Description
A mother and her daughter lived at the top of a tall tree in a tree house. One day the mother decided she would go fishing. As she climbed down the long rope ladder, she yelled back at her daughter: “I’ll be fishing at the back reef, but if anyone comes looking for me then tell them I am at the front reef”.
A short time later the dhogai from Ulalai Island appeared at the bottom of the tree. “Where is your mother?” she shouted up. Remembering her mother’s advice, the girl told the doghai that her mother was fishing at the front reef. So the doghai went to the front reef and looked through the bushes, but she was nowhere to be seen.
Not long after the mother arrived home with a big basket of fish. She climbed up the rope ladder and she and her daughter cooked the catch for dinner. As they ate, they heard the voice of the doghai who had returned to the tree house hungry for food. “Is anyone there,” she yelled, “I’m hungry!” The mother threw a fish and bush vegetable into the doghai’s mouth. She swallowed it down and went back to her cave.
The next morning the mother decided that she would go fishing again. She told her daughter, “I’ll be at the front reef, but if the dhogai comes looking for me then tell her I am at the back reef.” Soon after the doghai appeared at the bottom of the tree. “Where is your mother?” she shouted. The young girl told her that her mother was fishing at the back reef. So the doghai went looking for the mother at the back reef, when, meanwhile, the mother returned safely home with another big basket of fish. A short time later they heard the voice of the angry doghai,”Is anyone there,” she yelled, “I’m hungry!” The mother threw a fish and bush vegetable into the doghai’s mouth. She swallowed it down and went back to her cave.
The next day the mother decided to go fishing again so she gave her daughter the same instructions. “I’ll be at the back reef, but if the dhogai comes looking for me then tell her I am at the front reef”. Sure enough the doghai came back to the tree house and enquired about the mother. This time, however, the girl became confused and told the dhogai that her mother was fishing at the back reef. The doghai went to the back reef and watched the mother fishing through a bush shrub. Suddenly the mother heard a rustling noise behind her. She turned around to see the ugly doghai beginning to run down the beach after her. The mother screamed as the doghai chased her all the way back to the tree house. She threw her basket of fish up into the air so that she could quickly scramble up the rope ladder and back to safety. She had just escaped the evil doghai. Just as the mother began to scold her daughter for giving away her location, the dhogai yelled up in anger, “I’m hungry!” This time the mother was angry too so instead of throwing down food, she threw a red-hot rock straight into the dhogai’s open mouth. The doghai howled in pain and went back to her cave where she slowly died. It was a day to celebrate though, for now little children and their mothers could live safely without fear of the doghai from Ulalai Island.
