Indira and the Dhole

Once, in India, there was a little girl named Indira who always wore a sari of green and, one afternoon, she was sent through the forest with cooked rice and vegetables,a simple dish, for her Aunty who was a poor widow but she was told by her mother to beware if she heard a loud whistling and run as fast she could because whistling meant there were wild, whistling dogs called Dholes nearby.
"And Dholes are the most terrifying creatures in all India", said her mother, "Even Lions and Tigers and Bears are afraid of them".
So Indira said she would do as her mother told her and, carrying the food in a metal pot that she balanced on her head she walked as fast as she could through the forest.
As she was walking through the forest however, suddenly, Indira heard the sound of a high pitched whistling and suddenly looking left and right she saw glowing eyes of wild dogs look out at her hungrilly from the undergrowth.
Unfortunately when Indira tried to run straight ahead her path was blocked by a Dhole, a fierce wild dog with snapping jaws, so then she turned left and ran but again she found her path blocked by another Dhole barking and growling so then she ran back in the direction she had come from but another Dhole was blocking her path this one silently grinning with a mouth full of sharp teeth, then finally she turned right to run but once more a devilish Dhole was there in front of her blocking her path and snarling.
Sinking to her knees Indira cried out,
"Please, please don't eat me!".
But then she heard one of the Dholes, the Dhole chief speak.
"Why?", he asked, "Why shouldn't we eat you?".
And so thinking quickly, Indira said,
"Because I am a very useful girl. I have many talents".
"Oh?", asked the Chief of the Dhole, "And what can you do?".
"Well", said Indira, "Um? I can cook".
The Dhole chief was not impressed.
"Bleugh!", he said, "Dholes do not eat cooked food. We eat little girls like you".
"Um?", said Indira, trying to think of something else, "Well I can make clothes".
Again the Dhole chief was not impressed.
"Clothes?", he said, laughing, "Dholes do not wear clothes! I will give you just one more chance to think of a reason why we shouldn't eat you and if you can't then you will be our lunch".
But then, suddenly, Indira remembered something that her Auntie had taught her.
"I can dance and sing songs", she said.
The chief of the Dholes scratched his hairy chin in thought.
"Hmm?", he said, "Very well let us see you sing and dance and if we like it then we may let you live".
And so Indira, still keeping the pot upon her head, began to sing and dance.
She danced this way; she danced that way, she whirled round and around and as she danced she sang and she sang so sweetly that, as they were listening, one by one the wild dogs lay down, yawned, closed their eyes and started to fall asleep then, continuing to dance, she danced her way through and around the sleeping dogs until, far enough away, she ran as fast as her feet could take her to the house of her Aunty where she and her Aunty shared the food her mother had sent and it was a simple, plain meal of rice and vegetables but Indira told her all about her exciting adventure and they both had a wonderful time.