Lai Khutsangbi
"That night, little Naocha wouldn't stop crying. Outside, Lai Khutsangbi chuckled to herself. Her mouth watered at the thought of devouring the rosy-cheeked child."
Lai Khutsangbi is a fearsome mythological character from ancient Kanglei folklore. A hingchabi or demoness, she is believed to steal little children at night by inserting her hands through cracks or windows and devouring them. Her name literally means the Long-Handed-Deity (Lai – deity, khut – hand, sangbi – long). This folktale is often used as a cautionary tale to discipline children and ensure they stay indoors at night.
Once upon a time, there lived a family of three in a village – a man, his wife, and their child Naocha. The village stood close to a thick forest inhabited by many demons and evil spirits. Among the evil entities, there was a notorious demoness named Lai Khutsangbi. She had a hideous appearance - a large mouth with an elongated tongue, sharp, talon-like fingers, and long hands that dragged on the ground as she walked. She would enter the village late at night, insert her long hands into holes or cracks in the walls and steal babies. The villagers lived in terror of Lai Khutsangbi; after sunset, no one dared to step out of their homes.
However, Lai Khutsangbi was very afraid of little Naocha’s father, Naochapa. She longed to eat the child and often looked for a way to steal him. One day, Naochapa had to travel for a few days. Taking advantage of his absence, Lai Khutsangbi appeared at midnight and knocked on the door. She called out to the wife:
“Ho Naochama, is itei home?”
Naochama knew it was none other than Lai Khutsangbi for none would call at such a late hour. She and Naocha were filled with fear, but the clever woman replied in a fearless tone, “Yes, he is home.” On hearing this, Lai Khutsangbi quickly ran away. This went on for a few days until Naochapa returned home and learned what had happened. Furious, he decided to teach the demoness a lesson. That night, Lai Khutsangbi appeared at the same hour and asked again, “Naochama, is itei home?” At this, Naochama lazily answered, “No, he is away.” On hearing this, the demoness cried, “Now you will see,” and pushed her hand through a hole in the wall. Naochapa, who was waiting nearby with a sword, swiftly severed her hand. Lai Khutsangbi cried out in pain:
“Ayo ema, I am dead!
Ayo yo ema ayo yo
Leimadeng deng Ningjaobi
You are a big liar
Ayo yo ema ayo yo.”
Dragging her other hand, Lai Khutsangbi ran away towards the forest with Naochapa following closely behind. Blood from her severed hand smeared the foliage and left a trail. Naochapa easily caught up with her and stepping on her other arm, he severed that too. From that day onwards, Lai Khutsangbi never returned to the village and the villagers could finally sleep without fear at night.
It is said that as Lai Khutsangbi ran away, her blood fell on the sugarcane plants growing nearby. Till today, you can see patches of red in sugarcane from her blood.