Gecko’s Complaint

One night a village Chief was awakened out of a deep sleep by fi ve calls of “Geck-o, Geck-o,
Geck-o, Geck-o, Geck-o.” It was, of course, Gecko, the Lizard, and he wanted to see the Chief, a wise
and kind man, who received him with pleasure, even though it was the middle of the night.
Gecko had come to lodge a complaint. He was very disturbed and unhappy, he said.
To the rest of God’s creatures, it might have seemed that Gecko ought to have no reason at
all to complain. He could do so many things that other creatures could not, such as walk on the
wall, or upside down on the ceiling. He could do this because he had little pads on the tip of each
of his toes. Not only that, if his tail should be lost in a battle with another lizard, he would be able
to grow another one, just as good as, if not better than, the old one. His smaller cousin, Cicak,
was much more active and mobile, darting across the wall as he chased his mate, sometimes
stopping for a short climb up a sideboard to sample some sweet or other, while Gecko expended
a minimum of energy, sitting lazily up in the rafters, going out at night in search of mosquitoes,
fi lling the night with his raucous calls. What would Gecko ever have to complain about?

But now Gecko was upset. For several weeks he had not been able to sleep because of Firefl y.
Night after night the black lightning beetle with red and yellow spots fl ew around and about him,
glowing like sparks of fi re, fl ashing his light into Gecko’s eyes.
The Chief, who really did not like his sleep to be disturbed either, was sympathetic, and
promised to make an investigation. He asked Gecko to come back to see him in a week or so.
The next day the Chief called Firefl y and told him about Gecko’ complaint. “Is it only Gecko
you are disturbing?” he asked, “or is it possible that others are also bothered by your light fl ash-
ing into their eyes?”
Firefl y’ light was out now, as he spoke very humbly to the Chief. “I meant no harm, sir. In
fact, I thought I was doing something good. I heard the drumming of Woodpecker as he struck
his bill on the tree trunk, and I thought it was a kulkul calling villagers to get up and gather. I was
only fl ashing my light to pass on the message.”
The Chief then decided to ask Woodpecker about this. He found him and told him what
Firefl y had said.
“I too was only passing on a warning, sir,” said Woodpecker. “I heard the kwak-kwak-kwak
of Frog in the rice paddies, and I thought it was a warning that an earthquake was coming. So I
just passed on the message.”
Now the chief went in search of Frog, who meanwhile had heard that he would be inter-
rogated. “The reason I was kwak-kwak-kwaking more and louder than usual,” he explained, “is
that I saw Black Beetle walking down the road carrying fi lth, which I thought was so dirty and so
unhygienic that I had to stop him.”
“That is indeed bad,” thought the Chief. “I must speak to Beetle at once.”
Black Beetle, plump and gleaming like polished copper, was also very humble and respect-
ful, as he explained the situation.
“You see, sir, Water Buffalo comes by dropping his pat in the middle of the road, and I just
thought it was my duty to clean it up.”
The Chief was now beginning to lose patience. “Tell Water Buffalo I wish to see him!” he
ordered.
When Water Buffalo appeared, he was polite, but he expressed his displeasure with Beetle’s
report.
“It is clear,” he said, “that I am not appreciated. Rain washes away all the stones in the road,
and I fi ll up the holes. Who else does that, I ask you?”
By this time the Village Chief was tired, but he had to hear Rain’s story. And Rain was angry.
“Complaining about ME?” he asked. “Who asks the gods for Rain, even makes offerings to them
so they will send Rain? Without ME there are no mosquitoes, and if there are no mosquitoes, Gecko
is hungry and unhappy. Don’t speak to me. Speak to Gecko!”
When Gecko returned to the home of the Chief as he had been requested to do, the Chief spoke
to him very sternly indeed.
“Gecko, say no more. We all have our problems. Go home, and live at peace with all your neigh-
bours!”
Adapted from Alibasah, 1999.