Chandni

Abbu Khan of Almora lived alone with pet goats he named Kalua, Moongia and Gujri. At night they broke their ropes and ran to the hills where a wolf killed them.

Abbu Khan kept funny-named goats, grazed them by day and tied them at night. Hill-breed goats love freedom; they broke loose and were killed by an old wolf despite good food and love.

When all goats left, he swore never to keep goats again but grew lonely and bought a young white goat named Chandni - moonlight - who listened to his stories.

Alone, he broke his vow and bought a pretty white kid with horns and red eyes. Chandni heard his tales of dead friends affectionately; he believed she would never leave.

Chandni watched sunlit hilltops and hated her rope. She stopped eating and asked Abbu Khan to let her go. He warned of the wolf but she said she would fight with her horns.

She gazed at hills, hated the rope, lost appetite and pleaded for freedom. Abbu Khan offered tastier food and longer rope, then warned of the wolf. Chandni insisted God gave her horns to fight.

Angry Abbu Khan locked her in a small hut but forgot the back window. That night Chandni climbed out to freedom.

He pushed her into a hut to save her from the wolf. The back window stayed open; that night Chandni used it as her passage to freedom.

Chandni felt the hills welcomed her. Grass, flowers and wind rejoiced. Wild goats invited her but she wanted freedom alone.

Hills seemed to stand in welcome; grass embraced her, flowers bloomed, wind sang. It was her happiest day - unlike Abbu Khan's compound prison.

At night a grunt came from bushes. Chandni feared the wolf but refused to return. Death in an open field is better than life in a small hut.

Darkness fell; a grunt revealed the greedy wolf with eyes like burning coals. She chose to stay: death in an open field beats life in a hut.

Chandni fought bravely all night. At dawn she lay soaked in blood but the birds said Chandni is the winner - she kept her freedom at all costs.

Wolf and goat sized each other; Chandni stood like a soldier. The fight lasted till morning call to prayer. Though the wolf would devour her, a wise old bird declared Chandni the winner for retaining freedom.