Kharanakhara was a lion who lived in the jungle. One day, he was very, very hungry! He looked and looked for food, but he couldn’t find anything. The sun was going down, and he was still hungry.

On his way home, he saw a big cave. He thought, “Maybe an animal lives in there! I’ll hide and wait for my dinner!”

The cave was home to a clever jackal. The jackal came home and saw lion footprints going into the cave, but none coming out! He thought, “A lion is in there! But how can I be sure?”

The jackal had a clever idea. He stood outside the cave and called, “Hello Cave! Hello Cave! Can I come in?”

He waited, then called again, “Hello Cave! We always say hello to each other! Why are you quiet today? I’ll go to a different cave if you don’t answer!”

The lion thought, “The cave usually answers the jackal. It’s quiet because I’m here! I need to answer, or the jackal will leave!” So the lion roared, “Hello Jackal, you can come in! It’s safe!”

The lion’s roar echoed loudly in the cave! The jackal heard it and knew the lion was waiting for him. He ran away as fast as he could!

The wise say: It’s good to be clever and keep yourself safe!