One day, when all his goats had left him, Abbu Khansaid to himself, “No more goats in my house ever again. Imay yet live for a few more years but I’ll live without goats.”However, the poor old man was terribly lonely. He simplycouldn’t do without his pets. Very soon he bought a younggoat. He thought, “A young goat will stay with me muchlonger. She will soon begin to love me as well as the food Igive her every day. She will never want to go to the hills.”And he laughed with joy.The new goat was very pretty. She was white as snow,and had two little horns on her little head, and a pair of

gleaming red eyes. She had a friendly temperament, andwould listen to Abbu Khan’s tales with a lot of interest andaffection. Abbu Khan called her Chandni, which means‘moonlight’. He loved Chandni and would narrate to herstories of all his friends who were dead and gone.Several years passed; Chandni was still there. AbbuKhan believed that Chandni would never leave hiscompound for the free and fresh air of the hills beyond.Alas! he was mistaken again.