The crow couple, Kaaka and Kaaki, had their nest built on a tree near a river outside the palace. Their happiness doubled when Kaaki laid eggs and Kaaka waited for them to hatch to take his kids for a fly around the palace area. Usually one parent stayed to gaurd the nest, while the other went to pick up food. That evening Kaaka invited Kaaki to have a meal together. When they returned all the eggs were gone. Kaaka flew away to wither his pain, while Kaaki wept at the foot of tree when she saw pieces of egg shells near a hole at the bottom of the tree. The crow couple monitored the burrow and one night they saw a serpent crawling out. The serpent silently climbed the neighbouting tree and stole the eggs. The next morning the crow couple watched the parents moaning over their lost babies with soreness in their eyes.
"My sufferings have transformed into weakness", Kaaki said, "We sit helpless while seeing the serpent destroying our family".
"We shall move far far away, my dear", Kaaka consoled, "Where there will be no one to disturb our harmony".
"There will always be a serpent crawling beneath our feet", saying so Kaaki flew away unable to control her grief.
Kaaka sat and watched the palace, thinking about ways to fortify his home. He knew he cannot win the serpent at war. With tears of vengence enveloping his eyes, he saw the queen walking from the palace to the river surrounded by heavily armed bodygaurds. She took her bath in the river and left back to the palace. This routine happened daily - the couple crow watched a new family crying on top of the tree - unable to support the tragedy, Kaaki flew away and Kaaka watched the queen taking her bath in the river.
One day Kaaka realised the pattern. The princess walked with jewels decorating her body. Her maids gently removed them and placed them near the river. Once the queen had taken her bath, the maids helped her to wear the jewels back. Kaaka smiled.
The next morning, Kaaka stopped Kaaki from flying away and asked her to stay back.
"For what my dear, to see yet another family shattered", she spoke dejected.
"Sirapana, tharamana sambavangala inemel dhaan paaka pora (Wait here my love, to witness the glorious end of the serpent)", saying so Kaaka cirlced around the area where the maids placed the queen's jewels. Men with spears gaurded the jewels, and between their safety circle, Kaaka dived in with full force cutting the wind with his chest and picked up the queen's prestigious ring. Kaaka soar high up, but started to fly lathargically allowing the king's men to chase him. When he reached his home tree, he dropped the ring in the serpent's hole.
One of the gaurd let his hand inside the burrow to look for the ring. He fell back crying loudly and the moment later, he laid dead. Shocked, the others saw a serpent's head peeping out of the hole licking the deadly air with its split tongue.
From the top of the tree, Kaaka and Kaaki saw the serpent receiving devastating wounds, its body punctured by the sparp spears of the king's men.
Por thozhillukku pazhaganam kozhandhai
Last edited by mappi; 20th January 2019 at 09:45 PM.
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