Chapter 2.1

Old Nerwhal sat Little Mika upon his knee, much to the chagrin of Little Mika who had been far more interested in the manner by which he might torment his brother and sisters. Holding Little Mika firmly Old Nerwhal asked Little Mika in a voice like the desert wind whether Little Mika would like to hear a story?

"A story?" asked Little Mika with much suspicion, "What story?" and tried to use this as a distraction to escape the wily old bird's clutches.
"Ah, little one, this is the beginning of the most important story of all."
"The most 'portant story? Is it a good one?"
"Well, that must be for you to decide little one, but you won't ever know unless you listen to it."

Little Mika, although young, was bright enough to see the trap but also bright enough to know that if he didn't listen he would never be released to return to his main joy, the torment of his siblings. Without a word he acknowledged his acquiescence by collapsing upon himself with a discontented grunt.

"It is said that He Who From Whom Our Blessings Come was born in the village of Atvwahla just beneath the roof of the sky. From that village, when the sky was clear, it is said you could see so far up into the sky that your sight went all the way round and you could see yourself looking up at the mountain on a higher slope. He was a smiling, chubby baby who thanked his mother with every look and gurgle, and her heart melted with love for him.
But she had no husband, and so nobody in the village knew who the father was, and at that time that was thought to be a very bad thing indeed. The elders of the village came and demanded to know who the father of the child was. When His mother would not say they took the baby and, as was the custom, placed him on a hillside by the forest, for they did not know Him. His mother cried and cried, and beat upon the door to the hut where they kept her, but she could not get out.
As was the custom, on the third day they let her out, and before she took food or rest she ran with all her strength to the hillside. When she got there she saw nothing on the hillside, nothing at all. She wailed and cried, 'Where are you my little baby? Where are you?' and just as she was about to lose all hope she heard a little gurgle from the edge of the forest. She ran as fast as she could to the edge of the forest, all dappled and striped with the grass and the trees and the shadows.
'Where are you little one?' (that's right Little Mika, He was once called little one just like you) she called again and took a step further. Then she stopped, rigid, terrified, (do you know why she was terrified Little Mika? No?) she was terrified because there in the shadows was a tiger, huge and magnificent, and tigers can eat people if they choose to do so. She stopped, frozen in space, unable to move. The tiger yawned enormously, showing giant yellow fangs longer than your fingers. The tiger stretched on the ground, and there, there in the middle was a little brown baby snuggling close against the soft fur of the tigress and suckling from her teats.
Do you know how brave she was Little Mika? No? She was so brave that His mother, who we now honour at the Festival of the Spring, walked forward to take back her baby. The tigress looked at her intently, and if you have ever looked into the eyes of a tiger, Little Mika, you will know that it is not easy to move when a tiger is staring at you. As she reached for the baby the tigress sat up, but He stroked her fur, and peace came upon her, and His mother was able to take him up in her arms and walk back to the village.
As she approached the village she was frightened that the elders would take her baby away again, but as she got closer she saw the villagers run away as if in fear. As she got closer to the center of the village she saw that the men were gathering with spears and bows, and she feared for her life. But then she was startled as the huge head of the tigress, as big as all of you put together Little Mika, came up beside her and gently licked Him from head to toe.
All the men could see that this was a miracle, and so they went down on their knees as the procession of mother, baby, and tiger walked all together through the village to her little mud hut."

"What happened next? What happened next?" Cried Little Mika.

"Ah, I think I hear your mother calling us for dinner. You shall have to hear what happened next tomorrow."