Short Stories: Haste makes waste

A woman had a pet mongoose. It was very faithful. One day she went to the market, leaving her baby in the care of the mongoose. At that time a big cobra entered the house. Th e mongoose killed it after a long and fi erce fi ght. When the woman came back she saw the mongoose lying at the entrance. She noticed its bloodcovered mouth. In her haste the woman thought that the mongoose had killed her baby. In a moment of sudden fury, the woman threw the water pot on the mongoose and killed it. Alas! When she entered the house she was fi lled with remorse. Her baby was playing cheerfully. Nearby a big cobra lay dead. Th e woman shed tears of grief fondling the carcass of the mongoose. MORAL : Do not act in haste.