Week 2 Story: The Trickster Jackal

The Jackal was a strange creature. In a vast jungle that consisted of countless, colorful animals, the Jackal stood out due to his intelligence and his kind nature. Some would even describe his kindness as naivety. The Jackal was not the only being in the jungle. There was the noble, fierce Lion, who oversaw his domain with intense vigilance. There was the ancient Willow-tree, who showered as much knowledge to passerbys as it did its shade. Other notable denizens were the strong Buffalo and the patient Road. Those who live in the jungle were characters of high moral; all except for the notorious Tiger. The Tiger was a fearsome creature. Unlike the others who live in the jungle, the Tiger was not to be trusted due to his unpredictable nature. Many feared the Tiger; even the mighty Lion was wary of the Tiger. It was only the Jackal that was unafraid of the Tiger, so much so, the Jackal even enjoyed bothering the Tiger for fun. Due to this annoying behavior, the Tiger always assumed the Jackal to be an unintelligent creature. The Jackal knew this, and always enjoyed playing along. The Jackal, when encountering the tiger, would always act as a fool. The Jackal never trusted the Tiger, so he believed that he could use this to his advantage one day. That day finally arrived with the arrival of the kind-hearted Brahman. 

Despite the ferocity the Tiger possessed, he was still only an animal. One day, he was foolishly caught in a trap. For days, the Tiger waited for death. It was not until the Brahman arrive did the Tiger finally concocted a plan to not only escape, but to also feed his hunger. 

"Please help me!" begged the Tiger.

Despite being a stranger to this jungle, even the Brahman knew that the Tiger was not to be trusted. Even so, the Brahman decided to put his prejudice aside and help the Tiger.

"I will help you," said the Brahman as he carefully opened the cage to free the Tiger. 

The moment the Brahman opened the door the Tiger leapt on him and pinned the Brahman to the ground.

"You fool!" laughed the Lion, "You were foolish to have trusted me!"

The Brahman begged for his life, reasoning that the Tiger's life was indebted to him for his generosity. The Brahman even begged for other inputs on the matter. The Tiger, though annoyed, agreed and allowed the Brahman to have others judge the situation. 

The Brahman rushed around the jungle to find anybody to side with him in his case against the Tiger. However, due to fear of death, no jungle dweller dared to stand up against the Tiger. Only the Lion was brave enough to try to help.

"The only way to save your life, generous Brahman, is for me to fight the Tiger to the death," said the Lion dreadfully. 

The Jackal overheard this plan. Despite his immature nature, the Jackal genuinely cared for everybody within the jungle - even the Tiger. 

"What if I told you that I could solve this problem without anybody having to die?" asked the Jackal.

The Lion was skeptical, but he also did not want any deaths within the jungle. The Lion and the Brahman decided to follow the Jackal's lead to solve the problem. Fearfully, the Brahman takes the Jackal to the Tiger. Upon sight of the Jackal, the Tiger became instantly annoyed.

"Not this idiot!" said the Tiger.

"Explain to me what the problem is, my old friend," said the Jackal sarcastically. 

The Tiger went into full detail about what happened and how hunger is a suitable reason for the Brahman's death. The Jackal, feigning as a fool, asks for a visual representation of the Tiger's story. Annoyed but thinking that the Jackal truly was this dense, the Tiger walks back into the cage to show how he was captured. Upon the Tiger entering the cage, the Jackal darted towards the door and slammed it shut. The Tiger, dumbfounded, screamed in agony and anger. 

"How was I tricked by a fool?" cursed the Tiger. 

"You underestimated me, friend. Despite your dishonesty against this kind Brahman, we have decided to spare you." said the Jackal. The Jackal then reopened the gate, this time the Lion and the other jungle dwellers stepping in between the Tiger and the Brahman. The Tiger, embarrassed by the whole ordeal, scurried away in shame. The Brahman thanked the Jackal and the rest of the denizens of the jungle for their support and continued on with his journey. 

Author's Note: This story is based on the the folktale The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal. The story revolves around how a Jackal saves a Brahman from death by tricking the Tiger. In the original story, the rest of the personified characters did not help the Brahman due to loathing and nonchalance. I wanted to add depth to the Jackal and the other characters to further explain the reasoning of their actions. 

(The Trickster Jackal, living up to its name:

Son of Erek)

Bibliography.  "The Tiger, The Brahman, and the Jackal" from Indian Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs. Web Source.