The Kites and the Crows .

- An African Folk Tale

- Koongooroo had a secret plan. One night, he quietly flew back to the crows' new town and gathered them.

- Ravi Ila Bhatt

A long time ago, the sky was ruled by two great bird kingdoms - the Crows, led by King Koongooroo, and the Kites, led by King Mwayway.

One day, Koongooroo sent a short message to Mwayway. It said:

"You kites must become my soldiers."

King Mwayway read the message and replied:

"Absolutely not!"

Koongooroo was angry. He sent another message:

"If you don't obey me, I'll start a war!"

But Mwayway didn't get scared. He sent back:

"Fine by me! If you win, we'll serve you. But if we win, you will serve us!"

So the two bird armies met for a big sky battle. It didn't take long to see that the crows were losing.

An old crow named Jeeoosee had a quick idea.

"Let's fly away!" he squawked.

So the crows flew far, far away and built a new town.

When the kites came to fight, they found the crow town empty - not a feather in sight! So they moved in and claimed it for themselves.

Back in their new home, the crows gathered for a secret meeting. Koongooroo stood up and said:

"Pluck out a few of my feathers to make me look hurt, and throw me into the kites' town. Then wait until you hear from me."

The crows did as their king asked.

Soon, some kites found Koongooroo lying in the street.

"What are you doing here?" they asked.

Koongooroo groaned and said sadly,

"My fellow crows threw me out just because I said we should listen to your wise king, Mwayway."

The kites were surprised and brought him to their king.

Koongooroo repeated his story and added,

"Even though my friends were mean to me, I still believe King Mwayway is the best leader."

King Mwayway was pleased.

"You're a smart crow," he said. "You can stay with us."

So Koongooroo stayed. He acted very thankful and even went to kite gatherings and church.

One day, the kites asked him,

"Who has better customs and prayers - the kites or the crows?"

Koongooroo replied,

"Oh, the kites, of course! You are the best!"

The kites were delighted. They trusted Koongooroo completely.

But Koongooroo had a secret plan. One night, he quietly flew back to the crows' new town and gathered them.

"Tomorrow is the kites' big annual festival. They'll all be at the church. Get some dry twigs and wait near their town. I'll give the signal."

The crows worked through the night, collecting wood and staying hidden.

The next morning, the kite town was quiet - everyone was at the church. Only Koongooroo stayed behind, pretending to be sick.

When the kites came to fetch him, he groaned,

"Ohhh, my tummy hurts! I can't go anywhere today!"

"Poor thing," they said. "Rest well!" As soon as they left, Koongooroo zoomed to his crow friends.

"Now! They're all inside!" he called.

The crows crept up and piled the twigs around the church. Then they lit a small fire. Smoke filled the air. 

The kites panicked. Some tried to fly out, but the smoke made it hard. They flapped and flapped, but most couldn't get away.

Koongooroo's plan had worked. The crows took back their old town.

From that day on, the kites never messed with the crows again. Even today, if you watch the sky, you'll see that kites always fly away when crows are around.

Moral of the Story

Being clever can win even the toughest battles - but trickery can have serious consequences too!