The Blue Jackal

Once upon a time, there was a vast jungle inhabited by many different animals. The spotted jackal was one of these. He would creep through the tall grass every day at dusk, looking for tasty prey.

Despite an ongoing search, it had been a while since he’d chanced upon any leftover meat or even a tiny morsel. By now, skinny and famished, the jackal wandered through the forest with an empty stomach that rumbled loudly, like an orchestra in concert.

The next day, the jackal was so hungry he could’ve eaten a horse. He strayed into the nearby village to look for something to snack-on there.

It wasn’t long before the village dogs noticed him. The quivering jackal counted at least six of them. He was cornered by the pack. Their blood-curdling barks echoed throughout the village. They pierced the jackal’s back with their razor-sharp teeth. But by some sort of miracle, he managed to escape. He ran and he ran, with the dogs hot on his heels.

Desperate to avoid almost certain death, the jackal ran into one of the houses in the village. Inside he spotted several large buckets. Wanting to hide from the angry dogs, he jumped into one of them. What he didn’t realise was that the buckets were full of blue paint. And now he was completely blue from head to toe. The jackal no longer looked like a jackal, not in the slightest!

When he stepped outdoors the dogs didn’t recognise him. To confuse them even more, he snarled and growled, making them wonder what the blue creature in front of them actually was. Trembling and terrified, they instantly fled.

Still starving and unhappy, the jackal returned to his den. On his way he stopped at a stream and tried…