The Beautiful Tigress

Once upon a time, in a jungle that was far away in a place unknown to man, lived a beautiful tigress up on a tree. She slept on the big wide branches of the tree. A beautiful tigress with rather sad eyes. Why sad? It so happened that a bunch of naughty monkeys harassed her no end. She wailed and cried and implored and begged and pleaded to be left alone but it was all in vain. The monkeys would take shifts in standing under the tree, thereby restricting the tigress movements completely.

One fine cloudy day, a giraffe happened to pass by that tree and he laid his eyes on the beautiful tigress. The sadness in her eyes touched his heart and he climbed up the tree. The tigress was vary and jumped to a branch further. But the giraffe coaxed her and gently convinced her to trust him.

“Pray tell me what troubles you, oh striped beauty!” said the giraffe.

“Oh dear long-necked friend, I am being harassed by the bunch of monkeys that stand under the tree. It has been over a week since I have stepped afoot on the ground. I am afraid I shall never ever be able to wander in the bountiful jungle. Perhaps I am not a favourite child of destiny” said the tigress, almost on the brink of tears.

“Cry no more! Wail no more! I shall seek help and rescue you from these cruel creatures. Do not lose hope and do not give up” said the giraffe compassionately.

He climbed down the tree, gave a scornful look to the monkeys and headed home. One monkey tried to climb the tree, having seen the giraffe do so. Alas! He slipped and fell. The leader of the monkeys gave him an earful and warned “Do not attempt the unknown”.

The giraffe went to his friend, the grasshopper. He narrated the pathos of the tigress to his friend and requested him to help out. After all, it was a matter of the giraffe’s word to the tigress. The grasshopper thought long and hard about it, like grasshoppers do. He then announced to his friend “tomorrow, my army of grasshoppers shall be led by me and we will attack the monkeys with our full might. They will learn a lesson good enough to fill the hearts of their future generations with dread whenever they recollect the attack. Rest assured, your word is now my honour. Go home and sleep at peace, for tomorrow you shall have to guide us to the tree”.

Next day the giraffe and the army of grasshoppers went to the tree where the beautiful striped tigress lived. Under the tree were four monkeys standing guard. The rest of the monkeys were playing hopscotch nearby. The grasshopper divided his army into two groups and commanded them to tackle the group of monkeys separately. He led the group that marched towards the monkeys standing under the tree. Without issuing a warning the army of grasshoppers mercilessly attacked the monkeys ... stamping them under their feet until the monkeys began to beg for pardon and promised to mend their ways. But the grasshoppers were in no mood or form to listen to them. The leader of the monkeys, who was himself very badly injured in this sudden onslaught, held out a white flag to the leader of the grasshoppers.

“We shall spare you on one condition alone. Promise that you or your kind shall never ever harass any tiger or tigress. Promise that you shall make yourself be unseen in these parts of the jungle”, said the leader of the joyfully victorious grasshoppers.

“I promise that I and my kind shall never ever harass any tiger or tigress. I promise that we shall make ourselves be unseen in these parts of the jungle”, said the leader of the rather badly injured monkeys.

The grasshopper then allowed the monkeys to leave the premises and lose themselves in another part of the jungle. The giraffe thanked the grasshopper and pleaded the tigress to descend from the tree. The tigress, who was watching this act of valour by the grasshoppers, came down. Her eyes were teary but this time the tears sprung from happiness, relief and gratitude rather than sadness. She turned towards the grasshopper and said “Oh you wonderful hopping creature, how may I ever repay your kindness?”

But the grasshopper simply couldn’t answer back. He was rendered speechless by the beauty of the tigress. Such grace, such form ... he had never seen so wonderful a creature ever. His lovestruck eyes just gazed upon the tigress, who had started blushing ever so slightly. The giraffe watched this and realised that his friend was enchanted by the object of his desire. Friendship or love? What shall be given in? The grasshopper looked at the giraffe and realised that his friend had more than compassion for the tigress. Friendship or love? What shall be given in?

Whom shall the tigress be with? Had it not been for the giraffe who took the trouble of climbing up the tree and asking the tigress what troubled her, the grasshopper might never have known of the tigress’ existence. On the other hand, it was the grasshopper and his army that eventually defeated the pesky monkeys.

While they both were wondering as to who should give the ultimate sacrifice, a swift elephant came and saw the tigress, held her hand and they both ran off in the jungle, where they lived happily ever after.