Short Kid Stories

Why Does the Cock Eat the Millipede?

Long ago the cock had a pair of beautiful horns on his head. But at that time there was a dragon who was prevented from ascending into heaven because he lacked a pair of horns. And so he offered the millipede as a guarantor, and borrowed the horns from the cock!

When the millipede came for the horns, he said to the cock: "When you want your horns back, you must call out at dawn: 'Give me back my horns!' and they will be returned to you at once. You need have no occasion to be concerned in the least."

The kind cock knew how difficult it was to ascend to heaven, so, reassured by the good security the millipede offered, he loaned his horns without hesitation, just twisting them right off his head. He also thought to himself that when the dragon returned from his visit to heaven, they could sit down and have a good conversation; he would ask the dragon to tell him how things were in heaven, and if it really was beautiful there, as he had always heard. If it was true, he might consider going there himself someday, he thought.

So, next morning at daybreak (for the dragon's visit was scheduled to be brief), the cock called out loudly: "Give me back my horns!" But, even though he repeated this demand ten times over, there was no sign at all of either the dragon or the horns. Worried, the cock promptly went off to complain to the millipede, who soothed him, saying: "If the dragon has not returned the horns this morning, then he will certainly do so tomorrow. At the very latest, the day after that. Just learn to be a little patient and your horns will soon be back on your head, just as before."

The cock did wait several days, but although he called out every morning at sunrise: "Give me back my horns!" They never did reappear. The cock was extremely annoyed at this deception and loss, as you can well imagine, therefore he ordered all the members of his family to eat millipedes on sight.

Even so, the cock has not yet given up hope of getting his horns returned. He ordered his descendants always to call out at the break of day: "Give me back my horns!" He still hopes that the dragon may hear him!

Taken from The Asian Animal Zodiac, 1998