Once upon a time, a couple lived in a place called Langsodin. The husband’s name was Khesewa, and the wife’s name was Mendangna. They lived in a cave, spending their lives foraging for fruits and nuts in the forest. In time, the wife bore a son. They named him Sellok.
They lived happy lives in the forest. Time passed by so swiftly that the newborn in the arms started crawling. Since they depended on the forest for food, they had to occasionally leave little Sellok behind in the cave and venture deep into the forest.
One day, the couple left their son at the cave and went into the forest to look for food. When Sellok woke up, he was all alone. He started to crawl outside and fell into a bush of stinging nettle. The nettle stung, and he began to cry. When the couple returned home, they were shocked to see their son suffering. They quickly applied herbs and healed the boy.
A few days later, the couple returned to the forest leaving little Sellok behind. To ensure that he wouldn’t meander out of the cave, they tied his feet to a pole with a small rope and put him to sleep. That day a snake entered the cave and bit Sellok. Its venom rendered him unconscious.
When the couple returned home, they found their son almost lifeless. They mixed some herbs and quickly applied them to the snake bite. Sellok was cured, but he was not as healthy as before. In time, he became like a snake, slithered around, and wandered the mountains, hillsides, dunes, and caves. The couple tried hard to heal him completely, but nothing worked.
One day, Sellok left the cave and never returned. The couple began to mourn. Calling out to their son, ‘Sellok, Sellok’, the couple searched in the forests, hills, rivers, and streams. They went hungry and thirsty and wandered all the lands to find their son, but nowhere could he be found. Mendangna and Khesewa finally gave up their lives due to the pain of losing their son.
It is believed that they were reborn as Neuli, (The Great Barbet birds), but their suffering continues. Even today, Mendangana and Khesewa, as birds, are searching for their lost son in the forest, shouting “Sellok, Sellok …”
