Rikki-tikki-tavi published by Rudyard Kipling

Written By: Michael Sooter

3rd hour Creative Writing

Rikki-tikki-tavi

 

"This is the story of the great war that Rikki-tikki-tavi fought, all by himself, through the English family's house in India". This is a story of how a mongoose became a friend to a young boy and grew to be his best friend. One day he was sleeping in his burrow sound asleep. For this reason he didn’t notice the flood that was coming from the storm that happened earlier that day. He was washed out of his burrow and down a river. Sometime later he awoke nearly half drowned and sore all over. The first thing he saw was a boy standing above him as the boy picked him up he gave a weak cry for he was so sore all over. The boy gently took him to his house to dry him and to nurse him back to health. Rikki knew he was safe for now, but was so curious about his new home, he just had to get up and check every square inch of it which wasn’t much for the owner of it was an old man and his wife who was raising their grandchild named George.

             This mongoose was a true mongoose to the core he hated snakes and would fight every single one he found and he would often go seeking trouble. One day he was strolling through the berry patch when he found a huge python sitting there minding its own business, this was no ordinary python he was a friendly python, unless he got mad then he would wrap up his foe not tight enough to hurt them, but to keep them still until they both had calmed down. Rikki saw this snake not knowing the nature of it and he attacked it and fought bravely but in the end the python had him all wrapped up and Rikki was sure he would lose but the snake didn’t tighten up he just held him there and Rikki was slowly realizing the snake didn’t want to hurt him.

He said: “I’m sorry for attacking you”

The snake replied: “You must learn to go slow and learn to understand your enemy’s young mongoose.”

Rikki: “What is your name old snake, mine is Rikki-tikki-tavi.”

The snake: “You may call me Ted the python. I mean no harm to anything on this green earth. Except the sick and dying of which I eat to keep the animals healthy, for a snake can’t eat berries and grass.”

So Rikki-tikki-tavi the mongoose and Ted the python grew to be great friends and one day Rikki showed ted his other friends the people in the house where he lived George was cautious because he knew snakes were bad but something about this snake didn’t seem to fit quite right. The snake wasn’t afraid of the mongoose. This confused George quite a lot. He decided to tell his grandfather who didn’t think it was possible for snakes are very afraid of just a single mongoose. So he showed his grandfather the snake lying just outside the house and the snake just laid there as George petted it and Rikki played in the coils of its body. The grandfather was so surprised to see a big python so friendly to a mongoose, which normally kills every snake, and a human which snakes are very scared of and run away. Soon they were all gathered around this big old python when ted the snake decided to give them a hug. As you may know pythons slowly wrap up their prey then tighten the coils till their prey is dead, so this in the mind of the grandfather was not a good idea but he let it happen because he could do nothing against it for the snake had already made his way around everyone’s waist and started to squeeze slightly but didn’t get much tighter than a child’s hug so he was even more surprised when the snake let go of them all and wound itself back up into a big coil. Soon everyone had accepted ted into their wild family which included 3 humans, a mongoose, and now an old python.

  Soon Ted and Rikki were a team in keeping very bad snakes away from the house. They had defeated many snakes when a husband and wife team of king cobras came slithering into the garden.

The wife to Ted: “Hello my name is Mrs. Killing and this is my husband Mr. Killing we mean no harm to you and you humans that live in that house we just need to get to the river side to lay our eggs.”

Rikki being a new type of mongoose decided that they may not be as bad as they seem, so he said, “Alright but if I hear of you two being a problem with any ideas to hurt anyone me and my dear friend Ted will take care of you just like we did to so many others.”

Mr. killing “well we doubt that you would stand a chance against us as a team with this Ted by your side what is he another mongoose?”

Ted “No I am an old python that knows the secrets of most snakes including your kind as soon as you lay your eggs you will decide to expand your territory to include this one, that which we cannot allow.”

Mrs. Killing “That’s absurd why do you think that we would double cross you once our eggs are laid, we like to move around and not be burdened with our children, who should grow up on their own and make their own decisions in their life however short it may be.”

Rikki “Why don’t we just kill you here and rid ourselves of any problems in the future?”

Mr. Killing “You may very well try but you will die young mongoose.”  

Ted “Not with me by his side he won’t I know all of your tricks and you will be the one to die.”

Mrs. Killing “Now now boys why don’t we settle down and talk like civilized adults of our species. Now tell us what we would have to do to pass by down to the river.”

Ted “Never have come this way would be a good start, also pick a different nesting spot than one so close to a human with a gun that never misses.”

Mr. Killing “He would have to be faster than my cobra strike which is so fast you couldn’t dodge It.”, flaring up his hood.

Mrs. Killing “Now dear, calm down let us pick a new place to nest far enough away from these animals.”

Rikki “What did you call us you lying worm.”

Mr. killing “This shall be resolved tomorrow at noon you two against us two we will fight for this territory we can easily deal with the humans as easily as we will deal with you.”

Ted and Rikki “Agreed the winner keeps all and the losers DEATH…”  

            So the next day Ted and Rikki made their way to the open plain around noon where the fight was to take place and found both cobras waiting eagerly for them to arrive.

Mr. Killing “We have been waiting for you now we can begin.”

Rikki and Ted “Let’s get it on already!”

            Ted knew that this may very well be his last fight but he would give Rikki a fair chance if he got both of them in his coils Rikki could finish them off but the problem was they were faster than he was so he came up with a daring plan that would ensure Rikki to survive but his death in the end. A cobra’s bite is lethal enough to kill anything even a python but it would take several minutes before it took its effect on him. Rikki not knowing what Ted was about to do lunged after the neck of Mr. Killing who retreated quickly but not fast enough before Rikki bit his throat and killed Mr. Killing.

Mrs. Killing “You killed my husband now you will DIE!”

            Rikki retreated faster than her strike could come. Keeping her occupied with him in her rage she didn’t notice ted sneaking up behind her to hold her until Rikki finished her off.

Rikki noticing what Ted was doing yelled “No Ted don’t do it you’ll die.”

This snapped her out of her rage enough to look back as ted tightened his coils on her tail. She screamed “DIE”.

She struck Ted over and over as Rikki stood there dazed at why his friend would do that for him. Then he realized what his friend knew would happen one of them have to die to save the other or all of them would die. Taking this as his opportunity he jumped.

Rikki yelled as loud as he could “Thank you Ted I will not forget what you have done for me.”

AS he was falling Mrs. Killing turned just in time for Rikki’s teeth to meet her throat just like her husband before her she fell not being able to live after a bite like Rikki’s and Rikki returned to the house to bring the boy George to ted and the Killings. That night Ted was buried in the front yard and had a glorious cross erected on top of it stating him as the bravest wisest python ever known.

 

The End

 

Although Rikki is older now he still lives and protects his family of humans but now has a little helper his son Teddy.