Vishnu Sharma | India
The Blue Jackal
A jackal turns blue and deceives forest animals to become their king, but is exposed and driven out.
Once upon a time, there was a jackal named Chandarava. He lived in a big forest. One day, he went to a village looking for food. The village dogs saw him and started to chase him. Chandarava was very scared and ran fast to hide.
He found a big pot of blue dye that people used to color clothes. He jumped into the pot to hide. When he came out, he was blue all over. The dogs did not recognize him and stopped chasing him.
Chandarava looked at his blue fur in a puddle. He had an idea. He went back to the forest and pretended to be a special animal.
The other animals were surprised and scared when they saw him. They had never seen a blue animal before. Chandarava said, "I am sent by the gods to be your king. You must listen to me and I will take care of you."
The animals believed him. They brought him food and took care of him. Chandarava enjoyed being their king and lived a good life.
But one day, he heard other jackals howling. He forgot his trick and howled back. The animals heard him and realized he was just an ordinary jackal. They were angry and chased him away.
Chandarava was alone again, walking in the forest.
