DEER AND GECKO

One day, deer held a meeting with his friends in a large building, On the ceiling of the building, Gecko the little house lizard was hiding. While the meeting was going on, Gecko knocked down a stone which struck Deer on the head.

Deer became angry and said, 'Gecko, how dare you hit me with a stone? What's going on? You have courage only because you are safe up there. You think you're clever, but I want to see you drove it.'

Gecko replied, 'Deer, words can only hurt my ears. I want to know how clever you are, too!'

Deer said, 'Gecko, if you want to know how clever I am, let's have a race right now. This meeting house here can be the finishing post. Whoever arrives first wins. If I lose, you can do what you like with me, even kill me. And if you lose, then that's end of you!'

'Okay Deer,' Gecko replied, 'if that's what you want, I'll race you. But not now. Tomorrow we'll begin the contest.' Deer agreed, and so the contest was set for the next day. Gecko, the little lizard, had made a rash promise to race the swift Deer, so he had to think of something quickly. 'Now,' he thought to him‑ self, 'what shall I do, for Deer surely can run faster than I? First of all, I will look for my gecko friends and we can think of a plan.'

Gecko called all his friends, and said, 'Tomorrow I am to race with Deer, with this meeting house as the finishing post. Deer can indeed run fast, so we must have a plan, or I am sure to lose. If Deer loses, we have the right to kill him, for he prom­ised that. Now, here is my plan.

'Since we all look alike, we can have several geckos waiting along the course to fool Deer: one in the tree where the race is to begin, one at the middle post, and one here. Should Deer call out, one of us must answer. Deer will always think it is I.'

Next day, Deer arrived early, but the three geckos were al­ready there. 'Hey, Gecko,' Deer asked, 'do you agree that we start our race now?' .

Gecko answered, 'Okay, let's start from the tree over there. We will race to the middle post and back again to the tree, then to the meeting house.'

'Yes,' said Deer.

Deer set off, calling out, 'Are you off and running, Gecko?

'Already,' answered the second gecko off and running, Gecko?’

Deer thought, Gecko is fast. I'd better not take it easy or I may lose…'

Deer ran on, with the dust flying behind him, and when he had almost arrived at the middle post, he called out, 'Gecko, where are your

The third gecko, who was waiting at the post, replied, 'I'm already here at the post, Deer.'

'You really are clever,' said Deer. 'Now let's run back again.'

Deer ran back just as hard as he could, for he felt a little sorry for himself and wanted to win. As he neared the starting tree, he again called out, 'Where have you got to, Gecko?'

The second gecko in the tree said, 'I'm here again at the tree, Deer.'

When Deer, panting and out of breath, reached the finish­ing line at the meeting house, he found Gecko there again for him. Gecko said to him, 'Well, Deer, I have beaten you both ways and I'm no even breathing hard. Do you remember your promise?’

Deer replied, 'I have not forgotten my promise. Indeed, I have lost, but don't kill me now, Gecko. Later on I'll black face. You will be reborn as a speckled cock with yellow legs. Then it will be the proper time for you to kill me.'

Gecko agreed no to kill Deer right then and there. And that is why in Bali, at the cockfight, the speckled cock with yellow legs always beats the red cock with the black face.

Mousedeer and Crocodiles

The dog was so furious that it ran after the mousedeer but it couldn't catch him because the mousedeer hid behind the bush smartly. The dog barked and could only say, "You are liar! You told me that I would be the farmer's son in law ..., the fact that Mr. Farmer would slaughter you to be made satay!"

Despite his small body, mousedeer had always brilliant ideas so that he hid under thick bushes in order not to be seen. If it were racing with the dog, mousedeer would surely lose. "What a stupid dog!" the mousedeer said in laughter. He carefully covered the traces of his feet with the dust so that the dog wouldn't know where the mousedeer was.

When it was safe the mousedeer came out of the bushes and ran in different direction with the poor dog. This time he arrived in the bank of a deep river. "It seems that it is a very deep river", he said to himself and thought for a few minutes to find the way to cross it. "I've got an idea", he whispered. Then he walked toward a group of banana trees, he pushed them strongly till they fell down one by one.

Several minutes later he tied several logs and the rowing boat was ready to cross the river. "How heavy it is", he thought while dragging it into the river.

He was not aware that several hungry crocodiles were watching him from the distance. Suddenly a big crocodile caught him from behind ... but this time he was late. His left leg had been stabbed with the sharp teeth of the crocodile. "Auch ... hey ... wait a minute Mr. Crocodile!" the mousedeer begged.

"Wait for what? I am starving!" the crocodile said.

"Don't worry, Mr. Crocodile, it is impossible for me to fight with you, I'm starving, too. My stomach is empty, my body contains no meat, let me look for food first^!" the mousedeer said.

The crocodile agreed, he took his sharp teeth off the mousedeer's leg. "Then, what do you want?" the crocodile asked. "You have a lot of friends, don't you?" the mousedeer asked. "Yes, you're right, I'll call my friends".

Then in a short time, a great number of crocodiles rose on the surface of the river. "One of you must take me to cross this river to seek some meal so that my body is fat enough for you all to eat", the mousedeer said.

"Hey, the mousedeer, don't try to trick me, will you?" Mr. Crocodile warned him. "How do I dare to trick you, you are so strong and powerfull no one dares to trick you!" the mousedeer convinced.

"Well, ok, I'll take you there and you must eat a lot of food to make you fat", the crocodile agreed. The mousedeer jumped on the crocodile's back hurriedly and the crocodile swam across the river with him. "Wow what a nice sailing!" the mousedeer shouted cheerfully. "For the time being, enjoy your trip but by and by I'll swallow you", the crocodile thought.

"Remember little mousedeer, don't try to trick me", Mr. Crocodile reminded him while waiting on the river bank. After eating a lot of fruits and cucumber, the mousedeer backed to the river bank where there was the crocodile waiting. The mousedeer was so full that he looked a little bit fatter than he used to be. "Mr. Crocodile, how many friends of yours are there in the river?" the mousedeer started to play a trick again. "Many!" the crocodile answered. "How many are there precisely?" the mousedeer asked again. "I can't count them, there are a great number, and also I've never counted them!" the crocodile shouted angrily. "It's too bad, how can you share and devide my body if you don't know the number of your friend?" the mousedeer asked. "Well, if so, I myself will count the number of your friends, and now you must form a line across this river.

"That's right, I agree with you, remember I'm the leader in this river so that I have the right to have your delicious tight", the crocodile claimed. In a few minutes the crocodiles have made a formation of a line across the river. Later, the mousedeer jumped on the crocodiles back one by one while counting them ... one, two, three ... arriving in another side of the river, the mousedeer waved his hard happily saying thanks to all crocodiles who could only stare at him.

"Hey ... stop!!! don't go away! I've not eaten you, yet!" but the mousedeer kept running away from them. He didn't care of them anymore and walked into the jungle.
Other Mousedeer Story......