The Silver Stick -- The Golden Stick
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Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Roopnagar, there lived a king who had only one son. The young prince was daring and adventurous yet could be trusted with the affairs of the kingdom. This made the old king sure that after him the young prince would rule the kingdom in an honourable manner.
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One day, the prince expressed a desire to tour the countryside all by himself. The king was dismayed for who knew what dangers might befall a lone traveller. The queen tempted him to stay back with many rich gifts. But the prince was adamant. Taking the best horse in the stables, a shining new armour and sword, he set off on his expedition.
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He rode night and day, over mountains and valleys, streams and rivers, vast plains and meadows till he came to a thick forest. He rode on through the forest with no idea of where was heading till with a start, he realised that he had lost his way.
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He bewildered at first and tried desperately to seek a way out. He rode hither and thither till all of a sudden, he espied a sky scraping tower. With all his enthusiasm regained, he made his way towards the tower and came up to a huge carved gate. This he reasoned was probably the entrance to a kingdom. But what a kingdom! Everywhere there was only pin drop silence.
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Gathering courage, the prince entered the gates and walked on till he came to a city. There were many buildings both big and small but here too, total silence reigned. The usual chirping of birds, merry laughter of children, chatter of busy housewives and he grinding noise of wheat being crushed were all absent. The prince felt a shiver go down his spine.
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The door of one house was ajar. Quietly the prince walked up and peeped in. In the courtyard a group of men were standing together. But something seemed very strange. The men were all standing erect and did not appear to move at all!
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He entered the courtyard and tiptoed up to the men. Imagine his surprise when he saw that they were all statues of stone. he ran out and moved quickly through the city. Wherever he went there were animals, plants, men -- all of stone. However, the city appeared to be very rich. Room after room was filled with gold coins and glittering jewels.
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By now, the prince had come up to what seemed to be the royal palace. In the great court room, the king, the ministers and courtiers were all statues of stone.
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Full of curiosity, the prince made a quick dart towards the bed chambers. There was a smell of perfume wafting up from one room. Attracted, the prince entered the room and gasped aloud at the fragrant blossoms of lotus and rose that filled it. In the middle of the room, was an enormous lotus and at its heart, there lay a beautiful girl, fast asleep. So lovely was she that a soft light radiated from her face.
The prince was enchanted. At once he fell in love with the sleeping girl. He sat down beside her waiting for her to wake up.
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The days rolled on and the prince began to grow a beard but neither did the flowers wilt nor did the girl awake. He was hungry and thirsty but would not leave his place. Again and again, he called the girl, even shook her but she was in a very deep sleep.
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One day, as he sat there he suddenly noticed a tiny golden stick at the girl's heard. Looking around, he found a tiny silver stick at her feet. He picked up the sticks and amused himself by playing with them. After sometime, he wished to replace the sticks by mistake, put the silver stick at the heard and the golden stick at the feet.
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And lo, a great hum broke out over the kingdom. The girl smiled, stretched and sat up. Birds chirped, horses neighed, men talked -- the city came alive once more. With great joy, the king greeted the prince and asked, "O nobleman, who are you?"
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The prince then related how by chance he had stumbled on this kingdom and found everyone asleep. How he had waited for the beautiful girl to wake up, only she did not till he changed the sticks at her head and feet.
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Brimming over with happiness, the king said, "O prince! once a demon cursed us into stone statues saying that only a noble prince would save us. So you did. We are eternally grateful to you. Ask for any gift that you may desire."
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The prince only wished to marry the beautiful girl and this desire was soon granted. After a festive wedding, laden with riches, the prince and his bride started back to his kingdom,
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Meanwhile, the old king was almost blind with grief for his son and the queen had taken to her bed. How happy they were to see their son and his radiant bride. The prince was soon crowned king and he ruled wisely and well ever after.
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The Broken Promise
Once upon a time, there lived a prince whose best friend was a goat-herd. The two boys spent most of their time together. The prince would always tell the goat-herd, "Friend, when I am king, you shall not work any more. You shall be my royal guest." Thus the two friends dreamt of the future.
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Time passed. One day the old king passed away and the prince was crowned in his place. But alas! as soon as he became king he forgot all his promises. When the goat-herd went to the palace, he was turned away unceremoniously by the guards.
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One morning the king awoke in an unbearable pain. He could not open his eyes. His body was pierced with countless needles. He could only lie in bed, screaming in agony.
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That very day, the queen went all alone to a lake. It was a hot day and she decided to take a bath. Leaving her clothes and ornaments on the bank, she plunged into the water. A farmhand was passing by. When she saw the royal clothes, she quickly put them on and proclaimed herself to be queen. The poor queen still in the water was horrified, for who would believe her without any clothes or jewels left. The imposter gave her some old rags and took her to the palace as a maid servant.
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The imposter entered the royal palace and began to live in great luxury. The king was in great pain but she could not be bothered to nurse him nor would she allow the real queen to go near him. The ministers summoned many doctors but none could remove the needles. When they failed, magicians from the whole land were sent for. But none could help the king.
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The real queen was having a bad time too. She was given very little food and made to do all sorts of hard work. One day, while she was washing a pile of clothes by the river bank, she fainted. The goat-herd who happened to be passing by took her home. He nursed her back to health and treated her with great respect. But the good queen could not be happy.
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One day, the goat-herd asked her, "Good sister, pray tell me what worries you?" When he heard the whole story, he at once realised that the king's plight was due to his broken promise. However, he still loved his friend very much and determined to help him.
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At night, the queen and the goat-herd made their way to the palace. They climbed into the king's room by a ladder. The sight of his friend groaning in agony brought tears to the goat-herd's eyes. He took out a reel of magic thread and chanted:
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"Thread thread, enter the needles,
Take them out, make my friend fit as a fiddle."
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At once, the thread looped itself and slipped through the eyes of the nedles. Gently it began to wind into a reel and started pulling out the needles one by one. Soon the king was free. After many days, he was able to open his eyes and sit up. He saw the goat-herd and the queen in his room. He was shocked to see her in dirty tattered clothes and matted hair.
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Hearing all the commotion, the imposter queen bustled in. Seeing her, the king shouted, "Who are you? How dare you wear the queen's clothes?"
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The real queen then told the whole story. At once the queen banished the imposter from his kingdom. The goat-herd was made the chief-advisor to the king and they remained good friends ever after.
The Goat Ogress
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Once upon a time, deep inside a forest an ogre lived with his sister in a huge castle. They were entirely cut off from all the nearby villages and survived by eating the forest animals. But the ogress longed for some tasty human flesh. She begged her brother to get her a man for dinner. So the ogre took the form of a man and went to a nearby village.
In this village, there lived seven jewellers who had their shops right next to each other. The ogreman dressed in rich clothes went to the jewellers and said, "My sister is to be married soon. I want some ornaments made for her. Please come to my house and make the jewellery. I'll pay you well." He looked so wealthy that the jewellers agreed but when they heard that his house was in the forest, they were afraid. Often enough they had been told that the forest was a dangerous place. The ogreman had to tempt them with a big bag of money and they finally agreed. On the appointed day, the seven jeweller's set out for the ogre's castle. They walked and walked till night fell but there was no sign of life. Finally in the pale moonlight, they saw the outline of a castle looming eerily before them.
Tentatively they walked to the great front door and pulled the huge bell. At once a great clanging broke out inside and they could hear footsteps approaching the door. It opened with a good deal of creaking and they saw the same gentleman who now welcomed them genially. "Come in, come in," he said, "you must be very tired. Please rest tonight and you can start work tomorrow. I will show you to your room."
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He led them through dark passages to a huge hall where a she-goat was tethered to a post. On a table were seven bowls. Seven beds were neatly lined against the wall. "Milk the goat and drink that for your supper," said the man.
The jewellers were very tired. Somehow they drank a bowlful of milk each and dropped off to a deep sleep. When they woke the next morning, they found one of their members missing. "He must have felt frightened and run away," they told each other.
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Now the she-goat was actually the ogress. When the jewellers were asleep, she had assumed her huge form and eaten one of the jewellers. Then taking the form of the goat, she had settled down again.
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Soon the ogreman came and assigned to them their work for the day. All day they worked hard and when night fell, they drank a bowl of milk each and fell asleep. Next morning when they awoke, there were only five jewellers left. "Our friend must have run away last night," they said to each other before settling down to work. In this way, the ogress ate a jeweller a day till only two
were left. By now one of them had become very suspicious. "Why do I feel so sleepy after drinking the milk," he thought, "tonight I'll not drink it."
So at night, though he filled his bowl and pretended to drink, actually he poured away the milk. He lay quietly beside his sleeping friend.
At the stroke of midnight, lightning flashed and thunder roared as the she-goat gradually transformed into an enormous ogress. The terrified jeweller lay motionless watching her through slitted eyelids. She picked up his friend and began to suck his blood. Then she chomped the flesh, licked the bones and threw them away. Fully satisfied, she changed back into a she goat and began to nod drowsily.
The jeweller quietly crept to the window and leaped outside. Then he ran for his life. As he came towards the edge of the forest, he felt the earth shaking beneath his feet. The ogress was pounding behind in hot pursuit. Quickly, he climbed a tall tree and sat there shaking. The ogress roared in anger for she did not know how to climb a tree.
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At this time, day broke and the sun rose. The King of a neighbouring kingdom was out hunting with his friends. He saw the jeweller atop the tree and rode up to investigate.
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The ogress quickly transformed into a beautiful woman and started weeping. When she saw the King, she sobbed, "Your Majesty, this man had promised to marry me but is now turning his back." "No, no, your Majesty," cried the jeweller, "don't believe her. She is an ogress. She will eat all of us."
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The King was smitten by the woman's beauty. He absolutely refused to accept the jeweller's version. He took the woman to his kingdom and married her.
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Now the ogress was delighted. Every night, she would assume her real form and eat the animals in the royal stables. The King became very worried about the mysterious disappearance of the prize animals in his royal stables.
One day, the King was out riding. He happened to pass the jeweller's shop. The jeweller came running out and cried, "Your Majesty, please kill that woman. She is an ogress. She will eat up everyone in your kingdom."
The King began to feel a little suspicious, so at night, he pretended to be sleeping though he was actually wide awake. At the stroke of midnight, his beautiful Queen gradually became a massive ogress. As she made her way to the stables, the King crept up behind her. Imagine his horror, when he saw her stuffing a whole horse into her mouth.
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He unsheathed his sword and with a single stroke, cut off her head. The ogress was so busy eating that she did not even realise that she was dead.
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The King rewarded the jeweller for warning him. The jeweller lived happily ever after with his family members.
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Roshni's Feast
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Once upon a time there lived a King. One day, he called his Minister and asked, "What is the state of my people? Are they sad or happy?" Hearing this the Minister said, "Your Majesty, I can tell you fearlessly only if you promise not to harm me." "Well," said the King, "you may say whatever you want without fear."
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"Majesty, in earlier years Kings would hunt during the day and at night they would tour the kingdom in disguise to see the state of their people. Alas! it is not so today."
"Very well," said the King, "from tomorrow I shall do the same."
So the next morning, the King went hunting where he killed many wild boars and other animals. He returned to his palace in the evening feeling very satisfied. As night descended, the king put on the guise of a beggar, and headed for his mission.
He passed from street to street till he came upon a little house where three sisters sat talking. He wanted to hear what they were discussing.
"Oh, if only I could marry the King's charioteer," sighed the eldest sister, "then I would ride every day."
"I should like to marry the King's cook," said the second sister decidedly, "what lovely goodies I would get to eat every day."
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The youngest sister was silent. Her sisters started teasing her. Finally she said, "If only I could marry the King then I would be the Queen."
Next morning, the King summoned the three sisters to the palace. Trembling with fear they fell at his feet. "Fear not," said the King, "I heard what you were discussing last night. I have decided to grant your desires."
So the eldest sister was married to the King's charioteer, the second sister to the King's cook and the youngest sister married the King and became the Queen.
A year passed in great happiness and the Queen was about to give birth. She requested the King to allow her sisters to be with her during this time.
So the two sisters arrived to stay at the royal palace. Their eyes popped with surprise when they saw the luxury in which their little sister lived. Her wardrobes were full of beautiful clothes and coffers were bursting with jewels. They sighed again and again and turned green with envy.
Soon one day the Queen gave birth to a little boy. The sisters put him in a basket and floated him down a stream. Then they put a puppy beside the Queen. The King was amazed and the whole Kingdom shocked to know that the Queen had given birth to a puppy.
A year later the Queen was about to give birth once again. The sisters came to the palace feigning great concern for her. This time the Queen gave birth to another little boy. The sisters floated him away in the stream and put a kitten by the Queen. The king was totally surprised to see the kitten instead of the royal baby.
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A year later, the Queen gave birth for the third time. This time to a lovely little baby girl. After floating her down the stream, the sisters placed a wooden doll next to the Queen. The King was so enraged that he banished the Queen from his kingdom branding her a witch. The poor woman began to work as a maid in another kingdom.
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What happened to the two infant Princes and the little Princess? A woodcutter was resting beside a stream when he suddenly heard a baby crying. He jumped up and saw a baby floating by in a basket. He picked up the child and took it home. Next year he found another boy and the year after, a girl in the same manner. He took them all home to his childless wife who was overjoyed.
They named the children Suraj, Chand and Roshni.
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In good time, the woodcutter and his wife grew old and died. The children had grown up and the brothers had become woodcutters like their foster father.
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One day, they went deep into the forest to cut sandalwood as that fetched maximum value. They searched all day but could find no sandalwood. Night fell and the brothers lay down below a tree to rest.
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On that tree lived two birds who could speak in human voices. They were talking to each other at night. "What will happen to the pots of gold buried under this tree if we go away?" asked one. "If only someone would take the gold and relieve us of this responsibility," sighed the other.
The two brothers heard all this. Next morning, they dug under the tree. They worked all through the day and in the late afternoon they uncovered a chamber full of pots of gold coins.
Now they were rich beyond imagination. They built a marvellous palace with marble and fountains and beautiful rooms. In that underground chamber, they had also found a bag of magic seeds which they sowed all around the palace. These grew into trees with leaves of silver, flowers of gold and fruits studded with emeralds and rubies. On their branches sat little jade birds who hummed all day long. The two birds with the human voices came to stay there also.
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The King in his palace had grown old and weary. One day he was out for a ride when he came across the boys' palace. The birds immediately called to the boys and asked them to invite the King for lunch.
Roshni was preparing a grand feast when the birds came to the kitchen. They advised her to prepare the food in a certain manner.
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When the King sat down to eat, what did he find? Rice of silver, vegetables of precious stones and dal of molten gold, "How can I eat this?" he asked.
"Why not?" asked the birds.
"Can a human being eat silver rice?" asked the King.
"Can a human being give birth to puppies, kittens and wooden dolls?" asked the birds.
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The King was wonder-struck. The birds then told him the whole story. He was delighted to have found his children finally. A great search was made for the Queen till she was found. The two evil sisters were immediately banished and the King lived happily ever after with his wife and children.