Instantly, going ballistic, she squashes the mongoose with her drinking-water pitcher, presuming it must have killed her infant.

In reality, the blood stains would be that of a snake that would have slithered inside her home. And, when the snake would be about to harm the child, it'd have got killed by mongoose, which would be punctiliously guarding the infant. Well, misunderstandings can, at times, make sturdy bonds to easily snap off, the bonds could be between two friends or siblings or any two individuals. Now, how exactly do these misunderstandings spring up?

More often than not, it so happens that, with someone close to you, you'd have, in some context, inadvertently uttered certain things, that could have created unpalatable effect on his/her mind. It could be the vice versa too. The other person too could have said things, which would have been unsavoury and unsettling in your mind. Interestingly, neither of you would have meant it, in the manner it'd have got construed by the other!  
Now, if you allow space for these misunderstandings, it tries pervading your entire mind.
Not just that. The festering bitter feelings, at times, may even get congealed into intense animosity towards the person, against who you've been nursing those
misunderstandings. So, under such circumstances, if you really value his/her relationship, it's always prudent to explicitly speak it out, and clarify things, instead of having it buttoned up in the labyrinths of your heart!

Remember the human mind, many times, has this proclivity to misconstrue and assimilate garbled version of what it hears. Of course, at times, malicious-minded detractors too, manage to bring in misunderstandings in good relations, by giving out magnified, morphed and misrepresented version of what you'd have uttered. So, in your mind, the more you try burying these misunderstandings, the more it grows fiercely, spreading its tentacles.

Also note, in this stress-fraught life, good relations are like an antidote to combat mental tensions. It proffers you the tensile strength to buffer yourself against everyday hassles. Perhaps there could be no better stress-buster or mood-elevator than the 'joy' that you derive out of good inter-personal equations.

So don't let misunderstandings mar the beauty of your marvelous relations. In case you do, who knows, you may lose out on some bona-fide well-wishers!