Just So Stories

In the time when the tame animals are still wild, the Cat is “the wildest of all the wild animals” (62). The Man is also “dreadfully wild,” but he meets the Woman, who teaches him to live in a dry Cave and wipe his feet on a horse-skin rug before he enters. She prepares a delicious meal of wild ingredients, and the Man sleeps very happily.

Once the Man is asleep, the Woman uses the mutton bone from dinner to perform the world’s “First Singing Magic” (62). Out in the woods, the animals watch the light of the fire from the cave and wonder what it might mean. The Wild Dog smells roasted mutton and decides to investigate. He invites the Cat, but the Cat insists that he “walks by himself” (63) and will not go. The Dog tells him they will never be friends again and heads toward the cave. As he watches him go, the Cat thinks even though “all places are alike” (63) to him, there is no reason he can’t at least get a little closer and see what is happening. 

He hides nearby and watches as the Dog sniffs at the opening. The Woman gives him a roasted bone to eat. It is so delicious that the Dog asks for another, and the Woman tells him that if he helps the Man hunt, she will give him as many bones as he wants. The Dog quickly agrees; the Woman invites him into the cave, and he becomes the First Friend. The Cat watches, thinking that the Woman is clever, but not as clever as the Cat.

The next day, the Woman cuts a bundle of fresh grass that she dries by the fire as she performs a second magic spell. Back in the forest, the animals wonder what happened to the Dog, and the Horse decides to investigate. The Cat again declines the invitation to join but follows the Horse and hides by the mouth of the cave to listen. The Horse asks the Woman about the Dog, but he is really drawn by the smell of the dried grass. He eats the delicious meal, and the woman presents him with a halter. If the Horse wears it, he can have the grass three times a day. The Horse quickly agrees and becomes the First Servant. The Cat leaves, again thinking how foolish the Horse is and how clever the Woman is.

The next day, the Cow goes to the cave and agrees to give the Woman her milk in exchange for the grass. The following day, the Cat watches the cave, but no other animals appear. He approaches the mouth of the cave, where he can smell milk, and asks the Woman about the Cow. The woman tells him to return to the woods because they have enough “friends” and “servants.” The Cat insists he is neither a friend nor a servant. He is “the Cat who walks by himself” (65) and wants to enter the cave. The Woman refuses, but she is flattered when the Cat calls her beautiful and makes a deal with him. If she says one word praising him, the Cat can enter the cave. If she praises him again, he can sit by the fire; if she praises him a third time, he can drink the Cow’s milk three times a day. The Woman is sure she will never praise the Cat.

For a long time, the Cat hides in the woods by himself. A Bat living in the cave visits him and reports on the cave’s progress. The Woman has a Baby, and the Bat reports that the Baby likes to play and hold “warm things” that are “soft and tickle” (66). The next day, the Cat goes to the cave. The Baby is crying, and the Woman puts him outside to play. The Cat gently pats the baby with his paw and tickles him with his tail until the crying stops. The Bat tells the woman that a wild animal “is most beautifully playing” (66) with her Baby. The Woman, who has many things to do, expresses her gratitude without knowing she is praising the Cat. Immediately, the curtain covering the mouth of the cave falls off, and the Cat comes inside.

The Woman is angry, and the Baby starts to cry again when the Cat leaves. He amuses the Baby by chasing the Woman’s spindle, then curls up with the Baby and purrs until he falls asleep. The Woman is grateful and praises the Cat again. The fire gives off a puff of smoke, and the Cat settles in to warm himself by the flames. Angry that she has spoken well of the Cat again, the Woman casts a “Still Magic” to prevent her from saying another word praising the Cat. The spell makes the cave so still that a mouse sneaks out. The Cat catches the mouse, and the Woman praises the Cat a third time, granting him access to the milk. The Cat laps it happily but insists he is “still […] the Cat who walks by himself” (68).

When the Man and the Dog return from hunting, the Woman explains the deal she made with the Cat. The Man decides to make his own deal, warning the Cat that he will throw something at him whenever he sees him if he does not keep the cave clear of mice. The Cat agrees but reminds them that he is still the Cat that walks by himself. Then, the Dog makes a deal with the Cat. He tells the Cat he must always be kind to the Baby, or he will chase and bite him. The Cat agrees, but when he reminds the Dog that he is still the Cat who walks by himself, the Dog becomes angry and tells him he will chase him up a tree every time he sees him.

To this day, most Men throw things at Cats, and all Dogs try to chase them up trees.

Suleiman-bin-Daoud, the Son of Solomon, is a wise man who can understand all the plants and animals of the earth. He has a powerful ring that summons beings for him to command, but he is a humble man who doesn’t like to show off. He once tried to feed all the animals in the world, but one animal came out of the sea and ate everything he had prepared in three bites. Embarrassed, Suleiman-bin-Daoud “never forgot that it was silly to show off” (73). He lives in a palace with 999 wives, and his Head Queen, Balkis, is the most beautiful. Suleiman-bin-Daoud doesn’t really want so many wives, but he needs to show his authority as King.

Many of his wives are “simply horrid” and fight constantly. Often, Suleiman-bin-Daoud goes to the garden for peace and wishes “he had never been born” (73). Balkis is saddened to see her beloved husband in such a state and urges him to use his magic to end the fighting between his wives. Suleiman-bin-Daoud, however, worries this would be showing off. 

As he stands in the garden, two Butterflies go by. Suleiman-bin-Daoud hears the arguing, and the husband Butterfly warns the wife Butterfly that he could crush the whole palace with a stomp of his foot. This boast makes Suleiman-bin-Daoud laugh. The Butterfly comes to him and assures him that he was only trying to quiet his wife with the fib. When he returns, he tells his Butterfly wife that he has promised King Suleiman-bin-Daoud that he will leave the palace alone.

Balkis also listens to the Butterflies’ exchange and calls the Butterfly’s wife over to her. She knows the Butterfly doesn’t truly believe her husband’s boast and thinks she can solve both her husband’s problem and the Butterflies’. Balkis urges the Butterfly to insist that her husband prove he can make the palace disappear. He will be ashamed and learn his lesson. The Butterflies continue their argument until the husband returns to Suleiman-bin-Daoud, telling him frantically that his wife is demanding he make the palace vanish with a stomp of his foot. He worries that she will “laugh at [him] to the end of [his] days” (76) and begs the King for help.

Suleiman-bin-Daoud, who refuses to use his magic ring for his own gain, twists it until four Djinn demons appear. He commands them to make the palace vanish when the Butterfly stamps his foot and sends the little creature back to his wife. The Butterfly stomps his foot, and the Djinns jerk the palace high into the air, making it vanish and shocking the Butterfly and his wife. He stamps again, and the palace returns. There is a terrible ruckus as Suleiman-bin-Daoud’s terrified wives pour out of the palace. Balkis tells the women that Suleiman-bin-Daoud was merely trying to teach the Butterfly’s wife to be humble and obedient. If Suleiman-bin-Daoud uses such extreme measures to teach the Butterfly’s wife a lesson, they worry about what he might do to stop their quarreling. They become “mousy-quiet” and sneak back into the palace.

Balkis informs the King that they have taught the queens a lesson, confessing that she encouraged the Butterfly’s wife to provoke her husband, hoping that Suleiman-bin-Daoud would perform some magic. Suleiman-bin-Daoud praises his wife’s beauty and wisdom.