Once upon a time, a farmer had a pet cat who was about to give birth. The father’s wife was with child at the same time.

Now the cat wanted very much to eat fish and said so to the farmer’s wife. The farmer’s wife replied, “Child, you must get me the fish first, then I shall let you have it. Otherwise, where am I to get any fish?”

Hearing this, the cat began from that very day to bring her fish somehow or the other, stealing here and robbing there.

Now the mistress of the house used to cook and eat fish everyday, leaving the cat only the bones. So although the cat had to find the fish, she got none of it herself. This made her very angry and she cursed the farmer’s wife saying, “What I am carrying may she carry and what she carries may I carry.”

After this, the mistress gave birth to two kittens and the cat to two little girls. The cat brought the children up with love and care. She used to go out in search of fish and milk daily, leaving the children behind at home.

One day after they had grown up, they asked her, “Mother, if by chance you happen to be killed on your way to and from our village, how shall we know of it and what shall we do then?”

The mother, placing a tulsi plant and a saucer of milk in the room, replied, “If anyone kills me the tulsi plant will wither and the milk will turn black. Come in search of me then.”

A few days later, the tulsi withered and the milk turned black, upon which the two little girls went out in search of their mother, thinking some evil had befallen her.

After they had gone a long way, the younger sister felt thirsty. Presently, they came to a river, and leaving her on the bank, the elder sister went to fetch some water. First she had a drink herself, then as she was going to take some water for her sister, the river dried up, and the river-god called out, “If you give me the ring on your finger, I will give you some water.”

The elder sister dropped the ring into the river and took some water in exchange. After the younger sister had her drink, she sent the elder back to the river to get the ring, but as soon as she got into the water, she was carried away by the river-god. Thereupon, the younger sister began to beat her breast and cry bitterly.

A little later, a merchant who was passing that way with his merchandise saw a beautiful girl sitting alone on the bank, took her into his boat and sailed away.

When he reached home, he made her his wife. He already had two wives but he loved his little wife more than the others. So they became jealous and began to think of a way to make the merchant hate her.

When her first child was born, she was blindfolded by them, and they threw the little baby into the river saying that she had given birth to a flail for pounding rice. The next time they did the same thing and said that she had given birth to a pumpkin.

Now the girl who was carried off by the river-god had recognised these children to be her children’s, and brought them up.

But the merchant, believing that his youngest wife had actually given birth to these strange things, thought that she was an unlucky woman and drove her out of the house. She was given a hut to live in, right away near the dunghill, and there she lived in misery and sorrow.

One day. when the merchant was going in a boat, the river-god stopped it midstream. When he was at a loss as to what to do, someone from the bottom of the river called out, “If you undertake to call all the people together and let me know when they will meet, and throw your areca-nut into the water as a pledge, I will let your boat go.” The merchant did so, and the boat was allowed to go on.

Now their aunt told the children the entire story from the time of their mother being born of the cat to the time they were thrown into the river, and they were told to repeat it at the great meeting called by their father.

On the day of the gathering, they made their way to the merchant’s house, and took the areca-nut kernel with them. As soon as they got there, they ran to the house where their mother was living and said, “Mother, give us some water,” as they were thirsty.

The poor woman, never having been called ‘mother’ by anyone before, thought they were making fun of her and said, “Why tease me, go to the great big meeting and there eat and drink whatever you want.”

Then they told her the whole story and who they were and after staying a while with her, they went to the meeting.

The people there began saying that two strangers were present who were seen to have taken food and drink in the evil woman’s hut and everyone insisted on knowing who they were.

Upon this both the children stood up at once said, “The lady at whose hut we were seen is our mother.”

When they all asked the merchant if he knew anything about it, he could give no explanation. Then the children were asked for an explanation, and they narrated everything, after which they showed the areca-nut to prove the truth of his story.

The merchant was shocked. Everyone came to know of the wickedness of the two elder wives, who on being asked for an explanation remained silent.

After the meeting broke up, the merchant chopped off the ears and noses of his two wives and drove them out of the house – and he lived happily with his youngest wife and their children.

A Folktale sourced from Folk-Tales of Assam by J Borooah.

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