Smelling a flower given by the witch, Vana Rani falls down unconscious. Taking her to be dead, her friends, the parrots, float her down the river, on a raft.
The raft floated down the river and reached the other bank. The prince of the Kingdom of Sumanta, who had come to the riverfront, was surprised to see a floating raft with a girl sleeping on it. He pulled the raft on to the bank and sprinkled some water on her face. Vana Rani slowly opened her eyes. The prince was delighted for he had fallen in love with the girl.
He took Vana Rani to his palace. His parents were also kind to her. Vana Rani told them her story. “I miss my friends, the parrots,” she said.
The prince asked her to remain in the palace as he had to go out for a few days.
The king and the queen made their guest comfortable. Days passed. The prince had still not returned. She also missed her friends, the parrots. She could not eat much. She could not sleep either. At last, she slipped into sleep.
As the dawn broke, she opened her eyes. Through the open window, she could see the sky lighted up. Then she thought she heard the chirping of her friends, the parrots! She was surprised to see them flying towards her. All were fit and could fly! She thought she was dreaming.
No, it was not a dream. The parrots flew in through the open window and settled down around her. As she hugged them, the prince walked in.
The prince had gone to the forest and encountered the witch; after a hard battle, the witch fell, badly injured by the arrow he had shot at her. “In her dying moment, she repented. Before she died, she used her spell one last time — she cured the parrots of their disabilities,” said the prince.
“I invited the parrots to come with me and make our garden their home,“ said the prince. “I know how much you love them.”
Vana Rani hugged the prince. The king and the queen celebrated the marriage of their son with Vana Rani.
The parrots were happy as they now had one more friend — the prince.
This is a tale told by Jayalakshami Amma to her grandchildren. Her grandchildren used to visit her in the Halkurke village near Tiptur town in Karnataka. Her grandson, Abhilash T B, wrote down the stories he heard. Abhilash, who works in an IT firm in Bengaluru, sent this story to Katha Kids. Though some details have been modified, the narration has been kept close to Jayalakshmi Amma’s rendering.
