LISTEN
READ
My husband, Anu, loves to share stories from his childhood, especially since he was born and brought up in India to two teachers in a small house with two siblingsāa vastly different childhood than his own kids.Ā He didnāt have the luxuries that they have todayānew shoes and clothes at the drop of a hat, technology, or access to various activities. If youāve heard of parents who recount tales of walking uphill both ways in six feet of snow to school, thatās my husbandās way of sharing himself with our boys. Every story he tells has a lesson and has shaped our familyās values.Ā
ā Jasmin Thankachen
The one with the chicken and two scorpionsĀ
As told by Anu Thankachen
When I was about five or six years old, my father and I went to visit my grandparents in Prakannam. Their house is located in the mountains, and it was a long drive to get there, over bumpy roads with lots of twists and turns.
When we got there my dad had gone inside to visit with his parents while I stayed outside to play. The porch was filled with interesting things to look at. I could hear chickens clucking at the neighborās house as I skipped around the yard. I spotted two baskets filled with straw at the corner of the porch. They were wide woven baskets, the type that workers carried on their head to transport goods from one place to another. I decided to move them around and tip them a bit to see what was inside. Two black scorpions scampered out and I dropped the basket, stepping back quickly. Their tails were poised up and over their heads, ready to strike with their poisonous pincers.
This was one of only a handful of times Iād seen a scorpion, and out of curiosity I approached one of the arachnids. Before I reached my hand out, a foot with a black slipper swiped it away from me so fast that I didnāt know where it went. The swift slippered foot belonged to my aunt who saw what was happening and asked me to move away quickly. The scorpions regained their balance and resumed their attack position.
In all the commotion two chickens that were grazing at the neighborās house stopped to observe what was happening. Within seconds they spread their deep gold and red feathered wings and flew toward the scorpions. Their sharp talons gripped the rocky ground. Fast as lighting they pecked at the animals. Their strong beaks pierced through the scorpionsā abdomen as their tails lost strength and fell to the ground. Lunch was served and the chickens had saved the day.
I never thought I would owe my life to my aunt and a chicken. Years later I can still recall the lesson I learnedānever judge a book by its cover and never underestimate how a person or an animal, for that matter, can help you in your time of greatest need.
Read more from our storytelling project:
Learning txŹ·ÉlsĢucid and telling the stories
Living, breathing, working for my culture
The Chicken and TwoĀ Scorpions
A family of Moths: Recreating The Moth StorySLAM at home
āOut of my heart a story will come: Storytelling in schoolsā
Why do we tell stories around the fire?
