And so they went to visit the cow.
Along the way, they saw the Beast! He was a horrible monster who liked to eat little cats, chomping them with his big yellow teeth and smacking his fat orange lips.
And so the two cats ran as fast as they could to get away from the Beast.
“Run if you want, little cats!” shouted the Beast. “But I see you. I’m going to go to your house and wait for you there. Then I will eat you for my supper.”
The cats kept running until they reached the cow’s house.
“Greetings to you both,” said the cow. “Have you come for some milk?”
“Yes and no,” gasped the cats. “We were coming for milk, but we ran into the Beast, and now he’s gone to our house and he’s waiting for us there.”
“Have no fear,” said the cow. “I will go with you, and we’ll fight the Beast together. Come on!”
And so the cow and the two cats traveled through the forest together.
Along the path, they met a dog. “Greetings to you all!” said the dog. “Where are you going in such a hurry today?”
The cow said, “I am going with these cats to fight the Beast!”
“I will go with you,” said the dog. “Maybe I can help!”
And so the dog, the cow, and the two cats traveled through the forest together.
Along the path, they met a crow. “Greetings to you all!” said the crow. “Where are you going in such a hurry today?”
The dog said, “I am going with this cow and these cats to fight the Beast!”
“I will go with you,” said the crow. “Maybe I can help!”
And so the crow, the dog, the cow, and the two cats traveled through the forest together.
Along the path, they met a big heap of ashes. “Greetings to you all!” said the ashes. “Where are you going in such a hurry today?”
The crow said, “I am going with this dog and this cow and these cats to fight the Beast!”
“We will go with you,” said the ashes. “Maybe we can help!”
And so the ashes, the crow, the dog, the cow, and the two cats traveled through the forest together.
Along the path, they met a packet of needles. “Greetings to you all!” said the needles. “Where are you going in such a hurry today?”
The ashes said, “We are going with this crow and this dog and this cow and these cats to fight the Beast!”
“We will go with you,” said the needles. “Maybe we can help!”
And so the needles, the ashes, the crow, the dog, the cow, and the two cats traveled through the forest together.
Along the path, they met a snake. “Greetings to you all!” said the snake. “Where are you going in such a hurry today?”
The needles said, “We are going with these ashes and this crow and this dog and this cow and these cats to fight the Beast!”
“I will go with you,” said the snake. “Maybe I can help!”
And so the snake, the needles, the ashes, the crow, the dog, the cow, and the two cats traveled through the forest together.
Along the path, they met a bowl full of dried beans. “Greetings to you all!” said the beans. “Where are you going in such a hurry today?”
The snake said, “I am going with these needles and these ashes and this crow and this dog and this cow and these cats to fight the Beast!”
“We will go with you,” said the beans. “Maybe we can help!”
And so the beans, the snake, the needles, the ashes, the crow, the dog, the cow, and the two cats traveled through the forest together.
When they reached the cats’ house, the cow told them all what to do. “Dog, you wait in the yard. Crow, you hide in the water pitcher. Ashes, you climb up on the cupboard. Needles, you slide into the bed. Snake, you get into the breadbox. Beans, you wait at the top of the stairs, and I’ll wait at the bottom. Now go to your stations, quietly, so the Beast does not hear you come in.” Then the cow told the cats what to do.
When everyone was in place, the cats jumped up in the window. “Oh Beast!” shouted the cats. “Aren’t you thirsty?”
The Beast realized he was very thirsty, so he ran to grab the water jug, and the crow bit him.
“Oh Beast!” shouted the cats. “Aren’t you hungry?”
The Beast realized he was very hungry, so he ran to get some bread from the breadbox, and the snake stung him.
“Oh Beast!” shouted the cats. “Aren’t you sleepy?”
The Beast realized he was very sleepy, so he ran to lie down on the bed, and the needles stabbed him.
“Oh Beast!” shouted the cats. “Can’t you see us on the cupboard?”
The Beast ran to look up at the cupboard, and the ashes fell down into his eyes.
“Oh Beast!” shouted the cats. “Can’t you see us at the top of the stairs?”
The Beast ran to the top of the stairs, and the beans made his stumble and fall.
“Oh no!” shouted the Beast.
Then he landed on the horns of the cow.
“Oh no!” shouted the Beast.
Then the cow tossed the Beast over to the dog.
“Oh no!” shouted the Beast.
Then the dog pounced on the Beast and ate him all up.
And that was the end of the Beast.
After the excitement was over, the cats and their friends then enjoyed a nice cup of tea, and they all lived happily ever after.
Author's Notes. This is a folktale from Tibet. I have kept all the characters the same as in the original, and the plot is exactly the same too. What I tried to do with my story was to bring out the repetition and cumulative chain-tale quality, showing how the collection of characters grows one by one by one, and how they each have their role to play in defeating the monster. The original story had a chain of characters, but it was not told in a cumulative way, listing the whole chain every time a new item is added.
In the original version, the cats need butter for their tea. You can read about yak-butter tea from Tibet at Wikipedia. Also, the monster was called "Handre" in the original version, but I have not been able to find any other information about this Tibetan monster beyond this story.
This type of story is classified as ATU 210 Rooster, Hen, Duck, Pin, and Needle. It is a folktale type that you can find in Europe (Brothers Grimm) and also in Asia. For an example from India, see The Sparrow's Revenge. My guess is that, as with so many of these chain tales, the story started in India and then spread east (you can find many Indian folktales retold in Tibet), and that it also spread west to Europe. I especially like the way the story mixes animate and inanimate characters!
Bibliography. The Two Little Cats, from Tibetan Folk Tales by A.L. Shelton.
Image Information. Cat figurine at Etsy.
Hi Laura!
ReplyDeleteI like that you made the story easy to read and follow with the repeated pattern. I feel like this story would be a great bed time story for children (it reminds me of some of the stories I heard during campfires at scout camp). The lessons in the story are also interesting and very applicable to our everyday life (collaboration, trust and friendship);
Regards,
Anna Margret
Hello Laura,
ReplyDeleteI like how you made me feel like I was kid again. While I was reading I felt like my mom was telling me a bedtime story. Your story was easy to follow as well. You really brought out the reputation in your story. All the animals wanted to join in and help. I think it would have been cool to switch up the story and have one of the animals try to sabotage them. However, you did a great job! Thank you for adding the links in your Authors note. That is very convenient
Hey Laura,
ReplyDeleteI know you love chain tales so I wasn't surprised to find that this was one. Again, I could hear all the funny voices a parent might use to tell it to their child, and I also enjoyed the mix of animate and inanimate characters. The whole time I was thinking, "Wow, the Beast must be a bad guy if some beans and some ashes have a beef with him." I also liked that instead of it just being one big fight the cow orchestrated this elaborate process to bring down the beast. I also like the, "Yes and no," answer the cats gave. I wonder if that couldn't be worked into part of the chain with each character asking the others if they came for something else and then then answering, "Yes and no." I think these chain stories are really starting to grow on me. I can't wait to read some more!
-Cat