, Mori’s mother fell into an uneasy sleep.
She dreamt of a lake with no fish, while the wind in the palm leaves
whispered.
The waters and the land have always taken care of your family, so you
have to take care of them in return.

She awoke with tears in her eyes, for she didn’t know how to bring up
Mori without selling enough fish. All afternoon she sat, weaving coconut
mats and thinking about her dream. That night Mori heard her parents
whisper as the oil lamp burned deep into the night.

The next morning, her father gave her a smaller basket

Mori: Father, how can we carry all the fish in this little basket?
Father: We will only take as many fish as will fit inside this basket.
Mori sits again with a worried expression.

Mother: You still look worried Mori.

Mori: We were carrying a small basket today, and I’m still wondering
why?
Father: We have a plan
Mori was excited. The next day, Mori was happy to find her mother
making soap and oil from the coconuts. Mori swiftly climbed up a tree
to get more coconuts.
Mother: Don’t pluck them; we must only use what the tree gives us.

Father: Look, we have taken only fallen coconuts for these things.
Mother: We’ve even made this soap with a jasmine flower inside!

From that day on, the family made brooms from the palm leaves and
wove mats from coconut fiber. They took soap, oil and only a small
number of fish to the market. When Mori grew older, she loved to
carve tiny turtles out of coconut shells and always wore one around her
neck.





THE SLY RABBIT
Long, long ago in the forests of Mexico lived a rabbit. Those days the
rabbits did not have long ears.

Their ears were quite short. So, they could not hear their enemies well.
One day in the forest…

(The Rabbit trying to scare the bird with the mask of a jaguar)
The Rabbit: Boooo!

The Bird: Seignior Rabbit, you are not a jaguar!
The Bird: Caaw…caaaaw… Did you hear that?
The Rabbit: Hear what?
(the roar of a jaguar in the background)
The Rabbit: Hear what Seignior Bird?
(the roar again in the background)
The Bird: Don’t talk Seignior Rabbit, run!!!

(The jaguar pounces, the Rabbit manages to hide under the trunk of a
tree. He slowly comes out after making sure that the Jaguar is gone).
The Rabbit: It’s unfair. I can’t frighten anything. Everything frightens
me. Oh, I wish I were big and strong and ferocious…. Grrrrrr (he acts
out)
The Bird: Oh!!! go to Quetzalcoatl, he can solve anything.
The Rabbit: Quetzalcoatl!!The God of Wisdom?? I will. I will do it. I
will tell him.
(The Rabbit sings as he walks to the abode of the God)
I am gonna…gonna gonna get protection,
I need it bad, I’m really mad, mad, mad,
Danger always comes in my direction,
And like them all I have to dive into a hole.

Don’t I got brains in my head?
I would rather be big and strong instead,
I am tired of being so shy,
I wanna look the world in the eye.
I will get it set, I’m gonna get PROTECTION!
The Rabbit reaches the abode of Quetzalcoatl, the God of Wisdom.

The Rabbit: Seignior God of Wisdom, enough is enough, I’m a long-
suffering rabbit. Give me teeth, claws, muscles. What do you say,
huh??
Quetzalcoatl: Bring me first the claw of a jaguar, a tooth of a
crocodile, the tail of a monkey, then we will see.
(sound of thunder)
(Disappointed, the rabbit walks slowly back).

Seignior Rabbit goes in search of the claw of a jaguar, tooth of a
crocodile and tail of a monkey. He meets a jaguar on the way and
remembers what Quetzalcoatl demanded. He hatches a plan and speaks
to the Jaguar.
The Rabbit: Eat me before the terrible wind gets here. I would rather
be eaten by a jaguar than be blown to pieces by that wind. The terrible
wind is coming and only those tied to the strongest trees will survive.
The Jaguar (shocked): Tie me, quick!
And thus, Seignior Rabbit ties the jaguar to a strong tree.
The Rabbit: Can you move?
The Jaguar shakes his head, yes. Seignior Rabbit tightens the rope.
The Rabbit: Can you move now?

The Jaguar signals no.

Seignior Rabbit thus tricks the Jaguar and steals one of its claws.
He then sets off again to claim the other things demanded by
Quetzalcoatl.

Seignior Rabbit reaches the banks of a river. There he meets a
crocodile.

He somersaults in front of the Crocodile and sure the Crocodile is
impressed.

The Crocodile: Do that again Seignior Rabbit.

The Rabbit: I learned this myself Seignior Crocodile, it is very easy.

The Crocodile: Can I do it?

The Rabbit: Sure, anybody can. Watch!

And so, the crocodile tries and falls on his back. Seignior Rabbit was
quick to grab his tooth and ran as the crocodile winced in pain. He sets
off again until he sees a monkey hanging from a branch.

Seignior Rabbit shows some actions, which the Monkey imitates. He
then imitates cutting off his tail and the Monkey does the same.
The monkey: Oooh ooooh!!

Seignior Rabbit happily collects the tail and sets off to meet
Quetzalcoatl.

The Rabbit: Here Seignior God of Wisdom… (sets down the things he
collected). Now give me claws and sharp teeth and big muscles to
defend myself from my enemies.

Quetzalcoatl: (Looking at the stuff in front of him) If I give you what
you ask, no animal in the forest will be safe. Here….the better to hear
your enemies.
The Rabbit: Is this justice??
And so Seignior Rabbit with his new long ears sets off again towards
the forest. He could now hear better and save himself from his
enemies.
(The Rabbit hides himself when he hears the roar of the Jaguar. He
comes out after some time and meets his friend, the Bird, again).

The bird: Ha ha ha … Seignior Rabbit… what big ears you have!!!!
And that’s how rabbits got their long ears.





THE JACKAL AND THE LION

The days were growing shorter, the weather cooler, and all the animals
of the veldt knew they needed to begin to prepare for winter.

One day the Lion and the Jackal happened to meet each other. They
started discussing what they should do.

The Lion: We don’t have much time before the winter sets in.

The Jackal: Yes, I think the winter will set in faster this year. We
must start gathering food.

The Lion: Yes, we need to work harder.

They came to a conclusion that they would share the burden of hunting
for winter. The Lion was stronger and faster, and a better hunter, but
the Jackal was a clever fellow, and so it was he who suggested the plan.

You do the hunting Lion and I shall transport the game to my den,
prepare the meat and divide the spoils.

The Lion: Sounds good to me.

The Lion sets off to hunt and each day, for one long month, he caught
and killed several animals. When he had done his duty, he called to the
Jackal that came to carry the meat home.
The long month was a great success. At month’s end the Lion returned
home to see his family. He looked forward to some restful time
together, and he was confident his wife would be pleased with all his
hard work.
To his dismay, when he reached home, he discovered his wife and his
young cubs were nearly starving to death.
Cubs 1 and 2: We are hungry… give us something to eat mamma…

The Lion: What happened? Didn’t the Jackal bring you my share of our
hunt?

The Lioness: He brought us barely enough to keep us alive. He told us
you had failed in your hunt.
The Lion roared with fury, and he set off at once to find the Jackal.
When he reached the Jackal’s den, he found only the Jackal’s children
sitting around a fire. They were sleek and fat and happy.
Clearly, they had eaten well.
The Lion: Where are your parents?

Pup 1: We do not know.
Pup 2: Are you going to kill us?
The Lion: I will find your father and your mother too and they shall die!
If you see them first, you may tell them so!
Pup 3: We promise we will give them the news, but please don’t harm us.
The Lion stormed out of the den in search of the Jackal.

The Jackal had been ready for this. He and his wife were prepared.
They removed all their belongings and carried them to the very top of
the highest cliff they could find. The top of the cliff was reachable
only by climbing a steep, difficult, twisting path. Only creatures as
sure-footed and fast as the jackals could make their way along such a
treacherous trail.
The Lion, striding through the veldt, suddenly heard a shout, and when
he looked up, he saw the jackal standing upon the cliff.
The Jackal: Well, Uncle, helloooooo! How are you this fine morning?

The Lion: How dare you call me uncle! You are a thief and a liar and a
cheat! You have nearly destroyed my family and you will suffer!
The Jackal: Oh, uncle, please, let me explain. It was my wife. She is a
beast!
It was she who stole your share of our game. I can promise you this,
she will pay dearly for this!

With that he began to beat a stick upon a rock and the echo sounded
as if he were striking hard. As he hit the rock, his wife screamed to
make it sound as if the stick struck her.
The Jackal’s Wife: Screamed!

The Lion: Stop, stop it now!
The Jackal: Why don’t you come up here and join me for a meal? You
must be terribly hungry. All because of my wife’s thieving ways!
The Lion: I will indeed, but I cannot make it up this trail! You’ll have to
come down.
The Jackal: I have a better idea. I’ll lower a rope and carry you up here
to join me in a feast. Everything is ready for you.

The Lion: Very well
The Jackal lowered a rope and the Lion wrapped it tightly around his
body. The Jackal began to haul him up the side of the mountain, but
the rope had a slash in its middle - thanks to the Jackal’s plan - and
when he was halfway up, the rope broke. The Lion crashed to the
ground, landing with a thud.

The Jackal: You poor fellow, are you ok? Again, this is my wife’s fault.

And once again he began to hit the rock, and his wife faked a long wail.

The Jackal’s wife screamed!

The Lion: Stop, don’t hurt her! Surely there’s some way I can eat some
of your food and take some back to my family.

The Jackal: There is, indeed! I shall drop a nice, fat eland haunch I
have just cooked right into your mouth. And after that I shall drop
more food for you to take home to your family.

The Lion: Marvelous!! That is a perfect plan. He opened his mouth and
tilted his head up toward the top of the cliff.

But the jackal had prepared a hot stone. He wrapped this inside a ball
of fat and he hurled it over the cliff.

The Jackal: Open wide

Right into the Lion’s mouth that hot stone dropped and when that hot
stone reached the Lion’s stomach, he got a terrible tummy ache.

No one knows exactly what happened to him, but the Jackal never saw
him again. The Lion and the Jackal have been enemies ever since that
day.



THE DRAGON OF KINABALU

Towards the end of the fourteenth century, China had begun to trade
with many surrounding countries. Large fleets of ships set sail and
brought back treasures from all over the globe.
Laden with gifts from the Ming Emperor, the Chinese made a powerful
and favorable impression upon the rulers of surrounding countries.
Between 1405 and 1431, Admiral Cheng Ho made several voyages
between China and the Indian Ocean. It was during one such voyage
that Cheng Ho visited Borneo and learned of the fierce dragon that
lived on top of the high mountain of Kinabalu. The dragon was said to
be the guardian of a very precious pink pearl.

When he returned to China, Cheng Ho told the Emperor about the
Dragon of Kinabalu and the precious pink pearl.
Cheng Ho (In the court of the Emperor): Greetings, Your Majesty

Emperor: Cheng! I see you are back from your voyage. So tell us, what
new things did you learn?

Cheng: Emperor, I travelled far and wide. Each place was a new
experience. I happened to visit a place called Borneo. There on top of
the mountain of Kinabalu, I learned, lives a fierce dragon. It is said to
own a very precious pink pearl.

Emperor: Why would a dragon need a precious pearl?
Cheng: Your Highness, this is no ordinary pearl. It is said that this
pearl has the power to control the weather.
Emperor: Haa… interesting. It would do us good to have the pearl.
Cheng: Your Highness, many have tried to steal the pearl from the
dragon, but none have succeeded. Moreover, the mountain where the
dragon stays is quite high. It lives right at the top, way above the
clouds.
The Emperor met with all his courtiers to discuss how they might solve
the problem of obtaining the pink pearl. They studied all of the
information supplied by the Admiral
Cheng Ho and eventually a fleet of more than 10 ships set sail on the
dangerous quest.

On board the ships were the Emperor’s two sons, Wee Ping and his
brother Wee San. The brothers waved goodbye to their homeland and
set sail to Borneo.

When the ships finally anchored off the coast, the soldiers headed for
shore using smaller boats.

All of the soldiers marched up the long, winding road to the summit of
Mount Kinabalu on their quest to steal the pink pearl from the dragon.
From his lair atop the mountain, the Dragon watched as the soldiers
made their way towards him.

The Dragon: What a strange sight!! These foolish men think they can
simply march up the mountain and take my precious pearl.

Just as the soldiers marched over the final crest towards the summit
of the mountain, the Dragon drew in a very deep breath. The soldiers
could not believe their eyes when the creature appeared before them.
It had a huge purple and blue and green body, huge red and black eyes,
and deep maroon talons as long as swords!
Before the soldiers knew what was happening, a great wall of fire shot
out from the dragon’s mouth and threatened to burn them all! They
turned immediately and ran back down the mountainside, not wanting to
be consumed by the flames.

The following day, Wee Ping and Wee San decided to accompany the
soldiers to the top of the mountain, but the same thing happened once
again: the fierce dragon appeared from out of nowhere, breathing a
wall of fire that forced the soldiers back towards the small boats
waiting in the harbour below.

Upon seeing the soldiers retreat in such haste, the Dragon sat
comfortably in his lair on top of the mountain and smiled to himself.

Dragon: Hmmm… thought they could outsmart me, the fools…. Ha ha
ha…

That evening, Wee Ping and Wee San tried to think of a way to outwit
the Dragon.

Wee San: Surely there must be a time when the Dragon leaves his
mountaintop home in search of food…

Wee Ping: Hmm… Guess so.
Wee San spent a very long time observing the surrounding countryside
and the following day he decided to climb a nearby mountain to see if
he might get a better look at the dragon.
Wee San (observing the mountain): Now I know when the Dragon leaves
the pearl and goes out.

Wee San (to Wee Ping): Brother, we need to make some quick
arrangements. Summon the soldiers.

Wee Ping: As you say brother. Let’s see what we can do.
Wee San (to the soldiers): By this time tomorrow, when the dragon is
out of his lair, march up the mountain and collect the pearl.
This idea was quashed very quickly, when suddenly the Dragon appeared
on the opposite mountaintop.
Wee San: He could not have been away from his lair for more than a
couple of hours.
Disappointed, Wee San climbed down from his position in the tree and
made his way back to the soldiers in the harbour. But he decided to
return the following day to check if the Dragon always went in search
of food at the same time.

Wee San climbed the same mountain for the next two days, always
hiding in the trees so that he might spy on the Dragon. In this way he
learned that the dragon did indeed go in search of food at the same
time, and that he was always away from his lair for a few hours each

time. But this information did not bring any solace to Wee San who
knew that his soldiers could not climb Mount Kinabalu in just a few
hours.

At that moment, a leaf from a nearby branch floated past Wee San
and was carried on a gentle breeze towards the Dragon sitting on top
of Mount Kinabalu. This gave Wee San an idea, and so the young prince
hurried back down the mountainside to talk to the kite makers who
lived in the village below.

Wee San (to the Kite maker): I would like a very large kite made with
sails. The kite must have a small platform at its base. Attach a long
rope to control the kite.

Kite maker: As you wish young prince. You will have what you need
tomorrow.
The following day, Wee San and a small group of soldiers climbed the
mountain towards the trees above. There, they hid themselves and
spied on the Dragon atop Mount Kinabalu.
As soon as the Dragon left his lair in search of food, Wee San stepped
aboard the small platform fixed to the kite and the soldiers launched
him into the air above. The gentle winds carried Wee San and the kite
towards the Dragon’s lair on top of the neighboring mountain, while the
soldiers, far below, helped to guide the kite with the rope.

Wee San was soon floating above the Dragon’s lair. When he was close
enough, he reached down and took the pink pearl, replacing it with a
pink Chinese lantern in the hopes of fooling the fierce dragon.

As soon as he landed back on the mountaintop, Wee San and his
soldiers returned to the boats in the harbour. Together with his older

brother Wee Ping, they rowed out to their great ship and set sail for
home.
The fleet was not far from shore when they heard the most terrible,
thundering roar! The Dragon had not been fooled by the Chinese
lantern and was crashing down the mountainside towards the sea.

Wee San was ready for such an attack and ordered his soldiers to load
the ship’s cannon. A single shot was fired towards the Dragon. The
Dragon saw the round, fiery object coming towards him and mistook it
for his precious pink pearl.
The dragon caught the red-hot cannonball in his mouth and was killed
immediately, sinking below the waves to the bottom of the ocean
without a trace. The soldiers cheered for Wee San.

During the voyage back to China, Wee Ping grew jealous of his younger
brother’s victory. Wee Ping decided he would like to keep the pearl for
himself and not share the victory with his brave younger brother. Wee
Ping knew that his father would be unlikely to let him have the pearl
once he heard about his brother’s bravery, so he hatched a plan to
claim the victory for himself.

Eventually the fleet arrived back home and Wee Ping and Wee San
visited their father in order to present him with the precious pink
pearl.
(The court of the Emperor)

Wee San: Father, here is the pearl from the mountains of Kinabalu.
Wee Ping: Father, my idea of building a kite to travel up the mountain,
helped us secure the pearl. I finally killed the dragon and brought back
the pearl for you.
Hearing this, Wee San was disappointed, but he did not reveal the
truth to the Emperor. He returned to his ship and set sail. Wee San
reached the island of Brunei. The Sultan learned of Wee San’s arrival.

Sultan: Welcome Prince. Consider this your home.

Wee San became great friends with the Sultan and eventually asked
permission to marry his daughter. The Sultan quickly consented. He
decided to make Wee San the next Emperor of Brunei.

The Court of the Sultan: Long live Sultan Wee San – the slayer of the
Dragon of Kinabalu….

Wee San was honest in all his dealings and this honesty brought him
happiness and respect. But his brother, Wee Ping, only brought sadness
upon himself because of his lies and deceit.



THE WHISPERING PALMS- A short Brazilian folktale of a little girl

named Mori.

THE SLY RABBIT- Did the rabbits have long ears throughout? Come

let’s find out through this beautiful story from Mexico!

THE JACKAL AND THE LION- Friends or foes? An enticing tale

from South Africa…

THE DRAGON OF KINABALU- Will the young Chinese prince succeed

in his quest for the pink pearl?


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