UNNI AND THE KING OF ANTS

Unni looked out of the window despairingly. In the garden outside the courtyard, he longingly saw the pit dug by Sankar, the servant. The pit was full of rainwater, reddish brown in color. It was for playing in this water that Mom beat poor Unni with a coconut stalk.

"Don't go outside today!" said Mom while helping him change his clothes.

It's awful fun playing in a puddle of rainwater. Throw a stone into it and the water will splash out like tongues of fire. Beat it with an atekka leaf and you can hear the sound of a cracker. Build a bund and the water will hesitatingly halt. Breach it and it will flow away with surging enthusiasm.

Mom had little wisdom, he thought. As for that matter, he hadn't so far seen any grown up sufficiently intelligent.

While Sankar was digging the pit Unni really wanted to help him. He was not at all pleased. When Pa saw the mud stains on the shorts and shirt he was angry.

Now Unni would have to wait till his brother arrived from school for a companion to play with.

There was no question of his going back to Mom in the kitchen. He was pretty cross with her, not for beating him, but for shutting him in.

His eyes wandered again to the puddle of water. A big frog with green lines on his body was sitting on the bank of the pit, and his eyes enlarged in wonder. He must have come to play in the murky water. Perhaps he came out when his mother wasn't looking.

A dog came running that way and the smart guy hopped into the water. No trace of him was to be seen any more. A really lucky fellow, Unni thought.

Unni stood watching for a little while but the frog did not surface. He wondered what the frog was doing under water.

He did not see anything interesting outside. On the rain-drenched grass in the garden, nothing, not even a grass hopper appeared.

He turned to go. Lexmy, the doll was lying on the floor. He kicked her and she flew in agony crying 'pee...e'. Was a kick such a great thing as to make a fuss about, Unni wondered.

He was planning to go back to Mom, when a most wonderful sight caught his attention.

A big ant! It was moving majestically from one corner of the room towards the door.

Not merely big, astonishingly big it was. He had never seen such a big ant in his entire life. Even Papa couldn't have seen such a big one.

His legs were long and slender and his head was big and round; besides he had a set of two brightly colored wings.

Unni didn't have to think much to guess who he was; none other than the King of Ants!

'Now let me capture the King!' Unni said to himself and he began to chase the King.

The King fled for dear life but Unni wouldn't give up. Unni saw that the King couldn't fly. His wings had only ornamental and decorative functions like the British Royalty.

The King ran, took sharp turns every now and then and made for the door. Unni followed him yelling with excitement.

The race lasted for nearly ten minutes. At last Unni caught the King and lifted him up in his hands. "How's that, Your Majesty!" he cried.

But the elation was short lived, for the King bit him in the hand and Unni jumped in great pain. His clasp loosened and the King slid down and in seconds vanished from sight.

Valiant as he was, Unni cried a little now. Whatever was the reason, the great King hadn't acted quite decently, Unni thought.

Unni massaged vigorously the spot where the King had bitten where a lump about the size of a coin appeared. Unni turned to the King quite angrily, "You will catch it!" he said indignantly.

But where was the King?

Unni examined every inch of the room, but no trace of the King could be discovered.

It was unbecoming of a King at any rate, Unni thought - to bite without warning and run away!

Unni looked for the King for a while more and abandoned the search. He took his slate and began to draw a crow.

As soon as he had completed the head of the crow he said, "My dear crow, have you seen the King of Ants?"

The half finished crow didn't reply and Unni thought, "How foolish of me to expect an incomplete crow to make an answer!"

Now Unni thought he heard a soft voice. Did someone call 'Unni'?

He went to the door and stopped suddenly. It wasn't Mom, for he could still hear the sewing machine. It wasn't his brother: the front door still remained closed.

Now the voice again! The soft and melodious voice calling out 'Unni, Unni.'

Going back, Unni looked out of the window into the garden. There was nobody in the garden.

He heard the voice again. Now he was sure that the voice came from within the room itself! But he couldn't see anyone inside the room.

Now he discovered where the voice was coming from. It was from the tiny pipe on the wall. Unni went down on his knees, bent to the floor and peeped into the pipe.

There, inside the pipe, was sitting His Majesty, the King of Ants!

"I called you so many times," the King said. He was a little annoyed, for his summons used to be answered promptly in his palace.

His Majesty the King was silent. After a while he said, "Did you feel very bad when I bit you?"

"Certainly. Don't you see this?" Unni said, showing the red lump in his palm.

"You would have strangled me," said the King, "That’s why I resorted to violence. You are the first human being I have ever bitten, and hope that you are the last one also."

Unni remained silent looking at the little mark rather ruefully.

"Now tell me my boy, what I can do for you," said the King.

Unni forgot his pain. He said, "Do you know stories?"

"Yes. I do," the King replied.

"Would you tell me a few stories, if you don't mind?" said the boy.

The King readily agreed.

Unni said, "Won't you tell me a story today itself?"

"I’m afraid, I can’t" said the King, "Today I'm already late. We will meet tomorrow."

The rendezvous was fixed at the wood shed. Unni could call on the King at any time during the day. He should whistle three notes, and the King would appear.

"Somebody is coming into the room, who is that?" said the King.

Unni looked back over his shoulder and told his friend that it was his mother.

"Our friendship and conversation should be kept a close secret," the King instructed. Unni agreed.

"Who were you talking to?" Ma asked as she came to him.

"It was to a frog," he said.

"Now, what did the frog tell you?" asked the mother smiling.

"He said his mother wouldn't as much as scold him if he played in the rain," Unni said.

Mom laughed.

"I also told him I’m very cruelly treated," Unni continued.

"What was his reaction?"

"He burst into tears," Unni said.

"Now, let's have a glass of milk," said his mother taking Unni to the kitchen.