25th May 1997

A plan to get rid of the Hawk

By Uncle Douglas

Nariya the jackal was very hungry. He had not eaten anything for nearly three days. It was Ukussa the hawk that had done this to him. Every time that even a tiny field mouse was almost under his paw, this hawk had swooped down from high up in the sky and snatched it away from him.

Nariya was not only hungry, but angry. But what could he do? This hawk was starving him to death.

Nariya trotted along thinking of what he should do. Suddenly he saw waddling about a fathom away from him, a nice fat Urumeeya or as some folk called it, a Bandicoot. It was biggest of the rat people.

"Ah! Here comes a very fine meal," said Nariya to himself. "I can't see that cursed Ukussa around, so I'll creep quietly upto this big rat and get him."

Nariya was almost on the big rat, when he heared a flutter of wings, and then but out of nowhere, the cursed hawk was on the bandicoot. There was a brief scuffle, and the hawk flew off with the struggling rat in his claws.

Nariya was stunned," How did it happen? From where did that flying curse come?

Nariya was angry. He was furious. "What can I do? How can I get rid of this flying menance? Something must be done, or I'll starve to death."

Hawa the hava and Dandu Lena the Rock squirrel came upto Nariya. "Yes", they said. "We saw Ukussa steal that big Urumeeya from you. That was not fair at all."

Nariya was happy that his friends thought that the Ukussa had done something bad.

Hawa thought for a while scratching his long ears. "I think I have seen that hawk before." Then he said to Dandu Lena. "Wasn't that the hawk that used to ride on the Devil Woman's shoulder?

"Yes", said the squirrel, "The Ukussa was on one shoulder and the Ulama the Devil bird was on the other shoulder," said Dandu Lena. "Yes I remember that quite well."

"Then the power of the Devil Woman is still flying around," said Hawa.

"This is terrible," said Nariya. "That Devil Woman has power even after she has died. What can we do about it. Will this never end?"

Hawa scratched his long ears again. He always did this when he was thinking.

Dandu Lena scratched his nose, and Nariya the jackal tried to scratch off a flea that was biting his neck.

"We must go and see Wandura the Grey Langur monkey," said Hawa. "I am sure he will know what to do."

Wandura the Grey Langur monkey was on the big mango tree chewing a tender not-quite-ripe fruit. "You know these half-ripe mangoes are really tasty," he said to the three friends who had come to the foot of the tree. "Have you come to eat mangoes? Let me throw down some of these tender fruits. They really taste fine."

Hawa tasted one of the fruits. "Yes, they are quite tasty," he said. "But there is something else we want to talk to you about."

"Oh!" said Wandura. "Tell me what it is and I will tell you. You know that I know much more about many things than any of the other forest folk."

Hawa told Wandura about how a hawk was harassing Nariya the jackal.

Wandura dropped the mango he was eating and started scratching his nose. "Ukussa, was it?" he asked. "That's a flesh eating bird? I knew it, I knew it. They were these flesh-eating animals and birds that start all the trouble. Why can't all forest folk eat leaves, fruits and roots. There's enough for all, and much more left over," Wandura said.

He scratched his nose again. "Now take Nariya the jackal. He has good teeth. He can chew a mango or crack a nut quite easily."

Hawa wiggled his ears impatiently. "That's not what we want to know. We came here to ask you if that Ukussa is one of the Devil Woman's evil spirts."

"Devil Woman? Evil spirit?" Wandura screamed. "Don't talk about that horrible woman and her evil friends.He is evil. He is evil." Wandura sprang from the branch of the mango tree on to another tree and soon he was out of the sight.

After some time, Dandu Lena said: "Wandura is afraid of the Devil Woman."

"But the Devil Woman is dead." Nariya said.

"But her evil power hangs around in this forest", said Hawa. "There is Ukussa and the Devil Bird. They are the Devil Woman's evil friends."

"We must get rid of them," said Nariya.

"Yes, we must," said Dandu Lena.

"It will not be easy, but it has to be done," said Hawa.

Mynah Bird sat on a branch of the mango tree. He had been there for long time and had heard Hawa and his friends and also Wandura the Grey Langur Monkey.

Mynaah Bird knew about the Devil Woman and her evil friends. He had heard about them from the Wise Man of the temple of the Shining Ones.

"I can't help you," said Mynah Bird.

"What must we do to get rid of this awful Devil Hawk? Hawa asked.

"At the edge of the forest, the village folk have planted a large field of white onions that some people call Garlic or Sudu Loonu. Now Garlic is one thing that evil spirit like the Devil Woman and her familiars fear most. The smell of the White Onion drives the away, but if they touch the onion or if it touches them, they die."

"Come, let's go to the Garlic field! shounted Hawa the have. "At last we can get rid of these evil menance."

With his forepaws, Nariya the jackal crawled on his stomach as though going after a big rat. Suddenly Ukussa the hawk came swooping down. Nariya crushed the white onions in his excitement.

The smell of the Garlic juice filled the air. Ukussa's nose was soon filled with the smell and he veered away from the jackal.

Dandu Lena the squirrel was seated on a branch of a tree, nibbling a piece of garlic and watching the jackal. When he saw the hawk flying away from the smell of Garlic, he threw the small piece of the onion he had with him, at the hawk and hit him on the wing.

Suddenly the hawk fell to the ground, all crumpled up. Dandu Lena and Nariya ran upto the fallen bird. What they saw was not a bird, but a bunch of red feathers tied up with an oily, black string.

Hawa the hava came hopping up. He looked at the feathers. "It's not a bird after all. Jus a brundle of feathers. Evil feathers. "Hawa put some bits of Garlic on the feathers. So that the evil in the feathers is crushed.

High up in the sky, the real Ukussa floated without flapping a wing.

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