Mohan the White Tigress
Based On a True Story
By Kyla Taylor
Once again, my father is on a hunting trip.
Before you start making judgments, you have to know something about him. First, he’s a hunting-o-matic. Every month he has to go away on a hunting trip with all of his friends, leaving me in charge of myself and my little brother. I wouldn’t mind if he did it every few months, but this is getting ridiculous, if I must say so myself. Also, I would like it if he would actually catch or at least find something once in a while. He always comes home empty-handed, and our food supply is running low.
Oh, if only mother were here. She would straighten things out.
Anyway, like I told you, my father is on another hunting trip. I’m really hoping to get a little meat in my stomach. The village we live in is growing weak from not getting enough protein in their bodies. Over the past few months, I have seen many die. I am thinking that for sure there is no hope.
But then the letter arrived.
One morning, I got a letter from my father. It was odd to get a letter from him, but I unfolded it and read it nevertheless. This is what it said:
My Dear Anita,
I have great news! The hunters and I have finally found something! We were walking through the forest when we came across a tiger. We were about to shoot when I saw that the tiger was white.
It was actually the tiger who helped us. It was about to pounce on a few deer, and automatically the hunters and I raced to get to them first. We got all four! Tomorrow, when I get home, we feast!
I am dearly sorry that it took me so long to realize that you were aggravated with me. So now I am promising that I won’t go on a hunting trip for ten months. I am going to stay home with you and your brother, and help tend to the farm. And once the ten months are up, I might even take you two out there with me!
I am giving this letter to a messenger from our group, hoping he will get this to you faster than I can. You can ask him any question you want, for he is probably still waiting. He saw it all.
For fear of this letter getting too lengthy, I am afraid that I must say goodbye. I love you, and I hope to see you soon!
Lots of love,
Father
The first thing I asked the messenger (who was quite handsome, I must say) was, “Was that all true?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Did you name the tigress?” I inquired curiously.
Before answering my question, the messenger asked if he could sit, for he was tired from his journey. Of course, I gestured to a chair in the middle of my family’s hut.
“Yes, I did.” he began. “And all of the other hunters agreed with me. We decided on Mohan.”
I had no idea what “Mohan” meant, and why he named the tigress that. But it sounded beautiful, nonetheless.
I couldn’t wait for my father to come home.
My father kept his promise, as usual.
The day he returned, we feasted, and spoke about Mohan. My father described her to me. He said she had “eyes as blue as the Arabian Sea ” and “fur so white, it was blinding.” I hope I will remember those words for many years in the future.
My father also told me things he had left out in the letter. He said that as soon as the hunters fired their arrows, the tigers vanished. Half of the hunters kept searching for them, while the rest returned home with what they caught. I was glad my father hadn’t stayed in the forest.
No comments:
Post a Comment