Storytelling Week 6: The Case of the Tiger

I cannot believe I have been sitting in this cage for weeks now. The food is sub par, there is no room to move or run, and I am going to go insane. I have got to get out of this cage, but I see no hope on the horizon! I will just have to practice patience I suppose. This is so contrary to everything I have ever experienced.

Oh! It’s my lucky day! There is a poor Brahman coming my way. I bet I can convince him that it is a moral travesty for me to be locked up in such a cage, isolated from the world. I will call out to him. Hopefully he will take heed to what I say.

“Oh, Brahmanji! Please let me out of this cage so that I can rejoin the other tigers of the jungle! I want to hunt and fish, to roll in the warm grass, and feel the sun on my skin! If you have any moral prowess, you will see that it is not desirable for animals to be locked away in cages. “

That will surely win him over. If that does not work, I am unsure what will!

The Brahman replied to me, “Oh, tiger. I wish that I could let you out of your cage. However, I know you to be an animal that consumes whatever is in your path. So, you will probably eat me as soon as I let you out! I will have to refuse.”

“But, Brahmanji, I would be for ever grateful to you if you were to let me out! I could never do such a thing. Please let me out of this jail! It has worn down on my very soul!”

I cannot believe this Brahman! His morals must not be so strong. He is pondering, though. Ponder away my friend, for as soon as you let me out I will devour you.

The Brahman just opened my cage. What do I do?? Do I run for freedom? Oh, wait. I just felt a pang in my stomach. Surely, I haven’t eaten meat since I got locked in this cage. I will pounce on the Brahman!

“Tiger! You swore to me and said you would not eat me! Please, spare my life! I have done such a deed to you by letting you out of your cage. Please, let me live!”

Oh this is pathetic. I guess I can give him a chance.

“Brahman, I will let you go. However, I want you to ask the first three things you see what my judgment on you should be. Now go on and ask, for once you return I will only judge you based upon their answers.”

The Brahman just walked off into the distance. He has asked a tree and a cow so far, and it seems as though neither of them have been of much help to him. I will have a wonderful meal upon his return! As a matter of fact, he is walking back now. I also see a jackal with him. This is interesting.

“Oh, Tiger. I tried to explain the situation to the jackal, but he is very confused! Can you spare me a few minutes more, and retell what happened to this jackal?”

You have got to be kidding me. This is such a waste of my time.

“As you wish, Brahman. Jackal, I was trapped in this cage, and the Brahman let me out. So, as any normal tiger would do, I pounced on him afterwards. However, the Brahman begged for his life. So I told him to gain three judgments and report back to me. Whatever the consensus is, I will judge him based upon that.”

The Jackal said, “So, let me get this straight. You got stuck in this cage? How did that happen?”

How does this idiot not know how a tiger gets into a cage? I will have to demonstrate I suppose.

“This is how it happened Jackal. I walked in here, just like this, and…HEY!!!!!”

“I think I just outsmarted you, Tiger.”

That Jackal is going to get it.  

The Tiger attacking the Brahman. Source: Deviant Art

Author’s Note: When I first read this story, I really enjoyed it. I immediately knew that I wanted to write my storytelling post about it. So, I started exploring different ways to change it up and make it my own. I tend to stick to changing points of view, and I thought it would be interesting to write from the Tiger’s point of view. I didn’t change anything from the story, just changed up the dialogue and tried to plead the case of the Tiger. This story comes from the Indian Fairy Tales unit.

Bibliography: Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs with illustrations by John D. Batten (1912).