Long ago, when dense forests still reached the plains and wild animals could speak like humans, there lived a widow and her daughter in a remote village. They depended on each other and shared a peaceful life. When the daughter reached marriageable age, no suitable young man could be found nearby, so the mother reluctantly married her off to a distant village beyond a vast forest, several days away. From that moment on, mother and daughter never saw each other again.
One day, overwhelmed by longing, the mother gathered food and water and decided to visit her daughter. She traveled village to village. The first day passed safely. The second day was uneventful, crossing barren hills and shallow streams. By the third day, she had covered half the journey and entered thick wilderness. Only one forest and a plain remained, but danger lurked within that forest. Thinking of their reunion, she pushed forward.
No sooner had she entered the forest than an old Fox leapt out, laughing cruelly. He claimed he had not eaten for ten days and demanded her life. Though terrified, the woman stayed calm and explained that she was thin and unworthy prey. She asked him to wait one month until she visited her daughter, regained her strength, and returned. Persuaded by reason, the Fox stepped aside.
Soon after, a starving Tiger blocked her path, roaring that he had gone twenty days without food. Once again, the woman reasoned calmly, pointing out the abundance of deer nearby and her own frailty. Impressed by her words, the Tiger let her pass.
But danger struck again. A troop of Monkeys dropped from the trees, led by a massive and fierce Monkey King. He announced they were holding a feast and lacked only human flesh. Though shaking with fear, the woman argued that thin meat makes a poor feast and promised to return in one month after being well fed. The Monkey King did not trust her. The monkeys swarmed her, inspected her, and only released her after forcing her to swear an oath to the Holy Mother that she would return to the same spot in one month.
Exhausted but alive, the woman finally reached her daughter’s home. Their reunion was filled with tears and joy. The daughter cared for her devotedly, and the mother grew healthy and strong. When the time came to leave, fear returned. She told her daughter everything, believing it would be their last meeting. Instead of despairing, the daughter smiled and said, “Do not worry. I have a plan.”
She asked her husband to prepare two large dried gourds. Each was hollowed out with a small square door and reinforced with rope. On the day of departure, the daughter entered one gourd, the mother the other. Once sealed, the gourds rolled down the old forest path, one after the other.
The Monkeys were waiting. Hearing loud rolling noises and threatening shouts from inside the gourds, they panicked and fled into the trees. Curious, the Monkey King followed from above. When the gourds reached the Tiger, he too heard the terrifying voices and ran straight to warn the Fox. Suspicious as ever, the Fox scattered sharp stones along the path and waited with the Tiger.
Believing the danger had passed, the daughter urged her mother to continue alone and turned back. Soon, the mother’s gourd cracked open on the sharp stones. She burst out and ran for her life, but the Fox, Tiger, and Monkeys surrounded her, arguing over who would eat her first.
Gathering her courage, she said that human flesh tastes best when roasted and offered to help prepare the fire. Greedy and impatient, the animals agreed. Once the fire burned down to hot embers, she asked them to close their eyes and pray. While they obeyed, she flung burning coals and ash into their faces. Blinded and burned, they fled in terror, crashing into trees and rocks.
The woman calmly walked home. From then on, she visited her daughter often. Whenever the animals saw her coming, they shouted in panic, “The woman in the gourd is back. Run!” And the forest would erupt in chaos once more.