Cobra Raja and the Tickly Ants

Art: Lisa D'Cruz, 5, India

In a forest where the sun shone brightly on all days, many animals and birds lived peacefully. 

The birds hunted for worms on the ground, made their homes on treetops, and looked out at the world. The thirsty animals drank water from the cool pool and lazed on the green grass.

Now in the middle of that forest, in a hole in the ground, lived a big, dangerous snake called Cobra Raja. Everybody was frightened of him. He slept in his hole during the day and hunted at night. He ate small creatures like frogs and lizards. Then he climbed the trees and ate the birds’ eggs from their nests.

Cobra Raja was greedy and ate even when he was not hungry. Soon, he became fat and could not enter his hole in the middle of the forest. He slithered around and found a tall tree near the pool where he decided to make his home. 

There was an anthill at the foot of the tree where thousands of tickly ants lived. Cobra Raja did not like ants. Being big and dangerous, he went to the ants and hissed,

“Listen you chintook pintook tickly-toed ants, from today this tree is my home. You find yourselves another home and go away at once.”

The birds, the lizards, and the monkeys who lived on the tall tree shivered with fear when they heard Cobra Raja. They left the tree and went to find other homes. 

But the tickly ants did not leave the tall tree. They stayed put in their anthill. 

When Cobra Raja went to sleep, they climbed all over his body in thousands and tickled him. He turned this way and that. The tickly ants stung him and he died. 

The birds, the lizards, and the monkeys came back to live on the tall tree and praised the tickly ants for their bravery.

Lesson: The powerful can be beaten by the weak if they unite.

(Fable Retold)