Week 2 Story: Tofu, Ginger, and the Formidable Noodle

There was once a young golden retriever puppy whose name was Tofu. As he was out one morning for his daily walk, he noticed a large snake that was caught in a fence. Being a curious and kind little pup, Tofu got as close to the snake as possible and sniffed around, trying to figure out what was wrong. "Are you stuck?" asked Tofu. "Yessssssssss," hissed the snake in reply. "Well, let me help you out! What's your name?" With an evil glint in his eye, the snake responded, "How kind of you, ssssssssweet doggie. My name is Noodle."

Gold retriever puppy by Pava, Milano (source: Wikimedia).

With several tugs and pulls, Tofu got Noodle loose enough that he could slither out; immediately, he coiled himself around Tofu, squeezing him painfully. "HEY," yelled Tofu, "Stop!" "I'll only let you go if you promise to find me someone tassssstier to eat," replied Noodle. "Okay, okay, just let me go!" Reluctantly, Tofu went off to look for something that looked yummier. He came upon a tree branch that he would personally love to munch on, but the tree branch complained that he was always being chewed on and had had enough. As he tromped along looking for something else, Tofu came up with a plan! He would find someone that could help him trick the snake! He quickly spotted a fox that was his friend and that he knew was cunning. He ran up to her and yelled, "Ginger, I need your help!" After explaining the situation, Ginger agreed to come along, and the two of them formulated a plan. 

Sauntering up to Noodle with Ginger in tow, Tofu bragged to the snake that he'd found a much bigger and more nutritional snack for him. Noodle was coiled up, and as he appraised Ginger, she meekly asked, "But how will you eat me? Your body is so curly." "Nonsensssssse," hissed Noodle, "my body issss long enough to eat anything." He unfurled as he said this, stretching out to his full length. In a flash, Tofu and Ginger grabbed each end of Tofu and quickly tied him into several knots, incapacitating him. They ran away together in the afternoon, leaving Noodle unable to trick anyone ever again!

Author's Note: I adapted this from our "Tricksters" selection by putting an American twist on the characters. I chose classic cunning animals (the snake and the fox) in American culture along with the lovable golden retriever puppy in place of the Brahman. 

Bibliography: Joseph Jacobs's "Tricksters: Tiger, Brahman, and Jackal" from his book, Indian Fairy Tales