The Laughing Onion

(This was published as a picture book by Eklavya and is available here. The story has been beautifully illustrated by Anita Varma. The text of the story is given below)

When the children were in bed and Naana switched off the lights, the small boy said, ‘I will tell you a story today.’

The girl sat up and said, ‘No Naana he doesn’t know how to tell a story. I am six years old and cannot tell any new stories and he is only two and a half years old. How can he tell a story? He will only mix up some stories you told us and make a khichdi out of it. You tell a monkey story instead.’

In the semi-darkness Naana looked at the girl’s earnest face and at the small boy lying with his right foot on top of his left knee like a serious grown up with a large head, and he smiled and said, ‘Anybody can tell a story. And you know, all stories are made up like a khichdi. My stories are also like that, but I know a lot of stories and read a lot, so I have more things to put in my khichdi. That’s all. You tell your story, baby.’

‘OK’, started the small boy, ‘Long long ago, in a forest there was a deer. Thhhen that deer was eaten by an onion.’

Naana put his finger to his lips to silence the girl when he saw her beginning to say something. He turned to the small boy and said, ‘Baby, don’t you mean that the deer ate the onion.’

The small boy started again, ‘Long long ago, in a forest there was a deer. Thhhen the onion ate the deer.’

The girl said, ‘Naana, he says onion for something else but I can’t remember what.’

‘The onion we eat at home?’ asked Naana.

The small boy said, ‘No no, the onion in the forest that looks like a dog. And does Huh Huh Huh.’

‘Oh! A laughing hyena!’ laughed Naana and the girl.

‘Yees!’ said the small boy relieved and continued:

‘long long ago, in a forest there was a deer. Thhhen that deer was eaten by a hyena which did Huh Huh Huh.

Thhhen the monkey sat on the tree. One grain of chana fell down. Thhen the monkey became angry and threw all the chana away.

Thhen there was a bird on a tree. And the tree fell down.

Thhen the lion became angry.’

‘Then what happened?’ asked Naana and the girl, when the small boy didn’t say anything for some time.

‘Thhen the lion became VERY angry and ATE the tiger.’

‘What happened next?’ asked Naana.

‘Thhen” said the small boy, ‘the story to Kanchi and us home.’

Naana clapped and said, ‘What a great story! That was a wonderful story you told. Maybe we should take turns telling stories and you know…’

…They are still talking but the voices are getting fainter and fuzzier with sleep. So, let’s leave them there. The story tellers and the listeners. The weavers of invisible spider-web nets and the stars of the night they have caught for company on their long lonely journeys.

Goodnight!