Jack and his Cat

Long ago there lived an old man with his wife and only son Jack in a small dirty cottage. Although the old man stayed in a dirty cottage he was a very rich man and he had great treasures with him. However the old man was a great miser and would not not even think of spending his money. He and his family would often go without having food for days than change his gold for money. The old man's only son and wife were quite irritated with the old man's miserly behavior but were left with no option than to obey him. After few years the old man became terribly ill but did not bother to call a physician for he feared, the physician may charge a huge sum of money for getting him cured. After a while the old man died because of his sickness.

After the old man died Jack and his mother mourned for many days. One night when Jack was sleeping he dreamed that an unknown man appeared to him and said: "My dear son your father was a very bad man and all the wealth he had earned is ill-gotten. Now you be a good man and donate half of your wealth to the poor and throw the other half into the sea. After throwing into the sea if anything sails, you catch that and keep it with you, even if it is nothing more than a bit of paper". The man vanished and Jack opened his eyes. He could not believe what he saw and heard in his dream. The remembrance of  his dream troubled him badly. Jack did not want to part with the wealth that his father had left for him. He wanted to spend some money on comfort and pleasure for all the years he never had a chance to do so because of his miserly father. Days passed and at last Jack decided that he would not use to money to pleasure himself rather he would distribute half of the money to the poor and the other half he would throw it inside the sea.

Jack found out the details of all the poor people living in the village and donated them half his wealth. He then tied the other half of wealth in a cloth and threw it inside the sea. After few seconds he saw a tiny scrap of paper cover floating on the sea. He carefully managed to get the cover and opened it, and found ten coins inside. Now he had nothing but ten coins left with him. He went home and was surprised to find his mother dead. With a heavy heart he laid her in her grave. Jack then decided to travel to the nearest town in search of fortune and so he started his journey. After travelling for the whole day during night he came across a cottage. He knocked the door and an old lady came from inside. Jack asked if he could get some shelter for free that night and the old woman who was a kind lady agreed and said that she won't take money from him. The old lady showed him the room where he had to stay that night and then told him to come down for supper. Jack went down for supper and while having his supper he noticed a strange animal sitting by the fire and singing a song in an unusual manner unlike any animal. He asked the old lady "What's the name of this strange creature?". The old lady replied "We call it a cat".

Jack said that he would like to buy the cat for it would give him a company on his journey. The old lady agreed but said that if he can pay ten coins in return she would give the cat to him. The next day Jack gave the ten coins to the old lady, took the cat and started his journey. After travelling for the whole day Jack came across a small hut. He knocked the door and an old man opened the door. Jack asked the old man if he could stay there that night for free. The old man agreed and then he led Jack inside the house and showed him his room. The old man asked Jack to come down for supper and left. After a while Jack came down and he saw that two women were sitting around the dinner table. One of the women was the old man's wife and the other was his daughter. Jack took his seat and then placed his cat on the mantle shelf. All of them crowded round the cat for the cat started singing in an unusual tone. Everyone was delighted to see and hear the cat singing. 

The old man asked Jack about his whereabouts and Jack told him his story. After hearing his story the old man felt pity on Jack and said "There is a palace nearby and the King is very kind to everyone, go and ask him for some help and work and he would certainly help you". Early next morning Jack set out for the royal palace. He reached there and asked the king's guardsmen to take him to the king. The king was at dinner with his court when Jack went inside. Jack bowed low when he saw the king. The King signed him to come near. Jack was surprised to see a crowd of little black creatures running around the floor. The creatures were bold enough to snatch pieces of food from the king's plate and if the king drove them away the little creatures would bite the king's hands and so the king and his courtiers were unable to eat their food.

Jack asked one of the courtier who was sitting next to him "What sort of animals are these?". The courtier replied "They are called rats and from many years we have been trying to put them away but it has become quite impossible". At this moment something was seen flying through the air. The cat was on the table, and with two or three shakes a number of rats were lying dead round him. Then a great scuffling of feet was heard and within few minutes the hall was clear.

The King and his courtiers were surprised to see this and looked at each other in astonishment. They asked Jack "What kind of animal is this?". Jack replied "This animal is called cat and he had bought that for ten coins. The king was happy to learn this and said "Young man because of the luck you have brought me in freeing my palace from this dirty little creatures who troubled us for so many years, I would like to give you the choice of two things. Either you shall become my Prime Minister, or you shall marry my daughter and rule the kingdom after me". Jack was clever enough to ask for the princess hand in marriage. So clever Jack married the princess and lived happily forever.

The Cow-faced Girl

Long ago there lived a farmer who had twelve daughters. The farmer worked very hard all day so that he could support his family but however he was not very successful as it was getting quite difficult for him to feed his wife and children. One fine day the farmer went to the forest to get some wood. On his way to the forest he came across a cave. The farmer went inside the cave which was so dark and gloomy. Suddenly a huge snake appeared before the farmer. The farmer was afraid to see the snake and was about to run when the snake said "Don't be afraid my dear friend as I am not going to hurt you, rather I came here to help you, So please tell me what your problem is?". The farmer replied "I am poor farmer and I have twelve young daughters to take care of. I am unable to take care of them properly because of my poverty". The snake replied "Don't worry my friend, Go and bring your youngest daughter tomorrow. I will take care of your daughter as if she was my own child and bring her up". 

The farmer felt very unhappy after hearing these words from the snake as he felt sure that the snake will harm his daughter and eat her up. At the same time the farmer said to himself "If I refuse to bring my daughter tomorrow the snake will kill me for sure, What am I to do!". The snake said "Make up your mind and bring your daughter tomorrow and if you don't do so then you will face the consequences". With a heavy heart the farmer headed towards his home. When he reached home his wife asked "Dear husband you look so dull, is everything OK". The farmer sat down and narrated the whole story to his wife. He then said "My head is going round like a mill-wheel for I am unable to decide as to what I should do. You know how much I love my youngest daughter Betty and if i don't take her to the snake tomorrow the snake will definitely kill us all. Hearing this the farmer's wife said "Don't worry my dear, God will definitely help us and show us the path. Please do as the snake has said as we are left with no other option".

The next day morning the farmer took his daughter and led her to the cave. The snake was waiting for the farmer and when she saw the farmer and his beautiful daughter she felt very happy. The snake gave a bagful of gold coins to the farmer and said "Take this and go home and take care of your family. Your youngest daughter Betty will stay with me and I will take care of her as her own mother". The farmer went home taking the gold coins. Within a short time everyone in the village came to know that the farmer has become quite rich and so many suitors came forward to marry the farmer's daughters and so in a short time the farmer married them all. Meanwhile Betty grew up like a princesses as the snake took good care of Betty. The snake gave her delicious food, beautiful clothes and a thousand servants were there to wait on her.

One day the king of the country came to the forest for hunting and stayed there till evening. Seeing a light shining in the cave the king ordered his soldiers to go in the direction and check if he could get a night's lodging there. The soldiers approached the cave and knocked the door. The snake suddenly changed herself into a beautiful lady and opened the door and when she heard of the king's request she sent a message that she would be delighted to see him. The king on hearing the invitation went to the cave along with his soldiers. The king was surprised when he went inside the cave as it was no less than a palace. The snake received the king and Betty came and offered wine to the king. The king was so mesmerized by Betty's beauty that he could not take his eyes off her. After dinner the king went to sleep. The next day the king asked Betty's hand in marriage and so the snake mother agreed. Betty was overjoyed to hear this and they got married. Then Betty got ready to go along with the king as she was his wife now. The snake mother was surprised to find that Betty didn't even take the opportunity to thank her and instead was in a hurry to go along with the king. The snake became very angry and she thought of punishing Betty so she turned Betty's face into a Cow's head.

When the King arrived at Betty's room to take her along with him he was surprised to see that his beloved wife Betty has now turned into a cow-faced girl. He cursed himself for taking such a foolish decision of marrying Betty. He was left with no other option than to take Betty along with him as she was his wife now. With a heavy heart the king left for his kingdom along with Betty. When they reached his country the king ordered his servants to provide Betty a chamber in his palace, with a waiting maid. The king gave the waiting maid and Betty ten bundles of flax to spin and ordered that the task should be completed by the end of the week. The maid and Betty stayed together in the chamber from the day on-wards. The maid obedient to the king's commands set at once to work. She combed out the flax, wound it round the spindle and sat spinning at her wheel so carefully that before the end of the week she completed the task given by the king. On the other hand Betty threw the flax from the window and said "What is the king thinking of himself, that I am his servant and will work for him. I am his wife and not his slave. He has no right to treat me like this".

When Saturday came Betty saw that the waiting maid had completed her task and so she thought that the king will punish her for not obeying his command. So she hurried off to her snake mother and begged her sorry for her mistake and thanked her for everything she gave. The snake mother was pleased to hear this from Betty. She asked Betty the purpose of visiting her and Betty narrated the whole story to her. The snake mother felt pity on Betty and she gave her a sack full of spun flax and advised her to show it to the king. Betty took the sack of flax and without offering her thanks to the snake mother returned to the palace. The snake mother once again got angry over Betty.

That night when the king saw that Betty and the waiting maid have completed the given task he gave them each a little cat and ordered them to look after the pet and train them carefully. The waiting maid bought her cat with great care and treated it almost as if it was her daughter. Betty on the other hand cursed the king and threw the cat from the window in anger. The cat fell on the ground and died. After few months the king sent a message that he wants to see how the cats were getting on. Betty hearing this hurried towards her mother's home for help. When she reached her mother's cave she found and old man sitting there at the door. The old man asked Betty "Who are you and what do you want". Betty became very angry on hearing this and shouted at the old man "How dare you ask me that ! Don't you know who I am?". The old man then shouted at her "I am your peasant father Betty, and you must remember that you are a peasant's daughter. The snake was so kind and good to you and treated you as her own child; and what did you do in return. You were ungrateful and never thanked her for what she had done for you. Therefore you have been punished with a Cow's-head. Throw yourself at the fairy's feet and ask her forgiveness and perhaps, she may take pity on you and forgive you".

Betty realized her mistake and she felt sorry for her conduct. She took her father's advice and went to the snake and asked for forgiveness. The snake was happy to see that Betty had changed and so she gave her back her former face. She blessed Betty and arranged a carriage for her to return to her kingdom. When the king saw Betty he fell in love with her once more and repented for causing her so much suffering.

Betty lived happily ever afterwards, for she loved her husband, honoured the fairy and was grateful to her old father for making her realize her mistake.

Kianaro and the Sea Princesses

Long ago there lived a fisherman couple on the coast of Hawaii. They had a son named Kianaro. The fisherman and his wife loved their son more than anything else in the world. They used to work hard for the whole day to provide Kianaro with all the comforts. Kianaro was a well grown youth and a good fisherman. In the whole village there was not a single sailor who can match up to the skills of Kianaro. Kianaro was a brave man and dared to sail even when the sea was furious and dangerous enough to sail. The people in the village used to warn Kianaro not to take risks as it may also cost him to death but Kianaro never listened to them as he knew what he was capable of.

It happened that one day while Kianaro was hauling his well filled nets he saw a turtle among the fishes. The turtle was too small so Kianaro thought of taking the tiny turtle with him to his home and keep it as his pet. Thinking so Kianaro caught the turtle with his hands when suddenly the turtle cried and begged for it's life. The turtle said " Please leave me back into the sea as I am too tiny to play with you, be merciful and set me free". Kinaro who was good natured boy felt pity on the turtle and so he put the turtle back into the sea. The turtle thanked Kianaro and swam back into the sea.

Years flew by, and every morning Kianaro sailed his boat into the deep sea to catch fish. One fine morning when Kianaro sailed into the sea to catch fish there arose a fierce tide which shattered Kianaro's boat into pieces and threw him hard into the sea. Kianaro being a swimmer tried hard to swim but failed to do so as the tide was forcing him back. While Kianaro was struggling hard for survival suddenly he noticed a big turtle coming towards him. The turtle came close to Kianaro and shouted "I am the turtle whose life you saved once. Time has come to pay off my debt and so please come and sit on my back and I will take you safely from here. Kianaro quickly sat on the turtle's back and they both sailed for few miles when the turtle said "Kianaro please come with me as I want to show you something". Kianaro agreed and so the turtle took Kianaro deep inside the sea. They sailed inside the sea for five days and at last they stopped before a beautiful palace shining with precious stones and gold. 

Kianaro was stunned to see the richness of the palace and was even amazed when he went inside the palace along with the turtle. The palace was filled with gold and precious stones. Kianaro asked the turtle "Where have you brought me my dear friend?". The turtle replied, this is our king "The Great Binzo's Palace." The turtle further said "I am Sara and I am the first maid of the King's daughter Gia". Kianaro was still puzzled with the adventures which he came across. The turtle said to Kianaro "I have some work to do so you please stay here for a while and I will be back",and saying the turtle left. Kianaro was amazed by the beauty of the palace when he suddenly saw a group of maids coming in the direction where he was standing. The maids rushed towards Kianaro and said "Please come along with us to our princesses chamber as she wishes to see you". Kianaro accompanied by the maids went to the princesses chamber and he was stunned to see a beautiful lady sitting inside. The maids left after leaving Kianaro there. The princesses too was stunned by seeing the handsome Kianaro and immediately fell in love with him. 

The princesses begged Kianaro to stay with her forever as her husband and in return she promised Kianaro that he will remain young forever and his beauty will not fade with time. Kianaro was pleased to hear this and so he stayed with the princesses in the kingdom. Years passed by and one day Kianaro wished to see his old parents and so he went to the princesses and expressed his desire. The princesses was terrified to hear this and requested him to stay with her, else something dreadful would be sure to happen. She said to Kianaro "You will never come back if you go from here". Kianaro promised the princesses that he will come back after seeing his parents and that it would be his last visit to his parents. The princesses agreed sadly and said "I know very well that once you go you may not come back but there is one way that can bring you safely back but I fear you may not agree to the conditions". Kianaro said "I can do anything you want me to do so that I can come back". The Princesses went to her shelf and from there bought a tiny golden box and gave it to Kianaro saying "Kianaro keep this golden box with you carefully and never open this golden box until you return". "If you can do this then the turtle will come to the shore and bring you back here". Kianaro agreed to the princesses conditions and bade her farewell.

Kianaro hid the golden box safely in his robe and sat on the back of the turtle and vanished in the ocean path. Kianaro and the turtle sailed for five days and at last arrived at the beach where lay his old home. The turtle bade farewell to Kianro and left. Kianro was overjoyed to see his village but was surprised to see that everything was new in the village. The houses have changed and even the people he saw were not the same he once knew. After wandering for a while he went to his house and knocked the door. An old woman came from inside and when Kianaro asked her about his parents the old woman was unable to give any news of them. Kianaro sadly went away from there and while he was wandering he came across a graveyard and so Kianro went inside the graveyard and was stunned to see the name of his parents on the grave and the date and year of their death. He was even surprised that they died on the same day when Kianaro went missing in the sea. It was almost three hundred years back. Kianaro was shattered after discovering this and he wandered like a mad man in the village streets for a while when he came across a villager.

Kianaro went to the villager and told him his whole story and the villager thought that Kianaro lost his senses. The villager shouted at Kianro saying that he was a mad man with evil intention. Kianaro ran towrads the beach frightened and sat there thinking about his olden days. He cursed the princesses, his wife thinking that because of her he had to stay away from his parents. He suddenly remembered about the golden box which the princesses gave and so he thought of opening it thinking that the princesses would have given the golden box with some evil intention and thinking so he took the golden box from his robes and opened it. Suddenly a pink vapour came out and Kianaro's hands and legs turned like the hands and legs of an old man. He rushed to the beach to see his face in the water and was stunned to see that he has become old and his skin had shrivelled.  

Kianaro cried for long time and sat sadly on a rock near the beach and called loudly for the turtle but the turtle never came back, instead death came soon. Kianaro died after few days.  Even now in Hawaii when children become restless their parents tell them the story of Kianaro who had given up his parents for the sake of splendours in the sea.

Robert and the Dwarf

Once upon a time there lived a poor man in a village named Jacob. He owned nothing but a flock of sheep. Jacob used to sell the milk and wool which he used to get from the sheep to buy his food. Jacob was also a good carpenter and so at times he used to carve wooden spoons from the wood which he used to collect from the forest. Sometimes when he had no wool or milk he used to sell those wooden spoons in the market to earn money. Jacob had a wife and a little girl whose name was Mary. After few years Jacob's wife gave birth to a second child. The new born child was not in good health and so Jacob had to go to the near-by village to fetch for a nurse. 

On his way to the village Jacob met a priest and Jacob told the priest about his child's ill health. The priest asked Jacob to take him to his house as he can cure the child and so Jacob took the priest with him to his home. The priest after spraying some holy water on the child recited few chants and after a while the child seemed to be hale and healthy. Jacob thanked the priest for his help and the priest left after naming the child as "Robert". After few years Jacob and his wife died and Mary and Robert were left alone in the world. They had no money with them and so they started selling the sheep one by one to buy food and after few months they were left only with three sheep. Robert and Mary decided that they will not sell the remaining three sheep, instead they will move to the near-by town to make their fortune. Thinking so they packed all their clothes and while packing Mary found a knife which was gifted by the priest. So she took the knife and gave it to her brother and advised him to keep the knife in his pocket. 

Mary and Robert along with their three sheep started their journey towards the town. After travelling for three days they met a man who too was travelling to the town. The man had three dogs with him and he was taking the dogs to the town to sell them and buy a flock of sheep. He was quite excited to meet Mary and Robert and proposed that they should exchange the animals, he taking the sheep and they taking the dogs. Mary and Robert were pleased to hear this and so they exchanged their animals and parted their ways. After travelling for two more days Mary and Robert came to a great castle. In the castle lived dwarfs who were man eaters and when they saw the brother and sister they fled. So the brother and sister thought that the castle was empty and started living there. Every morning Robert used to go to the near-by forest for hunting with his dogs and bring food for Mary. One day while Robert was away the leader dwarf came inside the castle. When he saw Mary he was terrified, but she told him no to be afraid and by and by they fell in love with each other. Every day when Robert was away Mary would call the dwarf up. One fine day when Robert was away Mary and the dwarf got married. When Mary realized her mistake it was too late and and she was afraid of Robert's wrath when he would come to know about this. 

After few days when Robert was away the dwarf came as usual and he told Mary "It's high time now and that we must start living together, you must inform you brother about our marriage." Mary was terrified and said that she cannot do so and so the dwarf said "You must pretend to be ill" and when Robert asks what ails you, you must answer "Berries", and when he asks where these are to be found, you must say "There are some in a garden a day's journey from here." Your brother will go there but will never come back as the Berry tree is guarded by my brothers and they will look after Robert very well. Mary did as she was told to and so the next day Robert started his journey to get the "Berries".

Robert along with his dogs came to the garden after travelling for the whole day. Robert drank some water from the near-by spring and thought of taking rest for a while before picking the berries and so he laid down on the grass and soon fell asleep. Suddenly three monsters appeared from nowhere to eat Robert but the three dogs flung on those monsters and tore them in pieces and then they scratched the ground with their paws to dig a grave and buried the three monsters before Robert was awake. When Robert woke up he was surprised to see the dogs mouth covered with blood and thought that the dogs would have hunted some wild beast to feed themselves. Thinking so he picked the berries and brought then home for his sister. Mary declared that she felt better after eating the berries.

The next day again the dwarf arrived and advised Mary to pretend ill again and this time she should ask for "Cherries" which grew in a garden three day's journey from the castle. Mary did as she was told to and so the next day Robert started his journey to get the "Cherries". He travelled for three days and when he reached the garden he thought of taking some rest as he was tired and soon fell asleep. This time nine monsters came from nowhere to kill Robert. The dogs flung and tore the monsters into pieces and again six monsters arrived and while the dogs were fighting with the monsters Robert woke up by the sounds and was surprised to see the scene. He pulled his knife and killed the rest of the monsters. Suddenly Robert heard some cries from the bushes and went to see there and found a beautiful princess tied with ropes. Robert freed the princesses and she told him that the monsters had captured her and thanked Robert for his help. She asked Robert to marry her but Robert denied saying that he cannot do that and asked the princesses to take care of all the lame and blind who passed by her castle. The princesses promised to do so and gave her ring to Robert. Robert took departure after picking the "Cherries". When Mary ate the "Cherries" she declared that she felt better and thanked her brother.

The next day again the dwarf arrived after Robert was away. He said to Mary "Now we are indeed both lost unless you find out from Robert wherein his strength lies". That night when Robert came home Mary asked him "From where do you get all the strength my dear brother to fight with the monsters?". Robert answered "It lies in my two fingers; and if these are bound together then I will loose all my strength". Mary said "I will not believe this brother until you show me". So Robert asked her to tie both his fingers with a piece of thread and when Mary did so he immediately became powerless. Mary called the dwarf at once and the dwarf came in, tore Robert's eyes and threw his body in a dry well.

It happened that some travellers were on their way to the town and when they passed by the well they were surprised to hear cries coming from the well. They went to see who was there inside in the well. They shouted and asked Robert "Who are you and why are you crying"?. Robert replied "I am a blind man and I was on my way to the town with my servant, and my servant a greedy fellow took all my money and threw me inside the well so please help me get out of here. The travellers felt pity for Robert and let a rope down and drew him up. Robert begged the travellers to take him to the near-by kingdom where the King's daughter takes care of all the blind and lame people who go there for help. The travellers agreed and took Robert to the princesses. She recognized Robert as he had her ring on his finger and took him with her to her chamber. Robert told her the whole story and the princesses immediately ordered her soldiers to kill Mary and the dwarf and get Mary's eyes in return. The soldiers did as they were told and when they bought Mary's eyes The princesses ordered the royal physician to cure Robert by fixing the eyes into his eye socket and so did the physician and soon Robert was able to see as usual. Then the princesses and Robert got married and together they lived happily forever. 

Red-rose and White-rose

Long ago there lived a King who had a wife whose name was Red-rose and a daughter whose name was White-rose. One day Red-rose went to the garden for a walk in the evening. There was a fountain in the garden. Red-rose asked the fountain "Oh! fountain am I not the most beautiful queen in this whole world". The fountain replied "Oh! indeed you are not". Red-rose asked the fountain "If not me who then?". The fountain replied it's White-rose the princesses. Red-rose became very angry and asked the fountain "How can I become the most beautiful women on earth?". The fountain replied "If you can eat the heart and liver of White-rose then you can become the most beautiful women on earth. After hearing this Red-rose went home, blind with rage and plotted to kill White-rose and eat her heart and liver and then become the most beautiful queen on earth.

That night Red-rose pretended to be severely ill and asked her servants to call the king immediately. The king came rushing and asked her what was wrong with her. Red-rose replied "Oh! king I am terribly ill and there is only one thing which can heal me but you must promise me that you will get that for me". The king after hearing this said "I can do anything for you my beloved wife. Tell me what is that thing that can heal you". The queen replied "If I get the liver and heart of White-rose my daughter, to eat, I shall be well." The king was shocked to hear this and asked for two days of time to think about it and left. He was deeply shocked and called his minister who was a very wise man to discuss the issue. When the minister came the king told him the whole story. The minister thought for a while and proposed an idea. He said "Oh king! the son of a great king has come from abroad to ask for marrying White-rose. Please agree for the marriage and send White-rose with him and don't inform anyone about this. After White-rose is gone we can give the heart and liver of a deer to the queen and lie her that this is the heart and liver of White-rose and so everything will get settled. The King was pleased to hear this and did exactly as the minister had advised him to do.

The Third day he went to his wife and gave her the heart and liver of the deer to eat; and she rose well and healthy thinking that White-rose was dead. After one year the queen went to the garden and asked the fountain "Oh! fountain am I not the most beautiful queen in this whole world". The fountain replied "Oh! indeed you are not". Red-rose asked the fountain "If not me who then?". The fountain replied it's White-rose your daughter.  Red-rose laughed and said "Oh! fountain, it is long since she was living. It is a year since I ate her heart and liver". The fountain replied "Oh queen! she is not dead. She is married to a great prince abroad.

Red-rose went to the King and said "Oh king! I feel ashamed for what I had done. I want myself to be poisoned for I had committed the sin of killing my own daughter". The King was glad to hear this for he thought Red-rose has realized her mistake and so he narrated the whole story to her. Red-rose now begged the king and said " I want to see my daughter for it is so long since I have seen her. Please take me to her". The king agreed and so Red-rose and the king went on a journey to visit their daughter. Meanwhile White-rose was informed that her parents were coming to visit her. "Oh! said she to her mother in law, my mother is coming and she will kill me". The prince too is not present as he went to the jungle for hunting for few days.

Her mother in law said "She shall not kill you for I will lock you in a room where she cannot get near you. White-rose was then locked in a room and when Red-rose came she shouted "Where are you my sweet princesses? Come to meet me". White-rose replied from inside that she cannot come out as she was locked in the room, and that she could not get out of it. Red-rose then said "Don't worry dear! Please put your little finger through the key-hole so that I can kiss it". White-rose put out her little finger and Red-rose put a poisoned stab in it, and White-rose fell dead.

The prince came home, the evening and found White-rose dead. He was in a great sorrow. He decided not to bury White-rose and so locked her in a room where nobody would get near her. The prince always kept the keys of the room with him and every night he went to the room to see White-rose. One day he forgot to take the key with him, and so the mother of the prince took the keys and got into the room. She began to turn and try to wake White-rose and while doing so she noticed the poisoned stab in her finger. She took the stab out and White-rose soon turned alive, as beautiful as ever. When the prince came home his mother said "I have a gift for you my son, that could make your life happier". The prince replied "Oh! indeed nothing could make me happier except White-rose were to come alive again". The queen replied "Well, you will find White-rose alive down there in her room".

The prince went to the room and saw White-rose was alive and he made great rejoicings, and began to kiss and hug her. The prince and White-rose lived happily. One fine day Red-rose went to the garden. She asked the fountain "Oh! fountain am I not the most beautiful queen in this whole world". The fountain replied "Oh! indeed you are not". Red-rose asked the fountain "If not me who then?". The fountain replied it's White-rose your daughter. Red-rose laughed and said "Oh! fountain, it is long since she was living for I have put the poisoned stab into her finger. The fountain replied "Oh queen! she is not dead. 

The King was away from the kingdom on a voyage so Red-rose ordered the servants to take her to White-rose's palace. She went the palace and shouted "Come down White-rose! your mother has come to see you and ask forgiveness for I came to know that you are alive. White-rose came to see her trembling with fear. Red-rose said "I am sorry for all my sins and so please forgive me. I have come to you with a precious drink". The prince who knew about the intentions of his wicked mother in law came and said "It is a custom in this country that the person who offers a drink takes a sip of it first". So White-rose put her mouth to it, and the prince struck it so that some of it went down her throat, and Red-rose fell dead. The prince and White-rose lived happily and peacefully forever.

The Snake Princesses And The Shepherd

Long ago in a small town in Netherlands there lived a rich farmer. The farmer's farm was filled with flock of sheep's and cattle. The farmer had a shepherd who used to take care of these animals and the farmer liked the shepherd as he was his faithful and honest servant. One fine morning the shepherd took the sheep's in the nearby mountains to feed them. While the sheep's were busy grazing grass the shepherd thought of taking rest under a tree. When the shepherd came near the tree he heard some strange sounds coming from the bushes nearby and so he went in the direction to discover the cause. 

The shepherd was surprised to see a tree surrounded by flames and a snake was coiled in the tree trying to escape. The shepherd though frightened stood there wondering how he could save the snake from the fire. The snake noticed the shepherd and cried "Please help me!". The shepherd took his large stick which he always carried to control the sheep's and pointed it towards the snake and directed the snake to climb on it and escape. The snake took advantage of the opportunity and did as directed by the shepherd and was able to escape from the fire. The snake approached towards the shepherd and now the shepherd trembled with fear as he thought the snake was approaching to bite him. The snake said "Have no fear for I shall do you no harm, only carry me to home to my father who is the King of Snakes". The shepherd was surprised to hear that but he said I cannot do that as I have to look after my flock. "Don't be afraid for no evil shall befall them, but take me to my father" said the snake.

So the shepherd took the snake and walked on his way to the snake kingdom. On the way the snake told the shepherd "My father the Snake King may gift you with valuable treasures but please don't accept them, ask rather to understand the language of beasts". This is will be useful to you in the future than any of the treasures and the shepherd agreed to do so. After travelling for a while he stopped in-front of a huge Castle which was guarded by large poisonous snakes. The guardian snakes saw the shepherd carrying their princess so they did not harm him and instead opened the gates for the shepherd to come inside. They took him to the King of Snakes who was overjoyed to see his daughter and burst into tears as he had given her up for dead.

"Where have you been my sweet little princesses asked the King, I was so worried for you !". The princesses narrated the whole incident to her father and explained how the shepherd had rescued her from the fire. The King of the Snakes was pleased to hear about the shepherd's courage and asked him "What reward will you choose for saving my child?". The shepherd asked the king" Make me understand the language of beasts for I want to". After some argument the King agreed to grant his wish. He ordered the shepherd to open his mouth and on doing so the King spat onto it, and ordered the shepherd to do the same. The shepherd did as he was told and after spatting into each other's mouth for three times the King said "From now on you can understand the language of beasts, go in peace; but beware that if anyone comes to know that you can understand the language of beasts you will die immediately".

So the shepherd started his journey towards the mountains to fetch his sheep's. On the way through the woods he was able to understand all that was said by the birds and other creatures. When he got back to his sheep flock he saw that the sheep's were grazing peacefully and so the shepherd thought of taking some rest under the tree. After some time he woke up hearing the perching sound of two sparrows on the tree. The first sparrow told the second " Poor shepherd is working so hard if only he could knew the fact that there is a vault full of gold coins beneath where that lamb is lying". After hearing the two sparrow's conversation the shepherd left for home. That night during supper he told his master that he feels that there is something lying in the vault and they need to open it. The master opened the door of the vault and was surprised to see the treasure. He gave the whole treasure to the shepherd saying "Take it as it is your's and God has given this to you for your honesty and hard work".

So the shepherd took the gold and built a beautiful house with the money. He then got married and lived happily with his wife. Now he was a rich man as he had flocks of sheep's and cattle and dogs to take care of the cattle. He had many servants who worked for him. The shepherd was always kind towards his servants and treated them well. One night while the shepherd was at his farm he saw few wolves wandering near his farm. The wolves spoke with the dogs there saying " We shall come tomorrow night to eat some of your sheep's and you too shall eat flesh for we will share it with you". The dogs agreed but there was one old dog who was very loyal to his master and he said "I will let no harm to be done to the cattle as long as a I am alive". The shepherd heard and understood everything and the next day morning he ordered his servants to kill all the dogs except the old dog. Thus by understanding the language of beasts the merchant was able to protect his cattle. The shepherd always remained grateful to the snake princesses.

Tom and Jim

Long ago in a small village in Russia there lived two brothers named Tom and Jim. Besides being brothers they were good friends and loved and cared for each other. All the villager's used to admire the two brothers for their sense of affection towards each other. One summer morning they went to the nearby bushes to pick some berries. Tom was quite tall and so was able to pick the berries easily and handed over the berries to Jim. Tom advised Jim to keep the berries in the basket so that they can take that home and give it to their mother to prepare a pie for the dinner.Tom was busy picking the berries and Jim was busy eating the berries ignoring his brother's orders. 

When Tom finished picking he asked Jim to show him the basket and when Tom saw the empty basket  he became very angry on Jim like never before. He shouted at Jim " How dare you eat all the berries when I ordered you not to". Jim instead of saying sorry started laughing at Tom which made Tom even angry. Tom then went to fetch a stick to beat his brother. He found the stick and went to pick it up when the stick said "You will not get me until you get an axe to cut me". Tom went in search of an axe and went to pick it up when the axe said "You will not get me until you get a flag to edge me". Tom came to the Flag and went to pick it up when the flag said "You will not get me until you get water to wet me". He came to the Water and the water said "You will not get me until you get a deer who will swim me". He came to the Deer and the deer said "You will not get me until you get a hound to hunt me". He came to the Hound and the hound said "You will not get me until you put to some butter in my claw". He came to the Butter and the butter said "You will not get me until you get a cat to scrape me". Tom went to the Cat and the cat said "You will not get me until you get some milk for me from the cow". Tom went to the Cow and when he approached near the cow to get some milk the white cow turned into a beautiful Angel. Tom was surprised to see the angel and when the angel asked him the reason as to why he needed some milk Tom narrated her the whole story. 

After hearing the whole story the angel advised Tom not to get angry and forgive his younger brother Jim. She then gave a box full of berries and beautiful gifts to Tom. Tom after getting the gifts became very happy and bid farewell to the angel. He ran to find Jim who was still sitting there in the bushes waiting for Tom to come back. Tom hugged Jim and showed him the gifts and narrated the whole story. Both the brother's promised that they will never get angry on each other and went home happily. Since then Tom and Jim happily lived together forever.  Even now when anyone visits the village the villager's tell them the story of Tom and Jim.

The Tailor And The Giant

Once upon a time in France there lived a poor tailor named Aron. Aron was a honest man and struggled hard to earn his living as he had no work. Aron had a friend name Mark who worked as a cook in the royal kitchen. One day Mark heard the Queen saying that she would offer a huge amount of money and costly gifts to any tailor who can stitch her a beautiful gown within one night in the old ruined church. The old ruined church was haunted, and villagers say that fearsome things were to be seen there by night.

Mark went to his friend Aron and told him about the queen's proposal. Aron was quite excited and wanted to take up the challenge as he needed money badly, however he was afraid to stay for the whole night in the ruined church but was left with no option. Aron convinced Mark to take him to the queen and Mark agreed. The next day the two friends went and met the queen and Aron agreed to stitch a beautiful gown for the queen within a night in the ruined church and the queen promised Aron that she will gift him with precious jewel's and money if he succeeded in doing so. 

So when night came Aron came to the old church. He went inside the church, lighted a candle and put on his thimble, and set to work plying his needle nimbly. For some time Aron felt quite comfortable, until he felt the floor all of a tremble under his feet. Aron tried to ignore what he felt and went on with his work. Suddenly he felt someone was approaching towards him and to his surprise he saw a headless Giant standing in front of him. The giant held his head in his hands. The giant asked Aron to stitch his head and Aron agreed to do so but on the condition that the giant should wait until Aron finished with his work of stitching the queen's gown. The giant agreed to Aron's condition but informed Aron that before the dawn breaks he should stitch his head or else he would kill Aron. Aron started working as speed as he could and finished the queen's gown before dawn and started stitching the giant's head. The giant was pleased with Aron's sincerity and awarded him with a bagful of gold coins.

Aron took the money and left for the castle as the queen was waiting for him. When the queen saw the dress she was not much impressed by the design of the gown however she was pleased with Aron for being brave by staying the whole night in the church and finishing the task on given time. She awarded Aron with a bagful of silver coins. Aron was pleased by the gift and went home happily with two bags of gold and silver coins. Aron lived happily forever.

Margaret And The Twelve Witches

Long ago there lived a rich lady in Florida named Margaret. One winter night she was unable to sleep so she started knitting to engage herself while all the family members and servants were asleep. After knitting for a while Margaret wanted to go back to sleep when suddenly she heard a knock at the door and someone cried "Open the Door". Margaret was surprised as it was too late for any guest to visit. "Who is there outside?" asked Margaret. A voice came from outside " I am the Witch of one eye." Margaret unable to hear the reply assumed that one of her neighbours would have come for some help so she opened the door.

A witch woman with strange appearance entered inside. She had only one eye and she carried a pair of wool carders in her hand. The witch sat down by the fire and started knitting. Suddenly she paused, and started shouting "Where are my friends? They haven't arrived yet! Suddenly Margaret heard someone knocking the door again as before, "Open the Door". Margaret felt obliged to rise and open the door and a second witch came inside and she had two eyes. She carried a wheel for spinning the wool. She went and sat down by the fire and started spinning. And so the knocks went on and the witches came in one by one until at last the twelve witches sat round by the fire, the first witch with one eye and the last witch with twelve eyes. They started knitting and spinning and were singing together a folk song but no word did they speak with Margaret. Strange to hear and frightful to look upon were the twelve witches with their red eyes and wheels. Margaret was unable to move and speak for the spell of the witches was upon her.

Suddenly one of the witch came to her and said "We are feeling hungry go and make something for us to eat." Margaret went to the kitchen to prepare some food and she noticed that there was no water in the kitchen to prepare any food for the servants have emptied the pots to fill fresh water the next day. She took a pot and went to the well and when she filled the pot with water she noticed that the pot had a hole and so it was unable to hold the water. Margaret started crying for she feared that if she won't prepare the food the witch may kill her. Then a voice came by her and said, "Take some clay and moss and bind them together and plaster the pot so that it will hold the water. Margaret did as she was instructed and the pot was repaired. She filled the pot with water and was about to leave when  the voice came by her and said "Go home and you reach the south angle of your house, cry aloud three times and say, 'The house of the witch women is on fire". Margaret went back home and did as she was told to.

When the twelve witches heard Margaret's cry they rushed outside as it was their house that was on fire. After the witches left an Angel appeared and she sprinkled some holy water outside the door so that the witch women can never enter the house again. The angel took the clothes which the witches had woven and she put those clothes on fire and sealed the door with a crossbeam and waited for the witches to come back for she was sure that the witches will return. After some time Margaret and the Angel heard the knocks outside the door. "Open the Door" they screamed. The door shouted I cannot for the beam is fixed with a cross and I have no power to remove it. The witches rushed through the air crying and cursing the Angel who ruined their plot of killing Margaret and other members of the family. Margaret and her family were left in peace and Margaret thanked the holy Angel who saved her life.

The Fisherman's Two Daughter's

Many years ago on the banks of River Amazon there lived a poor fisherman whose wife had died, leaving him two beautiful daughters named Mary and Anna. Mary had hair as black as night and her skin was dark. Everyone in the village loved her as she was very kind and dutiful. She always helped her father repair the nets and make the torches to fish with at night. Her bright smile lit up the little hut of the fisherman like a ray of light.

The fisherman's second daughter Anna was fair and had long golden hair and she was very proud. She was quite different from Mary as she never helped the poor and never helped her father. She would play for the whole day catching butterflies cruelly by sticking a pin through it and then she would fasten it to her hair. then she would go down to the river and she her reflection in the clear water, and would laugh to see the poor butterfly struggling with pain. The villager's disliked Anna for her acts and loved Mary which made Anna jealous of her elder sister and thought evil of her.

One day a poor old woman came to the fisherman's house and begged for a little rice to put in her bowl. Mary was doing some household work and Anna was busy playing with the butterflies. When Anna saw the old beggar woman she ran towards the door shouted at her and pushed the old woman so badly that the old woman fell down on the ground and her head started bleeding. Hearing the old woman crying with pain Mary rushed outside to see what happened and helped the old woman get up. She took the old woman inside the house, washed the blood from her head and bandaged it. She then went to the kitchen and bought some bread and butter for her to eat and also filled the old woman's bowl with rice.

The poor woman thanked Mary and promised never to forget he kindness, but she did not say a word to Anna and left. Anna too did not care a bit for the old woman and instead made fun of her and mocked her calling her as a beggar. When the old lady left Mary scolded her Anna for being rude towards elders and warned her not to repeat the same mistake again which made Anna hate her sister even more. After some years the fisherman died due to terrible sickness. Mary and Anna were left alone in the world. Mary used to carve decorations from the shells which she gathered from the banks of the River and earned enough money to buy food for her and her sister. On the other hand Anna did nothing and spent her days playing. 

One day Mary fell terribly ill and was unable to get up from her bed. Day by day Mary's illness grew and she became very weak Mary asked her sister Anna to nurse her, but Anna being jealous of Mary would do nothing to ease her pain. Mary's sickness grew worse and worse and finally it seemed as if she would die, the door opened and the old beggar woman whom Mary had helped once came inside the room. She bought with her some pills and advised Mary to swallow the pills. Mary did a per her instructions and showed signs of being better,but was still weak enough to thank the old lady for her help. The old woman then gave a few pills to Anna and instructed her to give the pills to Mary every hour until she returned. The old woman then went away leaving the two girls.

Anna watched her sister but did not give her the pills. Instead she threw the pills outside and paid no attention to Mary's moans of pain. Anna wanted her sister to die. The other day the old woman came once again to see Mary but was shocked to see that Mary was at the point of death. She asked Anna if she had given the pills to Mary every hour as instructed. Anna showed the old woman the empty bag and said she had given them as directed. The old woman did not believe Anna's words and started searching the house but she could not find the pills. She for the last time asked Anna if she had given the pills to her sister and again the cruel girl said hat she had done so.

Suddenly the room was filled with light and in the place of the old woman stood a beautiful fairy holding Mary in her arms. She said to Anna " I am the old beggar woman who asked for rice. I wanted to know your hearts, you were cruel and Mary was kind, so from now Mary will stay with me in beautiful home. She then cursed Anna saying from now on you will beg for food but no one will show you kindness and you will die with starvation and hunger.

"Come with me said the fairy to Mary" and she carried Mary to her beautiful home where she lived in peace and happiness forever.

The Four Merchants And The Cat Story

Long ago there lived four merchants, in a village who jointly owned a big shop of grains. The four merchants were great Friends. They all used to work very hard to improve their business. Their hard work payed and their business earned huge profits. One night a group of rats were searching for food in the streets when they came across the merchants shop. They went inside and found huge bag of grains   and decided to stay in the shop and feed themselves. The rats rampaged the storeroom, destroying almost a quarter of the grains.

When the four traders came to the shop in the morning they were surprised to see the damaged caused by the rats. The four merchants were worried. "This is a disaster!" said one of them. "We must find a solution to get away from these rats else our business will be ruined." "Let’s buy a cat and keep it here in our shop," suggested the other. "Great idea! agreed the other three merchants. So, they bought a cat and left the cat in the shop to guard their grains.

The merchants looked after the cat very well and the cat was well fed with milk and fish. They gave her all the attention and care she needed. The cat used to perform her duties very well. Everyday during night, the merchants, left the cat in the storeroom of their shop and used to go home. The cat used to roam freely in the shop in search of the rats. In just a short, she caught and ate up all rats. The four merchants were happy with the cats work as they always found the storeroom neat and tidy, with all the sacks intact. "Ah, it seems the cat has done her job," said the merchants, happily. They decided to take good care of the cat and keep her as a guard in their shop.

One of the merchant said we four should equally take care of the cat so that no other is burdened with extra work. One of the traders said, "As the cat has four legs, each of us should look after a leg. That will ensure we all look after the cat equally." The others friends liked the idea; so, each of the partners took charge of one leg of the cat.

One day, while searching for rats the cat accidentally hit the table and hurt one of its legs. The merchant who was supposed to look after that particular leg immediately cleansed the wound and bandaged the cat's leg. "Don't worry! You will be all right soon, dear!" he said, patting the cat, lovingly. The cat recovered within a few days.  The trader thought let the bandage remain for few more days so that the cat's leg will not get any infection so he did not remove the bandage for a while. One night, as the cat was roaming in the storeroom, she went too close to a oil lamp which was in a corner and knocked it down by mistake. The lamp broke and the cat's bandage caught fire. " Meaaaoooow! Cried the cat, running around panic stricken.

The cat leg was burning and she was desperate to put off the fire, so she began to rub her bandaged leg against a sack. Now the sack caught fire too. The cat jumped from one sack to the other to rub the bandage. One by one all the sacks caught fire and soon the entire shop was in flames. In the morning, when the four merchants came to their shop they were shocked. "We are ruined!" they cried. "What shall we do now?" When they figured out the reason for the fire, they began to blame the partner who took care of the bandaged leg. "It was all because of you!" they shouted at him. "You bandaged the cat's leg that belonged to you and did not remove the bandage; the bandage caught fire and spread all over, destroying the entire shop. You must compensate us for it!"

They started fighting with each other. The villagers gathered and after hearing the whole story advised them to go to the Magistrate. The four merchants went to the Magistrate. The Magistrate, who was a wise old man, listened to the whole story, then said,” It is true that the bandage caught fire. But how did the fire spread? Certainly not because of the bandaged leg. But, because of the three sound legs that carried the cat from one sack to another, setting the entire shop on fire. So, not the fourth partner but the other three are to be blamed. You three, who own the three sound legs of the cat, must compensate your fourth partner for his loss."

The other three merchants realised their mistake and began to beg for mercy. The fourth merchant, who was kindhearted, and a good friend of theirs requested the magistrate to forgive the other three partners. The magistrate advised them, "If you trust an animal to guard your place, this will be the result." The four partners thanked the Magistrate and went home wiser and decided never to fight with each other rather stay united.

 

The Secret of the Farmer's Story

Once, upon a time on a hot summer day a farmer was ploughing his field to sow the next crop. While ploughing suddenly he heard a large sound under the ground. Actually his pick-axe had hit something under the ground which caused the sound. The harder the farmer hit the ground the greater the sound came Clink! Clink! The farmer was surprised and wondered what could be there inside the ground?

He started digging up the ground carefully with all his strength and was amazed to see two big pots full of gold coins buried there. "So much wealth!" the farmer cried with joy. He had never seen so much treasure in his entire life. The farmer was  very happy and decided to take the two gold filled pots home secretly before anybody else saw it. "But that won't be a great idea!" he thought because the farmer had a foolish wife and he feared that his talkative and foolish wife may spread the news around the whole village. 'Once the people come to know about the gold pots, they may think that i have stolen it from somewhere else and may hurt me!" thought the farmer. He was greatly confused as; neither could he leave the treasure there, nor could he take it home.

The farmer thought for a while and came with a plan to test his foolish wife. "I will tell her some story and ask her to keep it a secret. If she obeys me and keeps the secret, I need not fear that she will talk about the treasure." So, the farmer buried the pots of gold again in his field and went home. As soon as he saw his wife, he said, "My dear, Did you hear? The king has a fish inside his belly!" "Is that so?" asked his wife. 'Yes, dear!" said the farmer. "Please keep this a secret and don't let anyone about this". "Of course!" his wife nodded. But the foolish wife wanted to discuss this with her neighbors. That afternoon, as the farmer was taking a nap, his wife went to the neighbors, "Did you hear? The king has a fish inside his belly!” she said.

The news spread across the kingdom. And spreading fast, the news finally reached the to the king himself. The king became very angry and was very upset. He asked one of his courtiers to find out who had been spreading the false rumor.

The courtier went to his friend and asked if he knew about the rumor. Of course! I heard the washer man saying this to me in the morning he said. The washer man, who in turn had heard it from his wife, who in turn had heard it from her sister.... and the chain went on until finally it reached the farmer.

The courtier came back to the palace and informed the king about the farmer who in fact had spread the false news. The king immediately sent his guards to bring the farmer. When the farmer saw the king's guards, he knew his wife had been talking. "What a fool I've been to ask my wife to keep a secret. Now I will have to pay for my foolishness," he thought.

The farmer was bought before the king. "Why did you spread such a silly rumor about me?" asked the king, who was very angry. "Tell me the truth or I shall punish you!" shouted the king. The farmer out of fear decided to tell the truth, " This is the only way I can get away alive," he thought.

"Speak up!" shouted the king. "Why did you spread the rumor?" "I didn't spread the rumor, Your Majesty!" the farmer replied softly. "It was in fact my wife who did it!" "What do you mean?" asked the king. The farmer said, " I wanted to test whether my wife could keep a secret or not. And so I....." "What secret?" the king interrupted. "That I have found two pots full of gold coins!" replied the farmer." TWO POTS OF GOLD COINS!" the king exclaimed. "Where?" Now the farmer realized that once he showed the pots to the king, he would get only a small amount of it as a reward. So, he replied, " I will tell you where it is, your Majesty, but first you must promise me that you will let me take half of the treasure."

The king agreed. The farmer then took the king to his field and showed him the treasure. The king was moved by the farmers honesty" You deserve to keep both pots for speaking the truth, dear farmer," said the king. The farmer was delighted to hear this; he thanked the king and carried his treasure home. Now he had no need to keep it a secret.

The Elephant's Nose And The Crocodiles Colour

Long Long ago, there used to be a very big Forest in India. In this Forest there were all kinds of animals and birds and there were elephants too. But during that time the elephants had very small and stubbed nose instead of a large trunk. There used to be a very cute elephant named Gajju. It happened that one year, it did not rain for many months. All the ponds and lakes began to dry up, and the streams had very little water. The animals in the forest were very thirsty, and were in search of a source of water. A river used to flow not very far away from the forest, and Gajju elephant decided to go there in search of water.

Walking slowly, he reached the river. In that river there lived a crocodile and the crocodile skin was bright green. The crocodile was very proud of his color. As the crocodile saw the elephant, he shouted, "Go away you naughty elephant! We don't have enough water here and If you start drinking, what will be left for me?" The elephant knew that the crocodile was very proud and powerful and he may harm him with his sharp teeth. So, he thought for a while and decided that he will come and drink water from the river once the crocodile is asleep.

In the same river, there also lived a shiny green toad. Whenever the crocodile would be swimming across the river, the toad would jump onto the crocodile's back and enjoy a ride. Over the time, the crocodile was angry giving free rides to the toad. Many times, the crocodile tried to shake the toad off his back, but in vain. "Ha ha ha!" the toad would laugh.

One hot summer day, the crocodile was resting on a rock. The elephant was watching the crocodile secretly from the bushes and seeing him asleep he went to the river silently and began to drink water. Just then, the toad as usual jumped onto the crocodile's back, disturbing his sleep. The crocodile was irritated! He furiously began to swim around the river and shake his body violently. "Now, I shall get rid of you!" he cried at the toad. But, the toad remained unmoved on the crocodile's back.

Suddenly, the crocodile noticed the elephant drinking water from the river. "How dare you drink from my river when you not to?" he shouted at the elephant. The crocodile was already frustrated because of the toad and so the crocodile decided to  show all his anger on the elephant. He caught the elephant's trunk with his sharp teeth and began to pull the elephant into the river. The poor elephant started to pull back, crying, "Let go of me....please! Leave me....my nose is paining!" But the crocodile showed no mercy. Then, with a mighty jerk, the elephant succeeded in freeing his trunk from the crocodile. But, in tug of war, the elephant's nose had become really long! The elephant was so angry seeing his long nose that he sucked all the water from the river. The toad was watching the fight from a corner of the river. He laughed seeing the elephant with a big nose. The elephant then sucked some mud from the river with his trunk and sprayed it on the crocodile and the toad. Since then, it is said, elephants have had long trunks, and crocodiles and toads are not bright green anymore.

Sincere Work Pays Off

Long ago, there lived a king named Ashoka. He was a great scholar. The king always believed in honesty and hard work. The king always desired to see the people in his kingdom to work honestly and follow the principles. The king's favorite proverb was- work is worship.

One day, king Ashoka decided to find out whether the people in his kingdom followed his ideals or not. So, he called some of his ministers and said, "Travel around the kingdom and find out what jobs the people have undertaken, and whether they are performing their duties sincerely or not. Find the person who knows the secret of hard work, and bring him to me. But no one should know that you have been sent by me." "As you wish, you’re Majesty!" said the courtiers and took leave of the king. 

"The king has given us a difficult task to perform," said one of the ministers."Let's start right away." "But many people know that we are the king's ministers," said another. "The  people may identify us." Among them there was a minister name Rama and he suggested, "Let's disguise ourselves as tribal men." So, they all dressed up as tribal men, boarded a bullock cart and set out on their way.

They came across a woodcutter, who was cutting trees with his big axe.” Let’s talk to him," said Rama to the fellow ministers. They stopped their bullock cart and walked up to the woodcutter. "O woodcutter, do you like your job?" The woodcutter paused for a while and flung his axe aside and said with gloomy face,” Not at all! I do it because this work has been inherited by my ancestors." Rama and his fellow ministers boarded their bullock cart and proceeded on their path. After travelling few more miles, and they came upon a washer man. Rama walked up to the washer man. "Hello, dear washer man," he said. "It seems you are enjoying your work!" The washer man became angry and began to beat the clothes harder. "Is this work enjoyable?" he retorted. "It's a punishment for me. When I was a child, I did not show much interest in studying. I never listened to my parents and never worked hard. So, I could not qualify for a good job. Now my family is dependent on me and I have to do this job to feed them."

Rama went back and boarded his bullock cart. They continued their journey and after going a few miles, they saw a young man who was studying seriously. "What are you doing, young man?" asked Rama. The young man replied humbly "I am a teacher". I am reading this book so that I can teach my students tomorrow. It gives me great satisfaction to spread my knowledge.

"Can you explain me the secret of hard work?" asked Rama. "Of course I can!" replied the teacher. "Work is worship! No matter what you do, you must love it and do it sincerely." Rama and his group took the teacher to the king. After listening what the ministers said the king was pleased by the teacher and said, I'm going to built a big school for you and your students. Many people took inspiration from this incident, and ever since then hard work and sincerity was deeply valued by the people of the kingdom.

Wedding Of The Lion

Once upon a time, in the forests of Gujarat in India there lived a young lion. All the animals in the jungle were afraid to go near the lion. "Never get close to that lion for he is very furious," the monkeys would instruct their young ones. "Get inside the cave, children, it's time for the lion to go for his evening stroll," the bears would warn their cubs. Actually, the lion only looked fierce, but in real he was very gentle and kind hearted.

After a few years the lion grew quite bigger and finally reached a marriageable age, and so he started looking for a suitable match. Within a few days, he arranged his marriage to a beautiful lioness in the same jungle. After consulting the priests, an auspicious date was set. The lion wanted to invite all the animals of the jungle. "Maybe this way I can make them realize that I am not all that bad," thought the lion.

The lion went through the forest, inviting all the animals he met. "You must come to my wedding, dear elephant," said the lion,” to blow the trumpet!" "Y... Ye...sir! D....D....definitely!" said the elephant. Then lion said to the monkey,” You are good dancer, dear friend! You must come to my wedding to entertain the gathering!" The monkey nodded and leapt away. "Please collect some fresh honey for the rituals, dear bear!" said the lion. "Sure...." said the bear, avoiding the lion's gaze. In this way, the lion invited the crow, the cat, the elephant, the fox, the jackal, the monkey, the bear, the camel and the giraffe. But on the day of the wedding, none of the guests arrived at the venue. The lion felt very sad.

The other day when the bear met the elephant he asked the elephant,” Why didn't you go to the lion's wedding?" The elephant replied, "I am strong, but I still fear the lion." Then he asked the bear, "Why didn't you go there, friend?" "I couldn't collect sufficient honey! The lion would have been upset and may have even killed me," replied the bear. The monkey said that," I am so afraid of the lion that I may not have been able to dance." "It is Indeed true, friends!" said the wise crow, "We can't share our happiness with someone we are afraid of!" It was because of the animals fear no one attended the gentle lion's wedding. If only they knew- don't judge a book by its cover.

The Beggar And His Pan Cakes

Once upon a time, in India there lived a beggar with his wife. The couple used to beg   food for the whole day in the village. At night they return home and eat the offerings the collected and go back to sleep. The husband's favorite dish was do Pan-Cakes". I wish I could buy some pan cakes he would constantly say. One day, he got lucky. A kind lady gave him some left-over pan cakes batter. The beggar brought the batter home and found that there was no firewood to cook it on." I will go to the near-by jungle and cut some wood away," he said and went to the forest. When he reached the forest, he found a tree, climbed it, and started to cut a branch with his axe. All the time the beggar was dreaming of delicious pan cakes.

While cutting the trees the beggar suddenly heard a loud roar. To his horror, he saw a fierce demon thundering towards him. "I am the lord of this jungle, and you did not even ask me before cutting the trees!" The terrified man babbled, "Forgive me, sir! I was only cutting firewood for my wife. She is going to make pan cakes for me!" The demon's face changed. Did you say pancakes? I love pan cakes! I will let you go if you promise me to get some pancakes for lunch!" "Gladly!" promised the relived man and hurried home with firewood.

The beggars wife was waiting eagerly for him. She made fire from the wood and prepared several delicious pancakes. The beggar started to eat heartily. "This is so tasty!" exclaimed the man, chewing happily. After eating as much as he can he remembered what the demon said so he asked his wife "I hope there are ten pancakes left for the demon". The wife cried and said that, there was no batter left to make pan cakes for the demon. Oh my god! what do we do now? He’s going to eat us both!" cried the man.

Just then the couple heard the demon approaching their house. His wife hid inside a basket, and he hid behind a pot after locking all the doors. The demon banged on the door." Open up!" he said. Hearing no response, he broke down the door and roared, "Where are my pan cakes?". The couple trembled. The demon searched all the pots for pancakes but in vain as he found nothing. "Nothing here!" he fumed. In a fit of rage, he kicked a vessel. Unfortunately, it was filled with pepper powder. The powder flew into the air and got into his eyes. "My eyes!" he screamed in agony. With his eyes stinging terribly, the demon rushed out of the house. The relived couple came out of hiding.