Tsumi's story

Tsumi, the frog led a solitary existence by the edge of the forest that bordered that little village on its one side. Her typical day began at 11 in the late morning, she hopped out of her bed and trudged slowly, yawning and rubbing her eyes, to the wash basin. After that much delayed shower, followed by a prayer before the tiny idol of the forest Goddess, the lighting of the incense sticks, the ringing of the bells and playing the flute to delight the Goddess, Tsumi set about to clean her home. She kept it really clean, not a thing out of place, not a speck anywhere to be seen, always the odour of strong coffee brewing. Oh yes, thats something Tsumi made really well, strong coffee, her skills especially honed in this regard by her old iranian duck pal. All the garbage dumped by the backyard, so as to attract the flys that could be licked off for lunch and dinner. She had few friends, not too close, not too distant either, just right to share that cuppa coffee and ghost stories with on chill winter evenings and iced tea and recipes with on hot summer afternoons. By the evening she would read her newly purchased book or draw that picture she'd been dreaming of the past few nights or stitch herself a neat, fashionable gown or simply set about shopping. Night time and they would telecast some good play or movie to be watched on television or maybe she would read herself to sleep. Such was Tsumi's life, such was her daily routine. She loved life in this routine, every single day so very similar to the one before, nothing changed. No havoc, no brooding, no change and no feeling. Perfect. She didn't miss anything too. Never had she yearned for that family with whom she would croak together with or for that family to whom she could read bedtime-tales to or for that family who celebrated every birthday with joyful celebrations and games.
All the other frogs had warm families to lick flys together with, families that played hop scotch and families that mated and multiplied. They all had problems and irritations and celebrations and feelings. Tsumi was satisfied with the sheer security of this routine and predictability, she was devoid of all that and yet complete. Strange you would say? Maybe impossible you would say? And yet that was how it was, smooth and rhythmic and absolute routine-like and predictable and appropriate and perfect until... one fine day when a long green snake called Ka swallowed her as she stepped out to lick her lunch-time fly!