Long ago, in ancient times, there was a big greedy dhole. When the dry season arrived, it wandered in search of a pond or lake that was drying up, hoping to catch fish to eat. Eventually, it found a pond that was nearly dry—there was only mud left, and in it were many fish, mudfish, shrimps, and crabs.
Seeing all this, the dhole was overjoyed and thought, “Today I am truly lucky! This is a fortune beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”
One tiny, clever shrimp, hearing the dhole speak this way, gently said to him:
“We are all to be your food, Dhole, but since we’re all stuck in the mud, if you eat us like this, it won’t be very tasty.”
The dhole asked, “What should I do to make it delicious, then?”
The shrimp replied, “You need to take us out and wash us clean with water first. Then, when you eat us, the taste will be much better.”
The dhole said, “But how will I carry so many of you out to wash?”
The shrimp answered, “Don’t worry, Dhole. I’ll figure out a way to help you. All you need to do is follow my instructions.”
The dhole agreed, “Whatever you say, I will follow.”
The shrimp said, “Alright, come lie down here in the mud. We’ll all cling tightly to your fur, and you can take us to a lake with clear water, wash us until we’re clean, and then you’ll have a delicious meal.”
The dhole, being greedy and foolish, did exactly as the shrimp suggested. The small shrimp, along with the fishes, clams, and crabs, organized themselves and grabbed onto the dhole’s fur.
When they reached a large, beautiful lake with clear water, the dhole walked down to the edge. All the fish and shrimps leapt into the water, saying,
“Go and carry the others all here first, Dhole, then you can eat all you want. We’ll wait for you right here.”
So the dhole went back and brought all the fish, shrimps, crabs, and clams, one group at a time, always finding the pond emptying out. But when the last of the pond’s creatures had been moved, the fish, shrimps, crabs, and clams all dove into the water and disappeared.
When the dhole saw that he had been tricked, he was furious. He gathered all the big and small animals—elephants, tigers, snakes (both big and small), every kind of bird—and gathered them around the lake to bail out the water so they could feast on all the fish.
He had a big python build a dam, and everyone else helped bail water. Seeing this, the shrimp realized they were in danger and said to each other, “How can we make the animals stop bailing out the water?”
The wise climbing perch spoke up:
“I heard that Sister Sophea the hare is very clever and can solve many animals’ and people’s problems. Let’s go ask her for help.”
So, they sent the climbing perch to invite Mrs. Sophea the Hare. The perch traveled a long way, finally reaching her at night. When the hare came out and saw the tired mudfish, she asked:
“Where are you going, Climbing perch?”
The perch, overjoyed, begged her, explaining that all the fish in the pond had sent him to beg her for help. “Everyone says you are wise, that you help resolve people’s and animals’ troubles, and you have never turned anyone away. Now all the animals—elephants, oxen, tigers, crocodiles, pythons, pigs, big and small snakes, and all sorts of birds—are working together to bail out the lake and eat all the fishes, shrimps, and clams. Please, Sister Sophea the Hare, rescue us! If you save us, we will all be grateful to you forever and never forget your kindness!”
After hearing the perch’s plea, the hare replied,
“You go back first, Climbing perch, and tell everyone not to be afraid. I will help and solve the problem—do not worry!”
The climbing perch returned to the pond.
When morning came, the hare went to the lake, saw the animals still bailing water, and picked up some leaves eaten through by insects to make a letter. Then she called out to all the animals:
“Hey, everyone! Listen to me—Lord Indra has sent me to bring a letter. It says, ‘Indra is coming to break the elephant’s leg, twist the ox’s feet, cut off the dhole’s head, and pull out the elephant’s tusks.’”
All the animals saw the letter and, believing it was from the gods, were terrified. In their panic, they stampeded and trampled over one another: elephants, oxen, tigers, all climbing over the python forming the dam until the dam broke and was washed away in the water, killing many.
From that day forward, all the animals greatly respected the wisdom of Sophea the Hare and made her their teacher and advisor.
The lesson:
The tongue is like a double-edged sword—it can both kill and save lives.
