top of page

Momo the Maar-kore

Momo the Maar-khore was big and strong. He had a quick temper and long twisted horns.  
Momo lived high in the Hindukush mountains and drank from pure spring fountains. He woke everyday to a clear blue sky and a bright yellow sun.  
When the sun became very hot, Momo wandered down to his favorite trees, looking for shade. 
Momo sat down to enjoy the silence and the cool breeze.
"What a good life I have. If only I had someone to talk to, then life would be perfect," he said to himself. 
"How quiet this valley is.  How perfectly peaceful."
Just then he heard some sharp sounds. 
"Cheen cheen cheen cheen."
"What could that awful noise be?" he wondered. 
Momo peered into the trees and saw the rustling of leaves and the flutter of wings. 
"Hundred of birds are making their homes in my favorite trees!" Momo said. "Stop making so much noise."
But the birds kept chirping. 
"Cheen cheen cheen cheen."
They were too busy making nests to notice the Maar-khore. 
"Stop it, I'm trying to rest," he bellowed. 
"Cheen cheen cheen cheen."
The older birds were telling the young birds how to build better nests, but all Momo heard was: "cheen cheen cheen cheen." 
Momo the Maar-khore couldn't bear the noise and he had a very quick temper. 
When Momo got angry, he didn't stop to think and he didn't stop to blink. 
He lowered his head with its huge, twisted horns and smashed into everything in sight. 
Momo rushed around, ramming into the trees. 
Everything shook,  but Momo didn't stop to look. 
Crash,  Whack,  Dhushhh. 
Suddenly there was silence. Then Momo heard the flutter of hundreds of birds as they fled into the sky,  just as the trees crashed to the ground. 
The birds were terrified. 
Bibi,  a little bird cried out: "What have you done? You destroyed our homes! "
Momo the Maar-khore stood there in silence. 
He didn't know what to say. 
He had smashed his favorite trees and lost his own shelter from the hot sun. 
Momo saw the birds in the sky getting ready to fly away. 
"Wait!  I'm sorry.  It was so nice and quiet and you were so noisy, I just lost my mind. "
Berber,  one of the older birds said: "So you thought you could use your strength to scare us? That makes you a bully. Goodbye Mr. Maar-khore."
"Wait,"  said Momo. "listen to me, I didn't mean to destroy anything." 
"Too late, cheen cheen cheen cheen, " said the birds as they flew off to find a new home. 
The valley was quiet once more.  But Momo stared with sadness at the broken tangle of trees on the grass. 
He said to himself: 
"My temper came at a huge cost. I lost my beloved trees and I missed a chance to make new friends. If only I had been more patient, this day would be so different."

​

The End

bottom of page