By Rujira  Treesiripong

        Once upon a time, a cow and her calf lived together in the cave. Every morning the cow went out to find some food to feed her calf. Before leaving, she would order her calf not to go out of the cave. The calf had to wait inside until his mother came back.

          One morning, the cow said these words again before she went out as usual.

          “ Don’t go out of the cave because it is dangerous outside, and you are too small.  You have to stay here until I come back.” The calf listened to his mother attentively, and he played inside the cave.  While the cow was finding some food, she met a tiger. The tiger was hungry, so he grabbed the cow.

          “ Oh! Don’t eat me, please. I have a young son to take care, and he can’t help himself. If you eat me, my son will live alone,” the cow begged.

          “ No… No… No… I am hungry,” said the tiger.

          “ O.K. if you are insisting but before eating me, please let me meet my son and tell him that he has to take care of himself. Nobody can protect him. Please let me free. I promise that I will come back here again,” said the cow.

          “ O.K. If you promise that, I will let you meet your son. But if you don’t come back, I will eat both of you,” the tiger said.

          The cow hurried to meet her son.

          “ Oh! My dear son. I cannot live with you anymore. You must be careful and take care of yourself.  I hope you will be safe,” the cow said.

          “ Why?  Mom, I don’t understand. What do you mean? ” The calf asked.

          His mother told everything to him.         

“  Mom...Mom. Please don’t go. Don’t leave me alone. 

I will go instead of you,” the calf said.

          “ No…No…You are too small. You are my dear. You have to stay alive,” his mother said.

The calf didn’t listen to his mother, and he ran into the tiger’s cave.

“Don’t eat my mom.  Please eat me instead of her,” the calf cried.

A few minutes later the cow came to the cave, and she said, “Please don’t eat my son.”

          The tiger pitied them and said “O.K. I will eat neither you nor your son because you are very good people; the mother is honest for keeping promise to come back, and the calf shows gratitude.”

          The cow and the calf were glad to hear that and went back to their cave. They lived together happily.  

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@