Fallen leaves during the Monsoon Season in Cambodia - © Gunther Deichmann


A CAMBODIAN TALE CALLED THE TIGER AND THE MOUSE...

ON ONE HOT DAY, A LONG TIME AGO, TIGER CAME OUT OF THE WOODS TO

DRINK WATER FROM A POND AT A CLEARING; THERE HE MET MOUSE WHO HAD THE

SAME IDEA. FEELING BOASTFUL AND SUPERIOR, TIGER SAID TO MOUSE:

"YOU ARE SUCH AN INSIGNIFICANT AND USELESS CREATURE; THERE IS NOTHING

YOU CAN DO THAT I CANNOT DO, SO LEAVE MY SIGHT?"

MOUSE, FEARFUL OF TIGER, RETREATED BACK TO THE FIELDS.

IT JUST HAPPENED THAT DAY; TRAPPERS WERE IN THE FOREST SETTING

UP NETS, TRYING TO CAPTURE A TIGER FOR THE KING. TIGER, USUALLY CAREFUL

BUT FEELING PROUD AFTER CHASING MOUSE AWAY, WAS NOT LOOKING WHERE HE

WAS GOING AND UNFORTUNATELY STEPPED ON THE TRAP. SUDDENLY, THERE HE

WAS, TANGLED IN THE NET UP ON THE TREE, TIGER TRIED TO FREE HIMSELF BUT

WAS UNABLE TO. HE KEPT ON CALLING PASSING ANIMALS TO HELP HIM BUT THEY

COULD NOT GET HIM OUT, DESPERATE, HE KNEW THE KIND OF FATE THAT

AWAITED HIM, BEING IN A LOCKED CAGE AND BEATEN UP BY THE KING'S GUARDS.

WELL, IT JUST HAPPENED THAT MOUSE WAS PASSING THROUGH THE

FOREST AND HE HEARD THE CRIES OF TIGER, HE APPROACHED AND OFFERED TO

HELP. BY THIS TIME, TIGER WAS LOSING HOPE, ANY OFFER OF HELP WAS

WELCOMED, MOUSE CLIMBED UP INTO THE NET AND IN NO TIME, CHEWED THE

CORDS OUT AND FREED TIGER. MOUSE, THEN SAID TO HIM:


"YOU, EARLIER SAID THAT I WAS A USELESS CREATURE BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, I

WAS ABLE TO FREE YOU, DO NOT MOCK ANY ANIMAL BECAUSE OF IT'S SIZE.

BECAUSE WE ARE SMALL DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE ARE USELESS, EACH CREATURE

POSSESSES UNIQUE SKILLS."

TIGER, SHAMEFUL AND WITH HIS HEAD DOWN, RAN BACK TO THE FOREST

AS QUICKLY AS HE COULD, SO FROM THIS DAY ON, TIGERS LEARNED NOT TO

DISRESPECT MICE.

Tags: photography, Tales , Cambodian Tales, Legends, Photo Workshop, Monsoon season