One day, Sheikh Chilli saw a man climbing up a tree, with a pot slung over his shoulder with rope. When asked what he was doing, the man said that he was going to collect toddy. Sheikh had no idea what toddy was. The man wanted to have fun at Sheikh’s expense. He said, “It is the milk of the moon.” When Sheikh looked in the pot and saw white liquid, he believed the man. He asked the man how it tasted. The man said, “Taste it and decide.” So, Sheikh gulped down all the toddy. It tasted quite bitter and made him quite drunk. Now Sheikh started laughing uncontrollably. It was getting very difficult for him to walk steadily. Finally, Sheikh managed to reach home. His mother saw his condition and asked what had happened. “I drank the moon’s milk, Mother,” Sheikh said and laughed. His mother hit him with a stick and yelled, “You have drunk toddy, you idiot!” And Sheikh kept running and swearing that he wouldn’t drink toddy again.
Milk of the Moon
