The Snake and the Frightened Soul

The tale the sparrow told

In the middle of the paddy fields lay a large pond. The pond was fringed with fruit trees — guava, cheeku, and litchi. Upon an old tree stump in the middle of the pond sat a darter, drying its outspread wings in the winter sunshine. A flock of sparrows were busy feeding beside the pond on grain scattered by villagers.

“There’s that anhinga, come to fish …