Donkey's Dreams & Other Animal Tales

By Pushpa Kurup

Donkey’s Dreams & Other Tales is an environment friendly book consisting of five short stories that are simple and thought provoking. A little donkey wonders why his ancestors teamed up with homo sapiens 6000 years ago and ended up getting such a raw deal. He asks his grandfather if donkeys can ever hope to enslave men. He dreams of boarding a plane and going to the United States because he has heard it's a donkey-friendly country quite unlike his native Egypt.
When a panda is captured from her home in China and shifted to a faraway destination she is treated to a series of novel experiences, both bitter and sweet. She wonders why she’s called giant panda when she’s hardly three feet tall. And why humans capture animals and put them in cages only to ogle at them. She doesn’t understand why they give her eggs and honey to eat when all she wants is bamboo. In fact she has a lot to learn before they let her go home years later with her newborn.
Cleopatra, the mother squirrel, inspires a teenager to start an animal rights group. But not before she and her babies are nearly evicted from a long abandoned house where they had taken shelter.
A lioness in the Serengeti gets ready to lead her pride on their next hunting venture when an unexpected turn of events prompts her to save the life of an infant human.
A red fox and a wounded dog strike up an enduring friendship. Willie is devoted to humans whereas Wily loathes them. The duo have different opinions and heated arguments but their bond remains unbreakable.
The stories in this collection see the world from the perspective of different animals, some of whom are facing the threat of extinction. The hapless creatures spell out their hopes and fears and gently remind us that the earth is their home too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pushpa Kurup
• Release date: Apr 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311764607

Pushpa Kurup

Lives in Trivandrum, India. Works in the Information Technology sector.

Book preview

Donkey’s Dreams & Other Animal Tales

Dr. Pushpa Kurup & Sarisha Kurup

Published by Pushpa Kurup

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 Pushpa Kurup

Cover Design by Praveen V.P., Vitalect Technologies India Ltd.

ISBN 9781311764607

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this e-book. You are welcome to share it with your friends.

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This book is dedicated

to the EARTH

and its Creatures.

Contents

Donkey’s Dreams

Sojourn in America

Willie and Wily

In the Shadow of Man

The Jungle Queen

Donkey’s Dreams

I sit with my grandfather under a tree, waiting for him to begin his afternoon tales. I love these afternoons with Grandpa. He tells me stories of places so far away and distant, they seem almost unreal.

As donkeys, we’re often treated unfairly, and I know Grandpa has had a hard life. Our home is in Abu Simbel in southern Egypt, close to the Sudanese border. Here the Nile flows northwards in the direction of Aswan and meanders through the country, reaching Cairo, and finally pouring into the mighty Mediterranean at Alexandria.

I look at Grandpa now. His knees are wobbly, but he still has the bright fiery light of youth in his eyes. Despite advancing age, he’s still forced to work for our master, but I never hear him complain. He always goes about his work with enthusiasm, taking every new turn in the road with excitement. What an attitude!

Grandpa clears his throat. That’s a signal for me to ask a question. Humans would call it paralanguage. We donkeys don’t just bray - we use body language cues and para-language as well. And do you know our braying can be heard for miles across the desert? That’s how we keep in touch with our brothers.

‘Grandpa, how did we end up being employed by men?’ I begin, ‘Why aren’t donkeys enslaving men instead? After all, we have stronger bodies…’

My thoughts drift towards my self-defense techniques. Occasionally, I use my hind legs to give a powerful kick. I can also strike with my fore-legs. Sometimes I even bite, just to show people they can’t take me for granted. Otherwise, I’m totally harmless. I’m not stubborn or foolish as some people believe. On the other hand, I’m highly intelligent, with a remarkable memory and a great sense of curiosity.

Grandpa interrupts my thoughts with a mild rebuke. ‘No, child, even if we were suddenly given power over Man, it would be wrong to use it. Just like you don’t like working for men, they won’t like working for you. Don’t you know that Jesus Christ said Do unto others….!’

‘Of course, I know that, Grandpa! You’ve told me so many times!’ I interject. But I can’t help thinking it would be a good idea to give humans a taste of their own medicine. How else are they going to understand the sheer agony of forced labour?

‘Can’t we teach men that it’s wrong to enslave us?’ I ask hopefully.

Grandpa looks doubtful. He falls silent. I don’t want him to stop his story telling, so I hurriedly modify my question.

‘Okay Grandpa, tell me how we came to be trapped in this situation.’

Grandpa laughs at my impatience, but he obliges. ‘I’ll have to begin with our family history, dear. We’re descendants of the African wild ass, which, today