Asian Children's Favorite Stories. David Conger

his eyes on the opposite bank and stayed on course.

      On top, the scared and shivering cat hung on to the dog with all her might. She dug her claws into his back, deeper and deeper.

      “Are you okay up there?” the dog asked, knowing how afraid of water his friend was. But before she could answer, the children began laughing hysterically.

      “Look at them bobbing up and down!” they said, giggling.

      The dog ignored the commotion all around him. His only thought was to bring the coin back to his master. But in spite of her fear, the cat couldn’t keep a straight face. She began to think about how silly she must look to the children, all wet and shaking. No matter how hard she tried, the cat couldn’t stifle her laughter. When she finally lost control and began to laugh, the silver coin slipped out of her mouth, immediately sinking to the bottom of the river.

      “Ack!” she said. “I’ve dropped the coin!”

      As soon as he heard these words, the dog plunged into the rushing waters to save the coin. He was so angry with the cat that he didn’t care if she could swim or not. After having searched for the magic coin for months, the foolish cat had lost it!

      But no matter how long the dog stayed underwater, no matter how hard he looked, there was no sign of the coin. It had disappeared.

      By some miracle, the cat managed to make it to shore, where she shook the water out of her fur and coughed and spat until she’d expelled all the water she’d swallowed. But things would never be the same again between her and the dog.

      Once the dog saw the cat, he started to chase her. To escape, the cat did what cats always do: she ran up a tree. She sank her claws into the branch, her fur standing on end. Hissing angrily at the dog, the cat vowed never to trust him again. He had left her to drown!

      The dog barked fiercely at her and scratched at the tree trunk, trying to climb up it. He had never been angrier in his entire life.

      Both the cat and the dog were ready for a big fight.

      But finally, his throat sore from barking, the dog gave up and returned to his master’s house. The cat escaped and never returned.

      And this is why even today, when more time has passed than you can imagine, cats and dogs don’t get along.

      But what do you think happened to Shu? He was so happy that at least one of his pets came home he almost forgot about the missing coin. The dog could not forget, though. He couldn’t stand to see his master suffer hunger or bear the cold winter. So he sat beside the river each day, trying to figure out a way to get the magic coin back.

      One day, the dog saw a fisherman pull a large fish from the water. When the man cut it open, out fell the magic coin. The dog quickly grabbed the coin with his mouth and ran home to his master, who was very pleased to see the coin again. Together they reopened the small rice shop and lived out the rest of their lives very happily.

      The Clever Rabbit

       and Numskull

       ^India

      Sulka’s whiskers twitched nervously. He tried hard to remember the happy days of long ago. He was once a sprightly young rabbit who spent carefree days bounding about with his friends and rummaging for snacks. But today was to be his last. He was not only going to face a lion, he was going to offer himself up as this terrible lion’s meal!

      Be brave, he told himself, his chin quivering. You have had a long life surrounded by other rabbits who loved you. You have been blessed. Remember that you have to do this for the other rabbits—the younger ones who still have their whole lives ahead of them.

      Smiling wistfully, Sulka thought of his wife and twenty-four children. Now they would never be in danger from the lion Numskull. All the animals were afraid of Numskull, and not only because he was fierce. No, lions were fierce by nature. The animals dreaded him because he hunted, chased down, and killed pretty much anything that moved—and very often he would leave his prey out in the hot sun to rot without even eating it.

      To put a stop to all this random violence, the animals had decided that a select few would go to Numskull each day and sacrifice themselves for his dinner. This way the old and weak animals could go first, sparing the young and healthy ones. Although many animals would still die, they would at least die with the purpose of feeding another, and their deaths would not be meaningless.

      Numskull, of course, thought that this was a great idea. He’d get all the food he could eat and never have to hunt again. “But if you don’t show up when you’re supposed to,” he warned everyone, “I will hunt you all, just as before.”

      And so today was poor Sulka’s day to die. Although he had long ago accepted his fate, it still took all his courage to face Numskull. Every step brought him closer and closer to his death. Every breath was so shallow that he felt as if he were already dying. Numskull would have him for supper! He couldn’t imagine a fate worse than this.

      A few more paces, and Numskull was towering over him. “You’re late!” he roared. “You are also much too small for a meal. There should be at least four of you to satisfy my hunger.”

      Sulka shrank away from the raging lion, his eyes squeezed shut.

      “For this I am going to go back to hunting,” said Numskull, “and I am going to start with rabbits!”

      The thought of his children being hunted frightened Sulka even more than being torn from limb to limb by this bloodthirsty beast. Then, suddenly, Sulka saw a way out. With Numskull already getting ready to pounce on him, he worked out a plan that he hoped would save his life.

      “O great King!” said Sulka, bowing to the lion. “Please forgive me. Please allow me to explain.” Sulka did not dare look up, but he felt Numskull’s hesitation. “We knew very well that a single rabbit would be too little for a meal for Your Highness, so they sent five of us.”

      “Five,” Numskull repeated. “I see only one. Where are the others?”