All her grandchildren chorused.
"Please tell us....a jackal story."
"Alright, my children, carefully listen and learn!" Gogo settled her round self down more comfortably.
She began,
“One day long ago, a Jackal was trotting through a narrow, rocky pass. As he often did, he kept his nose to the ground as he ambled along, to catch the odd scent. ‘Never know when I'll happen upon my next meal,’ he thought to himself. It was highly unlikely that he would find a rat out in the midday heat. But perhaps he could catch a lizard or two.
Suddenly he was aware of a movement ahead of him in the pass. ‘Oh, no!’ The Jackal moaned and stopped dead-still in his tracks. A lion was coming toward him. Realising that he was too near to escape, Jackal was filled with fear. He had played many tricks on the great lion in the past; he was sure that lion would take this opportunity to get his revenge. In a flash Jackal thought of a plan.
“Help! Help!” cried the Jackal. He cowered down on the cliff path, looking above at the rocks. The lion stopped short in surprise. “Help!” The jackal howled, using the fear he felt in the middle of his chest to accentuate his cry. The jackal glanced up at the lion.
“Oh, great king of animals! Help! There is no time to lose! See those great rocks above us? They are about to fall! We shall both be crushed to death!!!! Oh, mighty lion, do something! Save us!” And jackal cowered even lower, his paws covering his head. The lion looked up, most alarmed. Before he even had a chance to think, the jackal was begging him to use his strength to hold up the overhanging rock. So the lion put his brawny shoulder to the rock and heaved.
“Oh, thank you, great king!” yelped the jackal.
“I will quickly fetch that log over there to prop under the rock, and we will both be saved!” With that the jackal bounded out of sight.
