On an uninhabited island by the Red Sea, a Parsee lives with minimal possessions, including a unique cooking stove. He bakes a large cake, but a rhinoceros, lacking manners, arrives and eats it after upsetting the stove. The Parsee climbs a palm tree to escape. Later, the rhinoceros sheds his skin to bathe, leaving it on the beach. The Parsee discovers the skin, fills it with cake crumbs, and waits for the rhinoceros to return. When the rhinoceros puts the skin back on, the crumbs tickle him, causing discomfort. He tries to scratch and rolls on the sand, which only worsens the situation. Frustrated, he returns home with folds in his skin and a bad temper, a trait that persists in rhinoceroses to this day. The Parsee, satisfied with his trick, departs the island, leaving behind the chaos he caused. The story concludes with a whimsical note about the island's location and the characters involved, emphasizing the humorous consequences of the rhinoceros's actions and the Parsee's cleverness.
By Rudyard Kipling · First published 1902 · Genre: Children's Literature, Fable, Fantasy