Nae slithered slowly towards Firo’s, the head tribesman, hut. He slipped into the hut through one of the numerous holes in the sides. He lifted a cautious head and looked around in the dark. He could not see very well in the near darkness. However, he could smell the baby towards the far right. He could also smell Firo’s wife near the baby. Ordinarily Nae had no fear for the humans. But the very nature of his being in the hut with an ugly intention had put some fear in his mind. He slowly glided towards the baby with a slight fear and excitement.
Nae thought he was making very little noise. However, as he neared the baby he could sense Firo’s wife stirring a little. Nae froze in his tracks and tried to hide under a nearby rag. Once she had settled down to a peaceful sleep Nae again crawled towards the baby. When he got close enough for a strike he raised his head for a strike. At that moment the baby was snatched away by a burly hand and a light from a flickering torch threw shadows on the wall. Nae was stunned by the sudden light on his face and couldn’t make a move as this was totally unexpected.
And then Firo’s wife screamed and leaped towards husband. The scream brought Nae to his senses and prompted him to react. He reared his head to an immense 4 feet and hissed. The scream sounded angry and very loud. There was so much intensity in the sound and face of Nae that involuntarily both Firo and his wife took two steps backwards. Of course, the baby was in Firo’s hands as he was the one who rescued the baby. Firo had the baby in one hand and pushed the torch with the other toward Nae. One of the very few things Nae was truly afraid of was fire. When the burning torch was shown near his face, Nae panicked and tried to escape. He ducked and escaped between Firo’s legs.
Very soon the whole village was in an uproard and torches could be seen everywhere. A fire was lit in front of Firo’s house and the council of war was underway. When the others came to know what happened they were caught in a frenzy. The natural reaction any animal will have when one of its own is threatened came to the fore. They all grabbed sticks and clubs to kill Nae.
It was one of the biggest and rowdiest hunt in recent times in the village. Atleast the most memorable one for the villagers. The kids who were old enough to stray away from their mothers’ protection had the most fun. They jumped around and pretended to find Nae in some bush or other and were a general nuisance. There were many shouts and false alarms. There were times when they almost got Nae.
Two hours before dawn the search began to slow down and one hour before dawn the village was quiet again. However, sleep was fitful and three people stayed on guard outside Firo’s house until daybreak.
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Epilogue:
In his haste and fear Nae had run away to the top of the nearby hill and to the other side of the valley. His ego was broken and his back almost broken. Nae had learnt an important lesson in life. He understood that it never pays to be jealous of another person not equal to you. Most of all he realized that beauty and power does not last forever. The realization did not come immediately, nor did it come peacefully. It was the most painful realization of his whole life.
You see he had survived many wounds on his body and they became sores as time passed by. It was never cured and he died a very long long time after this incident…in pain, misery, ugliness and bitterness.
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