tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73434628745241665032024-03-13T08:45:31.598-04:00Mythology and Folklore UN-TextbookContent for a course in Myth & Folklore taught at the University of Oklahoma.Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comBlogger2840125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-63793944657554612023-01-23T10:14:00.000-05:002023-01-23T10:14:45.487-05:00The Myth-Folklore UnTextbook<hr />
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(This is a <a href="http://onlinecourselady.pbworks.com/w/page/90844869/mfoverview">Week 2 assignment</a> for MLLL-3043-995.)</div>
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<i style="font-weight: bold;">Welcome to the Myth-Folklore course! </i>By this point, you've completed the Orientation week, and now you are ready to get into the real class activities: reading stories, and then telling stories of your own based on what you have read. That's what I call "stories from stories."<br />
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And as you'll see, "stories from stories" is the central theme of this class: because of their amazing generative power, folktales and myths can live on and on for thousands of years, and they are still going strong in this new millennium. Stories WANT to reproduce, they want to make more stories, and those newly created stories grow and change and develop their own identities just as human beings themselves do. You are connected to your parents, but at the same time you are your own person, and in a similar way folktales and myths are connected to the past, but each one is also a new story, existing in a specific moment in the words of a specific storyteller addressing a specific audience.<br />
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(<a href="https://archive.org/details/indianmythlegend00inmack/page/n64" target="_blank">epic storyteller in India</a>)</div>
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<b>An Eternal World of Storytellers</b>. So, when you write your stories this semester based on the stories from the past, you will be doing just what Homer and Jesus and Scheherazade did in their time: you will be taking an existing story and making it your own. Of course, the tools you are using are different from the tools that Homer used — you will use writing, while Homer relied on his voice and the power of singing (his song was written down much later), much like the epic storyteller in the photo above who is reciting the Indian epic <i>Mahabharata</i>. Because we have access to new tools like writing, and also digital media, that means we have even more storytelling opportunities! In that sense, we are very lucky to be living in this day and age, with so many storytelling technologies available to us, both analog and digital.<br />
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By the end of this semester, I hope that you will have developed a sense of yourself as a storyteller, while also having enjoyed hundreds of stories as told by storytellers from around the world, along with the stories told by other students in this class. Think about it: by the end of the semester, we will have created hundreds of new stories together as a class, along with your fellow storytellers in the Indian Epics class (and yes, you'll be reading each other's projects later on as the semester takes shape). <br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VerL3G4T-NI/U-E1NKOXjxI/AAAAAAABOwc/NgFwFYjvRIU/s1600/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights17.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VerL3G4T-NI/U-E1NKOXjxI/AAAAAAABOwc/NgFwFYjvRIU/s1600/One_Thousand_and_One_Nights17.jpg" /></a></div>
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(<a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:One_Thousand_and_One_Nights17.jpg" target="_blank">Scheherazade, Storyteller</a>)</div>
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<b>Introducing the UnTextbook</b>. For the readings in this class, you will be using something that I call the "UnTextbook," a gigantic blog of stories that I created during the summer of 2014 (it's hard for me to believe that already 6 years have gone by since then!). Because I see the world of folklore and mythology in terms of unlimited storytelling possibilities, I really wanted to give you MORE options to explore and choose from as you do the weekly readings for this class. This past summer (Summer 2020), I added some new units to the UnTextbook taken from some books that I published: <i>Tiny Tales from Aesop</i>, <i>Tiny Tales of Nasruddin</i>, and <i>Tiny Tales of India</i>. I am curious what you will think about those if you choose to read any of them.<br />
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Before I made the UnTextbook, there was a choice of two reading options every week in this class, for a total of 28 reading units. And that worked pretty well: there were lots of great stories for people to read and enjoy that way. But with so many myth and folklore books now available online, I wanted to do a better job with the reading options for the class.<br />
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The result is this UnTextbook, an anthology that draws stories from over a hundred different public-domain books and other openly licensed books. Using the UnTextbook, you will be choosing what you want to read each week from the various options and in that way you will create a unique textbook of your own.<br />
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In addition, I built the <b><a href="http://freebookapalooza.blogspot.com/">Freebookapalooza</a></b>, a blog with over a thousand public domain and openly licensed books; if you see books there you would like to read, let me know, and we can find a way to weave those books into the class too. One of my projects this past year was to update the Freebookapalooza, and there are now over 1500 books there.<br />
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<b>Trillions of Textbooks</b>. As you can see in the sidebar here at this blog, there are 100 different reading units in the UnTextbook (Aesop's fables, Cherokee legends, Dante's Inferno, Japanese fairy tales, etc. etc. etc.), and those units are <b><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j7fmIQDny-IDayvzK4C2rXsHRJ1924bOLo8Rb8kQBDI/edit">organized in geographical groups</a></b>: Africa, Asia, British Isles, etc. You can also see the units organized week by week using the tabs across the top of this blog post:<br />
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There are trillions — <i><a href="http://oudigitools.blogspot.com/2014/07/course-redesign-update-july-20-all.html" target="_blank">literally, trillions</a></i> — of possible combinations!<br />
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<b>Diversity and Connection. </b>So, the UnTextbook is all about variety, both a wide variety of stories and a wide variety of ways that you can combine them as you create your own reading experience for the semester. At the same time, you'll also see how closely connected the stories are, even when they are spread out over great distances of space and time. Stories are created from other stories ("stories from stories," like I said above), so, if you look, you can usually follow a thread of stories that will lead you from one place to another, and from one time to another — often in very surprising ways! As the Chinese proverb says, <i>A cloth is not woven from a single thread</i><b style="font-style: italic;">. </b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJbS-xcauH_s2QDvqTfpZZPEkk0k1Nitl9jYvOsqzK36LA2WZ6vu_q_0hNSvAdfL4mEVElN-OEN70qqoPbVKeXgptrF_xUoZ7c-EJjnuKdxUDMJx6NYhQdXbFT--CDlFJnf_NgZMLWHQ4g1aYIObRWbYtihZ6BMpkA2up2G09J6Inc_Qul_7dm_j8/s500/tumblr_mdq39okgtK1rlwiamo1_500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="456" data-original-width="500" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRJbS-xcauH_s2QDvqTfpZZPEkk0k1Nitl9jYvOsqzK36LA2WZ6vu_q_0hNSvAdfL4mEVElN-OEN70qqoPbVKeXgptrF_xUoZ7c-EJjnuKdxUDMJx6NYhQdXbFT--CDlFJnf_NgZMLWHQ4g1aYIObRWbYtihZ6BMpkA2up2G09J6Inc_Qul_7dm_j8/w400-h365/tumblr_mdq39okgtK1rlwiamo1_500.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(<a href="http://goproverbs.blogspot.com/2012/03/poster-cloth-and-thread.html" target="_blank">Proverb Laboratory</a>)</div><div style="text-align: center;">
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So, please take a half hour or so just to EXPLORE: look through the different units in the sidebar, clicking on anything that grabs your interest and saving links to the units and/or stories that you think you will want to return to later on. Write up your thoughts and put those links in a blog post that you will then can refer to later when the regular reading assignments begin in Week 3.<br />
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For details about the blog post, see the assignment instructions: <b><a href="http://onlinecourselady.pbworks.com/w/page/119471361/mfreading02#READINGA">Week 2 Reading A assignment</a></b>.<br />
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And, for one last image, here is something really cute that a student made for the class back in Fall 2014: it's a LOLCat for the UnTextbook — <b><i>enjoy</i></b>!</div>
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Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-784419348722062952021-01-23T15:32:00.008-05:002021-01-23T15:33:37.014-05:00Random Tiny TalesThis is a randomizer for the five Tiny Tales books that are also reading options for this class: that's one thousand stories in the randomizer, which is pretty cool! You can see the widget in action here; <b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2021/01/random-tiny-tales.html" target="_blank">reload for a new story at random</a></b>. You can also <a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/search/label/Widgets"><b>browse the widgets</b></a> for all five books separately over at the Tiny Tales website.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://Nasruddin.LauraGibbs.net"><img src="https://nasruddin.lauragibbs.net/Nasruddin200.jpg" width="80" /></a><a href="https://India.LauraGibbs.net"><img src="https://india.lauragibbs.net/India200.jpg" width="80" /></a><a href="https://Aesop.LauraGibbs.net"><img src="https://aesop.lauragibbs.net/Aesop200.jpg" width="80" /></a><a href="https://Sufis.LauraGibbs.net"><img src="https://sufis.lauragibbs.net/Sufis200.jpg" width="80" /></a><a href="https://Anansi.LauraGibbs.net"><img src="https://anansi.lauragibbs.net/Anansi200.jpg" width="80" /></a></div><hr /><script type="text/javascript"> var display = " " </script><script src="https://100words.lauragibbs.net/widget400.js" type="text/javascript"></script><hr /><br /><br />Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-38478314936835982522021-01-14T12:37:00.000-05:002021-01-14T12:37:05.594-05:00Myth-Folklore Unit: Tales from the Sufis (100 Words)<b>Overview</b>. This reading unit — good for one week, or two weeks — is a collection of stories from India <i><b>told as 100-word stories</b>. </i>It is based on <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tiny Tales from the Sufis</i> which contains two hundred of these tiny 100-word stories. The Sufis are mystics and teachers in the Islamic tradition, and you will find stories in this book from classical Sufi storytellers such as Rumi along with modern Sufis such as Inayat Khan. <b>The book is available free</b> as a PDF and in standard ebook formats (epub, mobi), and there is also a 99 cent Kindle version. Plus, there is a free audiobook! Links to all formats here: <b><a href="http://sufis.lauragibbs.net/">Sufis.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>. You will find links to text and audio below, but if you prefer to read with a PDF, on a Kindle, etc., you can do that based on what is most convenient for you.<br /><div><br /></div><div><b>Language</b>. The language is very clear and contemporary. Unlike the public domain books published before 1923, this book is a recent publication (2020!).<br /><br /><b>Story Length</b>. The stories are very short: just 100 words long each. Each reading section — A, B, C, D, — contains 50 stories. That's a lot of stories but they go very fast, and I hope you will find lots that intrigue you. When you start with a super-short story, there's so much room to expand with your own imagination.<br /><br /><b>Navigation</b>. You will find the table of contents below; you can look at the title to get a sense of which sections you might enjoy most. There is no need to start at reading section A; you can read them in any order you prefer.<br /><br /><b>Additional Resources</b>. Each of these stories has its own blog post with information about sources along with notes, and sometimes an illustration. You can find the list of the individual blog posts at <b><a href="http://sufis.lauragibbs.net/">Sufis.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1003" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8CmfBR5hJ6A/XynbZrmEcFI/AAAAAAACXDs/LEONx3nmdnwc49Fc94hjg3aWQ9z3aqRkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Sufis.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #221199; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.82px; font-weight: 700; position: relative;" width="400" /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2021/01/reading-tales-from-sufis-100-words.html">link to READING A</a></b>: </div></div><div><div>1. A Handful of Dust</div><div>2. Noah and Canaan</div><div>3. The Child in the Shipwreck</div><div>4. Abraham in the Fire</div><div>5. The Sound of Joseph's Cup</div><div>6. Pharaoh and the Newborns</div><div>7. Moses and Khidr</div><div>8. The Language of Animals</div><div>9. Moses and the Bearded Dervish</div><div>10. Moses and the Shepherd</div><div>11. God Questions Moses</div><div>12. Moses Questions God</div><div>13. Moses Seeks Advice from Iblis</div><div>14. Azrael and King Solomon</div><div>15. The Gnat and King Solomon</div><div>16. Jesus and the Jug of Water</div><div>17. Jesus and the Name of God</div><div>18. Jesus and the Fool</div><div>19. Jesus Went Walking</div><div>20. The Dreams of the Three Travelers</div><div>21. The Sufi Who Went to Heaven</div><div>22. The Bundles of Misery</div><div>23. The Dervish and the Ship's Captain</div><div>24. The Man of Baghdad's Treasure</div><div>25. The Haunted Mosque</div><div>26. The Sultan's Seven Years</div><div>27. Turning Lead into Gold</div><div>28. The Water of Old</div><div>29. The Stream in the Desert</div><div>30. The Bread and the Ocean</div><div>31. Qays and Layla in Love</div><div>32. Majnun and Layla's Dog</div><div>33. Majnun and Layla's Beauty</div><div>34. Majnun's Eyes</div><div>35. Majnun and the Letter-Carrier</div><div>36. Majnun and the Shepherd</div><div>37. Majnun and the Caravan</div><div>38. Majnun's Feet</div><div>39. Majnun among the Beggars</div><div>40. Majnun's Blood</div><div>41. Majnun and the Tree</div><div>42. The Beggar and the King</div><div>43. Knocking at the Door</div><div>44. The Man without a Key</div><div>45. The Traveler and the Teacher</div><div>46. The Palace with One Door</div><div>47. The King's New Palace</div><div>48. The Boy and his Candle</div><div>49. The Faithful Man's Shadow</div><div>50. The Sufi and the Gravedigger</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2021/01/reading-b-tales-from-sufis-100-words.html">link to READING B</a></b>: </div></div><div><div>51. The King Enslaved</div><div>52. The Dervish and the Rich Man</div><div>53. A Prayer for a Tyrant</div><div>54. The Disciple Sentenced to Death</div><div>55. The Teacher in the Tavern</div><div>56. The Wisest Man in the City</div><div>57. The Old Man and the Two Strangers</div><div>58. Seeking the Tree of Heaven</div><div>59. Advice to a Seeker</div><div>60. The Death of Socrates</div><div>61. Muhammad and the Eagle</div><div>62. Ali and his Servant</div><div>63. Ali and the Knight</div><div>64. When Hallaj Grew Pale</div><div>65. The Caliph and the Pearl</div><div>66. The King's Caravansary</div><div>67. King Ibrahim on the Roof</div><div>68. King Ibrahim Hears the Voice</div><div>69. King Ibrahim and the Needle</div><div>70. King Ibrahim and the Old Sufi</div><div>71. Rabia's House</div><div>72. Rabia and the Governor of Basra</div><div>73. Rabia's Total Devotion</div><div>74. Rabia and the Blanket</div><div>75. Rabia and the Purse of Gold</div><div>76. Rabia and the Donkey</div><div>77. Rabia Breaks her Fast</div><div>78. Rabia and the Bread</div><div>79. Rabia and the Preacher</div><div>80. Rabia's Needle</div><div>81. Rabia and Hasan</div><div>82. Rabia Instructs Hasan</div><div>83. Rabia and Hasan by the Lake</div><div>84. Rabia and Sufyan</div><div>85. Rabia and Riyah al-Qaysi</div><div>86. Rabia and the Villagers</div><div>87. Rabia and Azrael</div><div>88. Rabia's Grave</div><div>89. A Vision of Rabia</div><div>90. Finding Bayazid</div><div>91. Bayazid's Pilgrimage</div><div>92. Bayazid in Ecstasy</div><div>93. Dhul-Nun the Madman</div><div>94. The Grieving Sufi and Shabli</div><div>95. The Disciple and the Dove</div><div>96. Junaid's Disciples and the Chickens</div><div>97. Junaid's New Neighbor</div><div>98. Abu Mansur and the Sultan</div><div>99. Abu Said on the Path</div><div>100. Fruits and Thorns</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2021/01/reading-c-tales-from-sufis-100-words.html">link to READING C</a></b>: </div></div><div><div>101. Abu Said's Recitations</div><div>102. Abu Said and the Learned Cleric</div><div>103. Abu Said and the Straight Path</div><div>104. Abu Said and God's Secret Mysteries</div><div>105. Abu Said and the Wealthy Disciple</div><div>106. Abu Said and the Wine-Merchant</div><div>107. Abu Said and the King of the Gamblers</div><div>108. Abu Said and the Bucket of Ashes</div><div>109. Abu Said and the Bags of Filth</div><div>110. Abu Said's Horse</div><div>111. Sultan Mahmud's Golden Bracelet</div><div>112. Sultan Mahmud and his Servants</div><div>113. Sultan Mahmud Watches Ayaz</div><div>114. Sultan Mahmud and the Pearl</div><div>115. Ahmad Yasawi and the Seeker</div><div>116. Abu Ali and the Old Woman</div><div>117. Jafar Seeks a Teacher</div><div>118. Little Rumi and the Angels</div><div>119. Sanai, The Court Poet</div><div>120. Chishti the Musician</div><div>121. Nimatullah and the Stolen Lamb</div><div>122. Jami and the Would-Be Disciple</div><div>123. Jami and the Physician's Son</div><div>124. Nasruddin and the Quick Learner</div><div>125. Nasruddin and the Scholar</div><div>126. Nasruddin and the Would-Be Disciple</div><div>127. A Conversation without Words</div><div>128. God Created the Camel</div><div>129. Nasruddin's Sermon</div><div>130. Nasruddin and the Pilgrims</div><div>131. Nasruddin and the Shrine</div><div>132. Nasruddin Crossing the Lake</div><div>133. Nasruddin in a New Town</div><div>134. Nasruddin Leaves the Tavern</div><div>135. Nasruddin by Night</div><div>136. Nasruddin and the Frogs</div><div>137. Nasruddin and the Man's Bag</div><div>138. Nasruddin and the Drowning Man</div><div>139. Nasruddin and the Music Teacher</div><div>140. Nasruddin at the Baths</div><div>141. A Sign for Nasruddin's Restaurant</div><div>142. Nasruddin's Duck Soup</div><div>143. Nasruddin and the Puddle</div><div>144. Nasruddin on the Way to the Cemetery</div><div>145. A Beggar at the Door</div><div>146. The Wicked Man's Thornbush</div><div>147. The Peasant and the General</div><div>148. The Farmer and the Thief</div><div>149. The Schoolboys and their Teacher</div><div>150. The Tanner who Fainted</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2021/01/reading-d-tales-from-sufis-100-words.html">link to READING D</a></b>: </div></div><div><div>151. The Bedouin's Pitcher of Water</div><div>152. The Bedouin and his Two Sacks</div><div>153. A First Time at Sea</div><div>154. The Patient Fisherman</div><div>155. The Woman and the Brick Wall</div><div>156. A Man Who Gathers Stones</div><div>157. A Man Seeking a House</div><div>158. The Prisoner and the Prayer Rug</div><div>159. The Princess and the Slave</div><div>160. The Contest of the Artists</div><div>161. The King Rides to Damascus</div><div>162. The Old Man and the Doctor</div><div>163. Sharing the Cucumbers</div><div>164. The Mayor's Servant and the Donkey</div><div>165. The Sufi and his Father</div><div>166. The Elephant in the Dark</div><div>167. The Lost Camel</div><div>168. The Wandering Sufi and his Donkey</div><div>169. The Thief who Stole a Snake</div><div>170. The Frozen Dragon</div><div>171. Shelter from the Storm</div><div>172. The Hunter's Divine Revelation</div><div>173. The Dog at the River</div><div>174. The Lion Tattoo</div><div>175. The Hunter of Monkeys</div><div>176. The Hypnotized Sheep</div><div>177. The Elephant's Child</div><div>178. The Child and the Monster</div><div>179. What a Cat Can Teach</div><div>180. The Camel and the Mouse</div><div>181. The Mule and the Camel</div><div>182. Camel, Ox, and Ram</div><div>183. The Ant and the Wasp</div><div>184. The Fly and the Beehive</div><div>185. The Donkey and the Stallions</div><div>186. The Gazelle and the Donkey</div><div>187. The Moths and the Candle</div><div>188. The Ants and the Pen</div><div>189. The Three Fish</div><div>190. The Jackal and the Pot of Dye</div><div>191. The Lion and the Fox</div><div>192. Lion, Wolf, and Fox</div><div>193. The Lion and the Rabbit</div><div>194. The Elephants and the Rabbits</div><div>195. A Cow on an Island</div><div>196. The Miser</div><div>197. The Bird's Advice</div><div>198. The Man and the Bear</div><div>199. The Wild Parrots of India</div><div>200. The Cook and the Chickpea</div></div><div><br /></div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-1555174798428925602021-01-14T12:25:00.005-05:002021-01-14T12:30:00.185-05:00Reading A: Tales from the Sufis (100 Words)<p>You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.</p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1127370874&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-the-sufis" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from the Sufis">Tiny Tales from the Sufis</a></div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/a-handful-of-earths-dust.html"><br />~ 1. A Handful of Dust ~</a><br />God told Gabriel, "Fetch me a handful of Earth's dust."<br />"No!" said Earth. She didn't want God to create Adam.<br />God sent Michael. Earth refused.<br />Then Seraphiel. Earth refused.<br />Finally, God sent Azrael.<br />"I cannot fail to accomplish God's command," Azrael said to Earth.<br />They debated back and forth, and when Earth was distracted by their argument, Azrael snatched the handful of dust.<br />God then appointed Azrael as the Angel of Death.<br />"But everyone will hate and fear me," said Azrael.<br />"I will create fevers and sicknesses," God replied, "and weapons of war. They will bear the blame, not you."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/noah-and-canaan.html"><br />~ 2. Noah and Canaan ~</a><br />God flooded the whole earth.<br />Deep waters covered all the land.<br />Noah and his family were safe in the ark upon the waters, but Noah's son Canaan was trying to swim on his own.<br />"I won't get into Noah's ark!" he shouted.<br />Noah shouted back, "But I'm your father! Get into the ark!"<br />"You are my enemy. I defy you!" said Canaan. "I can swim! I'll swim to the mountain-top to find salvation."<br />"God is the only salvation!" replied Noah. "Get into the ark!"<br />"No!" said Canaan. "Never!"<br />And then a great wave smashed down upon Canaan, and he drowned.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/azrael-and-child.html"><br />~ 3. The Child in the Shipwreck ~</a><br />"Why are you grieving?" God asked Azrael, Angel of Death.<br />"Because of the child from the shipwreck," said Azrael. "Remember? I saw a mother and child clinging to a plank. You let me save the mother, but not the child. I'm still grieving."<br />"Hear what happened next," God replied. "I told the waves to bear the child to an island. A leopardess nursed him. The fairies taught him. But that blessed child grew up to become Nimrod, an unbeliever who curses my name and persecutes my prophet Abraham, casting him into the fire. That's the child for whom you grieve!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/ibrahim-in-fire.html"><br />~ 4. Abraham in the Fire ~</a><br />There is a living fire that gives life, and a death-dealing fire that brings fear. All believers should burn with the living fire as Abraham did, the son of Azar.<br />Azar was a maker of idols, but Abraham smashed the idols of the temple with an ax. Abraham spared only the largest idol, putting the ax in the idol's hands.<br />"Who smashed the idols?" shouted the people.<br />"Just ask the idol with the ax in its hands!" Abraham replied.<br />Enraged, King Nimrod threw Abraham into the fire, but with God's help, Abraham did not die in the fire: Abraham lived.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-sound-of-josephs-cup.html"><br />~ 5. The Sound of Joseph's Cup ~</a><br />During a famine, Joseph's brothers came to Egypt for relief.<br />Joseph received them, his face covered with a veil.<br />As they spoke, Joseph kept striking a cup which resounded mournfully.<br />Finally, Joseph's brothers could bear it no longer. "What is the meaning of this mournful sound?" they asked.<br />Joseph struck the cup. "The cup says you had a brother named Joseph."<br />Again. "It says you threw Joseph into a well."<br />Again. "You sold him into slavery."<br />Again. "You told your father his son was dead."<br />Joseph's brothers all wept and were afraid.<br />Now they were the ones in the well.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/pharaoh-and-newborns.html"><br />~ 6. Pharaoh and the Newborns ~</a><br />Pharaoh's astrologers predicted the night of Moses's conception, and nine months later, Pharaoh summoned the Israelite mothers and their newborns.<br />"Bring your babes," Pharaoh proclaimed, "and I will give you golden gifts."<br />Then, when the women came, Pharaoh's soldiers executed every male child.<br />Moses's mother was more cautious. She didn't go to Pharaoh, and when soldiers came looking for her, she hid Moses in the oven.<br />"God protect him!" she prayed as she threw Moses into the fire.<br />The soldiers came, and they did not find the child.<br />By God's grace, Moses survived the fire: it did not burn him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/moses-and-al-khidr.html"><br />~ 7. Moses and Khidr ~</a><br />Moses was traveling with Khidr, his teacher.<br />"Obey," Khidr told Moses, "and be silent."<br />They saw a child drowning in a river. "Save him!" shouted Moses.<br />"Be silent," Khidr said, "and obey."<br />They saw a ship sinking in a lake. "Save them!" shouted Moses.<br />"You are not being silent," said Khidr. "You are not obeying."<br />Only later did Khidr explain. "The boy who drowned would have led the world into cataclysmic war if he had lived. The boat was full of pirates who were ready to attack a ship of pilgrims. God is behind it all; be silent, and obey."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-language-of-animals.html"><br />~ 8. The Language of Animals ~</a><br />A man said to Moses, "Teach me the language of animals!"<br />"You'll regret it," Moses warned him, but the man insisted.<br />So Moses taught him. <br />The man then understood what the animals said.<br />"Cock-a-doodle-doo! Horse will die today!" shouted the rooster.<br />So the man sold his horse.<br />The next morning: "Cock-a-doodle-doo! Slave will die today."<br />So the man sold his slave.<br />The next morning, the man was shocked to hear: "Cock-a-doodle-doo! Master will die today."<br />The man ran to Moses for help. "Save me from this doom!"<br />"Go sell yourself if you can," said Moses. "There's nothing I can do."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-dervish-with-beautiful-beard.html"><br />~ 9. Moses and the Bearded Dervish ~</a><br />A dervish begged Moses for help. "Please ask God why I can't make spiritual progress despite my endless prayers and deep devotion."<br />When Moses asked God, God explained, "That dervish is obsessed with his beautiful bushy beard. He even interrupts his prayers to comb his beard. His beard obsession is blocking his progress."<br />Moses told the dervish what God said, and the dervish immediately began tearing out his beard, wailing.<br />The angel Gabriel then appeared to Moses. "Look at that poor dervish!" Gabriel scoffed. "While tearing out his beard, he's just as obsessed with it now as he was before."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/moses-and-shepherd.html"><br />~ 10. Moses and the Shepherd ~</a><br />Moses overheard a shepherd in the desert. "I will darn your socks!" said the shepherd. "I will kiss your hands and rub your feet! I will comb your hair and remove all the lice!"<br />"Surely you're not speaking to me," Moses called out. "Who are you talking to?"<br />"To the Creator! God! My beloved!" replied the shepherd.<br />"You can't talk to God like that," said Moses indignantly.<br />Ashamed, the faithful shepherd began to weep.<br />Then God rebuked Moses. "How dare you scoff at this shepherd's devotion? I hear the heart, not the words. Let love's fire burn in every heart!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/god-questions-moses.html"><br />~ 11. God Questions Moses ~</a><br />"Moses!" God called. "Moses! Why didn't you visit me when I was sick?"<br />"I don't understand," Moses replied. "You are All-Powerful and All-Perfect! How could you be sick?"<br />But God didn't answer Moses's question. Instead, God said, "When I was sick, why didn't you ask after me?"<br />"God, I still don't understand," replied Moses. "How could you be sick?"<br />"When my servant is sick, then I am sick," God replied. "Why didn't you visit me when I was sick?"<br />Moses wept and said, "O God, now I understand. I will ask after your servants and visit them in their sickness."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/moses-sows-field.html"><br />~ 12. Moses Questions God ~</a><br />Moses once asked God, "Why do you destroy the life you have brought forth?"<br />God did not answer the question but only said, "Go sow a field with seed, and then you will know."<br />Moses sowed, the crop grew, and the ears of wheat waved in the wind. Moses took a sickle and began the harvest.<br />Then God's voice rang out. "Why do you destroy the life you have brought forth?"<br />"Because I must separate the straw and grain on the threshing floor," Moses replied.<br />"If you understand how to do that," replied God, "then know that I do likewise."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/moses-seeks-advice-from-iblis.html"><br />~ 13. Moses Seeks Advice from Iblis ~</a><br />"Moses!" said God. "I see that you are troubled. Go ask Iblis for advice." <br />So Moses went to see Iblis, who had once been a heavenly angel but who had rebelled and been cast out.<br />"God sent me to you for advice," Moses said to Iblis.<br />"My advice is simple," replied Iblis. "Never say "I" about anything. Set aside all ego. That way you won't become like me. Your vanity and self-pride, your resentment, your envy and your anger are like dragons. Yet instead of subduing them, you pet them and cherish them, and you do so at your peril."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/escaping-angel-of-death.html"><br />~ 14. Azrael and King Solomon ~</a><br />"Save me, King!" shouted Solomon's courtier. "The angel of death looked at me angrily in the marketplace!"<br />"I cannot save you from Azrael," Solomon replied.<br />"Command the winds to transport me to India; that way I'll escape."<br />Solomon commanded the winds; whoooosh... the winds carried the man to India.<br />The next day, Azrael visited Solomon's court.<br />"Why did you look upon my courtier so angrily that he fled to India?" Solomon asked.<br />"I wasn't angry at him," Azrael replied. "I was simply astonished to see him there because I knew he was fated to die later that day in India."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-gnat-and-king-solomon.html"><br />~ 15. The Gnat and King Solomon ~</a><br />A gnat came to King Solomon's court with a complaint.<br />"We gnats beg you for protection from the wind!" shouted the gnat. "He blows us wherever he wants; we are powerless under his sway."<br />"Let us hear what the wind says about this," said King Solomon. "Wind, I summon you here to face your accuser!"<br />The wind rushed in, and the gnat flew away.<br />"Where are you going?" shouted Solomon. "The accused must confront his accuser!"<br />"The wind is my doom!" the gnat's voice cried faintly from far away. "I cannot breathe when he blows: in his presence, I'm nothing."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/jesus-and-jug-of-water.html"><br />~ 16. Jesus and the Jug of Water ~</a><br />Jesus and his companion drank from a stream.<br />"How sweet this water is!" Jesus said.<br />They filled a jug with water from the stream and continued their journey.<br />When Jesus felt thirsty, he drank from the jug but immediately spat it out. "I don't understand!" he exclaimed. "It's the same water. Why does it taste bitter?"<br />The jug itself answered Jesus. "I'm old as earth, made and remade many times, taking many forms; this time my form is that of a jug. I always carry the bitterness of death, and it is death's bitterness you just tasted in my water."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/jesus-and-name-of-god.html"><br />~ 17. Jesus and the Name of God ~</a><br />A fool kept begging Jesus for the secret of resurrection. "Teach me the name of God that restores the dead to life!"<br />But Jesus refused.<br />"Look! Some bones!" the fool exclaimed. "You can recite the secret name and bring the bones to life."<br />Jesus prayed, and God brought the bones back to life.<br />They were a lion's bones, and the raging lion tore the fool to pieces.<br />"Why don't you eat him?" Jesus asked the lion.<br />"I ate all I needed in life," said the lion. "I killed this fool not for food, but so others can see and learn."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/jesus-and-fool.html"><br />~ 18. Jesus and the Fool ~</a><br />A fool chased Jesus through the wilderness; Jesus fled as though from a lion.<br />"Why are you fleeing?" shouted the fool.<br />"I'm fleeing from you, fool!"<br />"But aren't you Jesus who heals the deaf and the blind?"<br />"Yes."<br />"Who brings life to birds made of clay?"<br />"Yes."<br />"Then why are you afraid of me?" asked the fool.<br />"I can heal the sick and I can quicken lifeless matter, but there is nothing I can do for the fools. I have tried to save them, but a fool's heart is hard; it is the sand in which no green can grow."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-jesus-saw-walking.html"><br />~ 19. Jesus Went Walking ~</a><br />The great teacher Al-Ghazali told this story about Jesus.<br />Jesus went walking along the road and saw a group of richly dressed people who all looked very sad.<br />"What's wrong?" he asked.<br />"We are sorrowing because of our fear of Hell," they replied.<br />Jesus continued walking and saw some more sad-looking people.<br />"What's wrong?" he asked.<br />"We are anxious that we will not attain Paradise," they replied.<br />Jesus continued and met a third group of people. Their clothes were humble, but their faces shone with joy.<br />"Rejoice!" they said. "We have seen the Truth!"<br />And Jesus rejoiced with those people.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-dreams-of-three-travelers.html"><br />~ 20. The Dreams of the Three Travelers ~</a><br />Three men of different faiths traveled together: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim. They begged for food and shared what they received. <br />One day they received four pieces of halvah. <br />Each ate one, and one piece was left.<br />They decided that whoever had the best dream would eat the last piece, and at dawn they reported their dreams.<br />"Moses led me up Mount Sinai, where fiery angels danced."<br />"The Messiah led me through the gates of the heavenly city."<br />"Muhammad came to me and said, 'Moses took the one, and Jesus the other; you can eat the halvah now.' So I did."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-sufi-who-went-to-heaven.html"><br />~ 21. The Sufi Who Went to Heaven ~</a><br />A Sufi dreamed he ascended to heaven.<br />"Rejoice!" the angels said. "Today is God's birthday!"<br />Then the Sufi saw a holiday parade. Muhammad rode a white stallion, surrounded by angels and flocks of followers. Then came Krishna on a peacock, also with angels and followers. Next was Jesus. Buddha. Mahavira. So many holy leaders.<br />Finally there came an old man riding a donkey, all alone.<br />"Who are you?" the Sufi asked.<br />"I'm God," he said, "and I'm alone here because my followers follow others."<br />When he awoke, the Sufi decided to worship God only; he no longer followed any religion.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-bundles-of-misery.html"><br />~ 22. The Bundles of Misery ~</a><br />A wretched man prayed, "God, I'm miserable! Let me trade my misery for another's!"<br />God's voice boomed from the sky. "Everyone, gather your miseries into a bundle and come to the town square."<br />The wretched man gathered his miseries and was shocked to see people coming to the town square with bundles far bigger than his. Even people he thought prosperous! Even they had huge bundles.<br />"Put your bundles down," God commanded. "And now, pick any bundle you want."<br />"Who knows about those other bundles?" the wretched man thought. "This burden I know."<br />And thus everyone chose their own bundle.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-dervish-and-ships-captain.html"><br />~ 23. The Dervish and the Ship's Captain ~</a><br />A dervish was crossing the sea on a ship.<br />"Someone has stolen my bag of gold!" shrieked one of the ship's passengers, and the captain ordered a search of everyone on board.<br />Suspicion soon fell on the dervish. "Strip off your clothes!" said the captain.<br />But the dervish said, "O God, do thy will!"<br />And from the sea thousands of fishes arose, each bearing a priceless pearl in its mouth.<br />The dervish grabbed a handful of pearls, cast them on the ship's deck, and then rose up into the air. "Keep your ship!" he proclaimed. "I will go with God!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-man-of-baghdads-treasure.html"><br />~ 24. The Man of Baghdad's Treasure ~</a><br />A man of Baghdad heard a voice in a dream. "Go to Cairo to find the treasure!"<br />He spent every penny on the journey.<br />Then, with no money for a room, he wandered Cairo's streets.<br />A patrolman accosted him, and he explained about the dream that brought him to Cairo.<br />The patrolman laughed. "You can't put stock in dreams!" he said. "I often have a dream about Baghdad where I see treasure buried under a house..." <br />As the patrolman described the dream, the man of Baghdad recognized his own house!<br />He hurried back to Baghdad and found the treasure there.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-haunted-mosque.html"><br />~ 25. The Haunted Mosque ~</a><br />The town's mosque was haunted. Anyone seeking shelter there died before dawn. <br />The townspeople put up a sign: DANGER!<br />A wandering dervish arrived. "I'll sleep in the mosque," he declared. "I've died in the flames of love already; I fear nothing."<br />In the night, he heard a dreadful voice.<br />"Be afraid!" said the voice.<br />"I fear not!" he replied.<br />Five times the voice spoke; five times the dervish replied.<br />The fifth time, gold rained down, filling the mosque.<br />The dervish worked until dawn hauling out the gold.<br />"Fear not," said the dervish, and he gave the gold to the townspeople.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-sultans-seven-years.html"><br />~ 26. The Sultan's Seven Years ~</a><br />"Plunge your head into this basin of water," said the Sufi to the Sultan.<br />The Sultan found himself on a seashore.<br />A beautiful woman approached. "I must marry a shipwrecked man!" she said.<br />They married and had seven sons, living luxuriously for seven years.<br />"My wealth is gone," the woman said. "Provide for us!"<br />So the Sultan became a porter in the marketplace.<br />One day he bent down to wash his face in a basin of water — and found himself in his old palace.<br />"Seven years..." muttered the Sultan.<br />"No," said the Sufi, smiling. "It was only a moment."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-king-greedy-for-gold.html"><br />~ 27. Turning Lead into Gold ~</a><br />A greedy king wanted to turn lead into gold, so he found a teacher who could do this.<br />"If you too want this power," said the teacher, "you must spend twelve years with me in the forest as my disciple."<br />Greedy for gold, the king agreed. <br />Together with the teacher's other disciples, the king endured pain and discomfort year after year.<br />After twelve years, the teacher taught him the mantra for turning metal into gold and rocks into jewels.<br />But the king now realized that such wealth meant nothing.<br />He chose instead to remain in the forest with his teacher.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/old-water-new-water.html"><br />~ 28. The Water of Old ~</a><br />"Store water now," warned Khidr. "New water is coming that will drive you mad."<br />Only one man followed Khidr's advice.<br />The rivers, lakes, and oceans dried up. Then rains fell: rains of new water.<br />People drank the new water, and they lost their minds.<br />Meanwhile, the one man kept drinking the old water. <br />He knew everyone was mad, but they said he was mad. He remembered what had happened; they said he was imagining things.<br />Finally, he too drank the new water. <br />He also lost his mind, and he no longer remembered where he had stored the water of old.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-stream-in-desert.html"><br />~ 29. The Stream in the Desert ~</a><br />A mountain stream flowed down into the desert.<br />There, the stream saw the wind crossing the desert. "I too want to cross over!" shouted the stream.<br />"Let the wind absorb you," advised the sand. "The wind will take you to the ocean."<br />"But I'm a stream! I don't want to be absorbed by the wind, and I've never heard of this ocean you speak of."<br />"Trust me," said the sand. "I know. I myself stretch to the ocean."<br />So the stream released itself into the arms of the wind, and later, the stream fell into the ocean, drop by drop.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-bread-and-ocean.html"><br />~ 30. The Bread and the Ocean ~</a><br />An old man went on a long ocean voyage. <br />After a while, the only food he had left was a crust of bread, so stale and hard that he couldn't eat it. The old man was hungry, but the bread was no good to him, so he threw it into the water.<br />A wave swept the bread away and said to it, "Who are you?"<br />"I'm just a hard, dry crust of bread that nobody even wants," the bread replied.<br />"Stay with us here and get soaked," said the wave. "Then we shall all be part of the ocean together."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/young-layla-and-majnun.html"><br />~ 31. Qays and Layla in Love ~</a><br />A boy named Qays and a girl named Layla once fell completely in love.<br />Layla could see only Qays, and Qays could see only Layla; there was no one else.<br />When the teacher asked Qays to recite aloud, he repeated "Layla Layla Layla." That was all he could see.<br />When the teacher dictated, Layla wrote "Qays Qays Qays," covering her slate with his name. That was all she could hear.<br />Qays later became known as Majnun - "madman" - because of his love for Layla. <br />For the lovers, there is nothing but their beloved in the world.<br />The beloved is their world.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/majnun-and-laylas-dog.html"><br />~ 32. Majnun and Layla's Dog ~</a><br />Qays loved Layla, and she loved him. <br />But the greatness of Qays' love made him act strangely, and people started calling him "madman" - Majnun.<br />Majnun's parents begged Layla's family to let them marry.<br />Layla's parents agreed, provided Majnun wasn't really mad.<br />When they went to visit Layla's family, her little dog ran out to greet them. <br />Seeing her dog, Majnun was overcome with emotion. "This is Layla's dog!" he thought. He fell to the ground, kissing the dog's feet. "My love, my love!" he groaned.<br />"He really is Majnun!" shouted Layla's parents, and they promised her in marriage to another.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/majnun-and-laylas-beauty.html"><br />~ 33. Majnun and Layla's Beauty ~</a><br />When the people heard Majnun raving about Layla's beauty, they laughed.<br />"She's attractive, to be sure," they said, "but there are thousands of ravishing women in the city who are far more beautiful than she is."<br />"You understand nothing," Majnun replied. "The outward form is just the pitcher. God has poured wine for me from that pitcher, and I am drunk on her beauty. For you, he pours forth nothing but vinegar. God can pour forth honey or poison from the same pitcher. You can see the pitcher from the outside, but you do not know what is hidden inside."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-beauty-of-layla.html"><br />~ 34. Majnun's Eyes ~</a><br />Majnun was completely devoted to Layla, but Layla's parents were alarmed by Majnun's strange behavior, so they arranged for her to marry someone else.<br />Thus separated from his beloved Layla, Majnun fell into despair. His behavior grew more and more bizarre. <br />Majnun's family tried to help, but they could find no cure for his lovesickness.<br />"Layla is not even all that beautiful!" his friends and relatives told him. "We can find someone for you who is even more beautiful than Layla."<br />"You understand nothing," Majnun replied. "To see the beauty of Layla, you must see with the eyes of Majnun."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/majnun-and-letter-carrier.html"><br />~ 35. Majnun and the Letter-Carrier ~</a><br />Majnun loved Layla, and she loved him, but her parents arranged for her to marry someone else who lived in a city that was a hundred miles away.<br />Majnun sought out the letter-carrier. "I need you to take a message to Layla."<br />The letter-carrier agreed, and Majnun walked alongside him, dictating his message of love.<br />He walked ten miles, speaking only of Layla.<br />"Will your message never end?" the letter-carrier asked.<br />Majnun didn't stop.<br />Ten miles.<br />Another ten miles.<br />Majnun walked a hundred miles speaking only of Layla.<br />He did not need the letter-carrier after all: Majnun himself had come.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/majnun-and-shepherd.html"><br />~ 36. Majnun and the Shepherd ~</a><br />Majnun followed his beloved Layla's caravan into the desert, but her parents wouldn't let him near her.<br />Mad with love, he persuaded a shepherd to loan him a sheepskin. "Disguised as a sheep, I will join your flock and when you lead your flock past Layla's tent, I might catch the scent of her perfume."<br />But when they reached Layla's tent and Majnun smelled Layla's perfume, he fainted.<br />The shepherd had to carry the unconscious Majnun back out into the desert.<br />The shepherd then threw water on Majnun's face, reviving him, but the water could not cool his burning love.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2000/04/the-sufis.html"><br />~ 37. Majnun and the Caravan ~</a><br />As Majnun roamed the desert, grieving because of his separation from Layla, he chanced upon a caravan. <br />The merchants invited him to sit by their campfire, having heard of this strange madman and of his love for Layla.<br />"Surely the time has come to set this love aside," one of the merchants said to Majnun. "You could go back to your old life, and everyone would praise you for making a wise choice."<br />"I don't want everyone's praise!" Majnun shouted. "I refuse such praise! An insult from Layla is worth more to me than a thousand compliments from anyone else."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/majnuns-feet.html"><br />~ 38. Majnun's Feet ~</a><br />Majnun had made a long journey to the city where his beloved Layla lived with her husband. He knew that this was her city, but he did not know where exactly she lived.<br />North? South? East? West?<br />Layla could be anywhere.<br />Everywhere.<br />"It would be rude for me to sleep with my feet stretched in her direction," Majnun thought to himself.<br />He tried to sleep standing up, but he was afraid he might fall down in his sleep.<br />"I need to tie my feet with a rope and suspend myself from a beam," Majnun decided, and so he did.<br />Madman.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/majnun-among-beggars.html"><br />~ 39. Majnun among the Beggars ~</a><br />Knowing Majnun had come to see her and was living among the beggars, Layla sent her maid with baskets of food to give him.<br />But another beggar, greedy for food, said, "I'm Majnun!" <br />He ate the food, and Majnun said nothing.<br />The beggar grew fat on Layla's gifts, day after day.<br />Majnun said nothing.<br />The maid told Layla that Majnun thanked her kindly. "He's starting to get quite fat," she added.<br />"That doesn't sound like Majnun!" Layla said.<br />Then the maid told her about the silent one. "He is sad, and never speaks."<br />"That one is my Majnun!" Layla cried.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-blood-of-majnun.html"><br />~ 40. Majnun's Blood ~</a><br />Layla needed her maid to find Majnun among the beggars, so she devised a test.<br />"Take this knife and tell them: Layla is ill, and Majnun's blood is the only medicine that can cure her."<br />Seeing the knife, Majnun didn't hesitate. "Blood means nothing; I would give my life for her."<br />But when he went to cut himself, not even a drop of blood came out. He had starved himself so long that he was only skin and bone.<br />Finally, he was able to draw forth a single drop.<br />"That's all I have left," he said. "It is for her."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/majnun-and-tree.html"><br />~ 41. Majnun and the Tree ~</a><br />Layla's husband took her away to escape Majnun.<br />"I'll come back to you, Majnun!" she promised.<br />Majnun waited, standing propped against a tree. His hands clutched the branches; they became branches. His body became the tree.<br />"That tree is haunted!" people said. "It keeps saying Laaay-laaa."<br />When Layla returned, she learned of the ghost in the tree and realized it must be Majnun. She ran to the tree.<br />"I'm Layla!" she cried.<br />Majnun's voice echoed, "I'm Layla!"<br />"No, I'm Layla," she said.<br />"You are Layla?" he said. "Then I am ... not."<br />And he died.<br />"Majnun!" Layla cried.<br />And she died.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-beggar-and-king.html"><br />~ 42. The Beggar and the King ~</a><br />A beggar fell at the king's feet, professing his love.<br />"For daring to love me," said the king, "you must choose: beheading or exile."<br />"O beloved king," replied the beggar, weeping, "I will go into exile."<br />But the king ordered the guards to behead him.<br />Later, in private, the king's minister asked, "Why did you execute that beggar?"<br />"Because he wasn't a true lover," replied the king. "If he truly loved me, he would have chosen death, and then I would have spared him and become his dervish. But he loved his head better; he didn't love me at all."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/knocking-at-door.html"><br />~ 43. Knocking at the Door ~</a><br />A lover came to the house of the beloved and knocked on the door.<br />"Who is it?" asked the beloved.<br />"It is me," replied the lover.<br />"Go away!"' said the beloved. "This house does not have room for a you and a me."<br />The lover went away into the wilderness to ponder these words. What did this mean? Love had pulled the lover to the house, and love continued to pull the lover to the house.<br />The lover went back and knocked again.<br />"Who is it?" asked the beloved.<br />"It is you," replied the lover.<br />The door opened at once.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-sufi-and-man-without-key.html"><br />~ 44. The Man without a Key ~</a><br />"Help!" a man shouted. "Has anyone found a key lying in the road? This is my house, this is my door, but I have lost my key."<br />A wandering Sufi walked towards him.<br />"Do you have my key?" the man asked eagerly.<br />"No, I don't have your key," said the Sufi. "But don't worry. Just stay here near the door, even though it's shut. Be patient, and someone will open the door for you. You are lucky: I do not have a door or a key. I pray to God that I might find my own door, open or shut!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-tourist-and-teacher.html"><br />~ 45. The Traveler and the Teacher ~</a><br />A wealthy man had traveled far to meet a famous teacher. He had studied the teacher's words; now they would meet in person.<br />He reached the teacher's door and knocked.<br />"Come in!" said a friendly voice.<br />When he entered the room, he saw the teacher sitting on the floor, and there wasn't any furniture.<br />"But where is the furniture?" asked the traveler.<br />"Where is yours?" the teacher replied.<br />"I'm just a visitor here. It wouldn't make sense to try to carry furniture with me."<br />"In this world we're all just visitors," replied the teacher. "We're here, and then, we're gone."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-palace-with-one-door.html"><br />~ 46. The Palace with One Door ~</a><br />Fearing his enemies, a mighty king built his palace without windows. There was one door only, guarded by a thousand soldiers.<br />Then one day, the king took a walk.<br />A Sufi by the roadside laughed at him.<br />"Why are you laughing?" asked the king angrily.<br />"The door is still open to your enemies," said the Sufi. "You need to brick it in."<br />"The palace would then be a tomb!" protested the king.<br />"So it is already," replied the Sufi. "Eliminating doors and windows, you eliminated life. Widen the doors! Widen them until the walls are no more. That is life!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-kings-new-palace.html"><br />~ 47. The King's New Palace ~</a><br />A king had built the most splendid palace in the world, and he celebrated with a splendid feast.<br />The king then asked his quests, "What do you think of my new palace?"<br />Everyone praised the king's great achievement, but then a lone sage spoke forth. "Were it not for one flaw, O King, this palace could be a paradise on earth!"<br />"What flaw?" shouted the king in anger. "I see no flaw!"<br />"I'm referring to the door through which Azrael, the Angel of Death, will enter," replied the sage. "With all your wealth and power, you cannot close that door."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-boy-and-his-candle.html"><br />~ 48. The Boy and his Candle ~</a><br />A wandering Sufi saw a little boy bringing a candle to the mosque.<br />The Sufi decided to tease the boy, asking, "Did you light the candle yourself?"<br />The little boy nodded.<br />"And what is the source of the light?" the Sufi asked.<br />"I don't understand," replied the boy.<br />"It was dark, and then it was light," said the Sufi. "Where did the light come from?"<br />Smiling, the boy blew out his candle. "It was light, and now it is dark," said the boy. "Where did the light go?"<br />Thus in the end the wise little boy had humbled the Sufi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-faithful-mans-shadow.html"><br />~ 49. The Faithful Man's Shadow ~</a><br />A man worshiped God constantly. He danced, and he sang God's praises. Every step, every breath, all was for God. He cared nothing for himself; he cared only for God.<br />God wanted to reward this faithful man. "Ask for anything!" God said.<br />"I have everything," the man replied.<br />"Ask not for yourself," God suggested.<br />"On one condition," said the man.<br />"Name it," God replied.<br />"Let my shadow behind me work miracles, so I neither see it nor know it. My shadow, not me. That way I will not fall into the trap of ego from which love has freed me."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-sufi-and-gravedigger.html"><br />~ 50. The Sufi and the Gravedigger ~</a><br />A Sufi wandered one day into the cemetery and saw an old gravedigger working there.<br />"Old man," the Sufi said to him, "may I ask you a question?"<br />The gravedigger looked up from his work. "Of course," he said. "Ask!"<br />"In the many years you have spent here in the cemetery digging graves, have you ever witnessed a miracle?"<br />The gravedigger laughed. "The only miracle I've witnessed is this: every day the dead come here and I bury them, but I still can't master my own desires. People die every day, but the dog of desire inside me never dies."<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-9270361038909777522021-01-14T12:24:00.011-05:002021-01-14T12:29:34.866-05:00Reading B: Tales from the Sufis (100 Words)<p>You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.</p><p>You'll want to click on track 51 to start the audio portion for this section:</p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1127370874&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-the-sufis" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from the Sufis">Tiny Tales from the Sufis</a></div><br /><br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-king-enslaved.html">~ 51. The King Enslaved ~</a><br />A king wished to honor a dervish.<br />"I'll give you a gift," said the king. "Tell me what you want!"<br />The dervish just laughed. "A slave doesn't give gifts to his master; the slave's life is already his."<br />This made the king angry. "I'm the king!" he shouted.<br />"You may be the king," replied the dervish, "but you are also the slave of my slaves, which makes me your master."<br />The king stared at him in bewilderment.<br />"I've mastered both anger and lust, making them my slaves," the dervish explained, "while you, though a king, are enslaved to them both."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-dervish-and-rich-man.html"><br />~ 52. The Dervish and the Rich Man ~</a><br />A dervish invited a rich man to break the fast, offering him only dry bread.<br />The rich man later sent the dervish a purse containing a thousand gold coins. <br />The dervish returned the purse with a note: "Bread is useful; gold is not — you only imagine it is."<br />The dervish then sent a beggar to the rich man's house. <br />The beggar returned and said, "He gave me nothing."<br />"Such foolishness!" said the dervish. "People think bread is equal to gold and try to exchange one for the other. Then, when a needy person asks for help, they don't help."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-prayer-for-tyrant.html"><br />~ 53. A Prayer for a Tyrant ~</a><br />There was a dervish whose prayers were very acceptable to God. <br />One day his wanderings took the dervish to Baghdad, and there the tyrannical governor summoned the dervish into his presence.<br />"Pray a good prayer for me," the governor commanded.<br />The dervish prayed, "O God, please take away this man's life!"<br />The governor shouted, "What kind of prayer is that?"<br />"It is a prayer for you and for the whole world," replied the dervish. "Nothing in this world's bazaar lasts forever. I prayed that you be free of life, and so then the world will be free of your tyranny."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/kill-me-instead.html"><br />~ 54. The Disciple Sentenced to Death ~</a><br />"The king will arrest you tomorrow," a wise dervish told his disciple, and the dervish then told his disciple exactly what to do.<br />The next day, as foretold, the king arrested the disciple. "I sentence you to death," he said.<br />The dervish rushed in, shouting, "No, kill me instead!"<br />"No!" shouted the disciple. "Kill me instead of the dervish."<br />The tyrant was baffled. "What does this mean?"<br />"I know a secret prophecy," said the dervish. "The man who dies today will rise from death and live forever."<br />"Then kill me!" the king shouted.<br />The executioner killed him.<br />The dervish smiled.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-shaikh-in-tavern.html"><br />~ 55. The Teacher in the Tavern ~</a><br />A man saw a famous teacher enter a tavern. "That teacher is a Muhammad by day but an Abu Lahab by night!" he said in disgust.<br />"You're wrong," said one of the teacher's disciples. "Come see."<br />The man entered the tavern. "I see a goblet brimming with Satan's piss in his hand!" he shouted.<br />"But you are mistaken, good man," said the teacher calmly.<br />He gave the cup to the man, who saw it was full of honey.<br />Then the teacher said, "Bring me some wine!"<br />But all the wine in every wine-jar in the tavern had turned to honey.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-wisest-man-in-city.html"><br />~ 56. The Wisest Man in the City ~</a><br />A farmer came to the city seeking advice. "I'm looking for the wisest man to advise me!" he said at the city gate.<br />The guard pointed to a disheveled old man who was playing marbles with some street-urchins. "You might give him a try."<br />The farmer approached the strange-looking man and, much to his surprise, he received very good advice.<br />"Thank you!" said the farmer. "But I don't understand: with all your wisdom, why are you playing marbles, cavorting with the children like this?"<br />"They wanted to make me mayor," the man explained. "Playing the fool was how I escaped!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-old-man-and-two-strangers.html"><br />~ 57. The Old Man and the Two Strangers ~</a><br />An old man sat outside the town gate.<br />A stranger arrived. "What's this town like? My hometown was full of thieves and liars. I need a new home."<br />"Thieves and liars here too," said the old man.<br />The stranger began to walk away.<br />Another stranger approached. "I'm looking for work. Is this a good town? In my hometown people are good and kind."<br />"Good and kind here too," said the old man.<br />The first stranger protested. "You really are a liar!"<br />"I speak the truth," the old man explained. "Wherever you go, you'll find people are just what you are."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/fruit-of-tree-of-heaven.html"><br />~ 58. Seeking the Tree of Heaven ~</a><br />A woman sought the Tree of Heaven.<br />She asked a dervish for help.<br />"I can teach you," said the dervish, "but it takes thirty years."<br />"I can't wait," she said.<br />"Then I can't help you," he replied. "Seek the dervish Arif."<br />She sought Arif, who sent her to Hakim, then Majzub, Alim... so many teachers.<br />Thirty years passed.<br />Then she reached the garden: there was the Tree of Heaven!<br />And beneath it... the dervish.<br />"Why didn't you tell me you were the Tree's keeper?"<br />"You didn't ask," he said. "And I know the Tree fruits only once every thirty years."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/advice-to-seeker.html"><br />~ 59. Advice to a Seeker ~</a><br />A young man left his home to seek a teacher.<br />Along the way, he found an old man sitting under a tree.<br />"Old man," he said, "I seek a teacher. Where should I look?"<br />The old man smiled as he recited the names of many cities, near and far.<br />The young man thanked him and went from place to place, seeking.<br />Thirty years passed. Then, he understood.<br />He hurried back to the tree. The old man was still there, now even older.<br />"Why didn't you reveal yourself then?" he asked.<br />"You weren't ready," said the old man. "Now you are."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-death-of-socrates.html"><br />~ 60. The Death of Socrates ~</a><br />Socrates had been condemned to death.<br />His pupils, grieving, gathered around him.<br />"After we take you up and wash you and wrap you in your shroud, where do you want us to bury you?" they asked.<br />"If you can find me," he said, "bury me wherever you want. But will you be able to find me? I am not sure about that. At this moment I have not so much as a shred of knowledge of myself. If over the course of my long life I have not found myself, how do you expect to find me when I'm dead?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/muhammad-and-eagle.html"><br />~ 61. Muhammad and the Eagle ~</a><br />At the time of prayer, Muhammad took off his shoes.<br />Then an eagle swooped down and grabbed one of the shoes.<br />Muhammad shouted at the eagle as it flew away, "O Creature-of-God, why do you act so rudely?"<br />The eagle then waved the shoe back and forth, and out tumbled a poisonous snake which fell to the ground and was killed.<br />The eagle then returned the shoe. "I apologize for acting rudely, O Chosen-of-God! I did so out of dire necessity; please forgive me."<br />Your rudeness was kindness!' exclaimed Muhammad. "I was thinking only of myself, but God sees all."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/ali-and-his-servant.html"><br />~ 62. Ali and his Servant ~</a><br />The prophet Muhammad had whispered to Ali's servant that Ali would die by the servant's own hand.<br />The servant begged Ali to slay him instead. "Let me not commit this terrible sin!" said the servant, weeping.<br />But Ali replied, "I won't attempt to evade what is fated for me by God."<br />"Let it fall to someone else!" pleaded the servant. "Slay me now, and then another may carry out God's will."<br />Again Ali refused. "God's word is written, and the ink of the Pen of Fate is dry. The deed is not yours, but God's doing: it is all One."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/ali-and-knight.html"><br />~ 63. Ali and the Knight ~</a><br />Ali had defeated an enemy knight, but just as he was about to strike the death-blow the knight spat in Ali's face.<br />Ali immediately threw his sword away and said to the knight, "Arise!"<br />"I don't understand," said the knight as he got to his feet.<br />"I wield that sword for God," said Ali. "Let it not be said that I slew someone from anger. You spat upon me, and for that I forgive you. God's mercy has made me your friend, and I open my heart's door to you."<br />When he heard Ali's words, the knight converted to Islam.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/when-hallaj-grew-pale.html"><br />~ 64. When Hallaj Grew Pale ~</a><br />Hallaj dared to say, "I am the Truth" (Ana 'l-Haqq). In other words: "I am God."<br />So the people condemned Hallaj to death.<br />They impaled him, and they cut off his hands and feet.<br />The loss of blood made Hallaj grow pale, so he lifted up the stumps of his wrists and moved them across his face.<br />"I do not want to look pale," he said, "because I do not want them to think I am afraid. With this blood I redden my face. Now when my executioner looks upon me, he will see that I am a brave man."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/abdul-aziz-and-pearl.html"><br />~ 65. The Caliph and the Pearl ~</a><br />Caliph Abdul-Aziz possessed a pearl of exquisite beauty, and he had it set in a ring of gold. All the courtiers of the Caliph's court admired this marvelous pearl.<br />A famine then swept through the country, and the people were in distress, so the Caliph decided to sell the priceless pearl to feed his people.<br />"But you will never acquire such a pearl again!" his courtiers warned him.<br />"I can't drink from this pitcher while my people have nothing but poison," the Caliph replied. "Better to see my gold ring without its pearl than to see my people in distress."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-kings-caravansary.html"><br />~ 66. The King's Caravansary ~</a><br />A wandering Sufi demanded an audience with the king, Ibrahim ibn-Adham.<br />Intrigued, the king asked him, "What do you want?"<br />"I would like to spend the night here at your caravansary," said the Sufi.<br />"But this is no caravansary!" exclaimed the king. "This is the royal palace."<br />"I see only a caravansary," replied the Sufi calmly. "Who owned it before you?"<br />"My father ruled here before me," said the king. "He passed away."<br />"And before him?"<br />"His father," said the king, "who also passed away."<br />"People stay, and then they go." The Sufi smiled. "A caravansary, just as I said."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/king-ibrahim-on-roof.html"><br />~ 67. King Ibrahim on the Roof ~</a><br />King Ibrahim ibn-Adham still sat on the throne; he had not yet become a dervish.<br />One night, the king heard heavy footsteps on the palace roof.<br />"Who dares disturb my peace?" he wondered, and he went to investigate.<br />On the roof he saw people, strangers he had never seen before, running back and forth.<br />"What do you think you're doing?" he shouted.<br />"We're looking for camels," they said.<br />"Camels?" exclaimed the king. "Who looks for camels on the roof of a palace?"<br />"And who looks for God while sitting on a royal throne?" they replied.<br />And then... the strangers vanished.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/king-ibrahim-hears-voice.html"><br />~ 68. King Ibrahim Hears the Voice ~</a><br />King Ibrahim ibn-Adham was a skilled horseman and hunter. <br />One day as he chased a deer, he heard a voice shout, "O Ibrahim, were you created for this?"<br />He thought he was imagining things, and he continued the chase.<br />Then he heard the voice again. "Were you created for this?"<br />He continued the chase.<br />A third time: "I did not create you for this!"<br />Ibrahim was shaken. "I do not know why God created me," he realized, "but I will not rest until I know."<br />He renounced the throne and became a Sufi, dwelling in the ruins of the desert.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/ibrahim-ibn-adham-and-needle.html"><br />~ 69. King Ibrahim and the Needle ~</a><br />King Ibrahim ibn-Adham had renounced his throne and became a wandering Sufi.<br />One day as he sat by the seashore, using a needle to stitch his patched cloak, a nobleman walked by and saw him.<br />"That is King Ibrahim ibn-Adham!" he thought. "What is he doing here, darning a cloak?"<br />The saint read his thoughts and threw his needle into the sea. He then shouted, "Come forth, Needle!"<br />At his words, thousands of fish rose up from the water, each bearing a golden needle in its mouth.<br />"Behold the kingdom!" Ibrahim said, smiling. "It is all the love of God."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-old-sufi-and-ibrahim-ibn-adham.html"><br />~ 70. King Ibrahim and the Old Sufi ~</a><br />An old Sufi came looking for Ibrahim in the wilderness.<br />Ibrahim welcomed him and served him a splendid banquet.<br />"How is this possible?" asked the old man, amazed.<br />"God provides," said Ibrahim, smiling kindly.<br />"How long have you been a Sufi?" the old man asked.<br />"I gave up my throne two years ago."<br />"But I've been a seeker for thirty years and God doesn't provide for me like this."<br />God's own voice rang out. "Ibrahim never thinks about the throne he gave up, while you never stop thinking about the sacrifices you have made."<br />At last, the old Sufi understood.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabias-house.html"><br />~ 71. Rabia's House ~</a><br />Rabia lived as a slave, dwelling in the ruins.<br />Her master, impressed by her devotions, decided to give her a house.<br />"You cannot live in those ruins," he said. "Come live in this house instead!"<br />Rabia moved into the house, but the fine furnishings burdened her heart, and locking the door with a key made her feel constricted in spirit.<br />So Rabia went to her master and gave the keys back. "When I had no house, nothing stood between me and God," she said. "I will go back to the ruins now; that is where I will find my beloved."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-governor-of-basra.html"><br />~ 72. Rabia and the Governor of Basra ~</a><br />Rabia earned the admiration of many men, but she rejected their proposals of marriage.<br />When the governor of Basra implored her to marry him, she said, "Only someone who exists can enter into marriage, but "I" do not exist. I don't belong to myself; I belong only to God."<br />"Please!" he said. "If you marry me, I'll give you all my wealth!"<br />"Even if you gave me all your wealth, what difference would that make?" replied Rabia. "How could I devote myself to you when I cannot turn from God for even as long as the blink of an eye?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabias-total-devotion.html"><br />~ 73. Rabia's Total Devotion ~</a><br />So great was Rabia's devotion to God that she had no time for anything else, neither love nor hate.<br />"Don't you revile Satan?" someone asked.<br />"I do," she said. "But my love of the all-merciful God leaves no room for hatred of Satan."<br />One night the Prophet appeared to Rabia in a dream. "Do you love me?" he asked.<br />"O Prophet of God!" she exclaimed. "Who could not love you? I love you, but my heart is so filled with the love of God our Creator that there is no room there for love of his creation or his creatures."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-blanket.html"><br />~ 74. Rabia and the Blanket ~</a><br />A friend gave Rabia four coins so she could buy a blanket. "This winter is very cold," she said to Rabia. "You need a blanket!"<br />So Rabia took the money and went to the market where she found a vendor selling blankets.<br />"Which blanket do you want?" the vendor asked her. "Perhaps this white blanket? Or this black one?"<br />Without a word, Rabia left the market and walked to the river. "Even before I burden myself with the blanket, I'm burdened with choosing a color. I want no such discord!" she said, and she threw the coins into the river.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-purse-of-gold.html"><br />~ 75. Rabia and the Purse of Gold ~</a><br />A wealthy man wished to give Rabia a gift, so he brought her a purse of gold coins.<br />"God provides for everyone, even those who curse him," Rabia said. "I don't need your gold."<br />The rich man still stood there, purse in hand.<br />"Take it away!" Rabia repeated. "I once used the light of the sultan's lamp to sew by, but it bound my heart. I undid every stitch, and then I used the light of God's sun to do my work. That is how I freed my heart. Do not ask me to bind my heart with this gold."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-donkey.html"><br />~ 76. Rabia and the Donkey ~</a><br />Rabia decided to make the pilgrimage to Mecca.<br />Then, in the middle of the desert, her donkey died. Her fellow pilgrims offered to let her ride with them, but she said, "Go on without me. I have come this far trusting in God, and I know God will provide."<br />The caravan moved on, and Rabia prayed. "O God, you invited me to your dwelling, but you have let my donkey die. Is this how the king treats the women of his kingdom?"<br />Answering Rabia's prayer, God resurrected the donkey, and then the donkey carried Rabia all the way to Mecca.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/rabia-breaks-her-fast.html"><br />~ 77. Rabia Breaks her Fast ~</a><br />Rabia was ready to break a long fast with milk, but a cat spilled the milk.<br />Rabia then reached for a water-jug, but her hands shook and she dropped the jug.<br />"Is this my reward, O God?" she cried.<br />"If you want, you can have all the world's gifts," God replied, "or you can have what I give you."<br />"Give me your gifts, O God!" Rabia exclaimed.<br />A fruit-tree then sprang up inside the house. "This is the tree in Paradise with the fruit of your prayers. Eat!" said God.<br />Rabia ate, and she knew God was always with her.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-bread.html"><br />~ 78. Rabia and the Bread ~</a><br />Two famous scholars visited Rabia, and she offered them her last two rolls of bread.<br />At that moment a beggar arrived.<br />Rabia took the bread from the scholars and gave it to the beggar instead.<br />The scholars were astonished.<br />Moments later, the neighbor's daughter arrived. "My mother sends you these freshly baked rolls."<br />Rabia counted: eighteen rolls. "This isn't right," she said. "Take it away."<br />The girl took the bread, ran home, and then came back. "You were right!" she said. "My mother meant to send twenty rolls."<br />Rabia turned towards the scholars and smiled. "God repays our charity tenfold."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-preacher.html"><br />~ 79. Rabia and the Preacher ~</a><br />There was a wise man of Basra who preached to the people. "The door will open to whoever knocks," he proclaimed. "The door will open!"<br />As he preached this message, Rabia happened to hear him, and she laughed.<br />"I don't understand you, woman," he said to her. "Why are you laughing?"<br />"I'm laughing because you talk about the door opening," Rabia told him. "What made you think that the door was ever closed?"<br />Her words enlightened him.<br />"I may be a man," he admitted, "but I am an ignorant fool. It is the woman Rabia who has taught me wisdom."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/rabias-needle.html"><br />~ 80. Rabia's Needle ~</a><br />Rabia was searching for something in the street.<br />"What did you lose?" the people asked.<br />"My needle," she said.<br />They all looked for the needle.<br />Nothing.<br />"Where exactly do you think you dropped it?" they asked.<br />"I dropped it in my house," she replied.<br />This made the people angry. "Why are we looking here in the street?"<br />"It's light here," she replied. "It's dark in the house."<br />The people were really angry now.<br />"You do the same," she said, "searching outside for answers to questions whose answers are inside. You are looking where your eyes can see. Instead: look beyond!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/rabias-house.html"><br />~ 81. Rabia and Hasan ~</a><br />Hasan of Basra was a great mystic, but Rabia of Basra was greater.<br />Here is a story about the two of them:<br />Rabia was in her house, and Hasan came to see her.<br />"Come outside!" Hasan called to Rabia, who was inside. "The day is beautiful! The birds are singing, and the sun is shining. Why don't you come outside?"<br />"Why don't you come inside?" replied Rabia. "Outside is God's creation, but here inside is God himself. When you are done with the outside and its pleasures, come inside. Here you can listen to God's song and see God's light."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-teaches-hasan.html"><br />~ 82. Rabia Instructs Hasan ~</a><br />"If you are a true Lover of God," said Hasan, "you must be strong when the Beloved afflicts you."<br />"Say it better!" said Rabia.<br />"You must be thankful when the Beloved afflicts you."<br />"Say it even better!"<br />"You must rejoice when the Beloved afflicts you."<br />"No!" said Rabia. "Love goes beyond even that: you must not even feel the pain of the affliction as you contemplate the Beloved. Remember the ladies of Egypt who felt no pain when they cut themselves with knives as they contemplated Joseph's beauty. How much more true then must this be as we contemplate God!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/rabia-and-hasan-by-lake.html"><br />~ 83. Rabia and Hasan by the Lake ~</a><br />Rabia and Hasan, both great seekers, sat beside a lake.<br />Wanting to impress Rabia, Hasan took his prayer rug and placed it upon the water. Hasan's rug floated on the water.<br />"Join me!" Hasan said to Rabia, proud of the power of his faith.<br />Rabia spread out her rug and it levitated in the air above Hasan.<br />"You are only doing what a fish can do," she said. "And what I am doing, any bird can do, as can any moth. But we have a greater calling. Instead of magic tricks and public displays, God asks us to go beyond."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-sufyan-al-thawri.html"><br />~ 84. Rabia and Sufyan ~</a><br />Sufyan of Basra asked Rabia, "Is there anything you desire?"<br />"Despite all your learning, you understand nothing," Rabia replied. "I am God's slave, and what does a slave have to do with desire? What God desires, I desires. I have everything I desire."<br />"I understand your words, Rabia," said Sufyan. "Now help me to understand myself."<br />"You would be a good man if you didn't love the world so much," she said.<br />Then Sufyan prayed, "O God, be content with me!"<br />"How can you ask God to be content with you," Rabia exclaimed, "when you are not content with God?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/at-rabias-bedside.html"><br />~ 85. Rabia and Riyah al-Qaysi ~</a><br />Riyah once visited Rabia when she was ill. <br />As he sat at her bedside, he lamented the woeful state of the world. "People are cruel and unkind," he said. "They commit sins but feel no shame."<br />Rabia said nothing.<br />"There are wars among the rich and powerful, while the poor suffer," he said.<br />Rabia said nothing.<br />He went on and on about the woes of the world until finally Rabia interrupted him. "You love the world very much," she said. "Too much. You speak about the world because you love it, and someone who loves something speaks about it constantly."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-villagers.html"><br />~ 86. Rabia and the Villagers ~</a><br />Rabia wandered into a village, and the villagers asked her, "Where do you come from?"<br />"From the other world," she said.<br />Puzzled, they asked her, "And where are you going?"<br />"To the other world," Rabia replied.<br />"And what are you doing in our world?"<br />"I consume the bread of this world," she explained, "but my thoughts are elsewhere. I don't let what is inside me go out, nor do I let what is outside come in."<br />"You sound like a steward!" they said.<br />"I am!" Rabia agreed. "But I'm a steward of the heart, not of this lump of clay."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabia-and-angel-of-death.html"><br />~ 87. Rabia and Azrael ~</a><br />Rabia encountered Azrael, the Angel of Death.<br />"Who are you?" Rabia asked.<br />"Behold, mortal: I am the destroyer of delights!" said the Angel of Death.<br />"Tell me more," said Rabia.<br />"Behold, mortal: I am the orphaner of children!" said the Angel of Death.<br />"Tell me more," said Rabia.<br />"Behold, mortal: I am the widower of wives!" said the Angel of Death.<br />"O Angel, why do you only speak of negative things?" asked Rabia. "Destroyer of delights, orphaner of children, widower of wives. This is all true, but you might also say: I am the one who reunites friend with Friend."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/rabias-grave.html"><br />~ 88. Rabia's Grave ~</a><br />Rabia dug a grave outside her house.<br />It was her own grave, dug deep down into the ground.<br />Rabia would go to the edge of this empty grave every morning and every evening, and she would say to herself, "This is where you shall be tomorrow."<br />Then she would conduct her other prayers and devotions.<br />Rabia did this every day.<br />Day after day.<br />Week after week.<br />Year after year.<br />Rabia stood at the edge of her grave every day for forty years, always repeating to herself, "This is where you shall be tomorrow."<br />That is how Rabia lived her life.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/a-vision-of-rabia.html"><br />~ 89. A Vision of Rabia ~</a><br />After Rabia's death, she appeared to the faithful in visions. They saw her running with a lit torch in one hand, and a bucket of water in the other.<br />"Where are you going?" they shouted. "What will you do with the fire and the water?<br />"I'm going to Heaven to set it on fire, and then to Hell to extinguish its flames. I must remove the veils of Heaven and Hell," she said, "so people will seek God for God's own sake. If they love God only in hope of Paradise or in fear of Hell, they aren't true lovers."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/finding-bayazid.html"><br />~ 90. Finding Bayazid ~</a><br />Bayazid of Bastam was a seeker.<br />He lived a long life and, when he was seventy-four, someone asked how old he was.<br />Bayazid replied, "I'm four years old now! For seventy years, I was hidden behind veils. I found myself only four years ago."<br />When Bayazid was a young man, a stranger came to Bastam looking for him. People directed the stranger to Bayazid's house. He knocked at the door, and Bayazid answered.<br />"I'm looking for Bayazid," the stranger said.<br />"I'm looking for him too!" replied Bayazid. "I've been looking for over thirty years, and I still haven't found him."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/bayazid-and-hajj.html"><br />~ 91. Bayazid's Pilgrimage ~</a><br />Bayazid was making the pilgrimage to Mecca. He met a dervish beside the road.<br />"Where are you headed?" the dervish asked.<br />"I am on my way to Mecca," said Bayazid.<br />"Is it a business trip?"<br />Bayazid was surprised. "No, I'm making the hajj. I will walk around the holy Kaaba, the house of God."<br />The dervish smiled. "You can walk around me instead."<br />Bayazid realized in his heart this was true. He walked around the dervish.<br />Later, when people asked Bayazid if he made the pilgrimage and walked around the Kaaba, he said, "I have walked around a living Kaaba."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/bayazid-in-ecstasy.html"><br />~ 92. Bayazid in Ecstasy ~</a><br />In ecstasy, Bayazid al-Bistami exclaimed, "I am God!"<br />His disciples were shocked. The next day they told him what had happened.<br />"If I do that again, strike me with your knives," Bayazid told them. "You must kill me."<br />Later, ecstasy transported again. "God is here in my cloak; why seek heaven and earth?"<br />The disciples struck with their knives, but Bayazid was not wounded. As they struck him, the disciples themselves were wounded in the very same parts of the body that they struck. Many died.<br />Thousands flocked to Bayazid in wonder. "Your body is no human body," they said.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/dhul-nun-madman.html"><br />~ 93. Dhul-Nun the Madman ~</a><br />Dhul-Nun was acting strangely: screaming, shouting, pelting everyone with sticks and stones.<br />"He's insane!" the people said, and they locked him up.<br />"Maybe he really has gone mad," said some of his students.<br />"No," said others. "He's testing us!"<br />When his disciples came to see him, Dhul-Nun became even more agitated.<br />"We're your students," they protested. "We know you!"<br />"You don't know me," he yelled as he rolled in the dirt.<br />The students all ran away.<br />Then Dhul-Nun laughed.<br />"Why are you laughing?" asked a guard.<br />"They still haven't learned to look beyond the surface," said Dhul-Nun. "But they will."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-grieving-sufi-and-shabli.html"><br />~ 94. The Grieving Sufi and Shabli ~</a><br />A Sufi came to see Shabli, his teacher, weeping bitterly.<br />"Why are you weeping?" Shabli asked him.<br />"I had a friend whose beauty filled my heart. He died yesterday. Now I feel as if I will die of grief today."<br />"Grieve not! You enjoyed that friendship while it lasted. You must seek another," Shabli said. "But this time, take as your friend one who will not die, and then you will have no cause to grieve. This attachment to what is mortal will always end in grief. Go seek your beloved in that place beyond which there is no beyond."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-disciple-and-dove.html"><br />~ 95. The Disciple and the Dove ~</a><br />A Sufi master gave his disciple a dove. "Take this dove," he said, "and kill it somewhere where no one will see. Don't return until you have completed this task!"<br />The disciple took the dove and left.<br />He returned three years later.<br />"Forgive me," he said, "for I have failed. I climbed mountains, I explored caves, I looked everywhere for a place where God would not be there as a witness. But I could find no place without God, so I haven't killed the dove."<br />The master smiled. "Let the dove go free," he said. "You have accomplished the mission."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/junaids-disciples-and-chickens.html"><br />~ 96. Junaid's Disciples and the Chickens ~</a><br />Junaid favored one disciple more than the others, but no one knew why; Junaid's favorite appeared to be a fool.<br />"Go to the market," Junaid said to his disciples one day, "and bring back a live chicken."<br />When they returned with their chickens, Junaid said, "Now, go somewhere no one can see and kill your chicken."<br />The disciples rushed off to kill their chickens in secret, but the fool didn't move.<br />They then returned with their dead chickens and laughed at the fool.<br />Junaid said to him, "Explain yourself."<br />"There is nowhere God doesn't see," he replied, and Junaid smiled.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddins-new-neighbor.html"><br />~ 97. Junaid's New Neighbor ~</a><br />When Junaid went to greet his new neighbor, the old man snarled and slammed the door in his face.<br />After enduring the man's rude behavior for several weeks, Junaid despaired. "Oh God," he prayed, "please take this man's life."<br />That night, God came to Junaid in a dream. "This man has been your neighbor only a few weeks, but he has been my neighbor for sixty years. If I can abide with him, you can too."<br />When he awoke, Junaid remembered God's words. "I shall let the man be as he is," Junaid decided. "For who am I after all?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-mansur-and-sultan.html"><br />~ 98. Abu Mansur and the Sultan ~</a><br />The sultan summoned his minister, Abu Mansur. "Come at once!" said the sultan's messenger.<br />"I must finish my prayers first," said Abu Mansur.<br />When he finally arrived, the sultan shouted, "How dare you make me wait?"<br />"I serve God first," Abu Mansur replied, "and then Your Majesty."<br />The sultan could not protest.<br />Only Abu Mansur knew that he had delayed for a different reason. The sultan was hot-headed and usually summoned Abu Mansur when he wanted to put someone to death. Each time Abu Mansur delayed, the sultan's anger cooled down, and Abu Mansur persuaded him to lighten the punishment.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/learning-from-lesson.html"><br />~ 99. Abu Said on the Path ~</a><br />Abu Said and his friend had studied together under the same teacher many years ago.<br />"Now you are a great teacher," said his friend. "How did you learn so much more than I did?"<br />Abu Said said, "One day the lesson was 'surrendering to God's will is to be happy and content with what one has.' What did you do with that lesson?" asked Abu Said.<br />"I wrote it down, memorized it, and then proceeded to the next lesson."<br />"I memorized nothing," said Abu Said. "I surrendered to God's will and was happy and content, and on that path I reached the Truth."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/fruits-and-thorns.html"><br />~ 100. Fruits and Thorns ~</a><br />Abu Said lived a long life.<br />During the early part of his life, he followed the path of the ascetic, dwelling in the desert where he fasted, eating only bitter roots and thornbushes to stay alive.<br />In later years, he lived in the city, where he enjoyed melon balls and other fruits dipped in sugar.<br />Someone once asked him, "Which tastes better: the roots and thorns, or the melons and fruits?"<br />"If you are with God," replied Abu Said, "the roots and thorns are sweeter than melons, but if you are apart from God, even the sugared fruits taste bitter."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-saids-recitations.html"><br /></a>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-62191201028926897942021-01-14T12:24:00.010-05:002021-01-14T12:28:57.940-05:00Reading C: Tales from the Sufis (100 Words)<p>You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.</p><p>You'll want to click on track 101 to start the audio portion for this section:</p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1127370874&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-the-sufis" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from the Sufis">Tiny Tales from the Sufis</a></div><br /><br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-saids-recitations.html">~ 101. Abu Said's Recitations ~</a><br />Abu Said's disciples were worried by his behavior.<br />"When he recites from the Quran, he makes mistakes," said one disciple. "He keeps leaving out verses."<br />Another remarked, "Perhaps his mind is on other things."<br />"Or perhaps he is ill," said another.<br />Finally, they decided to ask Abu Said if something was the matter, and Abu Said just smiled. "Yes, I know I am skipping some verses. They are the verses about God's wrath."<br />The disciples still looked puzzled, so he explained. "For me, there is only God's mercy; I leave God's wrath to others. His mercy is what I recite."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-said-and-learned-cleric.html"><br />~ 102. Abu Said and the Learned Cleric ~</a><br />When Abu Said came to a certain city, the city's mayor summoned a learned cleric to challenge him. So, the first time that Abu Said spoke to his followers, this learned cleric was there, ready with a question.<br />"By law we cannot pray in a garment soaked in much blood," he said, "but much blood is that? Is the blood from a flea enough to pollute the garment?"<br />"I defer to your expertise regarding the blood of fleas," Abu Said replied. "I am not here to speak of fleas, but to guide those who are on the Path to God."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/walk-straight-path.html"><br />~ 103. Abu Said and the Straight Path ~</a><br />One of Abu Said's disciples was quite wealthy and proud of his fine clothes. When the master and his disciples went walking, he liked to go in front, showing off his clothes.<br />"No!" said Abu Said. "Walk behind!" So the man walked behind.<br />"No! Walk on my right!" The man did so.<br />"No! Walk on my left!" The man did so.<br />"No! Ahead! Behind! Right! Left!" commanded Abu Said.<br />The bewildered disciple finally shouted, "Master, where should I be?"<br />"Put the self away and walk the straight path," replied Abu Said.<br />At those words, the man awoke and became enlightened.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-said-and-gods-secret-mysteries.html"><br />~ 104. Abu Said and God's Secret Mysteries ~</a><br />"I want to learn God's secret mysteries!" a man said to Abu Said.<br />Abu Said gave him a box. "Take this home with you. I will come tomorrow and reveal what's inside."<br />The man, however, couldn't resist. He opened the box as soon as he got home, and a mouse ran out, escaping before the man could catch it.<br />"I asked about God's secret mysteries, and instead you gave me a mouse!" the man shouted angrily at Abu Said the next day.<br />"I gave you a mouse," Abu Said replied, "to teach you what it means to keep a secret."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/breaking-idol-to-worship-god.html"><br />~ 105. Abu Said and the Wealthy Disciple ~</a><br />A rich man became Abu Said's disciple, surrendering all his wealth. Then he became a beggar, surrendering every coin he received, but Abu Said ignored him.<br />One night he returned empty-handed, and the doorkeeper wouldn't admit him.<br />In despair, he wept. "God, I'm now a beggar. My teacher has abandoned me. There is only you, God! Don't leave me!"<br />God's light shone in his heart and he fainted from rapture. <br />When he awoke, he saw Abu Said and the other disciples rejoicing.<br />"You made me your idol," Abu Said explained. "You finally broke that idol; now you can worship God."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-said-and-wine-merchant.html"><br />~ 106. Abu Said and the Wine-Merchant ~</a><br />Abu Said preached God's Love and the Path of the Heart, but some of his followers wanted to punish wrongdoers instead.<br />"We should destroy the wine-merchant's shop!" they shouted. "It's a haven for gamblers."<br />"The wine-merchant in his earthly vanity has no time for God," said Abu Said, "but I am surprised that you have time for the wine-merchant. Busy yourself with God's love, nothing else."<br />Abu Said then went to the wine-merchant and apologized for his followers. "God's blessings upon you, my neighbor," he said.<br />Treated with loving kindness, the wine-merchant sold his shop and joined Abu Said's disciples.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-king-of-gamblers.html"><br />~ 107. Abu Said and the King of the Gamblers ~</a><br />One day in the market, Abu Said saw some half-naked, scruffy-looking men who were carrying an even more naked and more scruffy-looking man high on their shoulders.<br />Abu Said asked, "Who are you?"<br />"I am the King of the Gamblers!" the man replied. "My fellow gamblers made me their king because I lost everything I owned, and I did so without fear."<br />Abu Said smiled. "I salute you, brave soul!" he said. Then he told his disciples, "May we all become kings as the King of the Gamblers has done, giving up all we have in order to gain God."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-said-and-bucket-of-ashes.html"><br />~ 108. Abu Said and the Bucket of Ashes ~</a><br />One day as Abu Said and his disciples were walking through the narrow streets of a city, a woman poured out a bucket of cold ashes from her balcony, and the ashes fell on top of Abu Said.<br />His disciples were furious at the woman, but Abu Said only laughed. "Like all sinners, I'm expecting the burning coals of Hell as my eternal punishment," he said. "So if I suffer only cold ashes like this instead, thanks be to God!"<br />Abu Said thus showed his humility while providing a lesson for his disciples, helping them to set aside their anger.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-said-and-dump.html"><br />~ 109. Abu Said and the Bags of Filth ~</a><br />One night Abu Said and his disciples walked by the waste-dump where cleaners hauled bags of filth from the latrines.<br />"The stench is suffocating!" the disciples said. "We should run away from here as fast as we can."<br />"No!" said Abu Said. "Stand here for a moment and listen."<br />"Listen to what?"<br />"Listen to what the bags are saying: We were once delicious food! We were ripe fruits and rich stews! But look at us now: you've ruined us! We should be escaping from you, but instead you want to escape from us. Just listen; that's what the bags say."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/abu-saids-horse.html"><br />~ 110. Abu Said's Horse ~</a><br />Bandits attacked Abu Said and his disciples on the road, and they stole Abu Said's horse.<br />When the bandit chief found out who the horse belonged to, he brought the horse back and apologized. "You are a good man, Abu Said," he said. "My men acted in ignorance; they did not know you."<br />But Abu Said told him to keep his horse. "It is good to let go, and when we let go of something, we do not seize it again."<br />These words enlightened the bandit chief, and he quit his life of crime and became a man of peace.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-golden-bracelet-of-sultan-mahmud.html"><br />~ 111. Sultan Mahmud's Golden Bracelet ~</a><br />One night Sultan Mahmud rode out alone and saw a man sifting earth, looking for gold. Around him were heaps of earth that he had already sifted.<br />Mahmud approached quietly, threw a golden bracelet among the heaps of earth, and then rode away.<br />The next night, Mahmud came back, and the man was still there, sifting.<br />"Surely the gold you found last night would suffice you for many years!" Mahmud said. "Why are you still sifting?"<br />"I found a dazzling golden bracelet!" the man replied. "Finding such treasure makes me even more eager to keep sifting. Now I'll never stop!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/ayaz-and-wineglass.html"><br />~ 112. Sultan Mahmud and his Servants ~</a><br />The sultan had ten servants, and he wanted to select one as his personal attendant, so he gave each servant a wine-glass. <br />"Throw it to the ground!" he said.<br />All ten did as he commanded.<br />Next, the sultan asked each one. "Why did you break the wine-glass?"<br />"Because Your Highness commanded me," they said, one after another after another.<br />But Ayaz realized that the sultan knew already what he had commanded, and he didn't want to tell the sultan what he already knew. "I await Your Highness's next command," Ayaz replied.<br />So the sultan chose Ayaz as his personal attendant.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-king-watches-ayaz.html"><br />~ 113. Sultan Mahmud Watches Ayaz ~</a><br />Ayaz was the sultan's most trusted servant, which made the other servants jealous. Ayaz had been a slave, but now he was the royal treasurer.<br />"He hides himself in the treasury every day!" they gossiped. "Surely he is stealing."<br />The sultan decided to watch in secret. He saw Ayaz go into the treasury and open the vault. Ayaz took something out; what was it? The tattered old clothes from his slave days! Ayaz kissed the clothes and then said aloud, "You were a slave until the sultan favored you; never forget."<br />So the sultan trusted Ayaz even more than before.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-kings-pearl.html"><br />~ 114. Sultan Mahmud and the Pearl ~</a><br />Sultan Mahmud had a priceless pearl.<br />"Crush it!" he commanded his vizier.<br />"I cannot destroy such a treasure!" the vizier protested.<br />The sultan smiled.<br />He tried another courtier, who refused, and another, and another. They all refused.<br />Then the sultan told Ayaz, "Crush it!"<br />Without hesitation, Ayaz crushed the pearl.<br />The courtiers shouted in dismay.<br />"The sultan's command is more precious than any pearl!" declared Ayaz.<br />"Death to all my court," shouted the sultan, "except Ayaz."<br />Ayaz then interceded for them. "You are perfection," he said. "Grant them perfect mercy."<br />Thus Ayaz obeyed the sultan and saved the sultan's court.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/books-and-teachers.html"><br />~ 115. Ahmad Yasawi and the Seeker ~</a><br />A seeker came to see the Sufi master Ahmad Yasawi.<br />"I want to learn without books and without teachers," the man said. "That way nothing will stand between me and the Truth; I want to be enlightened by the Truth directly."<br />Ahmad Yasawi smiled at the foolish man. "But do you eat without a mouth? Are you nourished without a stomach? How would you eat if you did not have a mouth? What would be the point of eating without a stomach? You have all those physical organs for a reason, just as books and teachers exist for a reason."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/abu-ali-and-old-woman.html"><br />~ 116. Abu Ali and the Old Woman ~</a><br />There was an old woman who wanted to make an offering to Abu Ali Daqqaq. "Please accept this piece of gold from me," she said.<br />But Abu Ali replied, "I can accept gifts from God only; I cannot accept this piece of gold from you."<br />At that, the old woman laughed. "You must be squint-eyed or something! Is that why you are seeing double? God is one with each of us: we are in God and with God. There is nothing else to see. All gifts come from God."<br />Then Abu Ali understood and he accepted the piece of gold.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/jafar-seeks-teacher.html"><br />~ 117. Jafar Seeks a Teacher ~</a><br />Jafar of Portugal journeyed to Mecca, seeking a teacher.<br />There, a divine voice told him, "The greatest teacher is ibn-Arabi of Seville."<br />Jafar returned to Europe, but this ibn-Arabi of Seville was just a schoolboy, not a teacher at all!<br />"Where can I find the greatest teacher?" Jafar asked him.<br />"I can't tell," said the boy. "Only time can tell."<br />Thirty years passed, and Jafar was still searching.<br />He came to Aleppo. "Who is the greatest teacher?" he asked.<br />"Ibn-Arabi!" the people all said.<br />When ibn-Arabi saw Jafar, he smiled. "We meet in the right time and place at last!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/little-rumi-and-angels.html"><br />~ 118. Little Rumi and the Angels ~</a><br />When Rumi was little, he went with the other boys in the neighborhood up to play on the roof.<br />"Let's jump from one roof to another!" a boy said.<br />"That's the kind of game that cats and dogs play," said Rumi. "Let's try something better: we can go up to heaven where the angels are!"<br />As Rumi spoke these words, he vanished. <br />His playmates shouted and yelled, frightened about what had happened.<br />Then Rumi reappeared. "Angels clad all in green took me up to heaven, but when I saw it frightened you, I told them to bring me back here."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/sanai-court-poet.html"><br />~ 119. Sanai, The Court Poet ~</a><br />Sanai was court poet to King Bahram of Persia.<br />One day Sanai overheard an old Sufi scoffing at Bahram. "He's the world's greatest fool! His wealth is beyond counting, yet he wages war to gain more." Then the old man added, "And his poet is a fool too!"<br />"What do you mean?" asked Sanai.<br />"He squanders his God-given talent on an earthly king when he could sing the praises of heaven's own king."<br />"I am that poet," shouted Sanai, "and I have indeed been a fool, but I renounce my old ways and will now serve the king of kings."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/chishtis-music.html"><br />~ 120. Chishti the Musician ~</a><br />The great Sufi teacher, Chishti, was a musician. <br />Instead of saying the ritual prayers, he made music. Music was his prayer.<br />Another great Sufi, Jilani, wanted to visit Chishti. Out of respect, Chishti hid the instruments; Jilani was more orthodox, and Chishti did not want to offend his honored guest.<br />But when Jilani arrived and they sat together in silence, the instruments began to play on their own, filling the room with music.<br />Jilani smiled. "You do not need to hide your instruments," he said to Chishti. "You cannot hide your instruments any more than you can hide your soul."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nimatullah-and-stolen-lamb.html"><br />~ 121. Nimatullah and the Stolen Lamb ~</a><br />Emperor Tamerlane hated the Sufi Nimatullah and plotted against him. Pretending to honor Nimatullah with a feast, he served food that was haram (forbidden).<br />After Nimatullah ate, Tamerlane shouted, "You ate stolen lamb! It's haram! You will die for your sin!"<br />"On Tamerlane's orders, I stole the lamb from an old woman," the cook explained.<br />Then the old woman shouted, "That man robbed me! I was on my way here to give the lamb to Nimatullah as a gift."<br />Thus, the lamb was not haram: it was meant for Nimatullah all along! Tamerlane was but an instrument in God's plan.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/jami-was-poet-and-sufi-teacher-who.html"><br />~ 122. Jami and the Would-Be Disciple ~</a><br />Jami was a poet and Sufi teacher who lived in fifteenth-century Khorasan; he was born in the city of Jam (in what is now Ghor province in Afghanistan), hence his name: Jami, the man from Jam.<br />A young man came to Jami, hoping to become his disciple.<br />Jami had only one question that he asked this prospective pupil: "Have you ever loved anyone with all your heart and all your soul?"<br />"No," said the would-be disciple.<br />"Then you must go and love someone," said Jami, "and then you will be ready."<br />In every heart, there is a spark of fire.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/jami-and-physicians-son.html"><br />~ 123. Jami and the Physician's Son ~</a><br />There was a physician who had become wealthy and prosperous thanks to her medical skills. She decided to apprentice her son to study with Jami, the great Sufi teacher and poet.<br />Jami then assigned the physician's son to clean latrines.<br />The mother was upset when the boy told her about this, and she sent twelve of her household servants to go clean the latrines instead.<br />Jami sent the servants back to her, with this message: "If your son had a disease of the gallbladder, would you give the medicine to your servants, or would you give the medicine to him?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddin-and-quick-learner.html"><br />~ 124. Nasruddin and the Quick Learner ~</a><br />There was a would-be disciple who came to study with Nasruddin.<br />"I'm extremely intelligent," he said to Nasruddin, "and a quick learner! I'm sure I will be one of your best pupils. How long do you think it will take me to become an accomplished Sufi master?"<br />"Ten years," said Nasruddin.<br />The would-be disciple looked dejected. "What if I study twice as hard?"<br />"Twenty years," said Nasruddin.<br />"That's impossible!" exclaimed the disciple. "Didn't you hear me? I told you I would be one of your best pupils. I really am a quick learner!"<br />"That's exactly the problem," said Nasruddin, smiling.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-scholars-insight.html"><br />~ 125. Nasruddin and the Scholar ~</a><br />A famous scholar asked Nasruddin to help him move beyond mere book learning. "Please accept me as your student!" he said.<br />Nasruddin agreed. "For the first week," he said, "you must go to the marketplace each morning and evening, kiss the ground and then jump up, pulling on your ears and braying like a donkey."<br />The scholar agreed. Reluctantly.<br />He came back a week later. "I did what you told me," he said, "and everyone laughed. I felt like a fool, a complete and utter fool!"<br />"Excellent!" said Nasruddin. "That's a remarkable insight to have gained in just one week."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddin-and-would-be-disciple.html"><br />~ 126. Nasruddin and the Would-Be Disciple ~</a><br />A would-be disciple came to see Nasruddin.<br />It was a cold day, and the disciple asked Nasruddin why he was blowing on his hands.<br />"I blow on my hands to warm them," Nasruddin explained.<br />Later, Nasruddin filled two bowls of soup, taking one for himself and offering the other to his would-be disciple.<br />Then the disciple asked why Nasruddin was blowing on the soup.<br />"I blow on the soup to cool it," Nasruddin explained.<br />"I can't trust a teacher who uses the same technique for opposite purposes!" the disciple exclaimed, and he left.<br />Smiling, Nasruddin ate both bowls of soup.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/a-conversation-without-words.html"><br />~ 127. A Conversation without Words ~</a><br />Nasruddin and his friend met a dervish in the road.<br />The dervish said nothing; he silently pointed at the sky.<br />Nasruddin's friend thought, "This madman could be dangerous!"<br />Nasruddin pulled a coil of rope from his bag, showing it to the dervish, who then continued on his way.<br />Nasruddin's friend thought, "I'm glad Nasruddin told the madman we'd tie him up if he became violent!"<br />But without words the dervish had said, "One truth covers all," and without words Nasruddin had replied, "To seek the truth by ordinary means is like trying to use a rope to climb the sky."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/god-created-camel.html"><br />~ 128. God Created the Camel ~</a><br />Nasruddin was proclaiming the glory of God's creation. "Everything is created in the best of all possible ways, guided by the infinite wisdom of our Creator."<br />The people stared at him expectantly, eager to hear more.<br />"Consider the camel!" Nasruddin continued. "Just imagine if God had created camels with wings. The sky would be dark with flying camels, and they would land on the rooftops and break all the roof-tiles, and they would also poop in the chimneys." He then paused for dramatic effect. "So, let us praise the Creator for his great wisdom in not creating camels with wings!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddins-sermon.html"><br />~ 129. Nasruddin's Sermon ~</a><br />Nasruddin was preaching in a village for the first time.<br />"Do you know what I'm going to say?" Nasruddin asked.<br />"No!" the people shouted.<br />"How can I preach to people so ignorant?" he said and left.<br />They begged him to come back.<br />"Do you know what I'm going to say?" he asked again.<br />"Yes!" they shouted.<br />"Good! We can all leave."<br />But they asked him to try one more time.<br />"Do you know what I'm going to say?" he asked.<br />"Yes!" shouted some. "No!" shouted others.<br />"So let those who know teach those who don't!"<br />That was Nasruddin's last sermon.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2000/04/little-book-of-sufi-parables.html"><br />~ 130. Nasruddin and the Pilgrims ~</a><br />Everyone in Nasruddin's village was preparing to go on a religious pilgrimage.<br />Everyone except Nasruddin.<br />All the other villagers loaded up their carts and wagons, their donkeys and camels, and then they set out down the road to begin their long journey.<br />Later that same day, Nasruddin came galloping up behind them on his donkey.<br />"What's wrong, Nasruddin?" they asked him in alarm.<br />"Where's my donkey?" he shouted. "I'm trying to find my donkey!"<br />They laughed. "You're riding him," they said. "You don't need to go looking for him."<br />"Really?" said Nasruddin. "So why do you go looking for God?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/nasruddin-and-shrine.html"><br />~ 131. Nasruddin and the Shrine ~</a><br />Nasruddin was traveling to a distant country. <br />Along the way, his donkey died of exhaustion, and Nasruddin buried him by the roadside.<br />As Nasruddin knelt there, weeping, a man saw him and began to weep also.<br />"Why are you weeping?" Nasruddin asked.<br />"Like you, I weep tears for the holy saint who's buried here," the man replied.<br />"There's no saint here," Nasruddin explained. "Just my donkey."<br />But the man continued to weep.<br />Then he went and told others.<br />In time, pilgrims came from all over to visit the shrine of the saint.<br />Nasruddin, meanwhile, departed, continuing his journey on foot.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/nasruddin-crossing-lake.html"><br />~ 132. Nasruddin Crossing the Lake ~</a><br />Nasruddin was crossing a lake on a ferry loaded with passengers.<br />Unexpectedly, a storm arose, and the ferry tossed violently in the rising waves. The passengers started screaming, and many of them prayed loudly. "Save us, God!" they shouted.<br />Nasruddin, meanwhile, stayed completely calm.<br />The storm eventually died down, and the ferry reached the shore safely.<br />"How could you stay so calm?" someone asked Nasruddin. "There was nothing but some planks of wood between us and a watery death."<br />"There is often less than that between you and death in your everyday life," replied Nasruddin. "You just don't see it."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddin-in-new-town.html"><br />~ 133. Nasruddin in a New Town ~</a><br />Nasruddin was visiting a new town for the first time. He didn't know anybody in the town, and he wasn't sure what to do or where to go; it made him feel uneasy.<br />He decided to enter the first door he found open: a carpenter's shop.<br />"Hello!" said the carpenter.<br />"Hello!" replied Nasruddin. "Did you see me just now walk into your shop?"<br />"Yes," replied the carpenter, not sure what Nasruddin was getting at.<br />"And have you ever seen me before?" asked Nasruddin.<br />"No, I've never seen you before," admitted the carpenter.<br />"Then how did you know it was me?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/nasruddin-leaves-tavern.html"><br />~ 134. Nasruddin Leaves the Tavern ~</a><br />It was late at night, and Nasruddin had spent the entire evening in a tavern, drinking and talking, talking and drinking. And drinking.<br />By the time he decided to head home, he was quite intoxicated.<br />As Nasruddin staggered through the streets, he ran into the night watchman.<br />"Who's that there?" asked the watchman. "What are you doing out at this late hour? Where did you come from? Where are you going?"<br />"Those are all very important questions," said Nasruddin, "very important indeed." Then he smiled. "And if I knew the answers to your questions, I suppose I'd be home already."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddin-by-night.html"><br />~ 135. Nasruddin by Night ~</a><br />"You wouldn't know it just by looking at me," said Nasruddin, "but I have truly miraculous powers."<br />Nasruddin's friend laughed. "So tell me," he said, "what is your most miraculous power?"<br />"I can see in the dark! In the darkest darkness, I can see as clearly as if it were broad daylight. I need no light of any kind."<br />"Surely you’re joking!" his friend objected. "I’ve seen you carrying a lantern in the dark, just like everybody else does."<br />"Of course!" said Nasruddin, smiling. "But I carry a lantern in the dark only so that others won't run into me."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddin-and-frogs.html"><br />~ 136. Nasruddin and the Frogs ~</a><br />Nasruddin's friend saw him throwing money into a pool.<br />"Nasruddin! What on earth are you doing?" he asked.<br />Nasruddin smiled. "I'm paying the frogs."<br />"I don't understand," said his friend.<br />"Well, I was riding along and my donkey slipped. We were sliding right into the pool! But then the frogs started croaking, and they croaked so loudly that it scared the donkey, so he leaped back up onto solid ground, and we didn't end up in the water. Don't you think the frogs deserve a reward for saving us like that?"<br />Nasruddin smiled, and kept throwing money into the pool.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/nasruddin-and-mans-bag.html"><br />~ 137. Nasruddin and the Man's Bag ~</a><br />Nasruddin saw a man weeping as he walked along the road.<br />"What's wrong?" Nasruddin asked.<br />"I've lost everything. All I have left is here," said the man, holding up a tattered bag.<br />Nasruddin grabbed the bag and ran.<br />The man shrieked. "Stop! STOP!"<br />Nasruddin ran until he was out of sight and then put the bag in the road for the man to find.<br />The man came trudging along, weeping even more loudly than before.<br />Then he saw his bag. "Oh, my bag!" he shouted. "I thought you were lost forever!"<br />From his hiding place in the bushes, Nasruddin smiled.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/nasruddin-and-drowning-man.html"><br />~ 138. Nasruddin and the Drowning Man ~</a><br />Nasruddin heard people shouting by the lake.<br />He ran to investigate: a man had fallen in. The tax collector! He couldn't swim and was shouting for help.<br />"Give me your hand!" the people yelled, reaching out their hands for the man to grab. "We'll help you!" But he just kept flailing in the water.<br />Nasruddin shouted, "Take my hand!"<br />Immediately, he seized Nasruddin's hand and Nasruddin pulled him to safety.<br />"You need to understand people," Nasruddin explained. "He's a tax collector, so he's not going to give you anything. But if you tell him to take something, he'll take it!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddin-and-music-teacher.html"><br />~ 139. Nasruddin and the Music Teacher ~</a><br />Nasruddin had decided that he would like to learn to play the lute. <br />Nasruddin happened to have a lute already, but he did not have much money. He knew that would make it difficult to find a music teacher, but he was determined to succeed.<br />"Can you teach me to play the lute?" Nasruddin asked.<br />"I can," said the teacher.<br />"And how much do you charge?" asked Nasruddin.<br />"Three silver coins for the first month, and then one silver coin monthly for the second month and thereafter."<br />"Excellent!" said Nasruddin. "I'll skip the first month and start with the second."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddin-at-baths.html"><br />~ 140. Nasruddin at the Baths ~</a><br />Nasruddin went to the bathhouse.<br />When the attendant saw Nasruddin's shabby clothes, he treated him poorly, giving him a threadbare towel and only a tiny piece of soap. Nevertheless, after Nasruddin finished his bath, he tipped the attendant very generously.<br />On his next visit, the attendant greeted Nasruddin with great respect, remembering the generous tip. He gave Nasruddin several luxurious towels and a new bar of soap. But when he left, Nasruddin gave the attendant no tip at all.<br />"That's for last time," Nasruddin explained, "and the tip I gave you last time was for this time. Now we're even!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-sign-for-restaurant.html"><br />~ 141. A Sign for Nasruddin's Restaurant ~</a><br />Nasruddin made a sign for his new restaurant.<br />RESTAURANT<br />"You need to say more!" suggested a friend. So Nasruddin changed the sign:<br />RESTAURANT - FINEST FOOD<br />Another friend insisted, "It needs action!"<br />RESTAURANT - FINEST FOOD SERVED HERE<br />"Why here?" a third friend objected. "The location is obvious."<br />RESTAURANT - FINEST FOOD SERVED <br />"What else would you do with food?" said a fourth friend.<br />RESTAURANT - FINEST FOOD<br />"That's debatable," complained a fifth friend. "Who's to say what food is finest?"<br />RESTAURANT - FOOD<br />"All restaurants have food!" scoffed a sixth friend.<br />So Nasruddin ended up where he began: <br />RESTAURANT was all the sign said.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-duck-soup.html"><br />~ 142. Nasruddin's Duck Soup ~</a><br />Nasruddin's relative showed up for dinner, bringing a duck. <br />Nasruddin made duck soup. <br />"Delicious!" said Nasruddin's relative.<br />The next day Nasruddin added water to the leftover soup. <br />A knock at the door: it was a friend of his relative, and he stayed for dinner. "Good soup!" the man said.<br />The next day Nasruddin added water to the leftover soup again. <br />Another knock: a friend of the friend of his relative. When Nasruddin served the soup, the man frowned. "It's not very good."<br />"What do you expect?" Nasruddin shouted. "It's the soup of the soup of the soup of the duck!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/nasruddin-and-puddle.html"><br />~ 143. Nasruddin and the Puddle ~</a><br />One day Nasruddin almost fell into a deep puddle; a friend grabbed his arm just in time.<br />Later, whenever this friend ran into Nasruddin, he would remind Nasruddin about it.<br />"Do you remember how I rescued you?"<br />"You had a close call with that puddle!"<br />"How lucky that I was there when you almost fell in the puddle!"<br />Finally Nasruddin couldn't take it anymore; he jumped into the deepest puddle he could find.<br />"See! I'm just as wet now as I would have been if I had never even met you!" Nasruddin shouted. "Can you leave me alone now, please?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-way-to-cemetery.html"><br />~ 144. Nasruddin on the Way to the Cemetery ~</a><br />"What is it like to be dead?" Nasruddin asked his wife.<br />"How should I know?" she replied. "The dead are cold; that's all I know."<br />Chopping wood the next day, Nasruddin suddenly felt very cold. "I must be dead," he thought. Then he lay down, because that's what the dead do.<br />People found him there. "This poor man is dead!" they said, and carried him off to the cemetery.<br />As they argued at a crossroads about which way to go, Nasruddin spoke up. "Perhaps I can help," he said. "If you don't know the way, I can give you directions."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-beggar-at-door.html"><br />~ 145. A Beggar at the Door ~</a><br />A beggar came to a house. "A crust of bread, please, sir!" he said.<br />The homeowner opened the door and shouted, "What do you think this is: a bakery?"<br />"A bit of meat?"<br />"This isn't a butcher's shop, you fool!"<br />"A sip of water to quench my thirst?"<br />"Water? Does this look like a river to you?"<br />The beggar said nothing more, but walked in through the door, pulled up his cloak, and squatted down.<br />"Hey!" shouted the homeowner. "What do you think you're doing?"<br />"Since this house serves no useful purpose," said the beggar, "that makes it an outhouse."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-thornbush.html"><br />~ 146. The Wicked Man's Thornbush ~</a><br />A wicked man planted a thornbush in the road beside his house.<br />The people begged him to destroy the thornbush. "It tears our clothes!" they cried. "It pricks our hands and feet; we're bleeding."<br />The man didn't care. He did nothing.<br />"Uproot that thornbush!" ordered the mayor.<br />"Maybe tomorrow..." said the man. He did nothing.<br />Then the governor came. "Uproot it now!"<br />"Maybe later..." said the man. He did nothing.<br />Then the sultan came. The roots had grown deep; the thornbush couldn't be uprooted.<br />So the sultan set the thornbush on fire, and the wicked man's house burned down too.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-peasant-and-general.html"><br />~ 147. The Peasant and the General ~</a><br />A peasant was plowing, and a general rode by. <br />The general's horse had a stone in his hoof and was lame. "I need your horse!" yelled the general. "I order you to give me your horse!"<br />"Why should I obey you?" the peasant shouted back.<br />"Because I'm a general in the army!"<br />"I know what an army is!" said the peasant. "I was in the army. I got all my orders from the sergeant. You're not a sergeant!"<br />"I'm a general!" shouted the general.<br />"I don't know what a general is. Go get a sergeant, and I'll listen to him!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-farmer-and-thief.html"><br />~ 148. The Farmer and the Thief ~</a><br />A farmer caught a man stealing fruit from the trees in his orchard. "I'm going to thrash you!" the farmer shouted.<br />You can't do that! retorted the thief. "I am only God's servant eating of God's fruits. This is all God's doing."<br />But the farmer grabbed a stick and began beating the thief. "With God's stick God's servant is thrashing another servant of God. The stick is God's, and so is the back (thwack!) and the sides (thwack!) and the shoulders (thwack!)."<br />"You're right!" the thief shouted. "I repent. I acted of my own free will! It wasn't God's doing."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-schoolboys-and-their-teacher.html"><br />~ 149. The Schoolboys and their Teacher ~</a><br />Some schoolboys were angry at their schoolteacher, so they decided to trick him.<br />"Teacher," the schoolboys said to him, "you look so pale. Are you perhaps ill?"<br />"No, I feel fine!" said the teacher angrily. "Now, attend to your lessons."<br />They continued day after day. All the schoolboys joined in.<br />"Are you sure you are well?"<br />"You look thin. Have you lost weight?"<br />"Should we fetch the doctor, sir?"<br />Finally, the teacher took to his bed. "I feel so sick!" he said. "I ache all over! I have sweats! Chills!"<br />School was canceled.<br />And it was all the schoolboys' doing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-tanner-who-fainted.html"><br />~ 150. The Tanner who Fainted ~</a><br />A tanner who worked with stinking dung and urine wandered by accident one day into the perfumers' bazaar. The smell of the perfume overwhelmed him, and he fell unconscious on the spot.<br />People tried to revive him, sprinkling him with rose-water. They did not understand that the rose-water was causing his sickness, not curing it.<br />The tanner's own brother heard what had happened and came running with some dog-dung. "We must do what wise doctors advise: give the patient what he's used to."<br />It worked: the tanner revived as soon as he smelled the dung.<br />"Thank you, brother," he said.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-32549109541069794152021-01-14T12:23:00.004-05:002021-01-14T12:28:20.059-05:00Reading D: Tales from the Sufis (100 Words)<p>You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.</p><p>You'll want to click on track 151 to start the audio portion for this section:</p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1127370874&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-the-sufis" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from the Sufis">Tiny Tales from the Sufis</a></div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-bedouins-pitcher-of-water.html"><br />~ 151. The Bedouin's Pitcher of Water ~</a><br />A poor Bedouin woman urged her husband to take the king a gift so that they might receive a gift in return.<br />"But we have no gift to give," he protested.<br />"Take the king a pitcher of water," she replied. "Water is precious in the desert, and desert water is rare."<br />So the husband took a pitcher of water to the royal city. With great care, he made the long journey, not spilling a drop.<br />The king accepted the water kindly and, in his generosity, he returned the pitcher to the Bedouin, but now the pitcher was filled with gold.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-bedouin-and-his-two-sacks.html"><br />~ 152. The Bedouin and his Two Sacks ~</a><br />A Bedouin was riding along on his camel, and the camel was carrying two huge sacks, one on each side.<br />"What's in those two sacks?" a man asked the Bedouin.<br />"There's grain in this sack," replied the Bedouin, "and there's sand in this sack."<br />The man was puzzled. "What do you need a sack of sand for?"<br />"To keep things in balance," the Bedouin explained.<br />"You fool!" said the man. "You can pour out the sand, and then pour half of the grain into that sack. The weight will be balanced, and the load will be lighter for your camel!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/first-time-at-sea.html"><br />~ 153. A First Time at Sea ~</a><br />A king was making a sea voyage, but one of his servants had never been in a boat before. Stricken with terror, this servant sobbed and shouted, annoying the king.<br />A wise sailor took charge: he had the servant thrown into the sea, and then dragged by the hair to where he could grab hold of the ship's rudder. <br />The man clung there for an hour, and then they dragged him back into the boat.<br />He made no further complaints.<br />"Now he knows what the water is like," said the wise sailor, "and he knows the value of a boat."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-patient-fisherman.html"><br />~ 154. The Patient Fisherman ~</a><br />A man was fishing at a pond. He sat patiently waiting for the fish to bite, and he had caught several fish already.<br />Another fisherman came. His line got tangled on some lotus roots in the pond. He tugged angrily, and as a result he snapped his fishing line, so he went away with nothing.<br />A third fisherman grew impatient. He cursed the pond and all the fish in it, yelling loudly, and then he broke his fishing rod in two and threw it into the pond. He also went away with nothing.<br />The first man just kept on fishing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-woman-and-brick-wall.html"><br />~ 155. The Woman and the Brick Wall ~</a><br />There was a high brick wall. On one side there was a stream, and on the other side there was a thirsty woman. She could hear the babbling of the stream, but how to get to the water? She was like a fish on dry land!<br />The woman managed to wrench a brick out of the wall. Then she threw it over the top of the wall into the stream. <br />Splash! Then another. Another. Another.<br />The splashing sound itself helped soothe her thirst.<br />Another. Splash! Another. Another.<br />And finally: the woman broke through the wall, and she reached the water.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-man-who-gathers-stones.html"><br />~ 156. A Man Who Gathers Stones ~</a><br />Far away to the east, there is a man gathering stones. He bends down over the ground, and he picks up stones, one after another after another.<br />He does this without stopping.<br />As he gathers these stones, he weeps.<br />As his tears fall on the ground, the tears turn into stones.<br />There is a man who gathers stones. He bends down over the ground, and he picks up stones, one after another after another.<br />He does this without stopping.<br />He gathers. He weeps.<br />Stones.<br />There is a man who gathers stones...<br />Seek.<br />Keep seeking.<br />And lose yourself in the quest.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-man-seeking-house.html"><br />~ 157. A Man Seeking a House ~</a><br />A man moved to a new town and needed a home. He asked his cousin, who lived in that town, to help him.<br />The man's cousin showed him a dilapidated house. "Here's a house! If it only had a roof, you'd find it very comfortable. And if it just had another room or two, it would be big enough for your whole family. And if you get a cat, the cat would get rid of the rats."<br />And so on.<br />"My dear cousin," said the man, "I cannot live in an if. I don't need ifs: I need a house!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-prisoner-and-prayer-rug.html"><br />~ 158. The Prisoner and the Prayer Rug ~</a><br />An honest man had been wrongly imprisoned. <br />His wife sent him a prayer rug that she had woven herself with an intricate pattern.<br />Kneeling upon the rug, the man prayed. Days and months passed, and as he prayed and gazed upon the rug, he finally realized the pattern was a map of the prison.<br />Committing the map to memory, the man escaped, leaving the rug behind for any other prisoners who could read the signs.<br />When he emerged from the prison, he found his wife there waiting, sure that someday he would emerge from the darkness back into the light.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-princess-and-slave.html"><br />~ 159. The Princess and the Slave ~</a><br />A princess fell in love with a slave. She had to see him, but how?<br />The princess sent her handmaidens to him, and they gave him drugged wine. Then the handmaidens carried him, asleep, to the princess.<br />He awoke, and the princess took him into her bed.<br />Before dawn, the princess sent him to sleep again with more drugged wine, and the handmaids carried him back.<br />When he awoke the next morning, he did not know what to think. Was it a dream? Was it real?<br />He spent the rest of his life remembering that one night.<br />It was love.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-contest-of-artists.html"><br />~ 160. The Contest of the Artists ~</a><br />The sultan invited Chinese artists and Greek artists to a contest. He gave the Chinese artists one room, another to the Greeks.<br />The Chinese artists covered the walls with paintings in a hundred colors.<br />The Greek artists used no paint. Instead, they scoured and polished the walls until they were mirrors.<br />The Chinese paintings were dazzling.<br />But the room of the Greeks was even more dazzling.<br />The sultan saw the Chinese paintings reflected there. He saw himself. He saw the world.<br />The Greek artists had put nothing there.<br />That nothing was everything.<br />They emptied themselves, making room for the all.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-king-rides-to-damascus.html"><br />~ 161. The King Rides to Damascus ~</a><br />Death appeared to the king in a dream. "I must take you at sunset tonight."<br />Terrified, the king summoned his minister. "Interpret this dream! What shall I do?"<br />"Sire," the minister replied, "you must take the swiftest horse and ride where Death will not find you. Head for Damascus!"<br />The king rode and rode, amazed at the horse's speed. At sunset, just outside Damascus, he stopped to water the horse.<br />"Thank you, good horse, for running so swiftly," he said.<br />"I also thank your good horse," said Death, who appeared out of nowhere. "I wasn't sure you'd arrive in time!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-old-man-and-doctor.html"><br />~ 162. The Old Man and the Doctor ~</a><br />An old man complained to his doctor, "My back aches."<br />"That comes from old age," said the doctor.<br />"And my vision is blurry."<br />"That also sounds like old age," replied the doctor.<br />The old man continued, "I've lost my appetite."<br />"That often happens to old people," the doctor observed.<br />The old man wheezed. "And I have trouble breathing."<br />The doctor sighed. "That's a common complaint among the elderly."<br />"Is that all you have to say?" shouted the old man. "You sound like a donkey, not like a doctor."<br />"Old people are prone to lose their temper too," replied the doctor.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/sharing-cucumbers.html"><br />~ 163. Sharing the Cucumbers ~</a><br />When workers brought their landlord a basket of cucumbers from the first harvest, the generous landlord distributed cucumbers to all the workers and then to the household servants, not keeping even one for himself.<br />The landlord then turned to a servant who was eating a cucumber and smiling happily. "Let me have a taste," he said to the servant.<br />The servant gave him the cucumber and, to his surprise, it was bitter. <br />"How can you smile eating something so bitter?" the landlord asked.<br />"The memory of sweet gifts you gave us in the past made me smile," the servant replied.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-emirs-servant-and-donkey.html"><br />~ 164. The Mayor's Servant and the Donkey ~</a><br />One of the mayor's servants needed to go to the market.<br />"I need a horse to ride," he said to the mayor.<br />"You can take that donkey over there," replied the mayor. "I don't have a horse I can spare today."<br />"But I don't want that donkey!" protested the servant. "I know that donkey. He's obstinate. He bucks and insists on going backwards, not forwards. He follows his rump, not his head."<br />"Well," said the mayor, "you can point his rump in the direction of the market, and off you go!"<br />Sometimes you have to turn backward to move forward.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-sufi-and-his-father.html"><br />~ 165. The Sufi and his Father ~</a><br />A Sufi was taking leave of his father.<br />"I just don't understand you!" the father groaned. "Your ways are so strange! I don't know what you are."<br />The Sufi said, "A farmer placed a duck egg under a hen. The egg hatched, and the little duckling grew up with the hen and her other chicks. Then, one day, they walked by a pond. The duckling jumped in the water. He swam and splashed, while the mother hen stood clucking on the shore in alarm."<br />The father understood. "I will stay here on the shore," he said, "but you must go."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-elephant-in-dark.html"><br />~ 166. The Elephant in the Dark ~</a><br />Travelers from India had brought an elephant to put on exhibit, and they kept it in a dark room. <br />Curious people crowded into the room. They had heard of "elephants" but they did not know what an elephant was.<br />In the dark, they felt the elephant.<br />One felt the trunk. "It's a water-hose!"<br />Another grabbed the ear. "No, it's a fan!"<br />Another rubbed the leg. "No, it's a pillar!"<br />Another touched the back. "No, it's a throne!"<br />In the dark, they could not understand what an elephant was.<br />To see and understand, you must open your eyes in the light.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-lost-camel.html"><br />~ 167. The Lost Camel ~</a><br />You've lost your camel! The caravan is about to leave, but where has your camel gone?<br />"Has anyone seen my camel?" you shout. "I'll reward whoever can give me a clue."<br />One man says, "I saw a camel looking for grass to eat."<br />Another says, "Her ears were cropped."<br />And another, "The saddle-cloth was brightly embroidered."<br />Yet another, "She had only one eye."<br />And one more, "She had a bad case of the mange."<br />Everyone wants to tell you about the camel, wanting a reward for the clues they offer you. But who is going to help you find her?<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-wandering-sufi-and-his-donkey.html"><br />~ 168. The Wandering Sufi and his Donkey ~</a><br />A wandering Sufi arrived in a distant town and went to the local Sufi house. They welcomed him there, lodging his donkey in their stable.<br />To honor their guest, the Sufis wanted to arrange a celebration, but they had no money, so they sold the stranger's donkey to buy the food.<br />The celebration was magnificent! <br />As they danced in the circle, the Sufis all sang, "The donkey is gone! The donkey is gone!" The stranger, caught up in the ecstasy, also sang, "The donkey is gone!"<br />He was dismayed to learn the next morning that his donkey really was gone.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-thief-who-stole-snake.html"><br />~ 169. The Thief who Stole a Snake ~</a><br />A man caught a snake. "I shall sell this snake for a great price!" he thought.<br />But before he could sell the snake, a thief stole the snake from him.<br />The thief also hoped to sell the snake for a great price, but before he could sell the snake, it bit him and then slithered off into the darkness.<br />When the man found the thief, he was already dead.<br />"I prayed that God would give me back my snake," he exclaimed, "but now I realize that God has saved me. What I thought was a loss was instead my salvation!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-frozen-dragon.html"><br />~ 170. The Frozen Dragon ~</a><br />A snake-catcher hunting exotic snakes in the mountains found a mighty dragon. It had died in the cold, or so he thought.<br />"What a marvel!" he said. "I'll exhibit this in the city and make a fortune!"<br />He tied the dragon with ropes and dragged it down into the city. The people came and marveled at the rare creature.<br />There, in the warmth of the sun and of all those human bodies, the dragon revived. Roaring, it burst free of the ropes and started eating the spectators.<br />"What have I done?" groaned the snake-catcher.<br />Then the dragon ate him too.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/shelter-from-storm.html"><br />~ 171. Shelter from the Storm ~</a><br />A couple were sleeping in their tiny hut.<br />"Help! Let me in!" a man shouted.<br />"There's no room," said the wife.<br />"It's pouring rain," said the husband. "We'll make room."<br />Everybody sat; there wasn't room to lie down.<br />Moments later, another voice. "Help! Let me in!"<br />"There's no room," said the first guest.<br />"We'll make room as we did for you," said the husband.<br />The four people sat there, squeezed very tight.<br />Moments later, "Hee-haw!"<br />"That's my donkey! Stand up and make room," the man said, letting the donkey in. "He's a good donkey, very patient. You'll enjoy his company."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-hunters-divine-revelation.html"><br />~ 172. The Hunter's Divine Revelation ~</a><br />A hunter once saw a strange sight: a fox who had lost two of her legs.<br />"How does she survive?" he wondered.<br />Then he saw a tiger approach, carrying a deer in her mouth. The tiger dropped the deer, ate her fill and departed; the fox ate the rest.<br />"This is a sign from God!" the hunter thought. "I must trust in God."<br />He no longer hunted.<br />He sat.<br />He waited.<br />"God will provide!" the hunter thought.<br />Days passed.<br />As he was about to faint from hunger, he heard a voice.<br />"Be like the tiger," God said, "not the fox."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-dog-at-river.html"><br />~ 173. The Dog at the River ~</a><br />A wandering Sufi saw a dog approach a river to drink. But then the dog saw another dog there; it was just his reflection, though the dog didn't know that. <br />Frightened of the other dog, he backed away.<br />Thirst then made the dog approach the water again, but again he was afraid and backed off.<br />Finally, the dog's thirst was so great that he jumped into the water, which made the other dog disappear. <br />The dog drank; he swam, glad to be in the water on that hot day.<br />"We must jump," the Sufi thought to himself, "despite our fear."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-lion-tattoo.html"><br />~ 174. The Lion Tattoo ~</a><br />"I want a lion tattoo, here, on my shoulder," a man said to the tattoo-artist. "Make it a big one!"<br />"Gladly!" replied the artist.<br />But when the man felt the needle's sting, he shouted, "That hurts! What are you doing?"<br />"The lion's tail," said the artist.<br />"Well, leave out the tail."<br />The artist resumed his work, and the man screamed again. "What's that?"<br />"The legs."<br />"Leave them out."<br />And so it went on: no tail, no legs, no belly, no mane. <br />No lion.<br />"You're not ready for a lion," the artist scoffed, and he drove the man from his shop.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-hunter-of-monkeys.html"><br />~ 175. The Hunter of Monkeys ~</a><br />There was a monkey-hunter who knew how monkeys think. <br />His tools were a narrow-necked glass bottle and a piece of fruit. He would put the fruit inside the bottle and leave it for a monkey to find.<br />The monkey would see the fruit, stick his hand inside, and wrap his fist around the prize, but he couldn't pull his fist back out.<br />When the monkey whimpered, the hunter would make his move, giving the monkey no time to escape.<br />Thus the hunter caught the monkeys, and he still had the bottle and fruit to use again on the next one.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-hypnotized-sheep.html"><br />~ 176. The Hypnotized Sheep ~</a><br />A shepherd had many sheep. <br />He couldn't control the herd by himself, so he decided to hypnotize them. <br />To some he said, "You're a lion! Don't be afraid." To others he said, "You're a tiger! No need to run away."<br />The hypnosis worked. The sheep really thought they were lions or tigers. <br />He even made some of the sheep think they were human beings, shepherds like himself.<br />Then, when he butchered some sheep, the others looked on and thought, "Well, he's only butchering the sheep. I'm a lion! I'm not afraid!"<br />One by one, the shepherd butchered all the sheep.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-elephants-child.html"><br />~ 177. The Elephant's Child ~</a><br />Some pilgrims who had grown hungry on their journey saw a young elephant wandering far away from the herd.<br />"Let's kill it and eat it!" they shouted.<br />One of the pilgrims protested. "We cannot kill and eat the elephant's child. The mother will be angry!"<br />But the other pilgrims didn't listen. They killed the young elephant and ate it, although the one pilgrim refused to eat.<br />Then, as they slept, the mother-elephant came sniffing. She sniffed the breath of each pilgrim. She spared the one pilgrim, but when she smelled the breath of the others, she trampled them to death.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-child-and-monster.html"><br />~ 178. The Child and the Monster ~</a><br />There was a child who was afraid of the dark.<br />"The monster will come!" he said to his mother at bedtime. "I'm scared. Leave the light on!"<br />"Don't be afraid," said the child's mother. "If a monster comes to you in the dark, you can gather up all your strength and attack that monster. You will defeat the monster, I promise. You just have to be brave. Attack the monster without fear!"<br />The child looked at his mother doubtfully. "That's what you say to me," he said, "but what if the monster's mother told him the same thing about me?"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-cat-who-taught.html"><br />~ 179. What a Cat Can Teach ~</a><br />There was a cat who had spent many years chasing and catching mice. She was truly an expert. Her technique was perfect, her skills remarkable.<br />This cat decided she would teach other animals how to catch mice. She invited one and all to come learn from her, and she didn't even charge them for lessons.<br />"But just look at all those rabbits!" grumbled the cat. "Fools, every last one of them."<br />"What do you mean?" asked another cat.<br />"Here I am, offering to teach anyone how to catch mice, but there's not a single rabbit who wants to learn how!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-camel-and-mouse.html"><br />~ 180. The Camel and the Mouse ~</a><br />There was a camel whose head-rope was dragging on the ground. <br />A mouse grabbed the rope and shouted, "I've got the camel's rope in my paws: I am a camel-driver! Go forth, camel, and I'll guide you!"<br />But when the camel reached the river, the mouse didn't know what to do. "I can't cross this river!" he squeaked.<br />The camel stepped into the river. "It's only knee-deep," she said.<br />"But my knee is not your knee," protested the little mouse. "Help me!"<br />"Jump on my hump, and I'll carry you," said the camel, smiling. "You can be a camel-rider instead."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-mule-and-camel.html"><br />~ 181. The Mule and the Camel ~</a><br />A mule and a camel were traveling together through the mountains.<br />As they ascended and descended the rocky paths, the mule often stumbled, but the camel never stumbled.<br />"Why am I always stumbling while you are so sure-footed?" asked the mule.<br />"It's because I see the upward heights," said the camel, "while you see only what is below. At the top of each rise, I foresee the pass ahead, and in this way God lets me discern the shape of things to come. You can only see a few steps ahead. Holding my head up high, I can look beyond."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/camel-ox-and-ram.html"><br />~ 182. Camel, Ox, and Ram ~</a><br />A camel, an ox, and a ram were traveling together. They found some grass and then quarreled about who should eat it.<br />"Let the one who's lived longest eat the grass!" said the ram. "As for me, I shared a pasture years ago with the ram that Abraham sacrificed for Ishmael."<br />"As a young ox, I pulled Adam's plow!" claimed the ox.<br />Meanwhile, the camel stretched out his long neck, seized the grass, and started munching.<br />"I don't need venerable old age to make my claim," the camel said, "when I am so tall and have such a long neck."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-ant-and-wasp.html"><br />~ 183. The Ant and the Wasp ~</a><br />An ant was carrying a grain of wheat. He was struggling; it was a heavy load for an ant.<br />The wasp looked at the ant and laughed. "Why so much work? Watch me! I take what I want."<br />The wasp whizzed over to where a butcher had hung a freshly killed lamb on a hook. <br />Just as the wasp was about to land, the butcher swung his knife, cutting the wasp in two.<br />The ant put down his grain of wheat and grabbed half of the wasp's body to carry to his home. "This will be even tastier!" he thought.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-fly-and-beehive.html"><br />~ 184. The Fly and the Beehive ~</a><br />Searching for honey, a fly flew into a garden where there was a beehive, but the hive was closed.<br />"I'll pay a copper penny to anyone who lets me in!" shouted the fly.<br />Someone let the fly into the hive, and she paid with a penny.<br />But as soon as the fly was inside, her feet got stuck in the honey. <br />As she flapped her wings, she became even more stuck. <br />"Cruel tyranny! This is poison, not honey!" she cried. "I paid a penny to come in, but now I would pay ten pennies if I could just get out."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-donkey-and-stallions.html"><br />~ 185. The Donkey and the Stallions ~</a><br />There was a donkey bent double from years of carrying heavy loads. <br />The king's stable-master took pity on the donkey, and brought him to live in the royal stables with the stallions.<br />Looking at the fine horses, the donkey sighed. "Am I not also God's creature? Why have I suffered while they live a life of luxury?"<br />Then war broke out, and the army took the stallions into battle. <br />Many died, and those who returned were maimed and mutilated.<br />"I thank God for my humble life!" exclaimed the donkey. "It has kept me safe from the wounds of the world."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-gazelle-and-donkey.html"><br />~ 186. The Gazelle and the Donkey ~</a><br />A hunter caught a gazelle and then locked it in the stable with his donkey.<br />He fed the donkey with straw, and he offered straw to the gazelle also, but the gazelle refused to eat.<br />The donkey laughed. "You must miss your royal throne, delicate creature that you are!"<br />"It's true," said the gazelle. "I long to eat sweet meadow-grass and drink from crystal streams. The stench here is suffocating."<br />"In a strange country, anyone can boast!" scoffed the donkey. "I don't believe a word you say."<br />The gazelle sighed. "What would a dung-worshipping donkey know of ambergris and musk-oil?" <br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-moth-and-candle.html"><br />~ 187. The Moths and the Candle ~</a><br />The moths were enraptured by the candle.<br />"We must learn more!" they said.<br />One moth flew to the window where the candle sat and came back to report what she saw.<br />"You have learned nothing!" said the others.<br />They sent another moth who touched the candle with her wings, but the heat made her retreat. She flew back and reported.<br />"You still have told us nothing!" said the moths.<br />They sent another moth who threw herself into the flame, becoming one with the candle, burning.<br />The moths watched from a distance. "She has learned all, but can tell us nothing."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-ants-and-pen.html"><br />~ 188. The Ants and the Pen ~</a><br />An ant crawled onto a piece of paper and watched a pen writing.<br />She went and told another ant. "This pen creates beautiful shapes. Come look!"<br />The other ant watched. "The pen is an instrument of the fingers," she said.<br />"No!" said a third ant. "The arm is what guides the fingers."<br />Then the wisest of the ants explained, "You are all mistaken. Think not of the material world, which is but an outward garment. The pen does not write, nor the finger, nor the arm nor any part of the body; it is the spirit who moves the pen."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-three-fish.html"><br />~ 189. The Three Fish ~</a><br />Some fishermen came to a lake.<br />The wisest fish was ready. "I won't ask other fish for advice," she thought. "They'll only hold me back." She escaped to the sea.<br />A less wise fish watched her go but didn't follow. "I should have gone with her," she thought, "but I can still die to this life." She floated in the water as if dead, and the fishermen ignored her. Thus she escaped.<br />A third fish had no wisdom at all. As she splashed and thrashed, the fishermen caught her, and into their frying-pan she went. The foolish fish didn't escape.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-jackal-and-pot-of-dye.html"><br />~ 190. The Jackal and the Pot of Dye ~</a><br />A jackal fell into a pot of dye which stained his coat with beautiful colors.<br />"Behold!" the jackal shouted. "I've become a heavenly peacock!"<br />When he showed off his new colors to the other jackals, they scoffed. "You're no peacock!" they said.<br />"But I am!" retorted the jackal. "I am truly a peacock."<br />"Can you make the call of the peacock?" the other jackals asked.<br />The jackal opened his mouth, but he could not make the call of the peacock. He sounded just like any other jackal.<br />His beautiful new colors were only on the surface, not in his heart.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-lion-and-fox.html"><br />~ 191. The Lion and the Fox ~</a><br />"Fetch me something easy to kill!" the aged lion said to the fox who served him.<br />The fox found a starving donkey.<br />"You look hungry!" the fox said to the donkey. "I'll show you a pasture of fresh green grass!"<br />The donkey followed the fox, but the lion leaped too soon and the donkey escaped.<br />"Come back!" said the fox. "That was just a lion-illusion conjured by a magician. There's no lion."<br />So the fox persuaded the donkey to follow him again.<br />This time, the lion caught the donkey and killed him, and both lion and fox enjoyed a feast.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/lion-wolf-and-fox.html"><br />~ 192. Lion, Wolf, and Fox ~</a><br />A lion, a wolf, and a fox went hunting and caught an ox, a goat, and a rabbit.<br />"Wolf, divide the spoils!" the lion commanded.<br />"The ox must go to the lion," he said. "The goat's for me, and the fox gets the rabbit."<br />Enraged, the lion tore the wolf to pieces.<br />"You next!" the lion ordered the fox.<br />The fox exclaimed, "It's all for you!"<br />The lion smiled. "How did you learn to divide so wisely?"<br />"From the wolf," replied the fox.<br />"And because of your great love for me," concluded the lion, "I now give everything to you."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-lion-and-rabbit.html"><br />~ 193. The Lion and the Rabbit ~</a><br />Every day, the lion demanded that the animals send him a victim to eat.<br />When the rabbit's turn came, he rebelled, and on the way he prayed, "God, help your tiny servant overthrow this tyrant."<br />"Why are you late?" the lion roared.<br />"Another lion tried to eat me along the way," said the rabbit. "I barely escaped."<br />"How dare he!" the lion exclaimed. "Take me to this villain!"<br />The rabbit took the lion to a well. "He lives here," said the rabbit.<br />The lion looked in and saw the lion. Enraged, he jumped in and drowned, attacking his own reflection.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-rabbit-and-elephant.html"><br />~ 194. The Elephants and the Rabbits ~</a><br />Elephants trampled the pond where the rabbits drank, so one of the rabbits went to the elephant-king and said, "I am the Moon's ambassador, and the Moon says: 'Depart! I'll strike you down if you don't obey. Go now!' So says the Moon."<br />And when the elephant-king put his trunk in the water to drink, he saw the Moon shaking with wrath. The more he drank, the more the Moon shook with anger.<br />"Run away!" shouted the elephant-king to the herd. "We must flee before the Moon destroys us."<br />The elephants no longer muddied the water where the rabbits drank.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-cow-on-island.html"><br />~ 195. A Cow on an Island ~</a><br />A cow lived alone on an island covered with green pastures.<br />Every day she ate the grass of the pastures and grew fat, but every night she worried. "What will I eat tomorrow?" <br />This anxiety made her grow thin.<br />The next day she would eat the green grass again and grow fat.<br />And at night she would worry.<br />This went on day after day, month after month, year after year.<br />Never did the cow stop and think, "How well provisioned is my island!" Instead, she thought only, "Will there be anything for me to eat tomorrow?"<br />Don't be that cow!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-miser.html"><br />~ 196. The Miser ~</a><br />A man kept gold in a treasure chest which he buried under a floorboard.<br />The man died, and then a year later the man's son had a dream: he saw a mouse running back and forth, weeping pitiably.<br />"What's wrong, mouse?" he asked.<br />The mouse replied with his father's voice! "I still crave the gold I buried here."<br />"Father," said the son, "how did you become a mouse?"<br />"That is what happens to misers like myself," the mouse replied. "Have pity on me, and take care to avoid my fate: renounce the love of gold now while you still can."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-birds-advice.html"><br />~ 197. The Bird's Advice ~</a><br />"Let me go," the bird said to the bird-catcher, "and I'll teach you three secrets."<br />The man let the bird go.<br />"First: don't believe anything absurd."<br />The bird hopped away. "Second: don't grieve; when you lose something, let it go."<br />The bird flew up in a tree. "There's a pearl in my stomach as big as an apple."<br />The man started weeping.<br />The bird laughed. "Remember: don't grieve, and don't believe something absurd. I'm smaller than an apple myself!"<br />"What about the third piece of advice?"<br />"You're a fool and don't deserve it!" the bird replied, and then flew away.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-man-and-bear.html"><br />~ 198. The Man and the Bear ~</a><br />A man saw a bear and a dragon fighting. He rescued the bear and killed the dragon.<br />"I am your friend forever!" declared the bear.<br />The man's family warned him. "Bears are dangerous," they said.<br />The man scoffed. "You're just jealous of my bear-friend!" he said.<br />One day, the man fell asleep in the garden, and the bear stood watch over him, driving away the flies so the man could sleep peacefully.<br />When a fly landed on the man's nose, the bear picked up a stone, and smashed it down on the fly.<br />And so the bear killed his friend.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-wild-parrots-of-india.html"><br />~ 199. The Wild Parrots of India ~</a><br />A merchant told his pet parrot that he was going to India. <br />"Find my wild kindred," she said, "and tell them of my life here."<br />The merchant thus spoke to the wild Indian parrots, and as soon as he finished speaking, they fell down dead.<br />On his return, the merchant sadly told his parrot what had happened.<br />Then his own parrot fell down dead.<br />When he lifted the corpse from the cage, grieving for his poor pet, the parrot fluttered her wings; she was not dead at all.<br />"My kindred showed me the way!" she said, flying away to freedom.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-cook-speaks-to-chickpea.html"><br />~ 200. The Cook and the Chickpea ~</a><br />A chickpea was boiling in the pot, and it shouted at the cook. "What are you doing? You paid good money for me in the market, but now you're boiling me!"<br />"I'm boiling you to fill you with flavor!" replied the cook. "When you were green and grew in the garden, you drank water, but now you need both fire and water. You must surrender to the maker of fire and water. You came from cloud and sun and sky, and now you will become soul and act, speech and thought. Boil, chickpea, boil! Boil in time! Boil in spirit!"<br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-71071092506510540002021-01-14T12:09:00.000-05:002021-01-14T12:09:27.529-05:00Myth-Folklore Unit: Anansi (100 Words)<b>Overview</b>. This reading unit — good for one week, or two weeks — is a collection of stories about the trickster Anansi <b>told as 100-word stories</b>. It is based on <b><i>Tiny Tales of Anansi </i></b>which contains two hundred of these tiny 100-word stories; these are Anansi stories from Caribbean sources. <b>The book is available free</b> as a PDF and in standard ebook formats (epub, mobi), and there is also a 99 cent Kindle version. Plus, there is a free audiobook! Links to all formats here: <a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"><b>Anansi.LauraGibbs.net</b></a>. You will find links to text and audio below, but if you prefer to read with a PDF, on a Kindle, etc., you can do that based on what is most convenient for you.<div><br /></div><div><div><b>Language</b>. The language is very clear and contemporary. Unlike the public domain books published before 1923, this book is a recent publication (2020!).<br /><br /><b>Story Length</b>. The stories are very short: just 100 words long each. Each reading section — A, B, C, D, — contains 50 stories. That's a lot of stories but they go very fast, and I hope you will find lots that intrigue you. When you start with a super-short story, there's so much room to expand with your own imagination.<br /><br /><b>Navigation</b>. You will find the table of contents below; you can look at the title to get a sense of which sections you might enjoy most. There is no need to start at reading section A; you can read them in any order you prefer.<br /><br /><b>Additional Resources</b>. Each of these stories has its own blog post with information about sources along with notes, and sometimes an illustration. You can find the list of the individual blog posts at <b><a href="http://Anansi.LauraGibbs.net">Anansi.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ymr1AhnxVAk/X0Gy-xgQ0SI/AAAAAAACXPg/JPuCDdVdkCUV6MyY4bmBQO1M-AEGphnIgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Anansi.png" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #221199; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.82px; font-weight: 700; position: relative;" /></div><br /><a href="http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/09/reading-tales-of-anansi-100-words.html"><b>link to READING A: </b><br /></a><div>1. Anansi and Tiger in the Pit</div><div>2. Anansi's Riding-Horse</div><div>3. Anansi and his Grandmother</div><div>4. Anansi and the Coconut</div><div>5. Getting in the Pot</div><div>6. Anansi and Tiger's Goat</div><div>7. Tiger and Anansi and their Knives</div><div>8. Mr. Mighty's Missing Sheep</div><div>9. The Lady Asks Tiger for Help</div><div>10. Tiger and Anansi Eating Breakfast</div><div>11. How Tiger Gets Meat</div><div>12. Tiger and Anansi Go Hunting</div><div>13. Anansi and the Tar-Stump</div><div>14. Anansi in the Gourd</div><div>15. Anansi and Tiger Go Fishing</div><div>16. Anansi and Tiger's Mango-Tree</div><div>17. Anansi Ties Tiger</div><div>18. Anansi, Tiger, and the Fish</div><div>19. Tiger's Wedding</div><div>20. Anansi's Eggs</div><div>21. Tiger's Bone-Hole</div><div>22. Washing Tiger's Guts</div><div>23. Anansi's Familiy on the Rooftop</div><div>24. Tiger Plays Dead</div><div>25. Anansi's Strong Hand</div><div>26. Tiger, Anansi and Goat Share a House</div><div>27. Tiger and Anansi's Yams</div><div>28. King Tiger and the Stools</div><div>29. Why There Are Anansi Tales</div><div>30. Anansi and the Hornets</div><div>31. Anansi and Queen-Bee</div><div>32. Anansi and the Honey</div><div>33. Anansi and Tiger Take a Bath</div><div>34. Anansi, Monkey and Tiger</div><div>35. When Monkey Beat Anansi</div><div>36. Anansi's Pot of Water</div><div>37. Anansi's Christening Oven</div><div>38. Monkey and Anansi's New Suit</div><div>39. Anansi Arranges a Funeral</div><div>40. Unlucky Number Five</div><div>41. Fling-a-Mile</div><div>42. Anansi and in the Tree Branches</div><div>43. The Tiger Family, Lion, and Anansi</div><div>44. Anansi's Knife and Fork</div><div>45. Anansi and Lion Play a Game</div><div>46. Baby Anansi at the Lion's Feast</div><div>47. Anansi, Lion and the Rain-Charm</div><div>48. Anansi, Lion, and the Donkey-Carts</div><div>49. Anansi Finds Lion in the Road</div><div>50. Anansi and Goat's Plantains</div><br /><a href="http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/10/reading-b-tales-of-anansi-100-words.html"><b>link to READING B: </b><br /></a><div>51. Poor Anansi's Dead</div><div>52. Anansi at the Funeral</div><div>53. Anansi and the Plantains</div><div>54. Anansi and the Pork Stew</div><div>55. Anansi and the Chicken Soup</div><div>56. Anansi and the Yam-Foofoo</div><div>57. Anansi and the Mangos</div><div>58. Anansi's Grave</div><div>59. Tiger in the Pepper-Plant</div><div>60. Tiger in the Yam-Patch</div><div>61. Cunning-More-Than-Father and the Coconuts</div><div>62. Cunning-More-Than-Father in the Coffin</div><div>63. Anansi and the Sea-Sheep</div><div>64. Lion, Tacoomah, and Anansi</div><div>65. Tacoomah Rides Anansi</div><div>66. Anansi and the Dog-Head</div><div>67. Anansi Says Tacoomah's Sick</div><div>68. Tacoomah Makes a Tar-Stump</div><div>69. Anansi and Tacoomah's Fire</div><div>70. Anansi and the Jumbee House</div><div>71. Anansi Gives Tacooma Advice about Yams</div><div>72. Tacoomah and Anansi's Eggs</div><div>73. Anansi's Corn Song</div><div>74. Anansi and the Cats' Wedding</div><div>75. Anansi, Dog and Agouti</div><div>76. Dog and Anansi Compare Senses</div><div>77. Tiger Comes to Kill Anansi</div><div>78. Anansi and Dog at the Dance</div><div>79. Elephant and Anansi's Dance Party</div><div>80. Anansi and Goat at the River</div><div>81. Anansi and Dog at the River</div><div>82. Anansi and Snake</div><div>83. Anansi, Rabbit, and Gingy-Fly</div><div>84. Anansi and the Fish-Pot</div><div>85. Anansi Combs Lion's Hair</div><div>86. Anansi Dives for Bananas</div><div>87. Anansi and the Rabbit in the Road</div><div>88. The Law against Badmouthing</div><div>89. Anansi and the Well</div><div>90. Anansi and Ram Go Thieving</div><div>91. Anansi and the Stolen Pig</div><div>92. Anansi, Snake, and the Rock</div><div>93. Anansi, Agouti and the Fish-Traps</div><div>94. Anansi Chasing the Goat</div><div>95. Anansi and Baboon</div><div>96. Anansi and Rat</div><div>97. Anansi and the Elephant</div><div>98. Anansi and the Gun</div><div>99. Anansi and Blacksnake</div><div>100. Anansi and the Skinny Sheep</div><br /><a href="http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/10/reading-c-tales-of-anansi-100-words.html"><b>link to READING C: </b><br /></a><div>101. Anansi and Cow</div><div>102. Anansi and Sheep and their Spoons</div><div>103. Anansi and Horse Share Plantains</div><div>104. Anansi and the Bros</div><div>105. Anansi and the Chicken</div><div>106. Anansi and Screech-Owl</div><div>107. Anansi and John Crow</div><div>108. Anansi and Dove</div><div>109. Anansi and the Pelicans</div><div>110. Anansi and the Dove's Wings</div><div>111. Anansi and Dung-Beetle</div><div>112. Butterfly's Revenge</div><div>113. Anansi and the Cockroach</div><div>114. Anansi and Beetle</div><div>115. Anansi and the Bullfrogs</div><div>116. Anansi, Whale, and Elephant</div><div>117. Anansi and Whale</div><div>118. Anansi, Shark, and the Fish</div><div>119. Anansi, Alligator, and the Pepper-Pot Soup</div><div>120. Anansi and the Crabs</div><div>121. Anansi and the Fish-Children</div><div>122. Anansi in Fish-Country</div><div>123. Anansi and the Barrel of Eggs</div><div>124. Anansi and the Fish-Children's Canoe</div><div>125. Turtle and Anansi's Yams</div><div>126. Turtle Invites Anansi to Dinner</div><div>127. Turtle and Anansi Make a Bet</div><div>128. Anansi and Turtle Make Another Bet</div><div>129. Anansi Takes Advice from Turtle</div><div>130. Anansi and the King's Cow</div><div>131. Anansi the Preacher and Cockroach's Coconut</div><div>132. The King Banishes Anansi</div><div>133. Anansi and the Fire in the King's Palace</div><div>134. Anansi and the Watermelon</div><div>135. Anansi and Anteater</div><div>136. Anansi, Tiger, and the King's Daughter</div><div>137. The Contest for the King's Daughter</div><div>138. The King's Daughter and Anansi</div><div>139. Anansi and Ballinder Bull</div><div>140. Anansi and the Timber</div><div>141. Anansi the Angel</div><div>142. Anansi and the Six Sons</div><div>143. Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom</div><div>144. Anansi and the Cooks</div><div>145. Anansi and the Man's Horses</div><div>146. Quanqua and Anansi's Ox</div><div>147. White Yams and Red</div><div>148. Anansi and Goolin's Wife</div><div>149. Tamanty and Anansi and the Little Girl</div><div>150. Anansi and his Spotted Cow</div><br /><a href="http://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/10/reading-d-tales-of-anansi-100-words.html"><b>link to READING D: </b><b><br /></b></a></div><div><div>151. Anansi and the Peanut-Patch</div><div>152. Anansi's Sick Chicken</div><div>153. Anansi and Mosquito</div><div>154. Anansi and the Two Sisters</div><div>155. Anansi and King-Daughter</div><div>156. Anansi and Dog's New Name</div><div>157. Anansi Goes to the Christening</div><div>158. Anansi, Lion, and the Liquor</div><div>159. Anansi's New Name</div><div>160. Anansi inside the Cow</div><div>161. One-Two-Three Got No Liver!</div><div>162. Crow's Magic House</div><div>163. Anansi's Tree-House</div><div>164. Anansi and Tiger's Hoe</div><div>165. Anansi and the Robber Bargaining</div><div>166. Anansi, His Brother, and the Magic Pot</div><div>167. Anansi and the Avocado Tree</div><div>168. Anansi and the Handsome Calabash</div><div>169. Anansi's Fork</div><div>170. Anansi and the Shirt</div><div>171. Anansi and the Witch's Sword</div><div>172. Anansi and the Witch's Name</div><div>173. Anansi and Old-Witch's Garden</div><div>174. Anansi and Old-Witch</div><div>175. Anansi Wants a Wife</div><div>176. Anansi and Fire</div><div>177. Anansi, Fire, and the Damp Clothes</div><div>178. Fire, Grass, and Anansi</div><div>179. Anansi and Mr. Wheeler</div><div>180. Anansi and the Rock by the River</div><div>181. The Ghost's House in the Sky</div><div>182. Anansi and Dry-Head</div><div>183. Anansi, Dry-Head, and the Hog</div><div>184. Butterfly and Anansi in the Fields</div><div>185. The Devil's Honey-Dram</div><div>186. Anansi in Death's Camp</div><div>187. Anansi Robs Death's House</div><div>188. Death Wants Revenge on Anansi</div><div>189. Anansi and Death's Field of Yams</div><div>190. Anansi Meets Death</div><div>191. God and Anansi's Thread</div><div>192. Anansi and God's Cattle</div><div>193. Anansi and God's Yams</div><div>194. Anansi and the Tar-Man</div><div>195. Anansi Reads God's Mind</div><div>196. Anansi and the Pea</div><div>197. Anansi and Hunter's Debt</div><div>198. Anansi Owes Money</div><div>199. Anansi Takes Pig Home</div><div>200. Anansi and the Grain of Corn</div></div></div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-41181101909941178562021-01-14T12:06:00.000-05:002021-01-14T12:06:04.544-05:00Reading A: Tales of Anansi (100 Words)<div><p>You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.</p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1155257824&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-of-anansi" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales of Anansi">Tiny Tales of Anansi</a></div><br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-tiger-in-pit.html">~ 1. Anansi and Tiger in the Pit ~</a><br />Anansi heard Tiger roaring.<br />He looked around.<br />There was Tiger, trapped in a deep pit!<br />Tiger was leaping and jumping, trying to escape.<br />Anansi looked down and smiled. <br />"Hello, Tiger!" he said. "Having trouble down there?"<br />That made Tiger mad! Inch by inch, he started clawing his way up the pit.<br />"You can do it, Tiger!" Anansi shouted. "Come on! Come on!"<br />Near the top, Tiger gasped, "No... more... strength..." <br />"Just pray!" said Anansi. "Put your paws together and pray for strength."<br />And when Tiger put his paws together, he slid all the way back down.<br />Anansi ran off, laughing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-riding-horse.html"><br />~ 2. Anansi's Riding-Horse ~</a><br />Anansi kept saying Tiger was his father's riding-horse.<br />This made Tiger angry!<br />Tiger went to Anansi's house.<br />"Come with me!" Tiger said. "You're going to tell everybody the truth."<br />"I'm sick!" groaned Anansi. "I'm too weak to walk."<br />"Then get on my back," said Tiger.<br />Anansi fetched his saddle and bridle and spurs.<br />"What do you need all that for?" asked Tiger.<br />"To keep from falling off," Anansi said. "I feel so weak."<br />Anansi got in the saddle, and he spurred Tiger.<br />Tiger ran.<br />"Just like I said!" Anansi shouted. "Tiger was my father's riding-horse. And now he's mine too!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-his-grandmother.html"><br />~ 3. Anansi and his Grandmother ~</a><br />Anansi killed his grandmother, put her body in his wagon, and drove into town.<br />He told the barkeeper, "Take some whiskey to my grandmother in the wagon. Wake her if she's asleep."<br />The barkeeper couldn't wake her.<br />Then Anansi came out and shouted, "You killed her!"<br />The barkeeper gave Anansi a sack of gold coins to keep quiet.<br />"How did you get that gold?" Tiger asked Anansi.<br />"I killed my grandmother and drove her to town," said Anansi.<br />So Tiger killed his grandmother and drove to town, shouting, "Who wants to buy my dead grandmother?"<br />They locked Tiger in jail!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-coconut.html"><br />~ 4. Anansi and the Coconut ~</a><br />Anansi was eating a coconut, smacking his lips happily.<br />"What's that?" Tiger asked him.<br />"It's one of my balls!" said Anansi. "Balls are very sweet."<br />Then Anansi smiled at Tiger. "Hey, Tiger, your balls are much bigger than mine. I bet they are even sweeter than mine are! Let's go to the blacksmith. He can use his hammer and anvil to break off one of your balls so you can eat it."<br />Tiger and Anansi went to the blacksmith. <br />Tiger lay down, and the blacksmith banged him with a hammer.<br />Hard!<br />Tiger died.<br />Then Anansi ate Tiger, balls and all.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/getting-in-pot.html"><br />~ 5. Anansi and Tiger in the Pot ~</a><br />Tiger came to see Anansi.<br />"Hard times!" said Anansi. "No food here."<br />Tiger went away.<br />Then Tiger heard Anansi's wife yell, "Dinner's ready."<br />Tiger returned. "Feed me!" he roared.<br />"I'll share the food," said Anansi, "if you do what I tell you."<br />"Okay," said Tiger.<br />Anansi got in the pot. "Put the lid on. When I knock, let me out."<br />Tiger put on the lid. Anansi knocked. Tiger let him out.<br />"Now you!" said Anansi.<br />Tiger got in. Anansi put on the lid. <br />Tiger knocked, but Anansi didn't let him out.<br />"Got you now!"<br />Anansi cooked Tiger and ate him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-tigers-goat.html"><br />~ 6. Anansi and Tiger's Goat ~</a><br />Anansi and Tiger went hunting.<br />Tiger caught a goat, but Anansi didn't catch anything.<br />Anansi didn't like that, so he decided to trick Tiger.<br />"That's a nice goat!" Anansi said.<br />"I'm going to take this goat home, kill it, and cook it," said Tiger.<br />"Did you say grace yet?" Anansi asked him. <br />Tiger looked ashamed. "No, Anansi, I didn't say grace yet."<br />"You better say grace right away!" said Anansi. "Put your hands together and say: Thank the Lord."<br />When Tiger put his hands together, the goat got free and ran off.<br />Tiger was left with nothing.<br />Anansi just laughed!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/tiger-and-anansi-and-their-knives.html"><br />~ 7. Tiger and Anansi's Knives ~</a><br />Tiger and Anansi went walking together.<br />"I have a knife," Anansi said. "Do you?"<br />"I do!" said Tiger.<br />Then Anansi said, "I'm scared of your knife, Tiger."<br />"I'm scared of yours too, Anansi!"<br />"We should throw away our knives," said Anansi. "I'll go first!"<br />Anansi threw something away, but it wasn't his knife; it was a rock.<br />"Now you!" said Anansi.<br />Tiger threw away his knife.<br />Then they came to some pineapple.<br />Anansi shouted, "You need a knife to eat pineapple," and he started eating.<br />Tiger didn't have a knife, so he couldn't eat pineapple.<br />Anansi had tricked Tiger again!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/mr-mightys-missing-sheep.html"><br />~ 8. Anansi and Mr. Man's Sheep ~</a><br />Mr. Man hired Anansi to guard his sheep, but Anansi was stealing the sheep.<br />"Find out who's stealing my sheep!" Mr. Man said.<br />"I'll catch the thief by holding a party," said Anansi.<br />Then Anansi went to Tiger and gave him sheepskin trousers and a sheepskin shirt. "Wear your new clothes to the party," Anansi said. "And sing this song: See my clothes all made of sheep; see my sheepskin clothes."<br />Tiger came to the party in his new clothes, singing the song.<br />"That's him!" shouted Anansi. "That's the sheep-thief!"<br />Mr. Man had Tiger arrested and locked up in jail.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-lady-asks-tiger-for-help.html"><br />~ 9. Anansi, Tiger, and the Lady's Sheep ~</a><br />Anansi kept stealing a lady's sheep until there was only one sheep left.<br />"I'll kill Anansi for you," Tiger told her, "if you give me that sheep."<br />Tiger killed the sheep and put on the sheepskin.<br />Anansi came to steal the last sheep, but he stole Tiger instead!<br />"This sheep is heavy," Anansi groaned.<br />He carried the sheep home and cut its throat.<br />"There's no blood," said Anansi, confused.<br />"There's ME!" roared Tiger.<br />Anansi ran, and Tiger couldn't catch him.<br />When the lady saw Tiger, she was mad. "Anansi's still alive!" <br />She locked Tiger in jail for stealing her sheep.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/tiger-and-anansi-eating-breakfast.html"><br />~ 10. Tiger and Anansi Eating Breakfast ~</a><br />Tiger fed Anansi a good breakfast.<br />"I'll feed you breakfast tomorrow!" Anansi told Tiger. "Come when you hear dishes clattering."<br />Tiger waited and waited. There were no dishes clattering.<br />Finally Tiger came anyway.<br />"Too late!" said Anansi. "Breakfast is over."<br />"But the dishes didn't clatter!" shouted Tiger.<br />"Try again tomorrow," said Anansi. "But when I say 'Eat eat eat!' you must say 'I don't want to eat!'"<br />So the next day Tiger came.<br />Anansi said, "Eat eat eat!" and Tiger said, "I don't want to eat!"<br />Anansi laughed and told him to go away.<br />That's how Anansi tricked Tiger twice.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/how-tiger-gets-meat.html"><br />~ 11. Tiger Helps Anansi to Get Meat ~</a><br />Anansi kept tricking Tiger, and Tiger wanted revenge!<br />"Come eat breakfast with me," Tiger told Anansi, and he fed Anansi lots of meat.<br />"How did you get all that meat?" Anansi asked.<br />"It's easy!" said Tiger. "I go where the cows are. When a cow lies down, I stick my hand inside and grab the cow's guts. Then I pull it out. You have to pull hard, and don't let go."<br />Anansi did what Tiger said, but the cow ran and dragged Anansi over the rocks.<br />That's why Anansi's belly is white: his skin got scraped off by the rocks!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/tiger-and-anansi-go-hunting.html"><br />~ 12. Anansi and Tiger Go Hunting ~</a><br />Tiger and Anansi hunted Mr. Man's pigs.<br />Every time Tiger shot, Anansi shot too. <br />Tiger hit the pigs. <br />Anansi didn't hit anything, but he still claimed half the meat.<br />This made Tiger mad, so he played a trick. "I hear Mr. Man coming!" Tiger shouted. <br />They both hid. <br />CRACK! Tiger made a whip-sound. CRACK! Tiger made the sound again.<br />"Who shot my pigs?" said Tiger in Mr. Man's voice.<br />"Tiger shot the pigs!" Anansi shouted.<br />CRACK!<br />"Not me, Mister Man! I can't shoot! Tiger shot those pigs."<br />Tiger laughed at Anansi and took all the meat home.<br />Anansi got nothing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-tar-stump.html"><br />~ 13. Anansi and the Tar-Stump ~</a><br />Someone was stealing Tiger's peanuts, so Tiger made a trap. <br />He tarred a stump and put a hat on it.<br />When Anansi came to steal peanuts, he saw the stump.<br />"Who are you?" Anansi shouted.<br />Stump didn't answer.<br />Anansi grabbed with one hand. Stuck. Other hand. Stuck.<br />Anansi butted with his head. Stuck. He kicked the stump. Stuck.<br />Tiger came and laughed at Anansi. <br />"Now I'll burn you!" he said, pulling Anansi loose.<br />"Before burning me," Anansi shouted, "jump the fire yourself. It's good luck."<br />Tiger jumped, and Anansi pushed Tiger into the fire.<br />Tiger died.<br />Anansi got the peanuts.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-in-gourd.html"><br />~ 14. Anansi in the Gourd ~</a><br />Tiger was chasing Anansi.<br />Anansi needed to hide, so he hid inside Tiger's water-gourd.<br />Tiger didn't see where Anansi had gone. He was angry that Anansi had escaped!<br />Then Tiger picked up his water-gourd and went to fetch water.<br />Anansi had to get out, or else he would drown.<br />"Tiger's mother is dead-dead-DEAD!" said Anansi from inside the gourd, and his voice echoed. <br />Tiger listened and then kept walking.<br />"Tiger's mother is dead-DEAD-DEAD!" <br />Tiger listened again.<br />"Tiger's mother is DEAD-DEAD-DEAD!"<br />Tiger dropped the gourd and went running to his mother's house.<br />Tiger's mother wasn't dead.<br />That's how Anansi got away!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-tiger-go-fishing.html"><br />~ 15. Anansi and Tiger Go Fishing ~</a><br />Anansi and Tiger went fishing.<br />When they caught a fish, Tiger grabbed it. <br />"This one's mine!" he shouted. <br />Tiger tied a string to the fish and then tied that string to his toe. "When I wiggle my toe, I'll know the fish is there."<br />Then Tiger went to sleep, wiggling his toe to make sure the fish was there.<br />Anansi carefully untied the fish and tied the string to a tree.<br />Tiger kept wiggling his toe, and he thought the fish was there.<br />When Tiger woke up, he pulled the string.<br />No fish!<br />Then Tiger knew Anansi had tricked him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/anansi-and-tigers-mango-tree.html"><br />~ 16. Anansi and Tiger's Mango-Tree ~</a><br />Tiger had a mango-tree, and Anansi wanted some of Tiger's mangoes.<br />"Will you give me some mangoes?"<br />Tiger said, "No!"<br />"Can I buy some mangoes?"<br />Tiger said, "NO!"<br />Then Anansi said, "You know, there's a big storm coming. A real big storm. You better tie yourself to that tree before the wind blows you away."<br />"Tie me!" said Tiger.<br />Anansi tied Tiger to the tree, but no wind came.<br />"When's that storm coming?" asked Tiger.<br />"No storm," said Anansi. "I just wanted your mangoes."<br />Anansi climbed the tree, took the mangoes, and left Tiger behind, still tied to the tree.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/anansi-ties-tiger.html"><br />~ 17. Anansi Ties Tiger ~</a><br />Anansi was carrying a basket of fish when he met Tiger.<br />Tiger grabbed the basket and ate the fish.<br />Anansi was angry but said nothing.<br />They kept walking.<br />Anansi saw a fruit-tree.<br />"Nice fruit there!" said Anansi.<br />"Get me some!" said Tiger.<br />Anansi climbed up and looked down. "I see lice in your fur!"<br />Tiger said, "Groom me!"<br />Anansi climbed down and he pulled Tiger's fur and whiskers, and with Tiger's fur and whiskers he tied Tiger to the tree!<br />Then Anansi ran off and left Tiger tied to the tree.<br />Tiger roared, and a hunter came and killed him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-tiger-and-fish.html"><br />~ 18. Anansi, Tiger, and the Fish ~</a><br />To hide his fish from Tiger, Anansi put them in a coffin.<br />Tiger saw Anansi with the coffin. "I'll help bury your friend!" he said.<br />They walked and walked.<br />Anansi got tired and confessed. "There are fish in the coffin."<br />"I love fish!" said Tiger. He ate the fish and left the fish-bones in the coffin.<br />"Now I want dumplings!" said Tiger. <br />They went to Anansi's house, and Anansi gave the fish-bones to his wife. "Put the fish-bones in the dumplings," he whispered.<br />Tiger choked on the dumplings.<br />"I'll help you!" said Anansi, whacking Tiger with a shovel.<br />Tiger died!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/tigers-wedding.html"><br />~ 19. Anansi Goes to Tiger's Wedding ~</a><br />Tiger didn't invite Anansi to his wedding. <br />Anansi was mad, so he put cow-itch plant inside Tiger's tuxedo.<br />Tiger put on the tuxedo and it itched.<br />It itched bad!<br />Tiger tore off his tuxedo. "Go get Anansi!" he yelled.<br />Anansi was excited to come to the wedding feast, but when he got there, Tiger buried him in the cow-itch. <br />It itched bad!<br />Thinking quickly, Anansi yelled, "Did you see the Queen coming behind me?"<br />"The Queen???!" Tiger didn't think she would come to the wedding.<br />When Tiger ran to see the queen, Anansi escaped.<br />There was no queen, of course.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-eggs.html"><br />~ 20. Anansi and the Eggs ~</a><br />Firefly and Anansi were gathering eggs at night.<br />"Little eggs for you," said Anansi. "Big eggs for me."<br />This made Firefly mad, so he flew away.<br />Stumbling in the dark, Anansi found Tiger's house.<br />"Help me!" said Anansi. "I'll give you these eggs."<br />Tiger let Anansi sleep in his house and, knowing Anansi, he put scorpions around the egg-basket to protect the eggs.<br />When Anansi went to steal the eggs, the scorpions bit him.<br />Anansi started crying.<br />"Why are you crying?" asked Tiger.<br />Anansi lied. "I miss my family!"<br />And since Anansi couldn't steal the eggs, he stole Tiger's sheep.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/tigers-bone-hole.html"><br />~ 21. Anansi and Tiger's Bone-Hole ~</a><br />Tiger had a big pot of stew-meat, and he had a bone-hole where he threw the bones.<br />Anansi and his family got in the pot to eat, but Tiger came, so they hid in the hole.<br />Tiger ate and threw a bone. It hit Anansi's child. "Hush!" said Anansi.<br />The second bone hit Anansi's other child. "Hush!"<br />The third bone hit Anansi's wife. "Hush!"<br />Finally Tiger threw a bone that hit Anansi. <br />"Everybody yell!" said Anansi.<br />So they yelled, and it scared Tiger. <br />Tiger yelled, "Ghosts in the bone-hole!" and ran off.<br />Then Anansi and his family ate the meat.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/tiger-and-anansi-went-to-river.html"><br />~ 22. Anansi Helps Tiger Take a Bath ~</a><br />Tiger and Anansi went to the river.<br />"Wash your guts!" Anansi told Tiger.<br />Tiger took out his guts and washed them.<br />"Now your head!"<br />When Tiger put his head in the water, Anansi stole Tiger's guts.<br />"Make this into stew!" Anansi told his wife.<br />Then Anansi prepared his children for Tiger's funeral. "Everybody shout: Poor Tiger's dead!"<br />One child cried, "We ate Tiger!"<br />"No!" said Anansi. "You can't go to the funeral."<br />But that child went to the funeral anyway. When Anansi saw the child coming, he ran and hid on the rooftop.<br />Spiders stay on the roof even now.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-familiy-on-rooftop.html"><br />~ 23. Anansi's Family on the Rooftop ~</a><br />Anansi and his family were on the rooftop, hiding from Tiger.<br />One of Anansi's children complained, "I'm hungry."<br />Anansi got angry! He threw the child down. Tiger ate him.<br />Next child. Next child. Next child. All the children.<br />Then Anansi fell asleep.<br />Mrs. Anansi sewed her skirt to Anansi's trousers.<br />Anansi woke up, and he threw his wife down, but she didn't fall. She stayed tied tight to Anansi.<br />Then Anansi told Tiger, "Pile up a trash-heap for us to land on!" <br />Tiger piled up a trash-heap.<br />They jumped down and hid in the trash-heap.<br />Spiders are still hiding there.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/tiger-plays-dead.html"><br />~ 24. Tiger Tries to Trick Anansi ~</a><br />Tiger wanted to kill Anansi.<br />"Tell him I'm dead," Tiger said to Mrs. Tiger. "I'll lie here and wait for him."<br />Mrs. Tiger shouted, "Poor Tiger! Mr. Tiger is dead!"<br />Anansi was suspicious.<br />"Did you hear Tiger was sick?" he asked Dog. Dog said no.<br />He asked Monkey and Goat and all the animals. Nobody had heard Tiger was sick.<br />Anansi went to Tiger's house.<br />Mrs. Tiger sat there weeping, and Tiger was in the bed.<br />"Did he make the final groan?" Anansi asked Mrs. Tiger. "The dead make a big final groan."<br />Tiger groaned.<br />Then Anansi ran off, laughing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansis-strong-hand.html"><br />~ 25. Anansi's Strong Hand ~</a><br />Anansi and Tiger wanted to see whose hand was strongest.<br />Anansi hid a hammer up his sleeve and hit Tiger on the head. <br />Tiger was surprised. He didn't know Anansi's hand was so strong.<br />"I'll come hit you tomorrow!" Tiger said.<br />So Anansi invited Deer to his house. "I'm going to take a nap now," Anansi said, "but Tiger is bringing me good food for dinner! When he knocks, let him in."<br />Tiger knocked, and Deer opened the door.<br />Tiger hit him and ran off, thinking he had hit Anansi.<br />Deer was dead, so Anansi roasted Deer and ate him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/tiger-anansi-and-goat-share-house.html"><br />~ 26. Tiger, Anansi and Goat ~</a><br />Tiger, Anansi, and Goat shared a house together, but Tiger wanted the whole house for himself. <br />"I'm hungry!" Tiger roared. "I'm going to eat you both!"<br />Then Anansi and Goat ran away, and Tiger chased them.<br />They got to the river.<br />"I can't swim!" cried Goat.<br />Anansi turned Goat into a small white stone, and then Anansi jumped across the river.<br />Tiger arrived.<br />"I bet you can't hit me with that stone!" Anansi shouted at Tiger.<br />Tiger threw the stone.<br />When it hit the ground on the other side, the stone turned back into Goat.<br />Anansi and Goat were safe!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/tiger-and-anansis-yams.html"><br />~ 27. Anansi's Magic Yams ~</a><br />Anansi's yams were magic! Only Anansi could pull them out of the ground.<br />Tiger was hungry. "Let me harvest your yams," he begged Anansi.<br />Anansi laughed. "You can try!"<br />Tiger dug and dug. The yams wouldn't come out.<br />Tiger got angry and started slicing yams with his machete.<br />Then the yams jumped up and chased Tiger. <br />"Ticky-Picky-Boom-Boom!" they shouted. "TICKY-PICKY-BOOM-BOOM!"<br />Tiger ran. The yams ran too.<br />"Help me, Goat!" shouted Tiger. Goat butted the yams into the river.<br />The yams drowned.<br />Tiger and Goat fished out the yams and ate them up.<br />But Tiger still has bad yam dreams: Ticky-Picky-BOOM-BOOM!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/king-tiger-and-stools.html"><br />~ 28. King Tiger and Anansi ~</a><br />King Tiger had one golden stool and four silver stools. <br />Anyone who counted all the stools would fall down dead, but the animals didn't know that.<br />"Win the golden stool!" Tiger said. "Just count the other stools. That's all you need to do!"<br />Cat came and counted: "One, two, three, four, five."<br />Cat fell down dead. Tiger ate her.<br />Then Rabbit, Dog, Monkey, the same.<br />Anansi came.<br />"One, two three, four," Anansi said, "and one more!"<br />Tiger got angry. <br />"That's not how to count!" he shouted. "This is how you count: One, two, three, four, five!"<br />Tiger fell down dead.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/why-there-are-anansi-tales.html"><br />~ 29. Anansi, Tiger, and Snake ~</a><br />"All the stories will be yours if you can catch Snake alive and bring him here," Tiger told Anansi.<br />So Anansi went to see Snake.<br />He stared hard at Snake until Snake asked, "What are you staring at?"<br />"Tiger said you weren't as long as this stick!" Anansi waved a stick at Snake. "But I said you were. You're the longest animal, so you must be longer than this stick."<br />"Yessssss!" said Snake. "I'll show you!"<br />Snake slithered up against the stick. <br />Then Anansi tied Snake tight and took him to Tiger. <br />"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-hornets.html"><br />~ 30. Anansi and the Hornets ~</a><br />"All the stories will be yours if you bring me hornets in a gourd," Tiger told Anansi.<br />Anansi knew just what to do.<br />He cut a hole in a gourd. <br />He filled a bowl with water. <br />Then he found a swarm of hornets and threw water on them.<br />Holding the bowl over his head like an umbrella, Anansi shouted, "It's raining! Only fools stay out in the rain. Come hide inside this nice dry gourd."<br />Once the hornets were in the gourd, Anansi plugged the hole and took the gourd to Tiger.<br />"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-queen-bee.html"><br />~ 31. Anansi and the Queen-Bee ~</a><br />"All the stories will be yours if you bring me bees in a gourd," Tiger told Anansi.<br />Anansi took a gourd and went into the woods, muttering.<br />Queen-Bee asked, "What's wrong, Anansi?"<br />"I made a bet with Tiger about how many bees this gourd can hold," said Anansi. "But I don't know the answer."<br />"I don't know either!" said Queen-Bee. "Let's find out. You can count us!"<br />Then the bees followed their queen, buzz-buzz-buzzing into Anansi's gourd.<br />When the gourd was full, Anansi plugged the hole and took the gourd to Tiger.<br />"Now all the stories are mine!" Anansi shouted.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-honey.html"><br />~ 32. Anansi and the Honey ~</a><br />Anansi was eating honey.<br />"What's that?" Tiger asked him.<br />"Monkey piss!" said Anansi, smiling. "Try it!"<br />Tiger tasted the honey. "Monkey piss is sweet!"<br />Tiger ran to catch Monkey, and Anansi went along to watch.<br />Tiger grabbed Monkey around the neck with one hand, and he held out his other hand. <br />"Piss in my hand!" Tiger roared at Monkey.<br />Monkey obeyed, and Tiger drank the piss. <br />"Ugh! That's not sweet at all!"<br />Anansi shouted at Tiger. "Don't squeeze so tight! Loosen your grip, and Monkey's piss will be sweet."<br />Tiger loosened his grip, and Monkey ran away.<br />Anansi just laughed.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-tiger-take-bath.html"><br />~ 33. Anansi and Tiger Take a Bath ~</a><br />Anansi and Tiger went to the river.<br />"Take out your guts before your bath!" Anansi told Tiger, and Tiger did.<br />Then Anansi ate Tiger's guts while Tiger took a bath.<br />"Where are my guts?" shouted Tiger.<br />"The monkeys took your guts to Monkey-Town," said Anansi.<br />Tiger ran to Monkey-Town, and the monkeys were all singing: "All the monkeys swallowed them up! We ate Mister Tiger's guts!"<br />Tiger got mad and started killing the monkeys.<br />One of the monkeys shouted, "Stop that, Tiger! It's only a song! Anansi taught us this song yesterday."<br />So Tiger knew Anansi had tricked him again.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-monkey-and-tiger.html"><br />~ 34. Anansi, Monkey and Tiger ~</a><br />Anansi and Monkey were friends.<br />"How many tricks do you know?" Anansi asked.<br />"I know plenty of tricks!" said Monkey.<br />"I know two," said Anansi. "One for me, and one for you."<br />They found Tiger in a hole. "Help me!" Tiger shouted.<br />"Lower your tail!" Anansi told Monkey.<br />Tiger climbed out. <br />"Now I'm going to eat you, Monkey!" Tiger said, and he grabbed Monkey.<br />Anansi laughed. "Are you happy about eating Monkey?" <br />"Yes, I am!" roared Tiger.<br />"I'm happy too," said Anansi. "Let's clap our hands for joy!"<br />Anansi clapped his hands.<br />Tiger clapped his hands.<br />That's how Monkey escaped!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/when-monkey-beat-anansi.html"><br />~ 35. Anansi Owes Monkey Money ~</a><br />Anansi owed Monkey money, but couldn't pay, so Monkey whipped Anansi.<br />The next day Monkey came and whipped Anansi again.<br />Anansi told his mother, "Build a fire, put me in a pot, and hide me in the ashes."<br />But Monkey was a witch who saw hidden things, and he found Anansi in the ashes. He whipped Anansi again.<br />Another witch gave Anansi a magic rope.<br />Anansi climbed the magic rope. <br />Monkey climbed up the rope after him.<br />Anansi yelled, "Rope: be cut!" <br />Monkey fell down and broke his neck.<br />Then Anansi yelled, "Rope: be tied!" and he climbed down safely.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansis-pot-of-water.html"><br />~ 36. Anansi's Pot of Water ~</a><br />Anansi went to Monkey-Country, carrying a big pot.<br />He filled the pot with water and put it on the fire. <br />Monkey watched.<br />"Warm water feels good," said Anansi. "When it gets too hot, say "Bunya!" and I'll pull you out. Like this!" Anansi got in the pot. <br />"Feels good." Then after a while he said, "Bunya!" and Monkey pulled him out.<br />"Now you!" said Anansi.<br />Monkey got in. <br />"Feels good," he said. Then after a while he said, "Bunya!"<br />"No bunya yet!" said Anansi.<br />"Bunya!" yelled Monkey.<br />"No bunya yet!" said Anansi.<br />When Monkey was cooked, Anansi ate him up!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansis-christening-oven.html"><br />~ 37. Anansi's Christening Oven ~</a><br />Anansi went to Monkey-Country. <br />"I'm here to christen you," he said, "and this is my christening oven. I'll show you!"<br />Anansi lit the fire.<br />"I'll get in, you close the door, and when I shout "Christened!" you let me out."<br />Anansi got in, and the Monkeys shut the oven door. <br />Then Anansi shouted "Christened!" and they let him out.<br />"Now you!" he said to the Monkeys.<br />The Monkeys got in, and Anansi shut the oven door.<br />"Christened!" they yelled.<br />"Not christened yet!" said Anansi.<br />"CHRISTENED!" they yelled.<br />"Not christened yet!" said Anansi.<br />Then Anansi ate up all the roasted Monkeys.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/monkey-and-anansis-new-suit.html"><br />~ 38. Monkey Wears Anansi's New Suit ~</a><br />Monkey used to be elegant and refined. <br />Elegant speech. Refined manners.<br />All the animals respected Monkey for his sophistication.<br />That made Anansi jealous, so Anansi got a fancy suit and filled it with ants.<br />"Hey, Monkey!" Anansi shouted. "You know all about sophisticated fashion. Will this suit look good on me?"<br />"What a fine suit!" said Monkey. "I'll be glad to model it for you, Anansi."<br />Monkey put on the suit, and he immediately started twitching and scratching, jumping up and down, rolling on the ground.<br />Ants were biting Monkey all over!<br />And Monkey has been acting foolish ever since.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-arranges-funeral.html"><br />~ 39. Anansi Arranges a Funeral ~</a><br />Anansi and his wife sat under a tree.<br />Monkey was in the tree, listening.<br />"We need meat!" Anansi said. "I'll take a barrel, wrap it in a sheet, and invite everyone to your funeral."<br />Sheep, Goat, Hog, and Monkey all came. Cow was the minister.<br />"Come inside," Anansi said to the animals.<br />They went inside, but Monkey refused. He knew better! <br />"My grief is too great," Monkey said, sobbing.<br />Then Anansi locked the door from the inside.<br />Cow sang a hymn.<br />"I don't like that hymn!" Anansi shouted, and he killed the animals with his machete.<br />Monkey sat outside, laughing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/unlucky-number-five.html"><br />~ 40. Anansi and the Yam-Hills ~</a><br />Saying the number five was bad luck. Anyone who said "five" dropped down dead!<br />Anansi decided to play a trick. He dug five yam-hills, and then he sat beside his yam-field, weeping.<br />Hog walked by. "What's wrong?" Hog asked.<br />"I can't count my yam-hills," said Anansi.<br />"You fool!" said Hog. "I'll count: one-two-three-four-five."<br />When Hog said "five" he dropped down dead.<br />Anansi ate him. Goat too. Dog. Cow.<br />Then Monkey came. "One-two-three-four," Monkey said, "plus one more!"<br />"You fool!" shouted Anansi. "Can't you count? It goes like this: one-two-three-four-five!"<br />When Anansi said five, he fell down dead.<br />Monkey ate him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/fling-mile.html"><br />~ 41. Anansi and Fling-a-Mile ~</a><br />Anansi stuck his hand in a hole.<br />The hole said, "I'm Fling-a-Mile!" Then he flung Anansi one mile.<br />"Excellent!" said Anansi, and he put sharp stakes where he fell.<br />Then Anansi led Hog to the hole. "Put your hand in!" Anansi said.<br />Fling-a-Mile flung Hog; Hog got impaled on a stake.<br />"I'll eat Hog later!" said Anansi, happily.<br />Next Goat.<br />Then Dog.<br />Monkey watched what Anansi did.<br />Then Anansi led Monkey to the hole.<br />"Look!" Monkey shouted. "There's gold in the hole!"<br />Greedy Anansi reached for the gold.<br />Fling-a-Mile flung Anansi and he got impaled on a stake.<br />Monkey laughed.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-in-tree-branches.html"><br />~ 42. Anansi and the Tree Branches ~</a><br />Tiger and Monkey were chasing Anansi.<br />"Help me, Banana-Tree!" shouted Anansi.<br />"Take this fiber!" said Banana-Tree.<br />Anansi climbed the tree and made a fiber bridge between two branches. Anansi balanced on the fiber, but Monkey and Tiger were too heavy; they had to stay on the branches.<br />Everybody got hungry.<br />Tiger stood guard while Monkey went to eat, and then Monkey did the same for Tiger.<br />Anansi was starving! <br />Then Anansi saw a fly, so he used the fiber strings to weave a web and catch that fly.<br />Tiger and Monkey finally gave up.<br />And that's how Anansi started weaving!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-tiger-family-lion-and-anansi.html"><br />~ 43. The Tiger Family, Lion, and Anansi ~</a><br />Tiger stole cattle at night. <br />One night, by accident, he grabbed Lion, thinking it was a cow.<br />"That's not a cow!" screamed Mrs. Tiger. "That's Lion!"<br />Anansi sat on the roof watching.<br />"Come up here!" Anansi shouted to the Tiger family.<br />But they were too heavy; one by one they slid off the roof and Lion ate them.<br />"You next, Anansi!" shouted Lion.<br />"I'm so big my fall will crack the earth! Pull up that pot for me to land in."<br />The pot held Mrs. Tiger's pepper sauce!<br />Anansi splashed down.<br />The pepper sauce blinded Lion, and Anansi got away.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/anansis-knife-and-fork.html"><br />~ 44. Anansi's Knife and Fork ~</a><br />Anansi was in trouble again. <br />The master tied him up and went to get a whip.<br />Lion came by. "Who tied you up?" he asked.<br />"Master told me to use a knife and fork," said Anansi, "but I don't know how. He's bringing some food, and he's going to make me use a knife and a fork."<br />"I can use a knife and fork!" shouted Lion. "I'll eat the food!"<br />So Lion untied Anansi, and Anansi tied Lion.<br />Then the master came back and he started whipping Lion.<br />"Wait!" shouted Lion. "Where's my food?"<br />The master whipped Lion even more.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-lion-play-game.html"><br />~ 45. Anansi and Lion Play a Game ~</a><br />Lion had stolen Anansi's fish, and Anansi wanted revenge.<br />"Let's play a game!" said Anansi to Lion. "We'll tie each other to a tree. Here's some string; you tie me first." <br />Anansi gave Lion some thread, and Lion tied Anansi to the tree.<br />Anansi easily broke the thread and got free.<br />Lion laughed. "This was fun! Now you tie me."<br />Anansi got out a big thick rope and tied Lion to the tree. <br />Lion struggled with all his strength, but he couldn't break free.<br />Anansi laughed. "This is fun!" <br />Then he beat Lion with a stick and left him there.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/baby-anansi-at-lions-feast.html"><br />~ 46. Baby Anansi at the Lion's Feast ~</a><br />After Anansi left Lion tied to a tree, a woman found Lion and freed him.<br />Grateful Lion invited her to a feast.<br />Anansi wanted to go too. "Take me with you!" he said, and he turned himself into a baby.<br />The woman brought the baby to Lion's house, and the baby ate more than anybody else.<br />Lion got suspicious, so he followed the woman, but Anansi turned himself into an old man.<br />"Which way did the woman and her baby go?" Lion asked the old man.<br />"That way!" said Anansi, pointing the wrong way.<br />Lion ran off, and Anansi laughed.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-lion-and-rain-charm.html"><br />~ 47. Anansi, Lion and the Rain-Charm ~</a><br />Anansi brought food to Lion every day, but Lion was so hungry one day that he couldn't wait. He went to Anansi's house and ate Anansi's mother!<br />That made Anansi mad. Anansi wanted revenge on Lion. <br />"We need to do a charm to bring rain," he said to Lion. "Come with me to the crossroads."<br />At the crossroads, Anansi pounded nails between his own fingers. "That's the charm," he said to Lion. "Now I'll nail you."<br />When Anansi nailed Lion, he pounded the nails straight into Lion's fingers and toes. Lion screamed, but he was trapped.<br />That was Anansi's revenge!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-lion-and-donkey-carts.html"><br />~ 48. Anansi, Lion, and the Donkey-Cart ~</a><br />Anansi and Lion bought supplies in town.<br />They were almost home when Anansi said, "I forgot molasses! You go back and get it. I'll drive the cart home!"<br />When Lion was gone, Anansi hid the cart and donkey in the bushes. <br />Next, he cut off the donkey's tail. <br />Then he buried the tail sticking straight up out of the ground.<br />When Lion came back, Anansi shouted, "The donkey ran underground! Grab the tail before he gets away!"<br />Lion grabbed the tail and pulled. <br />"Oh no! I pulled the donkey's tail off!" Lion groaned. "Now we'll never get the cart back."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-finds-lion-in-road.html"><br />~ 49. Anansi Finds Lion in the Road ~</a><br />Lion played dead in the road.<br />Anansi found him and carried him home to eat.<br />"Look at this!" Anansi shouted. "Lion's dead!"<br />Anansi's wife shook Lion's tail; Lion shivered. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.<br />"Yes, he is!" shouted Anansi.<br />Next, Anansi's wife pulled Lion's paw. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.<br />"Yes, he is!" Anansi shouted.<br />Then Anansi's wife saw Lion's eyes were open. "Lion's not dead!" she shouted.<br />"ROAR!" yelled Lion.<br />"RUN!" yelled Anansi.<br />They ran to the rafters.<br />Anansi's wife fell down; Lion ate her.<br />Anansi jumped out the window and set the house on fire... with Lion inside!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-goats-plantains.html"><br />~ 50. Anansi and Goat's Plantains ~</a><br />Anansi stole the plantains from Goat's plantain-tree.<br />"Baaa-a-a, where are my plantains?" yelled Goat.<br />Goat ran to Anansi's house.<br />Anansi and his family hid on the rooftop.<br />One child slid off. Goat caught the child, killed him, and stuffed him in a sack. "Baaa-a-a, he's my plantain now!"<br />One by one the children all slid off.<br />Then Mrs. Anansi slid off.<br />"Baaa-a-a, they're all my plantains now!" said Goat. "You next, Anansi!"<br />"Make an ash-heap I can fall on," said Anansi. "Then I'll slide off."<br />Goat heaped up ashes.<br />Anansi fell. Ashes scattered everywhere!<br />Goat couldn't see, and Anansi escaped.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-63028888747022885532021-01-14T12:05:00.000-05:002021-01-14T12:05:24.104-05:00Reading B: Tales of Anansi (100 Words)<div><p>You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.</p><p>You'll want to click on track 51 to start the audio portion for this section:</p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1155257824&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-of-anansi" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales of Anansi">Tiny Tales of Anansi</a></div><br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/poor-anansis-dead.html"><br />~ 51. Poor Anansi's Dead ~</a><br />"We need food!" Anansi said to his wife. "I'll lie here, and you'll shout that I'm dead."<br />"My poor husband!" shouted Mrs. Anansi. "Anansi's dead!"<br />Hawk came by. "Poor Anansi!" said Hawk, and he bowed his head. Anansi jumped up and killed Hawk, and then they ate him.<br />Then Bull came. "Poor Anansi!" he said, and he bowed his head. They killed him and ate him.<br />Then Sheep. Then Fowl.<br />Then Ground-Dove came. "Is he really dead?" Ground-Dove asked. "If he's dead, he should make one last big fart."<br />Anansi let loose a big fart.<br />Ground-Dove laughed and ran away.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-at-funeral.html"><br />~ 52. Anansi at the Funeral ~</a><br />Anansi's mother-in-law died, and Anansi went to the funeral dressed in his fancy funeral-clothes.<br />He got hungry during the funeral service, so he snuck into the kitchen. He smelled beans cooking!<br />Anansi had just scooped up some beans when the cook came in.<br />Uh-oh!<br />Embarrassed, Anansi poured the beans into his hat to eat later, and he put the hat on his head.<br />The burning beans made him dance. <br />"It's my hat-shaking dance of grief!" Anansi shouted.<br />Anansi danced until he got away, but it was too late: the beans burned off his hair, and that's why Anansi is bald.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-plantains.html"><br />~ 53. Anansi and the Plantains ~</a><br />Anansi and his family were starving. <br />At last, Anansi found some food: plantains. <br />There were four plantains, but five mouths to feed: Anansi, Mrs. Anansi, two sons and a daughter.<br />Mrs. Anansi roasted the plantains, and Anansi gave one each to the children and one to his wife.<br />"Don't you worry about me," he said sadly.<br />"Aren't you hungry?" asked his daughter.<br />"I'm starving, dear child," said Anansi. "But never you mind."<br />She broke her plantain and gave half to Anansi.<br />The two boys did the same.<br />And Mrs. Anansi.<br />So Anansi ended up with more food than anybody else.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-port-stew.html"><br />~ 54. Anansi and the Pork Stew ~</a><br />Anansi's wife raised a pig.<br />"Let's eat your pig!" Anansi said.<br />"No!" she said. "I'm going to sell it."<br />Then Anansi pretended to be sick. "Fetch the doctor," he groaned.<br />Right after she left, Anansi dressed up as the doctor and ran to meet her on the road.<br />"I'm too busy for house-calls," he said, "but pork stew is good medicine."<br />Anansi's wife headed home, and Anansi ran to get there first.<br />"Doctor says you must eat pork stew," Anansi's wife said.<br />"I'm too sick to eat..." Anansi moaned.<br />"You must eat pork stew," she replied. "Doctor's orders!"<br />Anansi smiled.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-chicken-soup.html"><br />~ 55. Anansi and the Chicken Soup ~</a><br />"I'm so sick," Anansi said to his wife. "Consult the doctor!"<br />When she left, Anansi ran to the doctor's office and put on the doctor's clothes.<br />"Anansi's sick!" she said.<br />"He needs chicken soup!" Anansi replied.<br />Anansi then ran home before his wife got there. Lying in bed, he sang, "Chicken soup for me, for me, chicken soup for me-oh..."<br />Mrs. Anansi heard him.<br />She started cooking. "Ready soon!" she said.<br />Anansi smelled soup.<br />She called the village children. "Eat quietly!" she whispered.<br />They ate the soup.<br />"Ready now!" she said to Anansi.<br />Anansi came, but the soup was gone!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-yam-foofoo.html"><br />~ 56. Anansi and the Yam-Foofoo ~</a><br />Anansi planted a special yam named yam-foofoo, and it grew big! <br />He took some home and cooked it.<br />"Tell me this yam's name," Anansi said. "Otherwise, you don't eat."<br />Nobody knew the yam's name, so Anansi ate the whole yam.<br />Next day, Anansi's youngest son, Cunning-More-Than-Father, mashed some okra and spread it on the ground. Then he hid and watched.<br />Coming home, Anansi slipped on the okra and fell. "Oh! I dropped my yam-foofoo!" he shouted.<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father ran home and told everybody.<br />When Anansi cooked the yam, his wife and children said, "Give us yam-foofoo!" and Anansi had to share.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-mangos.html"><br />~ 57. Anansi and the Mangoes ~</a><br />Anansi climbed a mango tree by the river. He wanted to eat all the mangoes by himself. Greedy Anansi didn't want to take any mangoes home for his wife or children.<br />As Anansi was eating the mangoes up in the tree, he looked down into the river.<br />There was someone with mangoes in the water. Anansi wanted those mangoes too! Anansi wanted ALL the mangoes.<br />He dropped down into the water.<br />Splash!<br />But it was only Anansi's reflection.<br />Nobody else. No more mangoes.<br />The river currents carried Anansi away, and he drowned.<br />That was what happened to greedy Anansi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-grave.html"><br />~ 58. Anansi's Grave ~</a><br />Mrs. Anansi planted peas, but Anansi didn't help.<br />He pretended he was dying.<br />"Bury me in the pea-field," he said. "Make a coffin-hole so I can watch the peas growing while I'm dead."<br />Anansi pretended to die, and they buried him.<br />Every night Anansi got out of the grave and ate peas.<br />Anansi's son made a tar-stump to catch him.<br />"These peas are mine!" Anansi shouted at the tar-stump.<br />Anansi fought with the tar-stump and got stuck.<br />Anansi's family found him stuck to the tar-stump.<br />Anansi was so ashamed he ran up in the rafters, and that's where he stays.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/tiger-in-pepper-plant.html"><br />~ 59. Tiger in the Pepper-Plant ~</a><br />Anansi hated his son Cunning-More-Than-Father and wanted to kill him.<br />While Anansi plotted with Tiger, Cunning-More-Than-Father pretended to be asleep under the table, but he was listening.<br />"Help me kill him!" Anansi said to Tiger.<br />"I'll hide in the pepper-plant," Tiger said. "Send your son there."<br />At suppertime, Anansi said, "Son, go pick peppers from the pepper-plant!"<br />But Cunning-More-Than-Father took a stick from the fire and poked the pepper-plant. <br />The fire-stick burned Tiger's face! Tiger screamed and ran away.<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father then told Anansi, "The pepper-plant screamed, so I didn't pick any peppers."<br />Anansi had to eat supper without any peppers.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/tiger-in-yam-patch.html"><br />~ 60. Tiger in the Yam-Patch ~</a><br />Anansi wanted Tiger to kill his son.<br />"I'll send Cunning-More-Than-Father to get yams," Anansi said. "You hide in the yam-patch and kill him."<br />While Tiger and Anansi talked, Cunning-More-Than-Father was under the table, listening.<br />Next day, Anansi told Cunning-More-Than-Father, "Go get yams."<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father went to the yam-patch, but not too close. <br />"Hello, yams!" he shouted.<br />Silence.<br />He shouted louder. "Hello there, yams!"<br />Tiger didn't know what to do.<br />"Anansi wants me to get the talking yams," shouted Cunning-More-Than-Father.<br />"Talking yams are here!" replied Tiger.<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father laughed and ran away before Tiger could grab him.<br />And Anansi didn't get any yams.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/cunning-more-than-father-and-coconuts.html"><br />~ 61. Cunning-More-Than-Father and the Coconuts ~</a><br />Anansi wanted to kill his son Cunning-More-Than-Father.<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father had gotten away twice, but Anansi said to Tiger, "Let's try again!"<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father pretended to be asleep, but he listened.<br />"I'll send Cunning-More-Than-Father up the coconut-tree," Anansi told Tiger. "You catch him when he comes down."<br />So Cunning-More-Than-Father filled a bag with stinging ants and hid it in the tree.<br />Next day Anansi said, "Son, go get coconuts."<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father went up the coconut-tree.<br />Tiger came and waited below.<br />"Catch the coconuts, Tiger!" yelled Cunning-More-Than-Father, and he threw the bag of ants on Tiger.<br />Tiger screamed and ran away.<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father had survived again.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/cunning-more-than-father-in-coffin.html"><br />~ 62. Cunning-More-Than-Father in the Coffin ~</a><br />Tiger and Anansi finally caught Cunning-More-Than-Father.<br />"I'll nail him inside this coffin," said Anansi. "You throw it in the sea."<br />Tiger took the coffin and headed for the sea.<br />Along the way, Tiger took a nap.<br />Inside the coffin, Cunning-More-Than-Father started shouting, "I'm not ready to go to heaven!"<br />A passing shepherd heard him and said, "Heaven's a good place! I'll go if you don't want to."<br />The shepherd unnailed the coffin and got in.<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father nailed the coffin shut.<br />Tiger woke up, took the coffin, and threw it in the sea.<br />Cunning-More-Than-Father came home, bringing the sheep with him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-sea-sheep.html"><br />~ 63. Anansi and the Sea-Sheep ~</a><br />Tiger was supposed to throw Cunning-More-Than-Father in the sea, but Cunning-More-Than-Father came back home, and he brought a flock of sheep with him.<br />"But I threw him in the sea!" Tiger shouted.<br />"Yes, you did!" said Cunning-More-Than-Father. "These are sea-sheep, and where the sea is deeper, the sheep are even bigger."<br />"I want the big sheep!" shouted Anansi. "Tiger, put me in a coffin and throw me in the deepest sea."<br />Anansi got in the coffin and Tiger rented a boat to sail to the deepest sea. He threw the coffin in the water.<br />That was the end of Anansi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/lion-tacoomah-and-anansi.html"><br />~ 64. Lion, Tacoomah, and Anansi ~</a><br />Anansi, Tacoomah, and Lion had an apple tree, and Anansi ate all the apples.<br />"Who ate the apples?" roared Lion. "We'll let the fire decide."<br />So they each had to jump over the fire.<br />Lion sang his Lion-song and jumped over the fire. "Fire proved me innocent!"<br />Next, Tacoomah sang his Tacoomah-song and jumped. "Fire proved me innocent!"<br />Next, Anansi sang his Anansi-song and jumped.<br />He fell in the fire, and the fire burned his shirt.<br />"I'll try again!"<br />The fire burned Anansi's underpants. Now Anansi was naked!<br />Anansi ran up the tree to hide, and he's hiding there still.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/tacoomah-rides-anansi.html"><br />~ 65. Tacoomah Rides Anansi ~</a><br />Anansi and Tacoomah were courting the same woman.<br />Tacoomah told her, "Anansi was my father's riding-horse!"<br />Anansi heard about this and got angry. <br />"We'll go tell her the truth!" Anansi said.<br />"I can't go now," said Tacoomah. "I'm sick."<br />"We must go now!" said Anansi.<br />"Well," said Tacoomah, "maybe you can carry me."<br />Anansi let Tacoomah get on his back.<br />"I'm so weak..." said Tacoomah. "I need my walking-stick to steady myself."<br />When they got near the woman's house, Tacoomah started beating Anansi with the walking-stick.<br />Anansi ran.<br />"Look!" Tacoomah shouted. "Anansi was my father's riding-horse, and now he's mine!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-dog-head.html"><br />~ 66. Anansi and the Dog-Head ~</a><br />Anansi and Tacoomah went hunting with their dogs.<br />On the way, Anansi got hungry. He ate his dog, but he kept the head.<br />Tacoomah's dog killed a cow.<br />Anansi ran up, chased Tacoomah's dog away, and then put his dog-head there.<br />"Look what my dog-head did!" Anansi shouted.<br />"That's impossible!" said Tacoomah.<br />To trick Anansi, Tacoomah hid in the bushes, making the sound of a whip cracking.<br />"No, sir," Tacoomah shouted. "No, sir! My dog didn't kill your cow! Anansi's dog-head did that!"<br />"No!" shouted Anansi. "Not true! Tacoomah's dog did that."<br />Then Tacoomah came out and took the cow.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-says-tacoomahs-sick.html"><br />~ 67. Anansi Says Tacoomah's Sick ~</a><br />Anansi told Tacoomah, "We need meat!"<br />"I've got a plan," said Tacoomah. "Pretend I'm sick and call for help. When the animals come in the house, I'll chop them up and put them in this barrel."<br />Anansi liked Tacoomah's plan.<br />"Help!" Anansi shouted. "Tacoomah's sick! Help!"<br />Animals came, and Tacoomah chopped, but the barrel wasn't full yet.<br />Up on the hillside, Goat saw animals going in, but none coming out.<br />"Is Tacoomah sick?" Goat asked.<br />"Real sick!" said Anansi. "Please come in! Come help us!"<br />But Goat ran higher up the hill, and Goat stays on the hillside even now.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/tacoomah-makes-tar-stump.html"><br />~ 68. Tacoomah Makes a Tar-Stump ~</a><br />Anansi and Tacoomah were neighbors.<br />During the night, somebody was stealing Tacoomah's crops.<br />It was Anansi! But Tacoomah didn't know that.<br />Tacoomah made a tar-stump to trap the thief.<br />When Anansi found the tar-stump blocking his way to the field, he got angry. "Move along!" Anansi shouted at the tar-stump.<br />Tar-stump didn't move.<br />Anansi fought with the tar-stump and got stuck.<br />At dawn, Goat walked by.<br />"Help me fight this devil!" said Anansi. <br />Goat got stuck, and Anansi pushed himself loose.<br />Tacoomah came and found Goat. "You're the thief!" Tacoomah shouted.<br />Tacoomah killed Goat and shared the meat with Anansi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-tacoomahs-fire.html"><br />~ 69. Anansi and Tacoomah's Fire ~</a><br />Anansi's fire went out.<br />"Child," said Anansi, "go to Tacoomah and get fire."<br />Tacoomah gave the child some fire. "Take this beef-fat too!" Tacoomah said.<br />The child came back with fire and beef-fat.<br />"What's that nasty thing?" Anansi asked.<br />"Tacoomah gave it to me."<br />"Ugh!" said Anansi. "I'll throw it away."<br />Anansi was just pretending; he ate the beef-fat and wanted more.<br />Anansi poured water on the fire.<br />"Go get more fire!" he said to his other child.<br />The child came back with fire and beef-fat.<br />Anansi played the same trick and ate the beef-fat, while his children went hungry.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-jumbee-house.html"><br />~ 70. Anansi and the Jumbee House ~</a><br />Anansi found a jumbee house. He heard the jumbees say "Jollup-Jellup!" to open the door and "Jug-Up-Shollop" to come back out.<br />Anansi waited till the jumbees left. Then he said, "Jollup-Jellup!"<br />Anansi went inside. The house was full of food. Anansi ate the food, and then he said "Jug-Up-Shollop!" to get back out.<br />"You look fat, Anansi!" said Tacoomah.<br />"I've been eating jumbee food," Anansi said.<br />"I want jumbee food too!" Tacoomah said.<br />Anansi taught him "Jollup-Jellup" but not "Jug-Up-Shollop."<br />Tacoomah was trapped when the jumbees came back, and the angry jumbees turned Tacoomah to ashes.<br />Beware the jumbee house!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-gives-tacooma-advice-about-yams.html"><br />~ 71. Anansi Gives Tacoomah Advice about Yams ~</a><br />Tacoomah was planting yams, and Anansi gave him some advice. "You should boil those yams, put pork inside, and then plant them. That will make the yams grow big and fast!"<br />Tacoomah did what Anansi said.<br />When it was night, Anansi came and took the cooked yams full of pork, putting wild yams in their place. Then Anansi feasted on Tacoomah's yams and pork.<br />The wild yams Anansi left in Tacoomah's field were big, but they had no roots.<br />At first, Tacoomah rejoiced: the yams were so big!<br />But soon they shriveled up, and Tacoomah realized Anansi had tricked him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/tacoomah-and-anansis-eggs.html"><br />~ 72. Tacoomah and Anansi's Eggs ~</a><br />Tacoomah visited Anansi. <br />Anansi had one hundred eggs in a nest, and greedy Tacoomah ate ninety-nine of Anansi's eggs.<br />Then Anansi said, "I'll count my eggs!"<br />"You don't need to," said Tacoomah. "I'll count them for you."<br />"Hold each egg up high so I can see it," said Anansi.<br />Tacoomah went out to the nest and lifted up one egg so that Anansi could see it. "One!" Tacoomah said. <br />Then Tacoomah lowered the egg into the nest and lifted the same egg up again. "Two!" he said.<br />So Tacoomah did that one hundred times... but there was only one egg.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-corn-song.html"><br />~ 73. Anansi's Corn Song ~</a><br />Someone was stealing Tacoomah's corn during the night.<br />Tacoomah blamed Anansi. "You're stealing my corn!" he said.<br />"I'm no thief!" said Anansi. "I'll prove it to you by staying here all night fiddling."<br />Then Anansi told his gang. "When you hear me fiddling tonight, go steal the corn."<br />Here's the song Anansi played, "Corn corn, harvest corn! Go along, get corn, go along!"<br />Anansi sang and fiddled all night while Tacoomah danced.<br />Then Tacoomah went to his field.<br />The corn was gone!<br />"You can't blame me!" shouted Anansi. "You know I'm innocent."<br />Tacoomah got so angry he fell down dead.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-cats-wedding.html"><br />~ 74. Anansi and the Cats' Wedding ~</a><br />Anansi arrived early for the wedding feast of Mister Cat and Miss Cat.<br />"I'll take care of the food," Anansi said. "Leave it to me!"<br />But when the bride and groom returned from the wedding, they found the wedding cake was gone, and the wine was all gone too.<br />"You did this, Dog!" shouted the Cats. <br />Dog denied it.<br />Fly went looking for Anansi and found him walking home, his face covered with cake crumbs.<br />"You're the thief!" shouted Fly.<br />Anansi swallowed Fly to silence him.<br />Since then Cat and Dog aren't friends anymore; Fly and Spider are enemies too.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-dog-and-agouti.html"><br />~ 75. Anansi, Dog, and Agouti ~</a><br />Anansi wanted to tease Dog and Agouti, so he told them about a trip to Mango-Island. "Only horned animals can board the ship," Anansi said. "Not you!"<br />But Dog and Agouti both wanted to go, so they made wooden horns, promising to help each other put the horns on their heads.<br />But when Agouti put the horns on Dog, he ran off and jumped on board, abandoning Agouti.<br />"Hey Cow, hey Goat, hey Ram!" Agouti shouted. "Somebody doesn't have real horns!"<br />Ram butted Dog overboard.<br />Then Dog chased Agouti and bit off his tail; that's how Agouti lost his tail.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/dog-and-anansi-compare-senses.html"><br />~ 76. Dog and Anansi Compare Senses ~</a><br />Dog was boasting to Anansi about his many senses. <br />"I've got sense in my nose," Dog said, "and in my two ears, two eyes, four feet, and I taste with my mouth. Plus brains in my head. I've got eleven senses!"<br />"I've just got two senses," said Anansi. "I know me, and I know my friend."<br />The next day Tiger caught Dog. <br />Anansi saw them.<br />"I'm going to eat Dog now!" snarled Tiger.<br />"You better fold your paws and say grace," Anansi said.<br />Tiger folded his paws to say grace, and Dog got away.<br />Two senses are better than eleven!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/tiger-comes-to-kill-anansi.html"><br />~ 77. Tiger Comes to Kill Anansi ~</a><br />Tiger was coming with his friends to kill Anansi.<br />Anansi's only friend was Dog. "Help me, Dog!" said Anansi, and he told Dog what to do.<br />When Tiger came to Anansi's yard, he saw Dog holding Anansi down, his head stretched out on a stump.<br />"Chop my head off now, Tiger!" shouted Anansi. "Just get it over with!"<br />Tiger came rushing into the yard... and fell down into a deep pit filled with rocks and sharp sticks.<br />Anansi and Dog had dug that pit.<br />As Tiger's friends were getting him out of the pit, Anansi and Dog ran off, laughing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-dog-at-dance.html"><br />~ 78. Anansi and Dog at the Dance ~</a><br />"I like your fancy pants, Anansi!" said Dog. "Will you loan them to me for the dance?"<br />"They're too small for you," said Anansi.<br />"No, they'll fit!" Dog insisted.<br />So Dog squeezed himself into Anansi's pants, and then he went to the dance.<br />Dog was a good dancer, and he liked to throw his legs up high. <br />But when Dog did that, he tore Anansi's pants! They ripped all the way from top to bottom.<br />Anansi was mad and took back his pants there at the dance, and everyone laughed at Dog.<br />Ever since then, Dog doesn't wear any clothes.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/elephant-and-anansis-dance-party.html"><br />~ 79. Elephant and Anansi's Dance Party ~</a><br />Elephant and Anansi were hungry, so they invited Goat and Dog to a dance.<br />Elephant sang, "I'll guard the door; you know what for!"<br />Anansi sang, "I'll tell you when! Do it then!"<br />Dog sang, "Hear that song? There's something wrong!"<br />Goat sang, "Time for running; time for cunning!"<br />"Now!" shouted Anansi, but Elephant was slow: Goat and Dog escaped.<br />Dog swam the river, but Goat couldn't swim.<br />Goat turned into a rock.<br />"You can't hit me!" shouted Dog, so Anansi threw the rock.<br />Goat sprang up on the other side, laughing.<br />Elephant was so mad that he ate Anansi!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-goat-at-river.html"><br />~ 80. Anansi and Goat at the River ~</a><br />Goat was running, and Anansi was chasing.<br />Goat ran and ran, and then he came to the river.<br />Goat couldn't swim.<br />Dog was on the other side of the river.<br />"Help me, Dog!" said Goat, and then Goat turned himself into a stone.<br />Anansi ran up. "Did you see Goat come this way?" he asked.<br />"I'll tell you if you throw me that stone," said Dog.<br />Anansi grabbed the stone and threw it to Dog.<br />When the stone hit the ground, it turned back into Goat.<br />"I had Goat in my hand," Anansi groaned, "but then I let him go."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-dog-at-river.html"><br />~ 81. Anansi and Dog at the River ~</a><br />Anansi, carrying a sack of food, had to cross a river, but he was scared of the alligators.<br />"Help me, Dog!" shouted Anansi. "I'll give you half my food."<br />Dog ran down the river and barked so the alligators swam that way.<br />Then Dog raced back to Anansi and carried him across before the alligators knew what happened.<br />"Thank you, Dog!" said Anansi.<br />Then, when Dog wasn't looking, Anansi threw a rock in the river. "Oh no! I dropped my sack!" Anansi yelled.<br />Dog jumped in. As he splashed around trying to find Anansi's sack, alligators ate him.<br />Anansi laughed.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-snake.html"><br />~ 82. Anansi and Snake ~</a><br />"Be my postman!" Anansi said to Snake.<br />"What will you pay me?" asked Snake.<br />"You can have a bite of my head tonight!"<br />Snake agreed.<br />Anansi put Rabbit in his bed that night, but Rabbit was suspicious; he dug a hole and escaped.<br />Snake came calling, "Anansi! Where's your head?"<br />Anansi called for Rabbit, but there was no answer.<br />Then Anansi went looking for Rabbit and couldn't find him.<br />Snake was coming, so Anansi decided to put a pot on his head.<br />Snake bit the pot. "Ouch!" Biting the pot hurt his mouth.<br />Snake wasn't friends with Anansi after that.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-rabbit-and-gingy-fly.html"><br />~ 83. Anansi, Rabbit, and Horse-Fly ~</a><br />Anansi visited Godfather Rabbit and Godmother Rabbit.<br />When Godmother Rabbit went to fetch water, Anansi hit Godfather Rabbit on the head and killed him.<br />Godmother Rabbit came back and found her husband dead. <br />"You must bury him, Anansi!" she said.<br />"I will," said Anansi. "Just give me some lard and a frying pan. Horse-Fly will help me."<br />Anansi and Horse-Fly took Rabbit into the woods where they cooked him and ate him.<br />"I'll tell Mrs. Rabbit he was delicious!" said Horse-Fly.<br />"No, you won't!" shouted Anansi.<br />Then Anansi cut out Horse-Fly's tongue, which is why Horse-Fly only says bzzz-bzzz-bzzz now.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-fish-pot.html"><br />~ 84. Anansi and the Fish-Pot ~</a><br />Anansi was catching fish in the river with a fish-pot.<br />But Tacoomah kept stealing Anansi's fish!<br />Anansi hid and waited to catch the thief.<br />When he saw Tacoomah opening the pot, Anansi slammed it shut and trapped Tacoomah inside.<br />Tacoomah drowned inside the fish-pot.<br />Then Anansi went to Rabbit. "I caught a big fish! But I'm feeling poorly and I dare not put my feet in the cold water. Please come drag the fish-pot for me!"<br />So Rabbit dragged the fish-pot to shore.<br />When they found Tacoomah dead inside, Anansi yelled, "You killed Tacoomah!"<br />The police arrested Rabbit for murder.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-combs-lions-hair.html"><br />~ 85. Anansi Combs Lion's Hair ~</a><br />Anansi invited Lion to come with him to the king's feast, and Lion accepted.<br />"You better let me comb your hair," Anansi said. "You look terrible!"<br />Lion wanted to look his best for the feast, so he agreed.<br />Everything was going just as Anansi planned!<br />"Lean here against this tree," Anansi said, and Rabbit was already hiding in a hole there.<br />Then Anansi combed Lion's hair back, tying it around the tree.<br />"Now, Rabbit!" Anansi shouted, and Rabbit bit Lion.<br />Lion leaped and twisted and finally strangled in his own hair.<br />Together, Anansi and Rabbit celebrated the end of Lion.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-dives-for-bananas.html"><br />~ 86. Anansi Dives for Bananas ~</a><br />Rabbit, Anansi, and Bouki were sailing home. They had some bananas and were arguing about how to divide them.<br />Anansi threw the bananas into the water. "Whoever brings up the most gets the most!"<br />Rabbit dived first and brought up four bananas.<br />Bouki dived next; he brought up two.<br />Anansi dived... and Anansi just floated.<br />"Let's try again!" said Anansi, and he threw all the bananas into the water. "Tie the anchor to me this time! And I'll go first!"<br />They tied the anchor to Anansi and threw him in the water.<br />Anansi sank and never came back up again.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-rabbit-in-road.html"><br />~ 87. Anansi and the Rabbit in the Road ~</a><br />Anansi was carrying a basket of fish.<br />Rabbit wanted those fish, so he lay down in the road and played dead.<br />"I don't need a dead rabbit," Anansi thought to himself. "I've got fish!"<br />Anansi kept walking.<br />Rabbit ran through the grass to get ahead of Anansi and lay down again.<br />"Maybe I should take these rabbits!" Anansi thought. He put down his fish and ran to get the first rabbit.<br />But that rabbit was gone.<br />When Anansi ran back, the second rabbit was gone.<br />And so was his basket of fish!<br />Rabbit had fooled Anansi and taken his fish.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/the-law-against-badmouthing.html"><br />~ 88. The Law against Insults ~</a><br />"No insults!" said the king. "If you insult someone, you'll drop dead!"<br />That gave Anansi an idea!<br />He got a hoe and dragged it back and forth across some rocks.<br />Hog was watching. "What are you doing?" Hog asked Anansi.<br />"I'm planting crops!" Anansi said.<br />"Crops won't grow on rocks," Hog said. "You're an idiot!"<br />Hog dropped dead, and Anansi ate him. "Delicious!"<br />Anansi dragged his hoe across the rocks again.<br />This time, Duck was watching. "What are you planting?" Duck asked.<br />"Who plants crops on rocks?" replied Anansi. "You're an idiot!"<br />Anansi dropped dead, so Duck ate Anansi. "Delicious!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-well.html"><br />~ 89. Anansi and the Well ~</a><br />There was a drought.<br />The animals dug a well, but Anansi was lazy. He didn't help.<br />"No water for you!" the animals said to Anansi when the well was done.<br />To guard the well, they made a tar-baby.<br />Anansi came to drink at the well.<br />"Hello there, gal!" he said when he saw the tar-baby. The tar-baby said nothing.<br />"Give me a kiss!" Anansi said. The tar-baby said nothing.<br />Anansi slapped the tar-baby. His hand stuck. <br />Again. Other hand stuck.<br />Anansi butted the tar-baby with his head. Stuck!<br />Both feet: stuck!<br />And then the animals came and caught Anansi there.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-ram-go-thieving.html"><br />~ 90. Anansi and Ram Go Thieving ~</a><br />Anansi and Ram were stealing, and the watchman chased them. <br />They jumped in a hole, but Ram's horns stuck out.<br />The watchman tripped on the horns. Ram was going to scream but Anansi hissed, "Shush!"<br />The watchman kicked the horns. "That hurts," Ram said. "Quiet!" said Anansi.<br />Then the watchman sawed off the horns. "I can't stand it!" Ram screamed.<br />The watchman grabbed Ram and took him to court.<br />"Anansi was thieving too!" said Ram.<br />"I was not!" shouted Anansi.<br />Ram and Anansi fought, and Ram butted Anansi up on the roof.<br />Spiders stay up on the roof even now.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-stolen-pig.html"><br />~ 91. Anansi and the Stolen Pig ~</a><br />Anansi stole a pig.<br />Then he went to the river for water to make stew, and River-Snake grabbed him.<br />"I'll let you go if you share your stew with me," said River-Snake.<br />Anansi agreed.<br />They went to where Anansi had tied the pig.<br />River-Snake said, "I'll soften the pig up for you!" He swallowed the pig in one gulp.<br />Anansi called to Crow, "Hey Crow! Carry River-Snake away from here!"<br />Crow carried River-Snake away, but River-Snake was heavy and Crow dropped him.<br />River-Snake fell down, burst open, and the pig jumped out.<br />Anansi made the stew and ate it all.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-snake-and-rock.html"><br />~ 92. Anansi, Snake, and the Rock ~</a><br />Snake was trapped under a big rock.<br />"Save me!" Snake shouted when Anansi walked by.<br />"No!" said Anansi. "You'll eat me."<br />"I won't eat you, I promise!" shouted Snake. "I'll be your friend forever!"<br />Anansi rolled away the rock.<br />"Now I'm going to eat you!" said Snake.<br />"That's not fair!" said Anansi.<br />Agouti walked by. "Be our judge, Agouti!" they said.<br />"Well," said Agouti, "you better show me what happened."<br />"I was under this rock," said Snake, and then Anansi rolled the rock back on Snake.<br />"Leave him!" said Agouti. "He'll have to find some other fool who trusts him."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-agouti-and-fish-traps.html"><br />~ 93. Anansi, Agouti and the Fish-Traps ~</a><br />Anansi and Agouti were fishing partners.<br />They checked their fish-traps: there were many fish, but the fish were small.<br />"There will be bigger fish tomorrow," said Anansi. "You take these."<br />"You take them," said Agouti. "I'll take the bigger fish tomorrow."<br />The next day, there were bigger fish, but only a few.<br />"There will be more fish tomorrow," said Anansi. "You take these."<br />"You take them," said Agouti. "I'll take more fish tomorrow."<br />So it went, day after day: Anansi got all the fish, and Agouti got none because he preferred the fish of tomorrow to the fish of today.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-chasing-goat.html"><br />~ 94. Anansi Chasing the Goat ~</a><br />"I'm going to eat you, Goat!" said Anansi.<br />"You can't catch me!" said Goat.<br />So Goat ran, and because Goats run fast, he got away.<br />A few days later, it rained, and Goat ran to the nearest house.<br />It was Anansi's house!<br />Anansi opened the door and sang:<br />"Rain made this meat run here for me to eat!<br />Thank you, Rain! I'll sing it again..."<br />When Goat heard this song, he knew to stand back.<br />Anansi kept singing; Goat kept backing away.<br />Then Goat began running, and Anansi ran after him.<br />For all I know, Anansi is chasing him still!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-baboon.html"><br />~ 95. Anansi and Baboon ~</a><br />"I'm fatter than you!" Anansi said to Baboon.<br />"No!" said Baboon. "I'm fatter!"<br />They stood before the fire to see who melted the most fat.<br />Anansi didn't melt any fat, but Baboon oozed lots of fat.<br />Baboon's fat smelled so good that Anansi ate Baboon, but the bits in his stomach turned back into Baboon. Anansi felt sick!<br />The doctor told Anansi to put a banana in his mouth. "Baboon will come out to get the banana and run out your mouth."<br />It worked!<br />Anansi was glad to get Baboon out of his stomach.<br />And even now Baboons love bananas.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-rat.html"><br />~ 96. Anansi and Rat ~</a><br />Rat liked to dress up in fine clothes, acting like he was better than everyone else.<br />Rat's proud ways made Anansi angry. <br />So, at the next big dance, when Anansi's band was playing, Anansi got his revenge.<br />"Strut your stuff, Rat!" shouted Anansi. "Show us what you've got!"<br />Rat started to dance.<br />Then Anansi played faster. And Rat danced faster.<br />Anansi played even faster. And Rat danced even faster, jumping and leaping, twirling and whirling.<br />RIP!<br />Rat's pants tore right down the middle.<br />Anansi laughed. Everybody laughed.<br />Rat ran and hid in his hole, and that's where Rat stays today.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-elephant.html"><br />~ 97. Anansi and Elephant ~</a><br />Elephant was boss of the work-gang.<br />"Go fetch water!" Elephant said to one of the workmen.<br />Anansi was there at the water-hole, playing his fiddle:<br />Zing a ting-ting! Zing a ting-ting!<br />The music made the man start dancing.<br />He couldn't stop dancing.<br />Elephant came looking. "Where's that water?" he shouted.<br />Anansi stopped playing. The man stopped dancing.<br />"Give me that gourd!" said Elephant. "I'll fill it myself!"<br />Then Anansi started playing. Elephant dropped the gourd and started dancing. <br />Anansi played and Elephant danced ... until Elephant dropped dead.<br />Then Anansi cut off his head and made it into a drinking cup.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-gun.html"><br />~ 98. Anansi and the Gun ~</a><br />Anansi borrowed Gun from Hunter.<br />"Rejoice!" Anansi shouted. "Gun is dead!"<br />Then Anansi invited all the animals to come to Gun's funeral.<br />Gun had killed many animals, so this was good news. All the animals were glad that Gun was dead.<br />Anansi carried Gun up to the top of a ladder. "I will conduct Gun's funeral now!" Anansi said to the animals. "Come line up and bow your heads."<br />The animals bowed their heads, waiting for the funeral to begin, and then Anansi fired Gun at the animals.<br />He killed and ate them all.<br />Beware of Anansi: he's very cunning!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-blacksnake.html"><br />~ 99. Anansi and Blacksnake ~</a><br />Anansi and Blacksnake used to be friends.<br />"Share your food with me," said Anansi.<br />"I'll share," said Blacksnake. "But you must pay: I'll lash you with my tail later."<br />Then Anansi prepared a feast. "Who wants a feast?" he shouted.<br />"I do!" said Goat.<br />Goat enjoyed Anansi's feast.<br />Then they heard a knock at the door.<br />"Answer the door," Anansi told Goat.<br />Goat answered the door. <br />It was Blacksnake! His tail lashed out and cut Goat in two.<br />Then Blacksnake slithered off into the dark, thinking he had killed Anansi.<br />But Anansi was alive, and he ate Goat for dessert.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-skinny-sheep.html"><br />~ 100. Anansi and the Skinny Sheep ~</a><br />There was a famine.<br />There wasn't any food to eat, and the animals were getting thinner and thinner.<br />Anansi met Sheep and said, "You're looking very skinny, Sheep!"<br />"It's the famine, Anansi," said Sheep. "There's no food to eat."<br />"I bet you're so light now I could carry you," said Anansi. "Let's see!"<br />So Sheep got on Anansi's back.<br />Then Anansi carried Sheep to his house and threw Sheep into the stew pot.<br />Anansi and his wife ate Sheep.<br />The same with Goat.<br />The same with Dog.<br />That's how Anansi and his wife got food to eat during the famine.</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-26108546236729103882021-01-14T12:04:00.000-05:002021-01-14T12:04:12.777-05:00Reading C: Tales of Anansi (100 Words)<div><p>You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.</p><p>You'll want to click on track 101 to start the audio portion for this section:</p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1155257824&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-of-anansi" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales of Anansi">Tiny Tales of Anansi</a></div><br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-cow.html">~ 101. Anansi and Cow ~</a><br />Anansi put cane-liquor in a gourd and went walking.<br />He met Cow and offered him a taste.<br />"Delicious!" said Cow.<br />"Come live with me!" Anansi said. "I'll give you liquor! Just let me put this willow-rope over your horns and lead you to my house."<br />Anansi led Cow home and tied the rope to a tree.<br />"I'll go get you more liquor!" Anansi said.<br />Anansi came back with a machete, but when he went to cut Cow's head off, he accidentally cut the rope and Cow ran off.<br />"Cow! Come back! I was just joking!"<br />Cow never trusted Anansi again.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-sheep-and-their-spoons.html"><br />~ 102. Anansi and Sheep and their Spoons ~</a><br />Anansi and Sheep were out walking. They each carried a spoon.<br />"Your spoon sure looks heavy!" Anansi said. "Bury it here. You can come fetch it when we find food."<br />Sheep buried his spoon.<br />Finally they found a house with food.<br />"Go get your spoon!" said Anansi.<br />Then, when Sheep was gone, Anansi ate all the food.<br />Sheep came back. "I'm hungry! And I'm tired from carrying my spoon!"<br />"Well, leave the spoon here," said Anansi.<br />They found another house at dinnertime. Sheep went back to get his spoon, and Anansi ate all the dinner.<br />Sheep didn't get anything again.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-horse-share-plantains.html"><br />~ 103. Anansi and Horse Share Plantains ~</a><br />Anansi and Horse harvested some plantains.<br />"I'm hungry!" said Horse.<br />"Me too!" said Anansi. "But we need a cooking-fire. See that fire?" Anansi pointed at a distant house. "Go get fire there!"<br />Horse galloped off.<br />Then Anansi got his tinder-box, made a fire, and roasted the plantains. He ate and ate; just four were left when Horse came back.<br />"A man came, gave me fire, but then he stole the roasted plantains!" said Anansi. "I fought him and saved these four. You take two and I'll take two."<br />"You're a good friend, Anansi!" said Horse, and they shared the plantains.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-bros.html"><br />~ 104. Anansi and the Brothers ~</a><br />Anansi had a vision. "We can all be brothers!" he shouted.<br />Anansi got a wagon and went to all the animals, preaching the gospel of brotherhood. "Brother Dog! Brother Hog! Brother Rabbit! Brother Hawk! Brother Monkey! Brother Tiger! Let's celebrate our brotherhood. I'll carry food for the party in my wagon. Come to my house tomorrow!"<br />The animals loaded Anansi's wagon with food and drink.<br />"See you tomorrow!" said Anansi.<br />That night Anansi ate and drank till he couldn't eat or drink anymore.<br />The animals came the next day, not guessing how much Anansi stole for himself the night before.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-chicken.html"><br />~ 105. Anansi and the Chicken ~</a><br />Anansi was hungry.<br />He put his mother up in a tree, giving her a rope and a stick.<br />Then Anansi sat at the foot of the tree, grinning.<br />Chicken walked by. "Why are you grinning?" she asked.<br />"I'm grinning because my treehouse is nice and cool, and it's full of food."<br />"I'm so hungry!" said Chicken. "Let me visit your treehouse, Anansi!"<br />"Okay," said Anansi.<br />Then he sang, "Mama, Mama, drop the rope."<br />Anansi tied Chicken to the rope. "Mama, Mama, haul her up."<br />Then Anansi shouted, "Mama, Mama, use the stick!"<br />Anansi's mother killed Chicken, and they ate her.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-screech-owl.html"><br />~ 106. Anansi and Screech-Owl ~</a><br />Anansi organized a dance and asked Screech-Owl and his band to play.<br />Screech-Owl can only go out at night, so he brought Rooster to warn him when dawn came.<br />But Anansi had a plan: he wanted to catch Screech-Owl at dawn and eat him for breakfast. So Anansi soaked corn in rum and fed that corn to Rooster. <br />Rooster got drunk and passed out.<br />Dawn was coming; Rooster didn't sing out.<br />Dawn came; Rooster didn't sing out.<br />Anansi grabbed Screech-Owl, strangled him, and ate him.<br />Then Anansi took over Screech-Owl's band.<br />That's how Anansi got to be the best music-man.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-john-crow.html"><br />~ 107. Anansi and John Crow ~</a><br />Anansi threw a big party, and John Crow was the best dancer there. <br />John Crow danced even better than Anansi, and that made Anansi mad.<br />As soon as the porridge was hot, Anansi said, "Dance on up here, John Crow, and I'll give you some of this hot porridge."<br />So John Crow went strutting up to the porridge pot.<br />Then Anansi grabbed the ladle and poured hot porridge on John Crow's head, and it stripped his head feathers clean off.<br />That's why John Crow has a bald head to this day: Anansi burned his feathers off with the hot porridge!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-dove.html"><br />~ 108. Anansi and Dove ~</a><br />Dove was planting peas. <br />"Peas grow strong if you burn the roots," said Anansi.<br />Dove burned the roots, and the plants died.<br />Dove wanted revenge. <br />He put his mother in a coffin and gave her a bag of money. Then he began sobbing. "My mother died!"<br />Anansi came running.<br />"Mother, send me something from heaven!" said Dove.<br />Dove's mother threw the money out of the coffin.<br />Anansi ran home and killed his mother, put her in a coffin, and said, "Mother, send me something from heaven!"<br />No money came out of the coffin.<br />That's how Dove got revenge on Anansi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-pelicans.html"><br />~ 109. Anansi and the Pelicans ~</a><br />The Pelicans invited Anansi to a party on Pelican Island.<br />"I'd like to go with you, but I can't fly," said Anansi.<br />"We can make you wings with our feathers," said the Pelicans. <br />Each of the Pelicans contributed a few feathers, and they made a beautiful pair of wings for Anansi.<br />Anansi flew to the island with the Pelicans. <br />When Anansi got to the party, he ate all the food and he drank all the drinks. <br />This made the Pelicans angry, and they took back all their feathers.<br />Then the Pelicans flew away, and Anansi was trapped on the island.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-doves-wings.html"><br />~ 110. Anansi and Dove's Wings ~</a><br />"You're so fat!" Anansi said to Dove. "Show me where you eat!"<br />Dove made wings for Anansi, and they flew to the feeding-trees by the river.<br />Dove landed on a tree and started eating, but Anansi said, "That tree's mine!" and ate all the fruit.<br />Dove flew to another tree.<br />"That's mine!" Anansi said and ate all the fruit.<br />Finally Anansi ate so much he fell asleep.<br />Dove was angry, so she took Anansi's wings off and then she flew away.<br />When Anansi woke up, he said, "Hey, where are my wings?"<br />Greedy Anansi then fell into the river and drowned.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-dung-beetle.html"><br />~ 111. Anansi and Dung-Beetle ~</a><br />Anansi and Dung-Beetle both had some money.<br />Anansi said, "Let's buy some plantains."<br />Beetle said, "And butter!"<br />Then they argued: Anansi wouldn't share the plantains, and Beetle wouldn't share the butter.<br />Finally Anansi hit Beetle and killed him.<br />"Uh-oh!" said Anansi, and he ran off.<br />But Beetle wasn't really dead: he had fooled Anansi! Then Beetle ate everything. <br />Next, Beetle found Anansi in the woods. He hid in the bushes, shouting, "Heard the news? Heard the news?"<br />"What news?" said Anansi.<br />"Anansi killed Beetle! They're coming to get him!"<br />Anansi ran away into Dead Man Country; there he stays.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/butterflys-revenge.html"><br />~ 112. Butterfly's Revenge ~</a><br />Butterfly was tired of Anansi's tricks. He wanted revenge, so he hid in Anansi's basket. <br />When Anansi got home and opened the basket, Butterfly flew out and landed on Anansi's son's head.<br />"Stand still!" Anansi shouted. "Don't move!"<br />Anansi hit his son on the head and killed him, but not Butterfly.<br />Then Butterfly flew on Anansi's wife's head.<br />"Don't move!"<br />Anansi hit her on the head and killed her too, but not Butterfly.<br />Then Butterfly landed on Anansi's head, so Anansi ran to the roof and threw himself down headfirst.<br />Anansi killed himself, but not Butterfly.<br />Butterfly flew away, laughing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-cockroach.html"><br />~ 113. Anansi and Cockroach ~</a><br />One day Anansi and Cockroach made a bargain to work all day together weeding the vegetable garden.<br />But when Cockroach knocked at the door, Anansi groaned, "I'm too sick to go, Cockroach. I've got a fever!"<br />Then, after Cockroach was gone, Anansi started to sing: "Garden too far, too hot, rikity-tikity-tot. Garden too hot, too far, rikity-tikity-rar."<br />Cockroach stopped when he heard Anansi singing and shouted, "You can't fool me, Anansi!"<br />Anansi shouted back, "No, it's the fever, Cockroach, I swear!"<br />And while Cockroach was shouting, Cat heard him.<br />Then Cat came and ate Cockroach.<br />Nobody weeded the vegetable garden.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-beetle.html"><br />~ 114. Anansi and Beetle ~</a><br />Anansi and Beetle were both courting the king's daughter.<br />"Bring your jars full of money," said the king. "She will marry the one with the most money."<br />Beetle filled a jar with money, but Anansi filled his jar with dung. Then he waited for Beetle.<br />"It's hot today," said Anansi. "Have a beer!"<br />"Thanks, Anansi!" said Beetle.<br />While Beetle was drinking, Anansi swapped the jars.<br />Then at the palace, Anansi poured out money from his jar, but Beetle just poured out dung.<br />"Disgusting!" shouted Anansi. "Clean it up, Beetle!"<br />And that's why Dung-Beetle is still rolling dung to this day.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-bullfrogs.html"><br />~ 115. Anansi and the Bullfrogs ~</a><br />You've seen how Bullfrogs are always jumping. <br />That's Anansi's fault, because he tricked the Bullfrogs long ago.<br />Anansi went to the pond one day and shouted, "Hey there, Bullfrogs! I've got good news: I caught Alligator. You don't have to worry about him anymore."<br />Anansi was lying, but the Bullfrogs believed him. "Thank you, Anansi!" they said. "Thank you so much!"<br />The next day Anansi told them, "Watch out! Alligator got away." Then Anansi pointed. "Look there! He's right behind you!"<br />Anansi was lying, but the Bullfrogs believed him.<br />The Bullfrogs started jumping.<br />And they're still jumping to this day!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-whale-and-elephant.html"><br />~ 116. Anansi, Whale, and Elephant ~</a><br />"I'm so strong!" boasted Whale.<br />"I'm stronger!" boasted Anansi. "I'll pull you onto the land."<br />Whale just laughed. "I'd like to see that!"<br />Then Anansi went to Elephant. "I'll pull you into the ocean!"<br />Elephant just laughed. "I'd like to see that!"<br />Anansi tied a rope to Elephant's tail. "I'll tell you when I'm ready!"<br />Next, he tied the rope to Whale's tail. "I'll tell you when I'm ready!"<br />Anansi hid in the bushes. "I'm going to pull now!"<br />So Elephant pulled.<br />And Whale pulled.<br />"Anansi really is strong!" they thought.<br />Whale and Elephant both pulled so hard they died.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-whale.html"><br />~ 117. Anansi and Whale ~</a><br />Anansi was stuck on an island.<br />"Help!" he yelled.<br />"I'll carry you to shore," said Whale. "Jump on!"<br />Anansi jumped on.<br />"I'm hungry!" said Anansi. "I want fish!" <br />Whale tossed a fish up to Anansi.<br />Then Anansi muttered to himself, "My children will kill Whale and we'll eat him on shore." <br />"What's that?" asked Whale.<br />"I just said I want some more!" <br />Whale threw Anansi more fish.<br />They got to shore, and Anansi yelled, "Children, come kill Whale!"<br />This made Whale angry. He threw Anansi down, smashed him, and filled Anansi's body with sand.<br />That was the end of Anansi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-shark-and-fish.html"><br />~ 118. Anansi, Shark, and the Fish ~</a><br />Anansi was talking with Shark in the sea.<br />"You catch the fish," said Anansi, "and I'll cook them for you. Then I'll bring the cooked fish back to you in the water."<br />"I like cooked fish," said Shark, and he caught lots of fish. "Cook us a good fish soup!"<br />Then Anansi made a fire and put the fish in boiling water.<br />"Come dance and sing while I cook!" Anansi said to Shark.<br />When Shark started dancing on the beach, Anansi threw the boiling water on him.<br />Then Anansi ate all the fish by himself, and he ate Shark too.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-alligator-and-pepper-pot-soup.html"><br />~ 119. Anansi, Alligator, and the Pepper-Pot Soup ~</a><br />Alligator and Anansi cooked a pot of pepper-pot soup. <br />Then Alligator challenged Anansi to a diving contest. "Whoever wins gets all the soup!"<br />"Okay," said Anansi. "You go first."<br />Alligator dived deep deep deep down into the river.<br />Meanwhile, Anansi ate the soup.<br />When Alligator emerged, Anansi shouted, "Monkeys came and ate the soup!"<br />Then Anansi ran to Monkey-Town; he was faster than Alligator, so he got there first.<br />He taught the Monkeys a song: "We love pepper-pot, we love pepper-pot soup!"<br />The Monkeys sang the song.<br />When Alligator heard them singing, he shouted "Thieves!" <br />Alligator ate all the Monkeys!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-crabs.html"><br />~ 120. Anansi and the Crabs ~</a><br />Anansi dressed up in a black preaching-gown and preached to the Crabs in Crab Town.<br />But the Crabs ignored Anansi.<br />The next time Anansi went to Crab Town, he brought Rat with his drum, Blackbird with his fiddle, and Toad with his flute. <br />Anansi preached while Rat, Blackbird and Toad played, and the Crabs all danced, shouting "Hallelujah!"<br />Next Anansi said, "It's baptizing time!"<br />First Anansi baptized Rat, Toad, and Blackbird with cold water. "Hallelujah!" they shouted.<br />"Now baptize us!" said the Crabs, but this time Anansi used boiling water.<br />Then Anansi and his band ate up all the Crabs.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-fish-children.html"><br />~ 121. Anansi and the Fish-Children ~</a><br />"Our mother's sick!" said the Fish-children.<br />"I'll cure her," Anansi said. "Give me a frying pan and some oil. I'll tell you when she's cured."<br />The Fish-children agreed, and Anansi fried the mother and ate her.<br />"Come in now!" he said.<br />"Where's our mother?" said the Fish-children.<br />"I ate her!" said Anansi.<br />The Fish were angry. "We're going to kill you!" they said, and they grabbed Anansi.<br />"Just don't burn me in the trash-heap!" shouted Anansi. "Whatever you do, don't burn me in the trash-heap!"<br />When the Fish-children put him in the trash-heap, Anansi scurried away, laughing at the Fish-children.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-in-fish-country.html"><br />~ 122. Anansi in Fish-Country ~</a><br />Anansi went to Fish-Country, pretending to be a doctor.<br />A fat mama-fish came to see him. "My eyes hurt," she said.<br />"I can cure that!" said Anansi.<br />Anansi accompanied her home and locked her in a room. Next, he taught her children a song: "Bim-Bam-Bye, heal my mother's eye."<br />Anansi entered the locked room, fried the fish, and ate her. Then he arranged her bones on the bed.<br />"Keep on singing, but leave her alone for two hours!" he said to the children. "I'll check on her tomorrow."<br />The fish-children even paid Anansi.<br />"Bim-Bam-Bye!" Anansi sang as he ran away.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-barrel-of-eggs.html"><br />~ 123. Anansi and the Barrel of Eggs ~</a><br />Anansi fell in the river, and the Fish found him. They took him to their home.<br />There was a barrel of eggs in their kitchen.<br />In the night, Anansi ate the eggs; he only left one.<br />In the morning, the Fish-Mother said, "Children, bring me the eggs to count."<br />"Let the Fish-Children sleep," said Anansi. "I'll bring the eggs."<br />So Anansi brought one egg, and she marked it with ash.<br />"Bring another," she said.<br />Anansi wiped off the ash-mark and brought the same egg again.<br />When the Fish-Mother was done counting she said, "Thank you, Anansi! You're a good helper."<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-fish-childrens-canoe.html"><br />~ 124. Anansi and the Fish-Children's Canoe ~</a><br />Anansi ate the eggs in the Fish-Mother's barrel, but she didn't know it.<br />"Take me home now!" he said to the Fish-Children.<br />So Anansi and the Fish-Children got in a canoe and began crossing the river.<br />Meanwhile, the Fish-Mother discovered what Anansi had done. "HE ATE ALL THE EGGS!" she yelled. "COME BACK!"<br />"What did she say?" asked the Fish-Children.<br />"She said: Squall's coming! Row fast!"<br />When they came ashore, Anansi grabbed the Fish-Children.<br />"HELP! HELP!" yelled the Fish-Children, but their mother couldn't hear them.<br />Then Anansi fried the fish and ate them.<br />That's how people learned to eat fish.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/turtle-and-anansis-yams.html"><br />~ 125. Turtle and Anansi's Yams ~</a><br />Anansi was roasting yams, but he did not want to share them, so he scattered ashes in the path leading to his house.<br />Turtle smelled the yams, and he was hungry. He came to Anansi's house. <br />"May I share your dinner?" Turtle asked.<br />"Yes," said Anansi, "but you must wash your hands in the stream first."<br />Turtle washed his hands carefully and came back through the ashes.<br />"Your hands are still dirty!" said Anansi. "Go wash again!"<br />Turtle went and washed, but again his hands got dirty walking to Anansi's house.<br />And again.<br />Turtle never got to eat the yams!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/turtle-invites-anansi-to-dinner.html"><br />~ 126. Turtle Invites Anansi to Dinner ~</a><br />Turtle wanted revenge on Anansi, so he invited him for dinner.<br />When Anansi came to the pond, Turtle told him, "Dive down! Dinner's in my house at the bottom of the pond."<br />Turtle dived in, and Anansi dived in. But Anansi was so light he couldn't swim down like Turtle could. Anansi pushed as hard as he could, but he bobbed to the surface.<br />Then Anansi put rocks in his pockets.<br />That helped, but not enough.<br />So he gathered more rocks.<br />And more rocks.<br />And when he got to Turtle's house, dinner was over: Turtle had eaten all the food!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/turtle-and-anansi-make-bet.html"><br />~ 127. Turtle and Anansi Make a Bet ~</a><br />Turtle got rich, and Anansi was jealous.<br />Anansi put what little money he had in the bank and went to see Turtle.<br />"We've both got money in the bank," said Anansi. "Let's race along the river! The winner will take all the money."<br />Turtle agreed. Then he arranged with the Turtle family to hide themselves in the river-grass. They all looked alike!<br />The race started, and Turtles were popping up ahead of Anansi at every turn.<br />The last one was Mr. Turtle hiding by the finish line.<br />"I'm the winner!" he said.<br />Anansi never figured out how Turtle did it.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-turtle-make-another-bet.html"><br />~ 128. Anansi and Turtle Make Another Bet ~</a><br />After Turtle won the race, Anansi and Turtle went to the bank.<br />The banker gave Turtle a sack with all the money: Turtle's money, and Anansi's too.<br />They walked home together. "How did he win that race?" Anansi wondered. "He's so slow!"<br />When they reached the pond, Anansi said, "Let's make a new bet: whoever dives longest gets the money."<br />Turtle knew he could win this time too: he was a good diver.<br />So Turtle jumped in and swam down down down deep. After a long time, he came back up.<br />Anansi was gone. And so was all the money!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-takes-advice-from-turtle.html"><br />~ 129. Anansi Takes Advice from Turtle ~</a><br />Anansi caught Turtle in a trap.<br />"I'll cook you for supper!" said Anansi.<br />"Just be sure to take me out of the water as soon as it starts boiling," said Turtle. "Otherwise, my fat will melt away."<br />Anansi put Turtle in a pot of water, and then he put the pot on the fire.<br />Turtle blew as hard as he could, making bubbles.<br />Anansi thought the water was boiling, so he took Turtle out of the pot and went to set the table, singing, "Turtle supper, yum-yum-yum!"<br />When Anansi returned, Turtle was gone.<br />Turtle went home singing, "Fooled Anansi, ha-ha-ha!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-kings-cow.html"><br />~ 130. Anansi and the King's Cow ~</a><br />Anansi accidentally killed the king's cow.<br />Not wanting to be blamed, he put the cow in a mango tree.<br />"Let's pick mangoes!" he then told Tacoomah. "Whack the tree with your stick."<br />The cow fell down!<br />"You must tell the king you killed his cow," Anansi said.<br />But Tacoomah decided to trick Anansi.<br />"I confessed," Tacoomah said later, "and the king rewarded my honesty by giving me the beef."<br />Anansi ran to the king. "I killed the cow! It should be mine to eat!"<br />The king kicked Anansi, breaking him into thousands of pieces.<br />That's where little spiders come from!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-preacher-and-cockroachs-coconut.html"><br />~ 131. Anansi the Preacher and Cockroach's Coconut ~</a><br />Anansi was the king's preacher, and the king gave him a black suit.<br />Anansi was proud of his preacher-suit.<br />Cockroach was Anansi's neighbor, and Cockroach's coconut tree grew near Anansi's house. There was a coconut dangling from a branch hanging over Anansi's land. Anansi took that coconut!<br />"That was mine!" shouted Cockroach.<br />"It was on my side!" shouted Anansi.<br />Cockroach waited till Anansi put his preacher-suit on the clothesline to dry.<br />When the wind blew it to Cockroach's side, he snipped the suit in half.<br />Anansi was embarrassed!<br />He couldn't preach on Sunday, and the king threw him in prison.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-king-banishes-anansi.html"><br />~ 132. The King Banishes Anansi ~</a><br />Anansi kept playing tricks on the king.<br />Finally the king shouted, "I don't ever want to see your face again!"<br />Anansi left the palace in disgrace.<br />Later there was a royal parade. Anansi wanted to go to the parade, so he put a pot on his head, hiding his face.<br />As the king passed, Anansi stuck his butt in the air towards the king.<br />"Whose butt is that?" shouted the king. "That looks like Anansi's butt!"<br />"You told me you never wanted to see my face again," shouted Anansi from inside the pot. "You never said anything about my butt!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-fire-in-kings-palace.html"><br />~ 133. Anansi and the Fire in the King's Palace ~</a><br />Anansi set fire to the king's palace.<br />"Who set fire to my palace?" shouted the king. "I'll reward whoever finds the criminal!"<br />"You need to have a party," Anansi said to the king. "That's how you will find the criminal."<br />Then Anansi went to see Goat. <br />"Let's go to the king's party together, Goat!" he said. "I'll play while you sing this song: I set the fire, O, I set the fire, O!"<br />Goat was happy to go to the party.<br />Anansi played and Goat sang, "I set the fire, O!"<br />The king locked Goat in prison and rewarded Anansi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-watermelon.html"><br />~ 134. Anansi and the Watermelon ~</a><br />Anansi made a hole in Goat's watermelon and feasted.<br />Then Anansi was too fat to get out!<br />Goat came.<br />"Hello, Goat!" said Anansi from inside the watermelon.<br />"The king will want this talking watermelon!" said Goat, and he carried the watermelon to the king's palace.<br />"I brought you a talking watermelon," said Goat.<br />"Show me!" said the king.<br />The watermelon said nothing.<br />"Talk, you stupid watermelon!" shouted the king.<br />"I'm not stupid!" said Anansi. "You're the one talking to a watermelon."<br />The king grabbed the watermelon and threw it against the wall.<br />Out popped Anansi, and he ran away, laughing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-anteater.html"><br />~ 135. Anansi and Anteater ~</a><br />Anansi was sneaking into the king's elephant park at night, crawling into the elephant's stomach and nibbling on the elephant meat.<br />Anteater saw that Anansi was getting fat this way.<br />"Take me with you!" said Anteater.<br />"Only if you promise to just nibble," said Anansi.<br />"I promise!" said Anteater.<br />They went together inside the elephant and nibbled.<br />"It's time to go," said Anansi.<br />But Anteater would not go. "Just a little more," he said.<br />Anansi left, and Anteater kept eating.<br />Then the elephant fell down dead.<br />The king was angry. He cut open the elephant, found Anteater, and killed him.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/anansi-had-made-king-angry.html"><br />~ 136. Anansi, Tiger, and the King's Daughter ~</a><br />Anansi had made the king angry.<br />"I'll boil you to death!" said the king, and he tied Anansi to a tree while he went to get the soup-pot.<br />Tiger came by. "Who tied you up?" he asked.<br />"The king tied me up!" said Anansi. "He's going to force me to marry his daughter."<br />"I want to marry the king's daughter!" shouted Tiger. "You tie me there!"<br />So Tiger untied Anansi, and Anansi tied Tiger.<br />Then the king came back. "This pot's not big enough!" he said when he saw Tiger there, so he beat Tiger with the soup ladle instead.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-contest-for-kings-daughter.html"><br />~ 137. The Contest for the King's Daughter ~</a><br />The king had a beautiful daughter. <br />"Whoever can dance this big stone into smoke will marry the princess," said the king.<br />Men came and danced on the stone, but they couldn't make it smoke.<br />Anansi gathered ashes and put them in his pockets, and then he went to the palace.<br />"I'm going to marry the princess!" he shouted.<br />Anansi danced on the big stone, singing "Ying-ee-ding-ee-ding, princess for me," and he let the ashes fly.<br />"Ying-ee-ding-ee-ding, princess for me," Anansi sang, letting more ashes fly.<br />Everyone thought Anansi was dancing the stone to smoke.<br />That's how Anansi married the princess!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-kings-daughter-and-anansi.html"><br />~ 138. The King's Daughter and Anansi ~</a><br />The king had a daughter who didn't talk. <br />"Whoever can make the princess talk will marry her," said the king.<br />Anansi wanted to marry the princess, so he asked Hog for help. "Oink-oink!" said Hog.<br />"You're no help!" said Anansi.<br />Same with Goat who said "Baaaaaah!" and Chicken who went "Cluck-cluck!"<br />Then Anansi asked Peacock, and Peacock shrieked, "Chirry-way! Chirry-way! Chirry-way!"<br />"Come with me!" said Anansi happily.<br />They went to the palace. Peacock sang and Anansi danced. <br />The princess smiled, then she hummed, then she sang and started talking.<br />Anansi got the princess, and the king painted Peacock with gold.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-ballinder-bull.html"><br />~ 139. Anansi and Ballinder Bull ~</a><br />"We need a hero to kill Ballinder Bull!" proclaimed the king.<br />A little boy took his seven arrows and shot that bull: an arrow in each foot and ear, and one for the head. He took the bull's golden teeth and tongue as proof.<br />Anansi then found the dead bull, and he cut off the bull's head.<br />"I'm the hero!" Anansi sang, waving the bull's head.<br />"But I've got the bull's tongue and the teeth!" shouted the boy.<br />"You are the hero!" said the king to the boy.<br />Anansi ran and hid under the woodpile, and he's hiding there still.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-timber.html"><br />~ 140. Anansi and the Timber ~</a><br />"Bring my timber from the woods!" commanded the king. <br />Nobody could move the timber except one old man.<br />He had a magic spell that made the timber leap.<br />Mile by mile by mile, the old man made the timber leap. <br />Finally the timber landed in the palace.<br />Anansi ran there first. "I brought the timber!" he shouted.<br />"Put the timber there in the corner," said the king.<br />Anansi couldn't move the timber.<br />The old man came and used his magic to move the timber.<br />To escape the angry king, Anansi hid under a rock, and he's still hiding there now.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-angel.html"><br />~ 141. Anansi the Angel ~</a><br />Anansi wanted the priest's ring, so he dressed up like an angel.<br />When the priest saw a light in the church that night, he came to investigate.<br />"I'm an angel!" said Anansi. "I'll take you to heaven. Just get in this sack!"<br />Anansi then flew around with the sack. "You have an earthly possession that's holding you back," he said.<br />"It must be my ring," said the priest, and he gave the ring to Anansi.<br />Then Anansi flew to the chicken-coop and left the priest there.<br />The priest's housemaid was surprised when she found the priest there in the morning.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-six-sons.html"><br />~ 142. Anansi and the Six Sons ~</a><br />A mother had six sons. <br />When she got sick, her sons looked for a doctor.<br />"I'm a doctor!" said Anansi. "To cure your mother, I need yams, plantains, and butter."<br />The six sons brought Anansi yams, plantains, and butter.<br />"Now lock me and your mother in the kitchen for seven days," said Anansi.<br />Anansi ate the yams, plantains, and butter. He ate the mother too!<br />That was the first day. Then Anansi ran off.<br />After seven days, the sons opened the door.<br />No Anansi, no mother.<br />No yams, no plantains, no butter.<br />Just the mother's bones lying on the floor.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-pot-of-wisdom.html"><br />~ 143. Anansi and the Pot of Wisdom ~</a><br />Anansi gathered all the wisdom and put it in a pot. <br />"All for me!" he said.<br />Next, Anansi wanted to hide the pot in a tree. He hung the pot around his neck and went to the tallest tree, but the pot was in the way. He couldn't reach his arms around the tree to climb it.<br />A boy saw Anansi and laughed. "Sling the pot around your back, fool!" he said.<br />This made Anansi mad, and he realized he didn't have all the wisdom after all.<br />Anansi threw down the pot. It broke, and the wisdom inside spread everywhere.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-cooks.html"><br />~ 144. Anansi and the Cooks ~</a><br />Anansi went walking.<br />He smelled yams cooking. Anansi wanted yams!<br />"Tie this string around my waist," Anansi said to the cook. "Then tug when the yams are ready."<br />Anansi kept walking.<br />Next, Anansi smelled beans cooking. Anansi wanted beans!<br />"Tie this string around my waist," Anansi said, "and tug when the beans are ready."<br />Then Anansi smelled greens. Another string around his waist.<br />Stew. Another string around his waist.<br />Finally the yam-cook pulled the string.<br />The bean-cook pulled too!<br />And the greens-cook. And the stew-cook.<br />All the strings pulled tight around Anansi's waist. That's why his waist is narrow today!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-mans-horses.html"><br />~ 145. Anansi and the Man's Horses ~</a><br />Anansi was working in a man's stable.<br />The man came to inspect his horses. "Where's my chestnut horse?"<br />"He's grazing in the pasture," said Anansi, but Anansi had already eaten that horse.<br />The man came another day. "Where's my black horse?"<br />"He's grazing," said Anansi.<br />Another day: "Where's my sorrel horse?"<br />"He's grazing."<br />Finally the man realized Anansi had eaten his horses.<br />"I'll kill you!" the man said.<br />"Kill me!" shouted Anansi. "I don't care. Just don't throw me in that spiderweb."<br />The angry man threw Anansi in the web, and Anansi just laughed. "I spun this web!" Anansi said.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/quanqua-and-anansis-ox.html"><br />~ 146. Quanqua and Anansi's Ox ~</a><br />There was a man named Quanqua who lived by the river.<br />He saw Mrs. Anansi driving an ox-cart, but the ox wouldn't cross the river. <br />"I must get Anansi to help me!" she said, and she ran back home.<br />After she was gone, Quanqua killed the ox and cut off the tail. He then buried the tail sticking up out of the ground and carried away the rest.<br />When Anansi came, Quanqua shouted, "Your ox jumped down into the ground!"<br />Anansi grabbed the tail and pulled, and the tail came out.<br />"The ox must have gotten away!" said Quanqua, laughing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/white-yams-and-red.html"><br />~ 147. White Yams and Red ~</a><br />Quanqua stole Anansi's ox, and Anansi wanted revenge.<br />Pretending to be friendly, Anansi invited Quanqua to a feast.<br />"You bring white yams, and I'll bring red," said Anansi. "We'll cook a great feast together."<br />Quanqua brought lots of white yams.<br />"I've just got one red yam," said Anansi, "but I'm not very hungry. One will be enough for me."<br />They put the yams in the pot to cook.<br />"White for you, and red for me!" said Anansi, and when they opened the pot, Anansi's red yam had turned the whole porridge red!<br />Anansi ate everything, and Quanqua went away hungry.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-goolins-wife.html"><br />~ 148. Anansi and Goolin's Wife ~</a><br />There was a man named Goolin, and his wife stopped speaking.<br />Goolin offered a reward if someone could make his wife speak again.<br />Anansi said, "Make a coffin, lie down inside, and get some men to carry the coffin."<br />Then Anansi told Goolin's wife, "Your husband's dead!"<br />She cried, but didn't speak.<br />Then the men came with the coffin, and Anansi sang, "Goolin gone, t'de-e-e! Goolin gone home t'da-a-a!"<br />The wife hummed softly.<br />Anansi sang louder; Goolin's wife sang softly.<br />Anansi sang louder; she sang louder too!<br />Then Goolin jumped out, his wife started speaking, and Anansi got his reward.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/tamanty-and-anansi-and-little-girl.html"><br />~ 149. Tamanty and Anansi and the Little Girl ~</a><br />A wealthy woman had no children, and she wanted a baby.<br />Walking by the river one day, she found a baby.<br />She hired a nurse named Tamanty to take care of the baby, and she set Anansi to watch over Tamanty.<br />Anansi didn't like Tamanty, so he told her, "Hit the child with the broomstick."<br />Tamanty hit the child.<br />The little girl cried and then ran for the river, singing, "No-na-no, Tamanty! No-na-no, Anansi! I'm a river crawfish, without any mama. Poor me, river crawfish! River is my mama!"<br />The child ran right into the river and became a crawfish.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-his-cows-spots.html"><br />~ 150. Anansi and the Spotted Cow ~</a><br />A man had itch-bean plant in his field.<br />"If someone cuts down the itch-bean without scratching," he said, "I'll give him a cow."<br />People tried to cut it down; they all scratched.<br />Anansi started cutting.<br />"I hope he gives me a spotted cow," Anansi said. "I had a spotted cow once. She had a spot here—" Anansi scratched his arm. "And a spot here—" He scratched his leg. And so on.<br />Anansi kept on cutting and talking till he finished.<br />Anansi hadn't scratched; he was just talking about his old cow's spots!<br />The man had to give Anansi a cow.</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-35628324023949917062021-01-14T12:03:00.000-05:002021-01-14T12:03:12.935-05:00Reading D: Tales of Anansi (100 Words)<p>You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.</p><p>You'll want to click on track 151 to start the audio portion for this section:</p><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1155257824&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-of-anansi" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales of Anansi">Tiny Tales of Anansi</a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/anansi-and-peanut-patch.html">~ 151. Anansi and the Peanut-Patch ~</a><br />The master put a guard by his peanut-patch. <br />The guard was a fool who couldn't read, so Anansi found a piece of paper and took it to the guard.<br />"I can't read that!" he said.<br />Anansi laughed. "It says: The master commands you to let Anansi go in."<br />Then the guard let Anansi go in, and Anansi ate all the peanuts.<br />Next, the master came. "Who ate all the peanuts?" he shouted.<br />"I let Anansi in," said the guard, "just like you told me."<br />The master beat the guard. "Don't you listen to that lying Anansi ever again!" he said.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-sick-chicken.html"><br />~ 152. Anansi's Sick Chicken ~</a><br />Anansi had a sick chicken. Knowing it would die soon, he took the chicken to a neighbor.<br />"Please take care of my chicken while I go to town," Anansi said.<br />The neighbor agreed.<br />The chicken died.<br />Anansi returned for the chicken.<br />"Your chicken died," said the neighbor. "Just take one of mine."<br />"No!" yelled Anansi. "My chicken would have laid eggs. Those eggs would have become chickens and laid more eggs that would also become chickens. You owe me for all that!"<br />"Well, go take a sheep then," said the neighbor.<br />That's how Anansi turned a chicken into a sheep.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-mosquito.html"><br />~ 153. Anansi and Mosquito ~</a><br />A lady said, "If someone guesses my daughter's name, I'll pay a hundred dollars!"<br />Anansi wanted that money.<br />"Go buzz in the daughter's ear tonight," he told Mosquito. "I'll hide in the mother's room listening."<br />So Mosquito buzzed and the girl moaned.<br />"Zegrady, Zegrady, what's wrong?" asked the mother.<br />"It's just Mosquito," said the daughter.<br />The next day Anansi came singing, "Zegrady, Zegrady, Zegra, Zegrady! Come shake Anansi's hand, my dear."<br />So the mother gave Anansi the money.<br />But Anansi was greedy: he didn't share with Mosquito. So Mosquito still buzzes in people's ears: he's complaining about Anansi even now!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-two-sisters.html"><br />~ 154. Anansi and the Two Sisters ~</a><br />There were two sisters, and nobody knew their names. <br />"I'll find out!" said Anansi, and he bet big money on it.<br />Anansi dressed up as a baby. <br />"Put me in a basket," he told his wife, "and leave it by their door."<br />The sisters squealed when they saw him. "So sweet!" they said. "So adorable!"<br />Then Anansi smiled, and the sisters screamed.<br />"Sister Agumma, have you ever seen a baby's mouth so full of teeth?"<br />"I have not, Sister Agumme, I have not!"<br />And that's how Anansi found out their names were Agumma and Agumme, so he won the bet.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-king-daughter.html"><br />~ 155. Anansi and the Princess ~</a><br />When the princess was born, the queen kept her name secret.<br />"Whoever learns the princess's name will marry her!" she said.<br />Only the queen and her servants knew the name.<br />"Help me, Dog!" said Anansi, and Dog agreed, so Anansi dressed Dog in smelly, ragged clothes.<br />Then they went to the royal swimming hole. The royal family was swimming; their clothes were on the bank.<br />"Grab the princess's dress!" said Anansi.<br />Dog grabbed the dress and started chewing.<br />"Stop it, you mangy dog!" yelled the queen. "Stop chewing Princess Basamwe's dress!"<br />So Anansi learned the name and married Princess Basamwe.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-dogs-new-name.html"><br />~ 156. Anansi and Dog's New Name ~</a><br />Everybody called Dog "Thieving-Dog," and Dog didn't like it.<br />Dog asked Anansi for help. "I don't want to be Thieving-Dog. I need a new name!"<br />Anansi agreed. "I'll give you a name if you'll watch this roast for me. Turn the spit, but don't eat the meat. I'll be back soon."<br />Dog tried to resist, but the meat smelled so good.<br />Dog ate the meat!<br />Anansi came back and laughed. "Okay," he said, "your new name is Same-As-Ever."<br />Dog was very grateful!<br />He ran through the village, and some boys shouted. "There's that Thieving-Dog!"<br />"No!" barked Dog. "I'm Same-As-Ever! Same-As-Ever!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-goes-to-christening.html"><br />~ 157. Anansi Goes to the Christening ~</a><br />Anansi and Tiger found some butter.<br />"Let's hide it for later!" said Tiger.<br />Next day Anansi said, "I'm going to a christening." But he was really going to eat butter.<br />Tiger asked the child's name.<br />"Top-Take-Off," said Anansi.<br />Next day, another christening. This time: "Now-in-the-Middle."<br />Again the next day. "This child is Lick-Clean," said Anansi.<br />Next day Tiger was hungry. "Let's eat butter!"<br />"First let's sleep," said Anansi.<br />Then Anansi took the last of the butter and smeared it on Tiger's mouth and tail. <br />"Tiger, you thief!" Anansi shouted. "I see you ate the butter: you're oozing butter all over!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-lion-and-liquor.html"><br />~ 158. Anansi, Lion, and the Liquor ~</a><br />Anansi wanted to take Lion's house for himself, so he came to visit Lion, singing this song: "Killed a thousand lions yesterday; how many today-oh, today-oh, today?"<br />This worried Lion.<br />"Anansi and I need some liquor!" he said to his first cub. "Get some Never-Come-Back liquor."<br />The cub didn't come back.<br />"We need liquor!" he said to his other cub. "Get some Danger-Here liquor."<br />The cub didn't come back.<br />"We need liquor!" he said to Mrs. Lion. "Get some Stay-Away liquor."<br />Mrs. Lion didn't come back.<br />"I'll go see what's taking so long!" said Lion, and he didn't come back.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-new-name.html"><br />~ 159. Anansi's New Name ~</a><br />Anansi, Tiger, and Parrot all changed their names: Anansi was Che-che-bun-da, Tiger was Yellow-prissenda, and Parrot was Green-corn-ero. If someone's mother didn't use the new name, they would eat her!<br />When Tiger's mother forgot to say "Yellow-prissenda," they ate her.<br />That night Anansi went secretly to his mother. "Remember: I'm Che-che-bun-da!" he said.<br />The next day Parrot's mother forgot to say "Green-corn-ero" and they ate her.<br />That night, Anansi went to his mother again. "Hello, Anansi!" she said.<br />"No! I'm Che-che-bun-da! Che-che-bun-da!"<br />The next day they went to Anansi's mother.<br />"Hello, Che-che-bun-da!" she said.<br />So they didn't eat Anansi's mother.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-inside-cow.html"><br />~ 160. Anansi inside the Cow ~</a><br />"Show me where you get your beef!" Anansi told Tacoomah.<br />Tacoomah took Anansi to a cow.<br />"Say Open Sesame and go in," Tacoomah explained. "Then Shut Sesame. Take the fat, but don't cut the back-string. Then Open Sesame, come out, and Shut Sesame to close the cow."<br />Tacoomah went into the cow and came out with a basket of fat.<br />Anansi went in, but he got greedy and cut the back-string.<br />The cow died. Anansi was stuck!<br />Finally the cowboy came and cut open the cow.<br />When he washed the entrails in the river, Anansi jumped out and ran away.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/one-two-three-got-no-liver.html"><br />~ 161. One-Two-Three Taking No Liver! ~</a><br />Blackbird knew where the butcher kept his meat, and he knew the magic words to open the door: "One-Two-Three Taking No Liver!"<br />"Let's get meat!" Blackbird said to Anansi. Blackbird used the words and went in. Anansi used the words and went in. <br />They put meat in their bags.<br />But Anansi was greedy and took liver too.<br />"One-Two-Three Taking No Liver!" Blackbird said. The door opened.<br />"One-Two-Three Taking No Liver!" Anansi said. The door didn't open.<br />Blackbird shouted, "I told you: no liver!"<br />"I didn't take any liver!" Anansi lied.<br />Blackbird left him, and the butcher came and killed Anansi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/crows-magic-house.html"><br />~ 162. Crow's Magic House ~</a><br />Crow had a magic house. <br />To get in you had to say: "Liver me-yum-yum!" Then the liver in the house opened the door.<br />Anansi saw Crow go in the house and heard the words.<br />He waited till Crow came out and went away.<br />Anansi said, "Liver me-yum-yum!" The door opened for Anansi.<br />Anansi closed the door and ate the liver so Crow couldn't get in.<br />Then he ate all Crow's food.<br />Crow came back. "Liver me-yum-yum!"<br />Nothing happened. The door stayed shut.<br />Anansi came out, and Crow caught Anansi and beat him, but never could get back inside his house.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-tree-house.html"><br />~ 163. Anansi's Tree-House ~</a><br />Anansi lived in a tree.<br />He'd go robbing and come sing this song: "Send down rope! Anansi-O! Send down rope! Anansi-O!"<br />Nobody knew who the robber was or where he went.<br />But Tiger followed one night and heard the song.<br />Next, Tiger needed Anansi's voice. He told the goldsmith, "Hammer my tongue! Make it fine!"<br />Then Tiger went and sang Anansi's song.<br />Anansi's wife let down the rope.<br />Anansi saw from a distance Tiger going up on the rope, so he sang: "Cut the rope! Tiger-O! Cut the rope! Tiger-O!"<br />Anansi's wife cut the rope and Tiger fell down dead.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-tigers-hoe.html"><br />~ 164. Anansi and Tiger's Hoe ~</a><br />Long ago, farmers dug their fields with pointed sticks.<br />Nobody had a hoe, except for Tiger.<br />Tiger had a magical hoe, and it did the digging for him.<br />Anansi spied on Tiger and saw the hoe. He learned the magic words Tiger used to make the hoe start digging. Then he stole Tiger's hoe to use for himself.<br />The hoe dug and dug, and Anansi was happy.<br />But Anansi did not know how to stop the magic hoe. <br />It kept on digging!<br />The hoe dug all the land and then disappeared into the sea, and it is digging there still.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-his-brother-and-magic-pot.html"><br />~ 165. Anansi, His Brother, and the Magic Pot ~</a><br />When Anansi was climbing a tree, he found a hole in the tree. In the hole he found a magic pot that filled with food at his command.<br />Anansi's brother Tacoomah saw this pot and was jealous. "I've got more children than you to feed," he said. "I need that pot more than you!"<br />Anansi told Tacoomah about the hole in the tree.<br />Tacoomah climbed the tree and looked in the hole. Instead of a pot, he found a piece of leather. He took the leather home to his family.<br />The leather didn't feed them. Instead, it whipped them all!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-avocado-tree.html"><br />~ 166. Anansi and the Avocado Tree ~</a><br />Breeze knocked over Anansi's avocado tree.<br />"Breeze must pay!" shouted Anansi, and he went to Breeze's house.<br />"I apologize," Breeze said. "Take this magic tablecloth. Just say Cloth-mine-dinnertime. But don't wash it."<br />When Anansi did this, food appeared! Anansi and his family had all they wanted to eat.<br />But Anansi's wife washed the tablecloth, and it lost its powers.<br />Anansi went back to Breeze, who gave him a stick. "Just say Round-about-club-out!" Breeze told Anansi.<br />Anansi hoped the stick would feed him too, but when he got home and said Round-about-club-out, the stick beat Anansi and all his family too!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-handsome-calabash.html"><br />~ 167. Anansi and the Handsome Calabash ~</a><br />Anansi saw a calabash tree.<br />When he grabbed a calabash, it said, "I'm handsome! I do handsome!"<br />"Show me, Handsome Calabash!" said Anansi.<br />A table covered with food appeared. Anansi ate, and then the table disappeared.<br />Anansi took Handsome Calabash home, hid it in the attic, and ate in secret.<br />But Anansi's wife spied on him.<br />When Anansi left, she said "Show me, Handsome Calabash!" But she dropped the calabash and it cracked.<br />Anansi came home and went to the attic. "Show me, Handsome Calabash!" he said.<br />No food!<br />Instead, Handsome Calabash whipped Anansi and ran back into the woods.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansis-fork.html"><br />~ 168. Anansi's Fork ~</a><br />Anansi dropped his ax in the river. He dived in. <br />No ax, but he found a fork. "I'll feed you!" it said.<br />"Feed me!" Anansi yelled, and there was food. Anansi ate and ate.<br />Anansi invited everybody to a party.<br />"Feed me!" he yelled. There was food for everybody.<br />Then the fork stopped working.<br />Anansi threw another ax in the river and dived in. No ax, no fork, but he found a whip.<br />"Feed me!" Anansi yelled. But the whip just beat him.<br />Anansi invited everybody to another party.<br />"Feed me!" he yelled, and the whip beat all the people.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-robber-bargaining.html"><br />~ 169. Anansi and the Robber Bargaining ~</a><br />Anansi had a magic cooking pot.<br />"Sell me that!" said a robber.<br />"No!" said Anansi. "But I'll sell you my money tree. Come to my house at midnight."<br />Anansi went home and put all his money up in a tree.<br />The robber came, and Anansi spread out a sheet beneath the tree. Anansi shook the tree, and money came falling down.<br />"Give me all your money and you can have the tree," said Anansi.<br />The robber paid Anansi, ripped the tree out of the ground, and took it home.<br />The tree never gave money and, without its roots, it died.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-shirt.html"><br />~ 170. Anansi and the Shirt ~</a><br />Anansi went to Overseer's party. Goat went too.<br />People danced; then they slept.<br />Anansi didn't sleep. He stole Overseer's shirt.<br />Overseer woke up. His shirt was gone! "Where are you, Shirt?"<br />Shirt shouted, "Anansi took me!"<br />"Goat, let's trade shirts!" Anansi said. Goat agreed.<br />"Where are you, Shirt?" Overseer yelled.<br />"Now Goat's got me!" shouted Shirt.<br />Goat hid in a hole, but his horn stuck out. <br />Overseer tripped. "I'll saw this root!" he said.<br />Overseer started sawing. "Hey!" he yelled. "This root is bleeding!"<br />Then Overseer recognized Goat. He took his shirt back and beat Goat.<br />Anansi was long gone.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-witchs-sword.html"><br />~ 171. Anansi and the Witch's Sword ~</a><br />Anansi stole the king's treasure and fled to the witch's house.<br />"I'll give you lots of treasure to protect me!" said Anansi.<br />The witch agreed.<br />The king's soldiers arrived. "We seek Anansi!"<br />"I'll see if he's inside," said the witch, and she fetched her magical sword.<br />"Kill!" she said. The sword killed the soldiers.<br />Then the witch stopped the sword.<br />When the witch went to town, she gave Anansi the sword. "The soldiers might return," she said.<br />The soldiers did return, and Anansi said, "Kill!" <br />The sword killed the soldiers.<br />But Anansi couldn't stop the sword. It killed Anansi too!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-witchs-name.html"><br />~ 172. Anansi and the Witch's Name ~</a><br />"Guess my name, get my gold!" said the Old-Witch.<br />Only Crab knew the witch's secret name.<br />Anansi dressed in girl's clothes and became the witch's maid.<br />When Anansi was washing clothes by the river, he flirted with Crab. "You're so handsome!"<br />Crab had never heard that before!<br />Then Anansi started crying.<br />"What's wrong, girl?" Crab asked.<br />"I need to know the witch's name."<br />Crab said the name.<br />Anansi ran back to the witch's house. "Your name's Cantinny, Cantinny's your name!"<br />The witch gave her gold to Anansi, and she threw a calabash at Crab: that's how Crab got his shell.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-old-witchs-garden.html"><br />~ 173. Anansi and Old-Witch's Garden ~</a><br />Old-Witch had a beautiful garden, and Anansi wanted that garden.<br />When the witch's gardener sang, everybody had to dance. Even the witch had to dance. The gardener would sing and the witch would dance.<br />Then she'd tell him to stop.<br />Anansi told the Kling-Kling bird, "Listen, and learn that song!"<br />Next, he told Tacoomah to lure the gardener away.<br />Then Old-Witch came to the garden.<br />Kling-Kling sang, and the Old-Witch danced.<br />"Enough now!" she said, but Kling-Kling kept singing, and the witch kept dancing.<br />She danced until she died.<br />But then the whole garden died with her.<br />Anansi got nothing.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-old-witch.html"><br />~ 174. Anansi's Wedding Clothes ~</a><br />Anansi was getting married, and he needed wedding clothes.<br />Old-Witch could help, but he had to pay her, so he stole a gold coin from Old-Witch's own treasure.<br />"Help me!" Anansi said. "I'll pay!"<br />"I'll help you, Anansi," she said, but she recognized the coin.<br />Old-Witch used magic to conjure clothes for Anansi, and a carriage and coachmen.<br />Anansi rode to the palace.<br />The princess smiled. Then she blinked; the coachmen disappeared.<br />Next blink: carriage.<br />Next blink: Anansi's top-hat.<br />Then Anansi's clothes disappeared piece by piece until he was naked.<br />Anansi ran away, ashamed. He didn't get married after all.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-wants-wife.html"><br />~ 175. Anansi Wants a Wife ~</a><br />Anansi wanted a wife. He asked Flower to marry him.<br />"I won't!" Flower laughed.<br />He asked Rainbow.<br />"I can't!" Rainbow laughed.<br />Then he asked Fire. "Will you marry me?"<br />"Yes!" said Fire.<br />Anansi made a trail of twigs to lead Fire to his house.<br />Fire came. She ate the twigs. She got bigger! Fire came roaring to Anansi's house.<br />Anansi was scared. "Go back!" he shouted. "Get away!"<br />Fire kept coming.<br />Anansi quickly made another trail of twigs leading to the pond.<br />Fire followed that trail and disappeared in the pond.<br />Anansi had discovered how to fight fire with water!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-fire.html"><br />~ 176. Anansi and Fire ~</a><br />Anansi and Fire were friends, so Anansi went to visit Fire in Fire's house.<br />They ate dinner together, and then Anansi invited Fire to come visit him in his house.<br />"I can't walk," said Fire, "but maybe if you lay down a trail of dry brush leading to your house, then I could travel along that path."<br />Anansi's wife was Dove, and she said, "No! Don't let Fire come!"<br />But Anansi laid out the path.<br />Fire came running.<br />He burned down Anansi's house, and he burned Anansi, and then Fire himself burned out.<br />Only Dove survived because she flew away.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-fire-and-damp-clothes.html"><br />~ 177. Anansi, Fire, and the Damp Clothes ~</a><br />Fire was angry at Anansi, but he pretended to be Anansi's friend. <br />"I'd like to visit you," he told Anansi.<br />"You can help dry my clothes," said Anansi. "Look for clothes hanging outside; that will be my house."<br />Then Anansi went to Tiger, who was washing clothes. <br />"Put your clothes out in the sun to dry!" said Anansi, so Tiger hung his damp clothes on the line.<br />Then Fire came, with Breeze blowing. <br />"That's Anansi's house!" said Fire when he saw the clothes. "Blow me there, Breeze!"<br />So Breeze blew, and Fire burned Tiger's clothes to ashes.<br />Anansi just laughed.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/fire-grass-and-anansi.html"><br />~ 178. Fire, Grass, and Anansi ~</a><br />Fire was angry at Grass. <br />"I'm going to burn that Grass!" Fire said to Anansi, not knowing that Anansi and Grass were friends.<br />"When you go to burn Grass, tell me, and I'll blow my horn to make Grass afraid," said Anansi.<br />Next, Anansi went to his friend Water and said, "I need you to rain down when I blow my horn." <br />"Okay," said Water.<br />When Fire went to burn Grass, Anansi blew his horn. Then Water came raining down and saved the Grass.<br />From that day on, Fire was angry with Anansi because of how Anansi had tricked him!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-mr-wheeler.html"><br />~ 179. Anansi and Mr. Wheeler ~</a><br />Anansi found a honey-stump. <br />He reached in. <br />The stump said, "I'm Wheeler!" and it wheeled Anansi around and threw him. Anansi landed some leaves.<br />"I'll make a trap!" said Anansi, and he put rocks under the leaves.<br />"Come get honey!" Anansi said to Peacock. Peacock reached for the honey, Wheeler wheeled him, and then Anansi ate Peacock.<br />Rat reached for the honey, Wheeler wheeled him, and then Anansi ate Rat.<br />But Puss said, "I don't see the honey. Show me!"<br />So Anansi reached in, Wheeler wheeled him, and Anansi fell on the rocks.<br />That's how Anansi got his limp!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-and-rock-by-river.html"><br />~ 180. Anansi and the Rock by the River ~</a><br />Anansi sat down on a rock by the river and started eating.<br />"Give me some food, Anansi!" said the rock. "I'm hungry!"<br />"Don't bother me, Rock!" said Anansi. "This is my food."<br />Anansi ate all the food, but when he went to stand up, he was stuck. The rock wouldn't let go.<br />"Help!" Anansi yelled.<br />A man walked by and heard him. "What's wrong, Anansi?"<br />"Rock's got me! Pull me off!"<br />The man pulled, but part of Anansi's skin stayed stuck.<br />That's why moss grows on the river side of the rocks: that is Anansi's skin he left behind there.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/duppy-lived-in-sky.html"><br />~ 181. The Ghost's House in the Sky ~</a><br />Duppy (Ghost) lived in the sky. <br />Anansi wanted to eat Duppy's food, so he watched how Duppy called the house down.<br />"Come down, me chin-chin!"<br />Then Duppy sent the house up.<br />"Go up, me chin-chin!"<br />Next day Anansi waited for Duppy to come down and send the empty house back up.<br />Then Anansi called, "Come down, me chin-chin!"<br />Anansi entered the house.<br />"Go up, me chin-chin!"<br />Anansi was in the sky! He ate and ate.<br />But he couldn't remember the going-down song. He was stuck!<br />Duppy brought the house down and found Anansi.<br />Then Duppy boiled Anansi and ate him!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-and-dry-head.html"><br />~ 182. Anansi and Dry-Head ~</a><br />Anansi stole a cow, but he didn't want to share with his family; he made a fire right there to roast the cow.<br />Anansi wanted yams too, so he went digging.<br />Then he saw two eyes in the dirt. He kept digging: he dug up old devil Dry-Head!<br />Anansi tried to put Dry-Head back in the ground, but he wouldn't go.<br />"Take me to the fire," said Dry-Head, "or I'll burn you!"<br />Anansi tried to run, but his body started burning, so he came back and carried Dry-Head to the fire.<br />Dry-Head ate the whole cow; Anansi didn't get anything.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-dry-head-and-hog.html"><br />~ 183. Anansi, Dry-Head, and the Hog ~</a><br />Anansi was roasting a hog when he heard something hit the ground: PLOP.<br />Anansi thought it was a coconut. He picked it up: it was Dry-Head!<br />"You picked me up," Dry-Head said. "Now carry me!"<br />Dry-Head saw the hog. "I'm hungry!" he said.<br />Dry-Head ate the hog.<br />Anansi only got a bone. "The bone's sweet, sir!" said Anansi.<br />Then Petchary-Bird flew by.<br />"Come pick up this good coconut!" said Anansi, pointing at Dry-Head.<br />Petchary picked Dry-Head up, but he wasn't strong enough to carry him. <br />Dry-Head fell down and smashed.<br />Anansi ate him up. "I'm eating my hog after all!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/butterfly-and-anansi-in-fields.html"><br />~ 184. Butterfly and Anansi in the Fields ~</a><br />"Did you hear about the new law?" Butterfly asked Anansi. "No badmouthing! If you badmouth somebody, you'll drop down dead!"<br />Anansi laughed. "I can keep my mouth shut. We'll see about you!"<br />Then Anansi and Butterfly went to work in their fields.<br />Dry-Head-Skull-Man walked by, talking to himself, rattling his skeleton bones as he danced. "All dressed up, going to the barber, getting ready for the party tonight!"<br />Butterfly didn't say anything.<br />Anansi said, "What's Dry-Head-Skull-Man going to a barber for? There's no hair on that fool's head!"<br />Anansi dropped down dead for badmouthing, and Butterfly ate him up. "Delicious!"<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-devils-honey-dram.html"><br />~ 185. The Devil's Honey-Dram ~</a><br />Anansi's son was stealing from the Devil's honey-dram and getting drunk.<br />"Don't steal from the Devil!" Anansi warned him, but the boy kept on drinking.<br />Finally the Devil's mother caught the boy and took him to the Devil's house.<br />"The Devil will kill you when he comes back," she said, and she set the boy to work.<br />Anansi came looking for his son, and he sang a song that made the Devil's mother dance and dance till she fell asleep.<br />Then Anansi grabbed his son and set the Devil's house on fire.<br />Anansi also took the Devil's honey-dram for himself!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-in-deaths-camp.html"><br />~ 186. Anansi in Death's Camp ~</a><br />Anansi went hunting, but he had caught nothing. He was hungry!<br />Then he found Death's camp. Death had so much food. <br />"Please feed me!" said Anansi.<br />Death fed Anansi, and Anansi ate until he was full.<br />"Who are you?" Anansi asked.<br />"Don't you recognize me? I'm Death!"<br />"Thank you, Death," Anansi said.<br />Then Anansi went home, but he kept returning to Death's camp to steal food.<br />When Death saw Anansi stealing, he chased Anansi all the way back to town.<br />"Watch out, people!" shouted Anansi. "Death is coming!"<br />And that's how Death came to where people live: it's Anansi's fault.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-robs-deaths-house.html"><br />~ 187. Anansi Robs Death's House ~</a><br />Anansi decided to rob Death's house.<br />To get through Death's Gate, he rubbed grease on the Gate. <br />"Delicious!" said the Gate. "Thank you, Anansi!" The Gate swung open and then closed.<br />Anansi filled up his sacks with Death's things. He didn't know Death was watching!<br />Anansi started to leave, but Death shouted at Gate, "Open not!"<br />But the Gate was grateful and opened for Anansi.<br />Death jumped on Anansi's back and rode him all the way home.<br />Anansi threw Death down in the yard and went to get his axe.<br />When he came back with the axe, Death was gone.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/death-wants-revenge-on-anansi.html"><br />~ 188. Death Wants Revenge on Anansi ~</a><br />Anansi robbed Death's house, and Death wanted revenge. So Death came to Anansi's house at night, and he crawled under the ground. <br />Then in the morning Death grew from the ground in the form of a callaloo plant. He knew that Anansi loved callaloo stew.<br />In the morning Anansi saw the callaloo plant.<br />"Let's make stew!" he said to his wife.<br />"No!" said Mrs. Anansi. "There's something wrong with that plant."<br />"There's nothing wrong with this plant!" protested Anansi, and he started eating the callaloo.<br />As soon as he did, he fell down dead.<br />Death had his revenge on Anansi.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-deaths-field-of-yams.html"><br />~ 189. Anansi and Death's Field of Yams ~</a><br />Anansi had a field next to Death's field.<br />Death planted yams, but Anansi was lazy. He didn't plant; he just watched Death.<br />"You're sure working hard, Death!" he said.<br />"Lazy people go hungry, Anansi!" Death replied.<br />Death's yams grew ripe, and Anansi came in the night to steal them, but Death was there, waiting for him.<br />Death chased Anansi!<br />Anansi ran home, Death on his heels. "Close the door!" Anansi shouted at his wife.<br />Death stood outside, waving his machete.<br />Anansi ran up the stairs into the dusty attic. Anansi is still there now, hiding from Death and weaving webs.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/anansi-meets-death.html"><br />~ 190. Anansi and Death's Barbecue ~</a><br />Anansi saw someone barbecuing meat. It was Death!<br />"Can I eat?" Anansi asked.<br />Death said nothing.<br />Anansi took some meat. "My daughter can cook for you," Anansi said, and Anansi brought his daughter to Death.<br />Later, Anansi saw his daughter wearing Death's ring. Anansi was angry! He grabbed Death's long hair and tied him to a tree. He lit a fire, but the fire just burned Death's hair.<br />Death got loose and chased Anansi.<br />Anansi's family hid from Death, but Death grabbed them one by one.<br />Only Anansi escaped; he hid in the dirt. Anansi still lives in the dirt.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/god-and-anansis-thread.html"><br />~ 191. God and Anansi's Thread ~</a><br />God used to be close to the people, just above their heads. This meant people were always asking God for things.<br />After a while, God got tired of all their requests. "The people are going to wear me out!" he thought.<br />So God decided to go higher, much higher, in the sky.<br />To keep a connection between his new home in heaven and the people down below, God told Anansi to spin a thread, a thread that reached from earth to heaven.<br />Anansi spun the thread.<br />God rewarded Anansi with great powers, and then went to live up in heaven.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-gods-cattle.html"><br />~ 192. Anansi and God's Cattle ~</a><br />Lion stole God's cattle, and God offered a reward for the return of the cattle.<br />Anansi wanted that reward.<br />"Just give me some rope, and make the clouds go dark," said Anansi. God agreed.<br />Then Anansi went into the woods. "Where can I tie myself? Where? Where?"<br />"What are you talking about?" shouted Lion.<br />"Hurricane's coming!" said Anansi. "Just look at the sky! I need to tie myself to a tree before the winds blow me away."<br />"Tie me first!" roared Lion. "NOW!"<br />Anansi tied Lion to a tree, left him there, and took God's cattle back up to heaven.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-gods-yams.html"><br />~ 193. Anansi and God's Yams ~</a><br />Anansi was hungry! He saw yams growing in God's field, and he stole God's yams.<br />God didn't know who stole his yams, but he was mad. He made a man of wood and covered it with tar, and then he put it in the field.<br />Anansi came back for more yams and saw the man.<br />"You can't stop me from taking these yams!" Anansi shouted, and he hit the man. His hand stuck. Other hand: stuck. Foot: stuck. Other foot: stuck. Then Anansi butted the man with his head: stuck.<br />That's how God found out who was stealing his yams!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-tar-man.html"><br />~ 194. Anansi and the Tar-Man ~</a><br />Anansi was stealing God's yams.<br />God made a tar-man to stand guard, and Anansi got stuck on God's tar-man.<br />"I need to get away before God finds me!" thought Anansi.<br />Rooster walked by.<br />"Help me!" cried Anansi.<br />"I'm not messing with you!" replied Rooster.<br />Sheep walked by, but Sheep wouldn't help Anansi either.<br />Then Goat walked by.<br />"I'll help you!" said Goat. He butted the tar-man, and then Goat was stuck. Anansi used Goat's horns to pull himself loose, and then he skinned Goat and took the skin home.<br />So Anansi got God's yams and a goatskin all for himself.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-reads-gods-mind.html"><br />~ 195. Anansi Reads God's Mind ~</a><br />"I can read your mind!" Anansi said to God.<br />"Go tell the blacksmith to make what I'm thinking," said God.<br />Anansi then lurked near God's house, listening.<br />A bird asked God, "What is the blacksmith making?"<br />"Sun, Moon, and Stars," said God.<br />Anansi ran to the blacksmith and told him to make Sun, Moon, and Stars, and then Anansi brought them to God.<br />As soon as they got there, the Sun and Moon started fighting. Sun was throwing fire, and Moon was throwing water, so God threw the Sun and the Moon, and the Stars too, up in the sky.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-pea.html"><br />~ 196. Anansi and the Pea ~</a><br />Anansi found a pea and planted it.<br />Goat ate Anansi's pea-plant.<br />"Pay me!" said Anansi.<br />Goat gave Anansi his horn.<br />Anansi washed the horn in River, and River took the horn.<br />"Pay me!" said Anansi.<br />River gave him a fish.<br />Anansi met a starving boy. "Give me your fish," the boy said. "Take my whip."<br />Anansi took the whip.<br />"Help me!" shouted Tacoomah. "I need a whip to herd my cows."<br />"Give me a cow," said Anansi.<br />Anansi got a cow.<br />From the cow, he got milk; then cheese.<br />Anansi sold cheese and bought more cows.<br />All from a pea!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-hunters-debt.html"><br />~ 197. Anansi and Hunter's Debt ~</a><br />Hunter had a debt that he could not pay.<br />Anansi wanted to eat Hunter's guavas, so Hunter said, "Whoever eats my guavas takes my debt!"<br />Anansi ate Hunter's guavas.<br />Then Anansi said, "Whoever eats my corn takes my debt."<br />Guinea-Fowl ate Anansi's corn.<br />"Whoever breaks my eggs takes my debt," said Guinea-Fowl.<br />Tree-Branch broke the Guinea-Fowl's eggs. "Whoever plucks my flowers takes my debt."<br />Monkey plucked the flowers. "Whoever kills me takes my debt."<br />Then Tiger killed Monkey. "Whoever eats me takes my debt!" roared Tiger.<br />Hunter killed Tiger, and everybody ate Tiger's meat.<br />Everybody ended up with Hunter's debt!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-owes-money.html"><br />~ 198. Anansi Owes Money ~</a><br />Anansi owed money to Hog, Dog, Monkey, and Tiger.<br />Knock-knock! Anansi let Hog in.<br />Knock-knock! "That's Dog. He hates you!" said Anansi. "Hide upstairs."<br />Anansi let Dog in.<br />Knock-knock! "That's Monkey. He hates you! Hide upstairs. Hog's up there; go on and kill him!"<br />Anansi let Monkey in.<br />Knock-knock! "That's Tiger. He hates you! Hide upstairs. Dog's up there; go on and kill him!"<br />Anansi let Tiger in.<br />"Monkey's upstairs; go on and kill him!"<br />Tiger ran upstairs.<br />Anansi removed the stairs.<br />When Tiger came down, he broke his neck.<br />So Anansi ate Tiger, Monkey, Dog, and Hog for dinner.<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/07/anansi-takes-pig-home.html"><br />~ 199. Anansi Takes Pig Home ~</a><br />Anansi was taking Pig home, but Pig wouldn't cross the stream.<br />"I refuse!" said Pig.<br />"Dog, bite Pig!" Dog refused.<br />"Stick, beat Dog!" Stick refused.<br />"Fire, burn Stick!" Fire refused.<br />"Water, douse Fire!" Water refused.<br />"Cow, drink Water!" Cow refused.<br />"Butcher, kill Cow!" Butcher refused.<br />"Rope, hang Butcher!" Rope refused.<br />"Rat, gnaw Rope!" Rat refused.<br />"Cat, eat Rat!"<br />"Gladly!" said Cat, and Cat scared Rat who scared Rope who scared Butcher who scared Cow who scared Water who scared Fire who scared Stick who scared Dog who bit Pig, who jumped the stream.<br />Anansi didn't pay anybody for helping either!<br /><a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/08/anansi-and-grain-of-corn.html"><br />~ 200. Anansi and the Grain of Corn ~</a><br />Anansi was stealing from Monkey and Tiger's corn-field.<br />"Catch him!" shouted Monkey and Tiger.<br />They chased him, but Anansi hid inside a grain of corn.<br />Rooster ate that corn.<br />Then Alligator ate Rooster.<br />Monkey and Tiger asked the oracle-drum, "Where's Anansi?"<br />"In the earth-grain in the sky-bird in the river-beast," said the drum.<br />Monkey saw Alligator in the river. "Aha!" he shouted, grabbing Alligator.<br />He cut Alligator open; there was Rooster.<br />He cut Rooster open; there was the grain.<br />Tiger raised his paw while Monkey cut the grain, but Anansi was faster than Tiger with his paw, so Anansi escaped!<div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-42551401420996224412021-01-14T11:53:00.001-05:002021-01-14T11:53:32.539-05:00Myth-Folklore Unit: Tales from India (100 Words)<b>Overview</b>. This reading unit — good for one week, or two weeks — is a collection of stories from India <i><b>told as 100-word stories</b>. </i>It is based on <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tiny Tales from India</i> which contains two hundred of these tiny 100-word stories. There are stories from the Panchatantra here, plus Jataka tales from the Buddha, teaching tales from the Bengali guru Ramakrishna, some tales of the goddesses and gods, plus stories about the jesters Tenalirama and Birbal. <b>The book is available free</b> as a PDF and in standard ebook formats (epub, mobi), and there is also a 99 cent Kindle version. Plus, there is a free audiobook! Links to all formats here: <b><a href="http://india.lauragibbs.net/">India.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>. You will find links to text and audio below, but if you prefer to read with a PDF, on a Kindle, etc., you can do that based on what is most convenient for you.<br />
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<b>Language</b>. The language is very clear and contemporary. Unlike the public domain books published before 1923, this book is a recent publication (2020!).<br />
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<b>Story Length</b>. The stories are very short: just 100 words long each. Each reading section — A, B, C, D, — contains 50 stories. That's a lot of stories but they go very fast, and I hope you will find lots that intrigue you. When you start with a super-short story, there's so much room to expand with your own imagination.<br />
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<b>Navigation</b>. You will find the table of contents below; you can look at the title to get a sense of which sections you might enjoy most. There is no need to start at reading section A; you can read them in any order you prefer.<br />
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<b>Additional Resources</b>. Each of these stories has its own blog post with information about sources along with notes, and sometimes an illustration. You can find the list of the individual blog posts at <b><a href="http://india.lauragibbs.net/">India.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>.</div>
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-tales-from-india-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING A: </a></b><br />
1. The Lion and the Rabbit<br />
2. The Lion-King and the Camel<br />
3. The Lion-King and the Jackal<br />
4. A Story for the Lion-King<br />
5. The Lion and the Cat<br />
6. The Lion in the Jackal's Cave<br />
7. The Blue Jackal<br />
8. The Jackal and his Brothers<br />
9. The Tiger Cub and the Goats<br />
10. The Lion and the Ram<br />
11. The Jackal and the Dead Elephant<br />
12. Lion, Jackal, and Camel<br />
13. The Jackal and the Crow<br />
14. The Jackal and the Peacock<br />
15. The Jackal and the Otters<br />
16. The Jackal and the Rams<br />
17. The Jackal and the Bullock<br />
18. The Jackals and the Elephant<br />
19. The Elephant and the Sparrow<br />
20. The Elephant-King and the Mice<br />
21. The Elephants and the Rabbits<br />
22. The Elephant and the Monkey<br />
23. The Wealthy Toad<br />
24. The Boastful Beetle<br />
25. The Self-Important Insect<br />
26. The Monkey and the Firefly<br />
27. The Monkey and the Peas<br />
28. The Crocodile and the Monkey<br />
29. The Monkey and the Rock<br />
30. The Crow's Revenge<br />
31. The Crab's Advice<br />
32. The Partridge and the Rabbit<br />
33. The Vulture and the Cat<br />
34. The Hawks and the Crows<br />
35. The Jackdaw and the Glow-Worm<br />
36. The Bharunda Bird<br />
37. The Hawk and the Fish<br />
38. The Crow and the Sunrise<br />
39. The Animals Boasting<br />
40. The Animals Change Places<br />
41. The Crabs and the Fox<br />
42. The Crane and the Fish<br />
43. Big-Wit, Half-Wit, and Witless<br />
44. The Two Fish and the Frog<br />
45. The Frog in the Well<br />
46. The Frog-King in the Well<br />
47. The Snake and the Frog<br />
48. The Frog-King Rides the Snake<br />
49. The Snake and the Ants<br />
50. Deer, Tiger, and Crocodile<br />
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-b-tales-from-india-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING B: </a></b><br />
51. The Rabbit and the Coconut<br />
52. The Fox in the Flood<br />
53. The Horse Tied to a Tree<br />
54. The Tiger and the Fox<br />
55. The Tiger and the Golden Bangle<br />
56. The Twin Parrots<br />
57. The Captive Fawn<br />
58. The King and his Monkey<br />
59. The Monkeys and the Gardener<br />
60. Monkey See, Monkey Do<br />
61. The Monkey and the Sparrow<br />
62. The Wild Geese<br />
63. The King of the Doves<br />
64. The Gadfly and the Lion<br />
65. Turtle, Deer, Mouse, and Crow<br />
66. Deer, Crow, and Jackal<br />
67. The Hunter and the Jackal<br />
68. The Goose and the Crow<br />
69. The Monkey and the Goat<br />
70. The Louse and the Flea<br />
71. The Turtle and the Peacock<br />
72. The Turtle in the Lake<br />
73. The Turtle and the Two Birds<br />
74. The Donkey and the Jackal<br />
75. The Donkey and the Tiger-Skin<br />
76. The Donkey and the Watchdog<br />
77. The Brave Mongoose<br />
78. The Pilgrims and the Jewels<br />
79. The Bandit's Ghost<br />
80. The Rats in the House<br />
81. The Rats and the Jackal<br />
82. The Jackal in the Elephant<br />
83. The Jackal and the Corpse<br />
84. The Jackal and the Lion<br />
85. The Deer and his Nephew<br />
86. The Two Oxen<br />
87. The Fish and the Crane<br />
88. The Parrot and the Mangos<br />
89. The Woodpecker and the Lion<br />
90. The Quail Chick<br />
91. The Quail and the Hunter<br />
92. The Birds by the Lake<br />
93. The Birds in the Tree<br />
94. The Crow by the Highway<br />
95. The Bird-King and the Peacock<br />
96. The Swan with the Golden Feathers<br />
97. The Drummer and the Bandits<br />
98. The Monk and his Snake<br />
99. The Buddha and the Mantra<br />
100. The Three Friends and the Tiger<br />
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-c-tales-from-india-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING C: </a></b><br />
101. The Elephant-Driver<br />
102. The Pilgrim and the Snake<br />
103. The Two Men and the Mangos<br />
104. The Two Friends in Town<br />
105. The Priceless Diamond<br />
106. The Fish and the Flowers<br />
107. The Pilgrim Couple<br />
108. The Holy Man and the Dog<br />
109. The Lizard on the Tree<br />
110. The Woodcutter's Dream<br />
111. The Farmer's Dream<br />
112. The Hill of Sugar<br />
113. The Doll of Salt<br />
114. The Seeker and his Family<br />
115. The Thief-Turned-Sadhu<br />
116. The Fisherman-Turned-Sadhu<br />
117. The Holy Man by the Roadside<br />
118. The Traveler and the Tree<br />
119. The Wisest of the Brahmins<br />
120. The Brahmin and his Mouse-Daughter<br />
121. The Brahmin and his Snake-Son<br />
122. The Snake and the Brahmin's Wife<br />
123. The Farmer and the Snake<br />
124. The Monk in the Dream<br />
125. The Thief and the Demon<br />
126. The Barber and the Fairy<br />
127. The Dim-Witted Weaver<br />
128. Sunda and Upasunda<br />
129. Riding Shiva's Bull<br />
130. The Teeth of Shiva's Bull<br />
131. The Dog in Shiva's Temple<br />
132. Shiva and Vishnu<br />
133. Maya: The Illusion of the World<br />
134. Indra's Parrot and Yama<br />
135. Indra and the Brahmin<br />
136. Garuda and the Snake-Man<br />
137. The Seagulls and Garuda<br />
138. Agni and Varuna<br />
139. Ganesha is Born<br />
140. Ganesha and the Cat<br />
141. Ganesha and Kartikeya<br />
142. Kubera and Ganesha<br />
143. Durga Puja<br />
144. The Stingy Man's Dinner<br />
145. The Poor Man's Pot of Honey<br />
146. The Hermit in the Forest<br />
147. The Guru's Two Disciples<br />
148. The Beggar and Emperor Akbar<br />
149. The Widow and her Sons<br />
150. The Old Woman Going to Town<br />
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-d-tales-from-india-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING D: </a></b><br />
151. The Couple who Cooperated<br />
152. The Blind Men and the Elephant<br />
153. The Brahmin's Goat<br />
154. The Farmer and the Merchant<br />
155. The Monk and the King<br />
156. The Potter and the King<br />
157. The Carpenter and his Son<br />
158. The Man in the Tree<br />
159. The Merchant and his Servant<br />
160. The Two Brothers<br />
161. The Five Loaves of Bread<br />
162. The Man and his Neighbor<br />
163. The Judge and his Son<br />
164. The Wife who Died<br />
165. The Carpenter under the Bed<br />
166. Tenalirama and Kali<br />
167. Tenalirama and the King<br />
168. Tenalirama and the Gold Coins<br />
169. Tenalirama and the Peaches<br />
170. Tenalirama and the Twenty Lashes<br />
171. Tenalirama and the Washerman<br />
172. Tenalirama and the Executioner<br />
173. Tenalirama and his Brother-in-Law<br />
174. Tenalirama and the Queen<br />
175. Tenalirama's Finger<br />
176. Tenalirama's Face<br />
177. Tenalirama and the Chessboard<br />
178. Tenalirama and the Painter<br />
179. Tenalirama and the Chinese Vases<br />
180. Tenalirama and the King's Bad Luck<br />
181. Tenalirama and the Magician<br />
182. Tenalirama's Ramayana<br />
183. Tenalirama and the Ramayana Murals<br />
184. Tenalirama and the Money-Bag<br />
185. Tenalirama and the Thief<br />
186. Tenalirama and the Honest Beggar<br />
187. Tenalirama and the Chicken<br />
188. Tenalirama and the Sadhu<br />
189. Tenalirama and the Boys<br />
190. Tenalirama and his Friend<br />
191. Tenalirama's Magical Water<br />
192. Birbal's House<br />
193. Birbal and the Eggplants<br />
194. Birbal and the Two Mothers<br />
195. Birbal and the Beggar<br />
196. Birbal's Magical Sticks<br />
197. Birbal and the Crows<br />
198. The Emperor's Caravansary<br />
199. Birbal Sees Both Good and Bad<br />
<br />
200. Birbal the Philosopher<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b></div>
Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-14289486100534147832021-01-14T11:53:00.000-05:002021-01-14T11:53:10.316-05:00Reading A: Tales from India (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #85-111.</div><div><div><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1084517215&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-india" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from India">Tiny Tales from India</a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-rabbit-and-angry-lion.html" target="_blank">~ 1. The Lion and the Rabbit ~</a><br />
Every day, the lion demanded that the animals send him a victim to eat.<br />
One day, it was the rabbit's turn. The rabbit took his time on the way, thinking of a plan to escape the lion.<br />
"Why are you late?" the lion roared.<br />
"My apologies," said the rabbit. "I saw an even bigger lion, and I was frightened."<br />
"Show me!" the lion commanded.<br />
The rabbit took the lion to a well. "The lion's in there," said the rabbit.<br />
The lion looked in and saw the other lion. Infuriated, he jumped in the well and drowned, attacking his own reflection.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lion-king-and-camel.html" target="_blank">~ 2. The Lion-King and the Camel ~</a><br />
The lion-king was starving.<br />
"You must eat the royal camel," the crow advised.<br />
"But he's my devoted courtier!" the lion protested.<br />
"Don't worry," said the jackal.<br />
"He'll agree!" said the leopard.<br />
So the lion-king summoned his courtiers. "I'm starving!" he roared.<br />
"Eat me!" said the crow.<br />
"You're just skin and feathers," the jackal scoffed. "Eat me!"<br />
"You're too scrawny," observed the leopard. "Eat me!"<br />
This show of loyalty inspired the camel, who assumed that another courtier would speak up to save his life also. "The leopard's meat is tough," the camel exclaimed. "Eat me!"<br />
So the lion ate the camel.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-jackal-and-foolish-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 3. The Lion-King and the Jackal ~</a><br />
The lion-king had grown old. "Fetch me something easy to kill!" he said to the jackal, his minister.<br />
The jackal found a she-donkey in a dusty stable.<br />
"I'll take you to a pasture of fresh green grass!" he said.<br />
The donkey followed the jackal eagerly straight to the lion, but he was too weak; when the lion lunged for her, she escaped.<br />
"Come back!" said the jackal. "The lion loves you! He wants to make you his queen."<br />
"Me? Queen?"<br />
The foolish donkey followed the jackal again. This time, the lion killed her. "Delicious!" he exclaimed, and the jackal agreed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-lions-never-ending-story.html" target="_blank">~ 4. A Story for the Lion-King ~</a><br />
"Tell me a story that goes on forever," the lion king shouted, "or you will all die."<br />
"You're the best storyteller," the animals said to the jackal. "Please save us!"<br />
The jackal smiled and began. "O King, a fisherman went fishing with his net."<br />
"What next?" asked the lion.<br />
"He caught many fish, but the net was torn, and a fish escaped."<br />
"What next?"<br />
"A second fish escaped."<br />
"What next?"<br />
"A third fish escaped."<br />
The lion yawned.<br />
"And a fourth. A fifth… A sixth..."<br />
The lion fell asleep listening to the endless story, and so the jackal saved the animals.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lion-and-cat.html" target="_blank">~ 5. The Lion and the Cat ~</a><br />
A lion lived in a cave where there was a mouse who kept nibbling his mane, so the lion decided to hire a cat.<br />
"I'll pay you to defend me from that mouse!" he promised.<br />
The cat prowled the cave, and the terrified mouse stayed hidden in its hole.<br />
The happy lion shared his food with the cat, and she had never eaten so well!<br />
Finally, though, the mouse had to come out to look for food, whereupon the cat caught the mouse and killed it.<br />
Then the lion stopped feeding the cat, and she died of hunger, poor thing.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-hungry-lion-hid-inside-cave.html" target="_blank">~ 6. The Lion in the Jackal's Cave ~</a><br />
A hungry lion hid inside a cave. "I'll eat whoever comes in," he thought to himself.<br />
The lion waited there all day.<br />
The jackal who lived in that cave finally came home and said, "Hello, Cave!"<br />
The lion said nothing.<br />
"Cave, you know you're supposed to answer!" said the jackal.<br />
The lion was uncertain what to do. "Hello to you!" the lion roared, and the cave made his roar sound even louder.<br />
The jackal laughed as he ran away. "You foolish lion!" he shouted. "That's how I know whether the cave is safe or not. Next time, remember: keep quiet."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-blue-jackal.html" target="_blank">~ 7. The Blue Jackal ~</a><br />
There was once a jackal who fell into a vat of blue indigo dye. The other animals were amazed when they saw the blue jackal!<br />
"The gods have sent me to be your ruler," the blue jackal explained. He made the lion his prime minister, the tiger was the royal treasurer, and the elephant was his doorkeeper.<br />
One day, though, the blue jackal heard other jackals howling in the distance. He could not resist; he began howling too.<br />
"He's just an ordinary jackal!" shouted the other animals.<br />
So the lion and the tiger attacked their former king and killed him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-jackal-and-his-brothers.html" target="_blank">~ 8. The Jackal and his Brothers ~</a><br />
A lioness had given birth to twins.<br />
The lion went hunting and caught a baby jackal. "Eat this!" he told her.<br />
The lioness, however, nursed the jackal, who grew up with the lions.<br />
One day the cubs saw an elephant; the lions wanted to attack, but the jackal warned them away.<br />
"It's too dangerous!" he said.<br />
The lion twins snarled. "You're such a coward!"<br />
The lioness feared for the jackal. "You aren't really a lion," she told him. "You should run away before your lion brothers kill you."<br />
So the jackal went away and found his jackal brothers at last.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-she-tiger-died-giving-birth.html" target="_blank">~ 9. The Tiger Cub and the Goats ~</a><br />
A she-tiger died giving birth.<br />
Wild goats found the cub and cared for him.<br />
The cub ate grass like the goats, bleated like the goats, and thought he really was a goat.<br />
A tiger then attacked the goats and found the cub. "Why are you eating grass? Why are you bleating?" he asked.<br />
"That's what goats do," replied the cub.<br />
"But you're a tiger!" he said.<br />
Then he took the cub to a pond. "Look: that's your face! That's you!"<br />
Thus the big tiger became a teacher to the cub who finally learned how to be a tiger after all.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-lion-and-ram.html" target="_blank">~ 10. The Lion and the Ram ~</a><br />
A ram once strayed from its flock and wandered into the forest.<br />
In the forest there lived a lion who had never seen a ram before.<br />
So when the lion first saw this ram, he stared in amazement. "Look at those horns! That creature might be even more powerful than me!" he thought, and he carefully avoided the ram.<br />
A few days later, though, he saw the ram again. It was eating grass.<br />
"This creature is a grass-eater!" said the lion to himself. "It is surely no match for me."<br />
The lion then sprang on the ram and killed it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-jackal-and-dead-elephant.html" target="_blank">~ 11. The Jackal and the Dead Elephant ~</a><br />
A jackal found a dead elephant but couldn't chew through the elephant's tough hide.<br />
Then a lion arrived.<br />
Terrified, the jackal said, "I saved the elephant for you!"<br />
"I don't eat what others kill," said the lion. "You may have it."<br />
The lion left, and a leopard arrived.<br />
The jackal shouted, "Hurry! Let's eat the lion's elephant before he returns."<br />
The leopard bit into the elephant, tearing the hide with her sharp teeth and claws.<br />
Then the jackal shrieked, "The lion's coming!"<br />
Fearing the lion, the leopard ran off, leaving the jackal to feast on the whole elephant by himself.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/lion-jackal-and-camel.html" target="_blank">~ 12. Lion, Jackal, and Camel ~</a><br />
The lion was starving, as were his attendants: a jackal and a camel.<br />
The jackal proclaimed, "I dreamed that Yama, God of Death, will grant rebirth to the devoted courtier who offers his body as food."<br />
Without hesitation, the camel declared, "I accept Yama's promise of rebirth!"<br />
So the lion and the jackal killed the camel.<br />
Then, in the distance, they heard the jingling bells of a camel caravan.<br />
"It's Yama and his Death-Caravan coming to avenge the camel!" shouted the jackal. "Run away, O King, run away!"<br />
The lion ran, and the jackal had the whole camel to himself.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-crow-and-jackal.html" target="_blank">~ 13. The Jackal and the Crow ~</a><br />
A crow perched high in a tree, eating some delicious fruit.<br />
A jackal decided to flatter the crow, hoping she would drop the fruit so that he could catch it.<br />
“Fair lady, you look like a peacock up there!” he said to the crow. "Your feathers are dazzling. I've never seen anyone as beautiful and as graceful as you!"<br />
The crow then flattered the jackal in return. “Kind sir, you look like a handsome young tiger!” she said, and as she spoke, all the fruit fell out of her mouth.<br />
The jackal then grabbed the fruit and ran away, laughing.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-jackal-and-peahen.html" target="_blank">~ 14. The Jackal and the Peacock ~</a><br />
A jackal and a peacock were friends.<br />
One day the peacock ate some plums, while the jackal ate a lamb.<br />
The peacock then planted the plum-pits. "I'll grow some plums!"<br />
The jackal planted the bones. "I'll grow some lambs!"<br />
The plum-pits sprouted, but not the bones.<br />
The peacock mocked the jackal. "Your crop is a failure," he said, laughing.<br />
Then one day the jackal didn't catch anything for supper, and he thought about how the peacock had mocked him.<br />
"If I can't have lamb," the jackal decided, "I can have peacock!"<br />
So the jackal killed the peacock and ate him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-otters-and-jackal.html" target="_blank">~ 15. The Jackal and the Otters ~</a><br />
There were once two otters who caught a fish, and then they quarreled about how to divide it.<br />
“The middle is mine," one otter said. "You can have the head and the tail."<br />
“No!” said the other otter. “I want the middle! I'll give you the head and the tail.”<br />
A greedy jackal came by. "I'll be glad to judge between you," he said.<br />
The otters explained what had happened.<br />
"Oh, that's easy!" the jackal exclaimed. "You take the head... and you take the tail..." and then the jackal ran away with the middle part of the fish for himself.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-jackal-and-rams.html" target="_blank">~ 16. The Jackal and the Rams ~</a><br />
There was once a greedy jackal who was prowling around, looking for food.<br />
He saw two angry rams fighting, running at each other and butting heads. The jackal noticed that each time the rams butted heads, blood dripped down on the ground.<br />
"I bet that blood would be tasty!" thought the jackal.<br />
So the jackal ran up and licked the blood off the ground.<br />
"That is delicious," he thought. "I want to get every drop."<br />
Foolish jackal! While he was licking the blood, the rams butted their heads together again, and the jackal was crushed to death between their horns.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-jackal-and-bullock.html" target="_blank">~ 17. The Jackal and the Bullock ~</a><br />
A jackal once noticed the big balls that dangled from a bullock's behind, and they made his mouth water.<br />
"What a delicious meal those would make!" the jackal thought. "And his balls are so heavy and so big. Surely they will fall down soon!"<br />
So the jackal began following the bullock everywhere, waiting for the balls to fall down.<br />
But they didn't fall down.<br />
"Such big balls!" the jackal thought. "Why don't they fall down?"<br />
Ever hopeful, he kept following the bullock.<br />
Finally, though, he gave up.<br />
"You can keep your balls!" he shouted. "They probably wouldn't taste good anyway."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-elephant-and-jackals.html" target="_blank">~ 18. The Jackals and the Elephant ~</a><br />
The jackals were stalking an especially large elephant, thinking that they could feast on him for days.<br />
Finally the most cunning of the jackals went to the elephant and said, "O Great One, the animals met and elected you to be their king. I am to escort you to the coronation."<br />
"I'm honored!" said the elephant happily.<br />
The jackal then led the elephant into a swamp.<br />
"Help!" shouted the elephant as he sank into the mud.<br />
"Your courtiers are all coming to help you, Your Highness!" promised the jackal.<br />
But the jackals did not help; instead, they devoured the elephant.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-sparrows-revenge-on-elephant.html" target="_blank">~ 19. The Elephant and the Sparrow ~</a><br />
A raging elephant knocked down a sparrow's nest, killing her chicks.<br />
The mother vowed revenge.<br />
"Help me, Woodpecker!" she said.<br />
"Agreed," said Woodpecker. "Help us, Gnat!"<br />
"Agreed," said Gnat. "Help us, Frog!"<br />
"Agreed," said Frog.<br />
Then Frog told them all what to do.<br />
Gnat buzzed in the elephant's ear; the music made him shut his eyes.<br />
Then Woodpecker stabbed the elephant's eyes so he wanted to jump in the water for relief.<br />
Meanwhile, Frog croaked at the edge of a pit; the elephant ran towards the sound, thinking it was a pond, and he fell in the pit and died.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-elephant-king-and-mice.html" target="_blank">~ 20. The Elephant-King and the Mice ~</a><br />
The elephant-king was a wise ruler who had a kind heart.<br />
When he led his elephants through the fields, they crushed many mice under their big feet.<br />
"Have mercy!" cried the mice, so the elephant-king ordered all the elephants to spare the mice by taking a different path.<br />
Later, elephant-hunters came and caught some of the elephants in snares.<br />
"Help us!" the elephants shouted, and the mice all came to their rescue, using their tiny teeth to chew through the ropes and free the elephants from the snares.<br />
Thus the elephants learned that even small friends can be great friends.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-elephants-and-rabbits.html" target="_blank">~ 21. The Elephants and the Rabbits ~</a><br />
There was a drought.<br />
The elephant-herd searched for water and found a beautiful lake. When the elephants rushed to drink, they crushed many rabbits underfoot.<br />
A brave rabbit spoke to the elephant-king as he drank. "I am the Moon's envoy!" proclaimed the rabbit. "The Moon says: you trampled my beloved rabbits."<br />
"I'll ask forgiveness!" said the elephant-king, and he kneeled in the water.<br />
The moon's reflection in the water shook violently.<br />
"The Moon is even more angry!" said the rabbit. "Go away and never come back!"<br />
The elephant-king, fearing the Moon's heavenly powers, departed, and the elephant-herd departed with him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/elephant-ape-and-owl.html" target="_blank">~ 22. The Elephant and the Monkey ~</a><br />
An elephant and a monkey were boasting.<br />
"I'm mighty!" said the elephant.<br />
"I'm nimble!" said the monkey.<br />
"But which of us is better?" asked the elephant.<br />
"Let the owl judge!" said the monkey.<br />
"I propose a test," said the owl. "Bring me mangos from across the river."<br />
So they ran to the river, but the monkey couldn't cross.<br />
"I'll carry you!" said the elephant.<br />
They got to the mango tree, but the elephant couldn't reach the mangos.<br />
"I'll fetch them!" said the monkey.<br />
They brought the mangos to the owl who said, "Now you see: you two are better together!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-wealthy-toad.html" target="_blank">~ 23. The Wealthy Toad ~</a><br />
A toad once happened to find a copper coin.<br />
He grasped the coin in his mouth and carried it back to his hole.<br />
"I am now a toad who possesses both wealth and power!" he thought to himself.<br />
Then one day an elephant walked over the toad's hole.<br />
The toad leaped forth, angrily shaking his foot at the departing elephant as if he were going to kick him.<br />
"How dare you walk over my head!" he shouted. "I am a toad who possesses both wealth and power!"<br />
Money can make you lose all sense of proportion, just like that toad.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-boastful-beetle.html" target="_blank">~ 24. The Boastful Beetle ~</a><br />
There was once a tiny beetle who one day wandered into a place where people had enjoyed a wild party the night before.<br />
Seeing a puddle of liquor on the ground, the beetle started drinking, and soon he was drunk.<br />
"I am so mighty," he yelled, "that the world cannot bear my weight!"<br />
An elephant wandered by.<br />
"I'm going to fight you, elephant!" the beetle boasted. "We'll see who is the most mighty!"<br />
The elephant laughed as he pooped and peed on top of the beetle, killing the insect instantly.<br />
The elephant then ran into the forest, trumpeting in triumph.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-self-important-insect.html" target="_blank">~ 25. The Self-Important Insect ~</a><br />
A farmer was walking through his fields one evening, headed home. The setting sun was a blazing ball of fire, while the rising moon glowed a brilliant silver.<br />
"How glorious are the sun and the moon!" he exclaimed.<br />
As he continued walking, he heard a tiny voice.<br />
He stopped, looking for the source of the voice.<br />
It was a firefly!<br />
"They are cousins of mine, you know," said the firefly. "I am a creature of fiery light, just like my relatives, the sun and the moon."<br />
The farmer laughed, amused at this tiny creature and its enormous sense of self-importance.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-monkey-and-firefly.html" target="_blank">~ 26. The Monkey and the Firefly ~</a><br />
A monkey found a firefly.<br />
The evening was cool, so the monkey said, "I'll warm myself by the light of this fire!"<br />
At just that moment, a bird flew by, and she decided to enlighten the monkey. "That's not fire," the bird explained. "That's just a firefly."<br />
The monkey ignored the bird, so she chirped more loudly. "That won't work: a firefly isn't the same as a fire!"<br />
On and on she chattered, making the monkey more and more angry.<br />
Finally, the monkey grabbed the bird and squashed her.<br />
Moral of the story: Be careful when correcting someone else's errors.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-monkey-and-peas.html" target="_blank">~ 27. The Monkey and the Peas ~</a><br />
A monkey high up in a tree saw some peas lying nearby on the ground.<br />
He jumped down and gathered all the peas in his hands, and then went back up the tree to enjoy his feast.<br />
"Delicious!" he said.<br />
As he was eating, one of the peas fell out of his hand.<br />
"Oh no!" he shouted.<br />
He jumped down to grab the lost pea, and as he did, all the other peas fell out of his hands.<br />
Hearing his shout, more monkeys came and started eating.<br />
Because he couldn’t let one pea go, the monkey lost all the rest.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-monkeys-heart.html" target="_blank">~ 28. The Crocodile and the Monkey ~</a><br />
Craving Monkey's heart for supper, Crocodile swam to the riverbank where Monkey lived.<br />
"Let's go to Banana Island, Monkey!"<br />
"But you know I can't swim."<br />
"Don't worry! I'll carry you."<br />
Greedy for bananas, Monkey jumped on.<br />
Crocodile plunged deep under the water.<br />
"What are you doing?" Monkey shrieked.<br />
"I'm going to eat your heart for supper."<br />
"But I left my heart in the tree!"<br />
Monkey pointed to the fig tree on the riverbank.<br />
"Well, go get it!" shouted Crocodile.<br />
Crocodile swam back to shore, and Monkey leaped into the tree.<br />
"You might fool me once," he cackled. "But only once!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/crocodile-and-monkey-at-river.html" target="_blank">~ 29. The Monkey and the Rock ~</a><br />
Crocodile noticed Monkey using a rock to cross the river, jumping from riverbank to rock, and then from rock to riverbank.<br />
"I'll make my back look like a rock," thought Crocodile. "He'll jump on me, and I'll catch him!"<br />
Monkey saw a suspicious new rock in the river, so before he jumped, Monkey said, "Hello, Rock!'<br />
Crocodile said nothing.<br />
Monkey shouted, "Hey, Rock! Why don't you answer me like you usually do?"<br />
Crocodile realized he had to answer. "Hello, Monkey…" he said cautiously.<br />
"Hello to you, Crocodile," Monkey cackled. "And goodbye! I won't be jumping on you today… or ever!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-crows-revenge.html" target="_blank">~ 30. The Crow's Revenge ~</a><br />
A snake raided a crow's nest and ate her chicks.<br />
The crow vowed revenge.<br />
She knew where the royal ladies bathed, leaving their jewelry beside the pool. The crow squawked loudly to make sure the queen saw her, and then she flew off with a golden necklace in her beak.<br />
"Guards!" screamed the queen. "Go get my necklace!"<br />
The crow then dropped the necklace in front of the snake's hole.<br />
When the guards arrived, they saw the necklace and they saw the snake. They clubbed the snake to death and retrieved the necklace.<br />
That's how the crow got her revenge!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-crabs-advice.html" target="_blank">~ 31. The Crab's Advice ~</a><br />
There were two herons who lived in a tree, and at the foot of the tree was a snake.<br />
One day, the snake ate the herons' chicks.<br />
"We need help!" said the father heron.<br />
"Let's ask the crab for advice," said the mother heron.<br />
So they went to see the crab.<br />
"You should scatter some fish from the mongoose hole to the snake hole," said the crab. "The mongoose will follow the fish and eat the snake!"<br />
The herons did what the crab advised.<br />
The mongoose ate the snake as they had hoped, but then it ate the herons too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-partridge-and-rabbit.html" target="_blank">~ 32. The Partridge and the Rabbit ~</a><br />
A partridge had a lovely home, but he left that home, temporarily, in search of food.<br />
When he came back, he found a rabbit was living there.<br />
"Get out of my home!" shouted the partridge.<br />
"This is my home now!" the rabbit shouted back.<br />
They went to a pious cat who lived by the Ganges to ask him to judge their case.<br />
"My dear creatures," the cat said, "I am old and deaf. You must come closer... I still cannot hear you... Closer... That's better, just a little closer."<br />
And then the cat ate the partridge and the rabbit too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-vulture-and-cat.html" target="_blank">~ 33. The Vulture and the Cat ~</a><br />
A vulture, old and nearly blind, lived in a tree hollow.<br />
The other birds pitied the vulture and fed him, and he looked after their chicks.<br />
A cat approached the tree, but the vulture squawked, "No food for you here, cat!"<br />
"I follow the spiritual path," replied the cat. "I no longer eat meat. I seek only to learn from elders like yourself."<br />
Flattered, the vulture began preaching.<br />
Meanwhile, the cat ate the chicks, carefully depositing their bones in the vulture's hollow.<br />
The cat then left, and when the birds found the bones, they attacked the vulture and killed him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-hawks-and-crows.html" target="_blank">~ 34. The Hawks and the Crows ~</a><br />
The hawks and the crows agreed to go hunting together.<br />
One day, they found a fox nearly dead of starvation.<br />
"We'll eat the upper half of the fox," said the crows.<br />
"And we'll eat the lower half," said the hawks.<br />
The fox laughed. "I always thought hawks superior to crows. Surely the hawks, not the crows, deserve the upper half."<br />
"Yes, we do!" shouted the hawks.<br />
"No, you don't!" shouted the crows.<br />
A great fight broke out, and the fox recovered her strength by feasting on the fallen birds.<br />
Thus the weak can profit when the powerful quarrel amongst themselves.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-jackdaw-and-glow-worm.html" target="_blank">~ 35. The Jackdaw and the Glow-Worm ~</a><br />
A jackdaw had caught a glow-worm and was about to eat her.<br />
"Wait!" the insect said. "I know where you can get hundreds of glow-worms."<br />
"Show me!" said the greedy bird. "Take me there now!"<br />
The glow-worm took the jackdaw to a potter's workshop where there was a fire burning.<br />
"See that light?" said the glow-worm. "Go eat those glow-worms there, and then I'll show you more."<br />
The jackdaw ran up to the fire and tried to eat the sparks, but the fire burned his mouth… and when he went back to complain, the glow-worm had already made her escape.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-bharunda-bird.html" target="_blank">~ 36. The Bharunda Bird ~</a><br />
Have you heard of the bharunda bird? This strange creature has two heads attached to a single body.<br />
One day, a bharunda bird found a flower filled with nectar. The first head drank the nectar eagerly, and the nectar went into their shared stomach. "Delicious!" it said.<br />
"Give me some!" shouted the other head.<br />
"No!" shouted the first head. "I found it; I drink it!"<br />
The second head was so angry that it found a poisonous fruit and ate it.<br />
"Ha!" shouted the head. "That's my revenge."<br />
The poisonous fruit went into their shared stomach, and the bharunda bird died.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-hawk-and-crows.html" target="_blank">~ 37. The Hawk and the Fish ~</a><br />
A hawk had caught a fish.<br />
Holding the fish in his talons, he rose up from the water, ready to fly home and enjoy his meal.<br />
But crows suddenly swarmed all around him, a hundred or more, each one trying to snatch the fish.<br />
The hawk flew up and he flew down... still the crows pursued him.<br />
Left and right... the crows kept on chasing him.<br />
Finally, the hawk let go of the fish.<br />
The crows all flew off, chasing after the fish and leaving the hawk alone.<br />
He settled on a branch and sighed thankfully, "At last, I'm free."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-crow-who-brought-sun.html" target="_blank">~ 38. The Crow and the Sunrise ~</a><br />
A foolish crow was convinced that his shrill caw-caw-caw caused the sun to rise each morning. Each day, he cawed in the darkness before dawn, knowing that the whole world depended on him to bring the sun.<br />
One morning, however, the crow slept late.<br />
He awoke to see the sun already high in the sky.<br />
"Thank goodness another member of the crow family was awake this morning!" he thought to himself. "Otherwise, the earth might have spent the whole day in darkness."<br />
This foolish crow shows us that the way you see yourself is a matter of opinion, not fact.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-animals-who-boasted.html" target="_blank">~ 39. The Animals Boasting ~</a><br />
"My great valor makes me king of the jungle," roared the lion.<br />
"But I am the most cunning of all," countered the fox.<br />
"Just look at my feathers!" shrieked the peacock.<br />
"Feathers are nothing compared to tusks!" trumpeted the elephant.<br />
Meanwhile, a little toad croaked her own opinion:<br />
"Lion, as king of the animals, you're a coveted trophy for hunters! Your fur, Fox, will be made into a coat. Humans will kill you for your feathers, Peacock, and they will kill you for your tusks, Elephant!"<br />
"So I say," the toad concluded, "it's better to be small rather than mighty."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-change-of-scenery.html" target="_blank">~ 40. The Animals Change Places ~</a><br />
The animals and fish had gotten bored with their lifestyles and decided to switch places: the fish would live on the land, and the animals in the sea.<br />
The result was a complete disaster.<br />
As the fish came crawling over the land, eagles and hawks swooped down and devoured them.<br />
The animals, meanwhile, couldn't breathe underwater, and most of them couldn't even swim, and thus they died in the sea.<br />
"We need to go back to the land!" cried the surviving animals.<br />
"And we need to go back to the sea!" cried the surviving fish.<br />
They never switched places again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-crabs-and-friendly-fox.html" target="_blank">~ 41. The Crabs and the Fox ~</a><br />
The crabs found a fox weeping on the beach.<br />
"What's wrong?" they asked.<br />
"The other foxes were planning to devour you," he replied, "but I said we should not harm such pretty creatures."<br />
The crabs were glad to meet a friendly fox.<br />
Then the fox said to the crabs, "Let's go dancing in the moonlight!"<br />
The fox danced happily together with the crabs.<br />
"Come dance, my friends, come, come!"<br />
The fox and the crabs danced up the sand and into the grass-covered dunes… where all the other foxes were waiting.<br />
And so the foxes devoured the crabs, every last one.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-crane-and-fish.html" target="_blank">~ 42. The Crane and the Fish ~</a><br />
The lake was drying up.<br />
"Don’t worry, fish-friends!" said a crane. "I'll carry you to my home, a big lake nearby."<br />
"Thank you!' said the fish, and she carried them off one by one.<br />
But the crane wasn't relocating the fish; she was devouring them.<br />
Finally only a crab remained.<br />
"Come on!" said the crane.<br />
Then, as they were landing, the crab looked down and saw fishbones, so he grabbed the crane's neck with his pincers.<br />
"Let go!" the crane said, but the crab squeezed.<br />
SNAP!<br />
The crane died, and the crab lived happily ever after in the big lake.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/big-wit-half-wit-and-witless.html" target="_blank">~ 43. Big-Wit, Half-Wit, and Witless ~</a><br />
There were three fish living in a pond: Big-Wit, Half-Wit, and Witless.<br />
Fishermen came to their pond, looking for fish to catch.<br />
Big-Wit realized the danger at once and went swimming through the pond's outlet before the fishermen blocked it up. Thus he made his escape.<br />
Half-Wit was unsure what to do, but finally he pretended to be dead, floating on top of the water, and the fishermen had no interest in a rotten fish carcass.<br />
As for Witless, terror made him splash in the water, so the fishermen seized him and he became fish stew for the fishermen's dinner.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-two-fish-and-frog.html" target="_blank">~ 44. The Two Fish and the Frog ~</a><br />
Two fish named Smart and Very-Smart lived in a remote lake together with a frog named Not-So-Smart.<br />
One day fishermen discovered the lake. "We'll come fish here tomorrow," the fishermen said.<br />
The frog was very upset. "What can we do?" he said.<br />
"Don't worry!" said the fish named Very-Smart. "We'll figure it out tomorrow." The fish named Smart nodded confidently. "We're smart!"<br />
But Not-So-Smart decided to leave the lake right away and hide nearby.<br />
The next morning he saw the fishermen hauling Very-Smart and Smart away in their nets.<br />
"Sometimes it's better not to be so smart!" said the frog.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-frog-in-well.html" target="_blank">~ 45. The Frog in the Well ~</a><br />
A frog was born in a well and lived there all her life.<br />
Another frog was born and lived in a lake.<br />
The lake-frog went exploring, and when she hopped up on the edge of the well, she fell in.<br />
She tried to tell the well-frog what the lake was like. "It's big!" she said.<br />
"As big as this?" asked the well-frog, hopping from one side of the well to the other.<br />
"Bigger!" said the lake-frog.<br />
"But there's nothing bigger than the well. You've lost your mind!" shouted the well-frog. "That 'lake' is something you dreamed; it can't be real."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-king-of-frogs-in-well.html" target="_blank">~ 46. The Frog-King in the Well ~</a><br />
The frog-king ruled the frogs of the well. The king had many enemies, so he hopped out of the well and found a snake.<br />
"Snake," he said, "please kill my enemies."<br />
"But I cannot swim!" replied the snake.<br />
"You can hide in a hole in the wall of the well," explained the frog-king. "I'll show you my enemies, but you must spare my friends and family."<br />
So the greedy snake ate all the frog-king's enemies.<br />
Then his friends.<br />
Then his family.<br />
Terrified, the frog-king ran away.<br />
"Frog-King, come back!" shouted the snake.<br />
But the frog-king now knew not to listen.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/snake-and-frog-as-friends.html" target="_blank">~ 47. The Snake and the Frog ~</a><br />
A snake and a frog lived in the same pond, and they became friends.<br />
"I’ll teach you how to hiss!" the snake said to the frog one day.<br />
"And I'll teach you how to croak!" said the frog to the snake.<br />
After the snake learned how to croak, he would hide in the reeds and croak just like a frog, luring the other frogs to come near, and then he would eat them.<br />
Eventually, the other frogs learned about the snake’s trick, so the snake had no more frogs to eat.<br />
That’s when he decided to eat his so-called friend.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-snake-and-frogs.html" target="_blank">~ 48. The Frog-King Rides the Snake ~</a><br />
A snake came to the frogs and said, "A brahmin has cursed me to be your vehicle. I must carry you on my back wherever you want to go."<br />
The king of the frogs jumped on the snake's back. The other frogs did the same, and the snake did indeed carry them wherever they told him to go.<br />
The next day, however, the snake was moving slowly.<br />
"I'm hungry!" the snake said.<br />
"Eat some frogs!" suggested the frog king.<br />
Day by day the snake ate the frogs until only the king was left.<br />
And then the snake ate him too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-snake-and-ants.html" target="_blank">~ 49. The Snake and the Ants ~</a><br />
There was a mighty snake, the terror of the neighborhood. Nobody dared to challenge this snake.<br />
Then one day the snake decided to slither through a narrow space between some rocks, and there he got stuck, bleeding where the rocks had scraped his skin.<br />
Drawn by the smell of blood, the ants began to swarm. The ants were tiny, but they came in hundreds. Then in thousands.<br />
The snake squirmed and thrashed as the ants crawled all over him, but there was nothing he could do.<br />
And thus the tiny ants killed the mighty snake, bite by bite by bite.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/stag-tiger-and-crocodile.html" target="_blank">~ 50. Deer, Tiger, and Crocodile ~</a><br />
A deer had gone to drink, and a tiger lay in wait in the bushes nearby.<br />
"That deer will make a delicious meal," the tiger thought.<br />
Meanwhile, there was a crocodile in the water who also had his eyes on the deer.<br />
As the deer finished drinking, the tiger leaped, but he missed and fell.<br />
Then, as he tumbled with a splash into the water, the crocodile seized him.<br />
They fought, and both died of their wounds.<br />
The deer, watching the unexpected drama, exclaimed, "It's a good day for the deer when the tiger and the crocodile destroy one another."<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-71914306932178388632021-01-14T11:52:00.002-05:002021-01-14T11:52:39.871-05:00Reading B: Tales from India (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #112-137.<br />
<div><br /></div><div>You'll want to click on track 51 to start the audio portion for this section:<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1084517215&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-india" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from India">Tiny Tales from India</a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-animals-and-end-of-world.html" target="_blank">~ 51. The Rabbit and the Coconut ~</a><br />
Rabbit slept under a coconut-tree, and a coconut fell on his head.<br />
"The sky's falling!" Rabbit shouted. He jumped and ran.<br />
"What's wrong?" Deer asked.<br />
"End of the world! The sky's falling!" shrieked Rabbit, and Deer ran with him.<br />
They met Fox. "What's wrong?" she asked.<br />
Rabbit panted, "Sky falling! End of world!"<br />
Now Rabbit, Deer, and Fox were running.<br />
Monkey, Leopard, Elephant... all running!<br />
Lion stopped them. "Who says it's the end of the world?"<br />
They pointed at Rabbit, and Rabbit took Lion to the tree.<br />
"A coconut fell down!" Lion roared. "It's not the end of the world."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-fox-in-flood.html" target="_blank">~ 52. The Fox in the Flood ~</a><br />
A fox had fallen into a rushing river.<br />
"Help!" the fox shrieked. "It's the end of the world! A flood! Save yourselves! The end of the world!"<br />
A man standing on the riverbank heard the fox's cries of alarm. He grabbed a branch and extended it to the fox, and then he pulled the fox to shore.<br />
"Thank you, good sir!" said the fox.<br />
"But what about the end of the world?" said the man. "Your words scared me!"<br />
"Well, the world was ending," said the fox. "My world anyway!"<br />
And with that, the fox scampered off into the woods.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-horse-tied-to-tree.html" target="_blank">~ 53. The Horse Tied to a Tree ~</a><br />
A traveler tied his horse to a tree and lay down to sleep.<br />
A thief stole the horse and returned to rob the traveler too, but the traveler woke up unexpectedly.<br />
"Where's my horse?" he shouted.<br />
"The tree ate him," said the thief.<br />
"Impossible!" retorted the traveler. "See that fox? She'll tell us what happened."<br />
"I didn't see the tree eat the horse," said the fox, "because I was too busy watching flames shoot forth from the pond over there."<br />
"But flames can't shoot forth from ponds," said the thief.<br />
"No more than trees can eat horses," said the fox.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/tiger-and-fox.html" target="_blank">~ 54. The Tiger and the Fox ~</a><br />
A tiger found a fox in a trap.<br />
"What are you doing there?" he asked.<br />
"I did this for you!" replied the fox. "I'm luring men here so you can eat them."<br />
"How kind of you!" said the tiger, who went to wait in the bushes.<br />
The hunters came and found the fox.<br />
"I've lured the tiger here so you can kill him," said the fox. "He's there in the bushes."<br />
"How kind of you!' said the hunters, who then let the fox go.<br />
"Good luck, hunters!" shouted the fox as she ran off. "And good luck to you, tiger!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-tiger-and-golden-bangle.html" target="_blank">~ 55. The Tiger and the Golden Bangle ~</a><br />
An old tiger lived beside a pond.<br />
When a traveler passed nearby, the tiger shouted, "Here! Take this golden bangle!"<br />
The traveler was surprised by the tiger's words. "Show me the bangle!" he said.<br />
The tiger showed him.<br />
"But can I trust you?" asked the traveler.<br />
"I'm old," said the tiger, "with no teeth and no claws. Before I die, I'm giving away my wealth. Come! Cross the pond and take the bangle."<br />
When the man waded into the pond, he got stuck in the mud.<br />
"I'll help you!" said the tiger.<br />
So saying, the tiger pounced and devoured him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-twin-parrots.html" target="_blank">~ 56. The Twin Parrots ~</a><br />
A parrot gave birth to twins with identical green bodies, blue heads, red wings, and yellow tails. Bandits carried away one chick; a monk took the other.<br />
A king rode through the forest one day. He passed the bandits' camp, and a parrot squawked, "Bind him! Kill him!" The king saw the parrot was green, blue, red, and yellow.<br />
He then passed a hermitage. "Honor the king!" a parrot squawked.<br />
"I saw a parrot just like you: green, blue, red, and yellow," said the king. "But he spoke differently."<br />
"We were born as twins," replied the parrot, "but raised differently."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-captive-fawn.html" target="_blank">~ 57. The Captive Fawn ~</a><br />
A prince went hunting and caught a fawn which he took home as a pet.<br />
The fawn, however, was unhappy: he longed to return to the herd.<br />
One day the fawn shouted, "Woe is me! What is this nightmare? Where's my herd?"<br />
This terrified the prince. "A speaking fawn is an evil portent," he thought, so he summoned his magicians and wise men.<br />
"Save me from this demon!" he pleaded.<br />
"Just listen to the words," said one of the wise men, "and let the fawn go."<br />
So the prince freed the fawn, and he was not troubled by portents again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-king-and-pet-monkey.html" target="_blank">~ 58. The King and his Monkey ~</a><br />
A king appointed a pet monkey to be his royal sword-bearer and bodyguard.<br />
One day, the king went into the royal gardens. The day was hot, so the king decided to nap in the shade of a tree.<br />
"Let no one disturb me!" he commanded the monkey.<br />
After a while, a bumblebee flew by and landed on the king's nose. The monkey raised his sword and brought it down upon the offending insect, lest it disturb the king.<br />
He killed the bee, but he also killed the king.<br />
Thus a foolish friend is more dangerous than the most dangerous enemy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/monkeys-in-garden.html" target="_blank">~ 59. The Monkeys and the Gardener ~</a><br />
The royal gardener wanted a vacation.<br />
There were some monkeys living in the garden, so the gardener decided to put the monkeys in charge while he was gone.<br />
“Make sure you water all the plants!” he told the monkeys.<br />
“We should inspect the roots first," commanded the chief of the monkeys. "The deep roots need lots of water; the shallow roots not so much.”<br />
So the monkeys inspected the roots carefully, pulling them up out of the ground to look at them.<br />
The gardener came back from vacation to find all the plants were dead, uprooted by the foolish monkeys.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/monkey-see-monkey-do.html" target="_blank">~ 60. Monkey See, Monkey Do ~</a><br />
One day a monkey in a tree watched while the woodcutters worked.<br />
When the woodcutters went to eat their lunch, he jumped down on the log where they were using wedges to split the wood.<br />
"Why did they put this thing here?" he wondered. Monkeys are curious creatures, and this monkey was more curious than most.<br />
So, the monkey grabbed the wedge and pulled it out... and then the log snapped shut on his privates! He was trapped, and it was all because of his own foolishness.<br />
Learn from the monkey: do not meddle in things you know nothing about.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-sparrow-and-monkey.html" target="_blank">~ 61. The Monkey and the Sparrow ~</a><br />
There was a sparrow who lived in a nest high up in a tree.<br />
One day, she saw a monkey shivering at the foot of the tree.<br />
"If you are cold," she said, "you should build a house!"<br />
The monkey did not listen to her, but the sparrow kept giving him advice.<br />
"I can tell you how to build a house!" she chirped.<br />
"I have a very nice house!" she chirped more loudly.<br />
"A house will keep you warm!" she kept on chirping.<br />
Finally, the monkey got so angry that he climbed up the tree and destroyed the sparrow's house.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-wise-old-goose.html" target="_blank">~ 62. The Wild Geese ~</a><br />
Some wild geese lived in a tree.<br />
The oldest goose noticed a vine growing up the tree. "We must tear down that vine before a human climbs it!" she said, but the young geese mocked her.<br />
A hunter later climbed the tree and placed a snare there which trapped all the geese.<br />
"Play dead!" said the old goose.<br />
This time, the other geese did as she said.<br />
The hunter found the birds all dead - or so he thought - and tossed them to the ground.<br />
Then, as he was climbing down the tree, they all flew away to safety!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-king-of-doves.html" target="_blank">~ 63. The King of the Doves ~</a><br />
A hunter spread a net on the ground, covering it with grain.<br />
When doves rushed to eat the grain, their feet were caught. The more they thrashed, the more tightly they were trapped.<br />
"Be calm!" said the dove-king. "Use your wings instead."<br />
Together, the doves flapped their wings and rose up, carrying the net, while the hunter shouted at them angrily.<br />
The doves then flew to the home of their friend: a mouse.<br />
"Help us, mouse!" said the dove-king, and the mouse chewed through the knots and freed all the doves from the net.<br />
The moral: Cooperate, and be kind.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-gadfly-and-lion.html" target="_blank">~ 64. The Gadfly and the Lion ~</a><br />
A gadfly found a lion sleeping in his den. She bit the lion's lip and drank his blood.<br />
The lion awoke and grabbed the gadfly.<br />
"Mercy!" begged the gadfly. "Let me go and I'll do you a favor someday."<br />
The lion scoffed at the idea of a gadfly doing him a favor, but he let the creature go.<br />
Some days later, the gadfly saw hunters creeping towards the lion's den. She once again bit the lion, waking him. "You must go," shouted the gadfly, "or else the hunters will trap you here!"<br />
The lion thus escaped, thanks to a gadfly.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/turtle-deer-mouse-and-crow.html" target="_blank">~ 65. Turtle, Deer, Mouse, and Crow ~</a><br />
A turtle, deer, mouse, and crow were all friends.<br />
One day a hunter caught the turtle and carried her away in a sack.<br />
The mouse advised the deer to lie down in the hunter's path, pretending to be dead, while the crow pretended to peck at her dead body.<br />
When the hunter saw the deer, he put down the sack, got out his knife and advanced towards the deer.<br />
The mouse quickly gnawed a hole in the sack so the turtle escaped, while the crow flapped in the hunter's face till the deer got away.<br />
The moral: Friendship is powerful.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/deer-crow-and-jackal.html" target="_blank">~ 66. Deer, Crow, and Jackal ~</a><br />
A deer and a crow lived as friends.<br />
The deer then befriended a jackal. The crow, however, mistrusted the jackal.<br />
The next day the jackal led the deer into a snare.<br />
"Help!" yelled the deer.<br />
The crow flew up and squawked so loudly that a hunter came running. "Pretend you're dead!" the crow whispered to the deer.<br />
The deer lay down as if dead, and when the hunter freed her from the snare, she leaped up and ran off.<br />
The hunter shot at the deer, but hit the jackal instead, killing him.<br />
The deer no longer made friends with jackals.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/greedy-hunter-greedy-jackal.html" target="_blank">~ 67. The Hunter and the Jackal ~</a><br />
A hunter shot a deer and was carrying it home when he saw a boar. "I'll catch the boar too!"<br />
The hunter shot the boar, but only wounded it.<br />
The boar attacked, killing the hunter, and then died of its wounds.<br />
When the boar fell, it happened to crush a snake to death.<br />
A jackal strolled by.<br />
"What a feast!" he exclaimed. "Human, deer, boar and snake! I don't want to miss out on anything edible. I can even eat the bowstring!"<br />
But when the greedy jackal gnawed the bowstring, the bow snapped, struck the jackal and killed him too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-goose-and-crow.html" target="_blank">~ 68. The Goose and the Crow ~</a><br />
A goose and a crow lived together in a tree.<br />
One hot day, a hunter decided to rest beneath that tree.<br />
As he slept, the sun moved, exposing his face, so the kindly goose shaded the man's face from the sun with her wings.<br />
Meanwhile, the wicked crow pooped down on the man's face and then flew away, cackling with delight.<br />
When the man awoke, he wiped away the poop and, looking up, he saw the goose.<br />
"You cursed bird!" he shouted.<br />
He then grabbed his gun and shot the goose dead.<br />
The moral: Be careful what company you keep.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-monkey-who-ate-rice-and-dal.html" target="_blank">~ 69. The Monkey and the Goat ~</a><br />
A wily monkey once stole a workman's rice and lentils.<br />
After gobbling almost all the food, the monkey then set about laying the blame on someone else.<br />
"The goat would make a likely culprit," the monkey thought to himself.<br />
So the monkey fed the rest of the rice and lentils to the goat, making sure to smear food all over the goat's mouth and in his beard.<br />
"Thank you, monkey!" said the gullible goat.<br />
When the workman returned, he blamed the goat.<br />
"You cursed beast!" he shouted as he beat the poor goat, while the monkey just laughed and laughed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-louse-and-flea.html" target="_blank">~ 70. The Louse and the Flea ~</a><br />
There was once a louse who lived in the king's palace.<br />
She grew fat sucking on the king's blood, but because she nibbled gently, the king never realized she was there.<br />
It was a good life.<br />
One day, a flea dropped in. "What a nice bed this is!" he said.<br />
The louse protested. "The king will feel your unfamiliar bite. Go away!"<br />
But the flea didn't go away, and he bit the king while he slept.<br />
The king was furious, and he called his servants to come inspect the bed. The flea escaped, but the louse was caught and killed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-turtle-and-peacock.html" target="_blank">~ 71. The Turtle and the Peacock ~</a><br />
A turtle saw a peacock dancing beside a pond.<br />
"I want to dance with you," said the turtle.<br />
The peacock looked at him doubtfully. "You're too slow, and you have no feathers to compare with mine."<br />
"I'll surprise you," said the turtle, "for my shell is truly colorful and, though slow, I am graceful."<br />
So the turtle danced with the peacock, and the peacock had to admire his lovely shell and steady pace.<br />
A hunter, however, discovered them there.<br />
The peacock flew to safety in a tree, but the hunter caught and killed the turtle before he reached the pond.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-princes-and-turtle.html" target="_blank">~ 72. The Turtle in the Lake ~</a><br />
The princes shouted, "Father, we saw a terrible lake-monster!"<br />
The king's guards went and caught the monster.<br />
It was only a turtle, but the princes had never seen a turtle before and it frightened them.<br />
"How shall we kill it?" the king asked.<br />
"Crush it!" said the first prince.<br />
"Burn it!" said the second.<br />
"Drown it!" said the third.<br />
Then the turtle shrieked, "Don't drown me! Crush me, burn me, but please don't drown me!"<br />
"Drown the turtle!" the king commanded.<br />
The guards threw the turtle into the lake.<br />
The turtle shouted "Home at last!" as he happily swam away.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-turtle-who-flew.html" target="_blank">~ 73. The Turtle and the Two Birds ~</a><br />
A turtle once befriended two birds, and the three friends lived together at a lake.<br />
The lake was drying up, so the birds offered to carry the turtle away.<br />
“You bite the middle of this stick, and we'll carry the ends in our beaks," they said. "But you must keep your mouth closed. Don't open your mouth, okay?”<br />
“Okay!” the turtle said.<br />
They soared into the sky: the plan worked!<br />
But then people on the ground started laughing.<br />
"That turtle looks ridiculous up there!" they said.<br />
The turtle opened his mouth to rebuke them and thus plunged to his death.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-jackal-and-singing-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 74. The Donkey and the Jackal ~</a><br />
A farmer allowed his donkey to wander freely at night.<br />
One night the donkey met a jackal and they became friends.<br />
Together, they broke into a cucumber field and ate all the cucumbers they wanted.<br />
Then the donkey decided to sing.<br />
"Don't do that!" hissed the jackal.<br />
But the donkey insisted on singing. "I have a lovely singing voice," he said. "You're just jealous!"<br />
The jackal hid in the bushes and watched. The donkey sang very loudly, and finally the villagers came and cudgeled him to death.<br />
"Music is all well and good," thought the jackal, "but silence is safer."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-donkey-and-tiger-skin.html" target="_blank">~ 75. The Donkey and the Tiger-Skin ~</a><br />
There was a laundryman who had a donkey.<br />
One day, the laundryman found a tiger-skin in the jungle and put the tiger-skin on his donkey.<br />
"The farmers will be afraid of my tiger," he thought.<br />
Wearing the tiger-skin, the donkey was able to graze in the barley-fields at night, getting fat on the farmers' barley.<br />
But one night, the donkey heard the bray of a she-donkey, and he could not resist: he also started to bray!<br />
The farmers realized this was not a tiger, but a donkey, so they beat the poor donkey and drove him away from their fields.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-donkey-and-watchdog.html" target="_blank">~ 76. The Donkey and the Watchdog ~</a><br />
A thief came to rob a house.<br />
The donkey said to the watchdog, "You should bark!"<br />
"Our master treats us badly," said the dog. "Why should I bark?"<br />
Since the dog wouldn't bark, the donkey brayed.<br />
This scared the thief, but the master didn't know anything about that. Instead, he was furious that the donkey woke him up. In his rage, he beat the donkey so badly that the donkey died.<br />
The dog shook his head sadly. "The donkey should have listened to me and kept his mouth shut."<br />
The thief returned the next night.<br />
The dog did not bark.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-brave-mongoose.html" target="_blank">~ 77. The Brave Mongoose ~</a><br />
A brahmin and his wife had a pet mongoose.<br />
One day the woman went out.<br />
"Watch the baby!" she told her husband.<br />
Then the man went out.<br />
"Watch the baby!' he told the mongoose.<br />
Then... a snake came!<br />
The brave mongoose killed the snake, overturning the baby's cradle in their struggle.<br />
When the woman returned, she saw the overturned cradle and the mongoose covered in blood. Thinking it had killed her baby, she killed the mongoose.<br />
Then she heard her baby crying and found the remains of the snake, and so she wept for the terrible mistake she had made.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-pilgrims-and-jewels.html" target="_blank">~ 78. The Pilgrims and the Jewels ~</a><br />
Three pilgrims found some jewels in the road.<br />
"Let's eat them for safekeeping!" they said.<br />
A beggar lurking nearby heard this. He joined their party, planning to cut them open that night.<br />
But then a robber ambushed them.<br />
"Jewels! Jewels!" squawked the robber's parrot.<br />
The robber seized and stripped them. No jewels.<br />
The parrot kept squawking, "Jewels!"<br />
"I'll cut you open!" shouted the robber.<br />
The beggar, racked by guilt for his wicked plan, shouted, "The parrot lies! Cut me first; you'll see!"<br />
The robber cut him open.<br />
No jewels.<br />
So the robber let the pilgrims go ... and punished the parrot.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-bandits-ghost-and-bell.html" target="_blank">~ 79. The Bandit's Ghost ~</a><br />
A bandit stole the village bell and fled to the hills where a tiger killed him. Whenever people heard the bell ringing, they whispered in fear, "It's the bandit's ghost!"<br />
But it was only a monkey ringing the bell.<br />
The village-chief offered a reward for anyone brave enough to defeat the ghost and retrieve the bell.<br />
A wise woman guessed the truth.<br />
"I can defeat the ghost!" she proclaimed.<br />
She took no weapons, just fruit. She fed the fruit to the monkey, and thus she snatched the bell.<br />
She returned to the village ringing the bell and claimed her reward.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/burning-down-house.html" target="_blank">~ 80. The Rats in the House ~</a><br />
A foolish man saw there were rats in his house.<br />
He was determined to destroy the rats, so he set his own house on fire.<br />
His house burned down to the ground.<br />
But the rats escaped by running to the house next door, so the man burned down that house too.<br />
"You won't escape me, you rats!" he shouted.<br />
But the rats just ran into the next house, so the man set that house on fire as well.<br />
And the next. And the next.<br />
Give him enough time and that fool will burn down all the houses in the world.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-rats-and-jackal.html" target="_blank">~ 81. The Rats and the Jackal ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a rat, and there was a jackal who liked to eat rats.<br />
To trick them, the jackal pretended to be a sadhu, gazing at the sun, standing on one leg, eating no food.<br />
Each day the rats would run by the saintly jackal, and each day the jackal grabbed the last rat running by.<br />
The Buddha suspected something was wrong, so he brought up the rear.<br />
When the jackal tried to grab him, the Buddha shouted, “You evil hypocrite!” He jumped at the jackal’s throat and killed him, and the rats enjoyed a great feast.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/inside-elephant.html" target="_blank">~ 82. The Jackal in the Elephant ~</a><br />
In another lifetime, the Buddha was again born as a jackal.<br />
One day, this jackal found an elephant carcass.<br />
“Food!” he shouted happily.<br />
He gnawed the elephant's trunk; not much meat there.<br />
The tusk was like bone.<br />
The ear was tough.<br />
The feet were hard as rocks.<br />
Then the jackal crawled inside where the meat was soft to eat. He stayed in there for days.<br />
Meanwhile, the summer heat made the carcass shrink.<br />
The jackal couldn't get out. He was trapped!<br />
Finally it rained.<br />
As the carcass expanded again, he escaped.<br />
“I'll never be so greedy again!” the Buddha vowed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/buddha-as-jackal.html" target="_blank">~ 83. The Jackal and the Corpse ~</a><br />
The Buddha was again born as a jackal, and he made his home in the cremation fields amidst the corpses.<br />
A wicked man who wanted to kill the jackal had gone there and lay on the ground, club in hand, pretending to be dead.<br />
The jackal approached, but he suspected this man was not really dead.<br />
He grabbed the club in his teeth and tugged. The man tightened his grip, and the jackal let go.<br />
“Human, if you were dead, you wouldn’t have tightened your grip.”<br />
The man then sprang up, but he was too late: the Buddha had escaped.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-ambitious-jackal.html" target="_blank">~ 84. The Jackal and the Lion ~</a><br />
The Buddha was once born as a lion.<br />
A jackal asked to be this lion's servant. The lion agreed, and the jackal grew fat eating food the lion killed.<br />
As time went by, the jackal thought he was as strong and mighty as a lion. “I'm ready to kill an elephant on my own!” he boasted.<br />
The lion warned him of the danger, but the jackal wouldn’t listen.<br />
Then, when the jackal tried to bite an elephant’s foot, the elephant crushed the jackal to death.<br />
“Foolish jackal,” said the Buddha, “you learned your limitations at the cost of your life.”<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-deer-who-wouldnt-listen.html" target="_blank">~ 85. The Deer and his Nephew ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a deer.<br />
The deer's sister said to her son, "Go to your uncle and learn the tricks you need to stay safe from hunters."<br />
But the young deer didn't listen to his mother.<br />
The Buddha said to him, "Nephew, there are things you must learn to stay safe. I will teach you."<br />
But the young deer didn't listen to his uncle.<br />
He then fell into a hunter's trap and was killed.<br />
"Brother," said the Buddha's sister, weeping, "why didn't you teach him?"<br />
"I couldn't teach him," said the Buddha, "because he didn't want to learn."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-food-of-death.html" target="_blank">~ 86. The Two Oxen ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as an ox. His name was Big Red, and he had a brother named Little Red.<br />
They lived on a farm together with other animals, including a pig.<br />
The oxen worked hard, but the pig didn't work; the pig just ate.<br />
And ate.<br />
And ate.<br />
Little Red was jealous, but Big Red told him, "That pig is eating the food of death; they are fattening him up for a wedding."<br />
Big Red was right: when the wedding day came, that was the end of the pig, and Little Red recognized the wisdom of the Buddha's words.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-fish-and-sleeping-crane.html" target="_blank">~ 87. The Fish and the Crane ~</a><br />
The Buddha was once born as a fish, and through his good actions he became the king of the fish.<br />
There was a crane who wanted to eat the fish, so he pretended to be asleep. The other fish were fooled, but the Buddha realized that the crane was their deadly enemy.<br />
"My fellow fish," the Buddha said, "we must drive this wicked creature away, and it will take all of us working together. One, two, three... SPLASH."<br />
At the Buddha's command, the fish all started splashing at the crane until he finally flew away to look for food elsewhere.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-island-of-mangos.html" target="_blank">~ 88. The Parrot and the Mangos ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a parrot. He had a son. When he grew up, the son cared for his elderly father, bringing him food.<br />
One day the son flew to an island full of mango trees. He brought back a mango.<br />
"Beware, my son," said the parrot’s father. "That is too far; do not go to the mango island."<br />
But the son did not listen. He flew again to the mango island, and then he grew so tired flying home that he fell into the ocean, and a fish ate him.<br />
The Buddha waited, but his son never returned.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-woodpecker-and-lion.html" target="_blank">~ 89. The Woodpecker and the Lion ~</a><br />
The Buddha was once born as a woodpecker.<br />
One day this woodpecker saw a lion, groaning in pain.<br />
“Help me, woodpecker!" shouted the lion. "Extract the bone stuck in my throat, and I’ll give you a reward!”<br />
The woodpecker agreed, but he was cautious.<br />
First, he propped the lion’s mouth open with a stick, and only then did he extract the bone.<br />
After emerging from the lion’s mouth, he knocked away the stick.<br />
“What’s my reward?” the woodpecker asked.<br />
“Escaping my teeth is reward enough!” the lion snarled.<br />
Thus the Buddha knew he was wise not to trust the lion.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-tiny-quails-act-of-truth.html" target="_blank">~ 90. The Quail Chick ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a tiny quail chick.<br />
The chick lived in a nest, fed by his mother and father, and he could not fly yet.<br />
Then one day, a huge fire swept through the forest, and the mother and father quail flew away in fear.<br />
Because the quail chick could not fly, he summoned the power of his past Buddha lives and spoke forth. “In the name of Truth," shouted the little bird, "I defy you, Fire! Turn back now!”<br />
And so the flames of the forest fire were extinguished by the miraculous power of the Buddha's words.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/fat-quail-and-thin.html" target="_blank">~ 91. The Quail and the Hunter ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a quail.<br />
A hunter caught the Buddha and his flock, and he put them in cages, feeding them well and fattening them to sell.<br />
“If we don't eat, we'll grow thin," the Buddha thought, "and that might save us."<br />
So he told the others, "Don't eat!"<br />
But they ate the food and grew fat, and then the hunter sold them.<br />
Meanwhile, the Buddha grew thin and lay motionless in the cage.<br />
"Is it dead?" the hunter wondered.<br />
He took the bird out to see what was wrong, and the Buddha jumped up and flew away.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-birds-who-polluted-lake.html" target="_blank">~ 92. The Birds by the Lake ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a bird, and he lived with other birds in a tree that stretched over a lake.<br />
Some of the birds peed and pooped in the lake, and this made the great Naga-snake who lived in the lake angry.<br />
The Naga made the waters of the lake boil, and he shot flames from his mouth into the branches of the tree.<br />
“We must fly away!” said the Buddha, and the wise birds followed him to safety.<br />
The foolish birds, however, stayed in the tree, peeing and pooping in the water, until they died in the flames.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/world-on-fire.html" target="_blank">~ 93. The Birds in the Tree ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a bird and he lived together with a flock of birds in a mighty tree; the Buddha was the king of these birds.<br />
The branches of the tree where the birds lived began to grind one against the other, producing sparks and smoke.<br />
The king realized that this was the beginning of a fire, so he warned all the other birds. “We must fly away now!” he told them.<br />
The wise birds listened, but the foolish birds ignored the Buddha's words.<br />
The whole tree caught on fire, and the foolish birds perished in the flames.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-dangerous-highway.html" target="_blank">~ 94. The Crow by the Highway ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a bird and became their king.<br />
There was a crow who hopped along the highway, eating the food that humans dropped there.<br />
The bird-king warned all the birds that the human highway was dangerous, but the crow kept going there anyway, greedy for food.<br />
One day as the crow was eating, she saw a caravan coming down the highway. “I’ll fly away soon!” she said, but she kept on eating... and so she was crushed under the wheels of a wagon.<br />
“The highway is dangerous," said the Buddha, "but being greedy is even more dangerous."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-peacock-dances.html" target="_blank">~ 95. The Bird-King and the Peacock ~</a><br />
The Buddha was again born as a bird, and again he became their king.<br />
The bird-king had a daughter, and the time had come for her to choose a husband.<br />
She liked the beautiful peacock most of all.<br />
“I want the peacock to be my husband,” she said.<br />
The peacock danced with excitement, and as he danced he exposed his private parts for all to see.<br />
The birds were shocked!<br />
The king of the birds said, “I can't let my daughter marry this bird. He is beautiful, but his dancing has led to disaster.”<br />
The peacock flew away in shame.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-swan-with-golden-feathers.html" target="_blank">~ 96. The Swan with the Golden Feathers ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a man who had a wife and children.<br />
When the man died, he was reborn as a swan with golden feathers.<br />
The swan flew home and gave his wife a feather. “I'll return soon and give you more,” he promised.<br />
But when he returned, his wife plucked all his feathers.<br />
“Wicked woman, what have you done?” he cried, and the feathers in her hands became ordinary white swan feathers.<br />
The wife threw the plucked swan into the garbage.<br />
Then, when the Buddha's feathers grew back - white now, not golden - he flew away and never returned.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-drummer-and-bandits.html" target="_blank">~ 97. The Drummer and the Bandits ~</a><br />
The Buddha was born as a drummer, and his son was a drummer too.<br />
Returning from a festival, they had to cross a forest full of bandits.<br />
“I'll scare the bandits by beating the drum constantly,” said the boy.<br />
“No!” said the Buddha. “Just beat the drum slowly now and then, like the drummer for a great lord.”<br />
At the first drumbeats, the bandits fled, but when the son kept on drumming, they became curious. Then, when they saw a father and son traveling alone, they attacked and robbed them.<br />
Too much, even of a good thing, is not good.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-monks-pet-snake.html" target="_blank">~ 98. The Monk and his Snake ~</a><br />
There was once a Buddhist monk who had adopted a poisonous snake, keeping the snake in a cage like a pet.<br />
The Buddha warned this monk that the snake couldn't be trusted, but the monk did not listen.<br />
“I can't live without my snake friend,” he said.<br />
One day the monk went to feed his snake. “Come here, my dear snake,” he said as he opened the cage. "I have food for you!"<br />
Hunger had made the snake impatient, and it bit the monk on the hand.<br />
Thus the foolish monk died, and the snake slithered away into the forest.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-resurrection-mantra.html" target="_blank">~ 99. The Buddha and the Mantra ~</a><br />
The Buddha had taught one of his young disciples a mantra for bringing the dead to life.<br />
"Use it carefully," the Buddha warned him.<br />
Later on, the young man, together with some other disciples, went into the jungle. There they found a dead tiger.<br />
"I will bring this dead tiger to life!" the disciple shouted, and then he spoke the mantra.<br />
A living tiger sprang up, killed the young disciple, and ran off.<br />
The other disciples returned to the Buddha and told him what had happened.<br />
"Before people do favors for villains," the Buddha said, "they should consider the outcome."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-three-friends-and-tiger.html" target="_blank">~ 100. The Three Friends and the Tiger ~</a><br />
There were three friends making their way through a jungle when they were attacked by a tiger.<br />
The first friend shouted, "We are lost!"<br />
The second friend shouted, "God, please save us!"<br />
The third friend shouted, "We need to climb a tree!"<br />
Here is what you need to understand about these three men.<br />
The first man did not know God at all.<br />
The second man was a seeker of God.<br />
The third man had an ecstatic and complete love of God. His goal was not to save himself from the tiger, but to spare his beloved any trouble or worry.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-26965497685529733972021-01-14T11:52:00.001-05:002021-01-14T11:52:22.453-05:00Reading C: Tales from India (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #138-149.<br />
<div><br /></div><div>You'll want to click on track 101 to start the audio portion for this section:<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1084517215&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-india" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from India">Tiny Tales from India</a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-elephant-and-elephant-driver.html" target="_blank">~ 101. The Elephant-Driver ~</a><br />
A guru and his disciples lived in the forest.<br />
One day, a mad elephant came rampaging through the trees.<br />
"Get out of the way!" yelled the elephant-driver.<br />
All the disciples fled to safety, but one disciple didn't move.<br />
The elephant grabbed him and hurled him against a tree; the disciple barely survived.<br />
"Why didn't you run?" the guru asked his disciple later.<br />
"You taught us that all things are God," he said. "Why run from God?"<br />
"Yes, the elephant is God, but the elephant-driver is God also!" explained the guru. "You should have listened to God in his elephant-driver form."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-pilgrim-and-snake.html" target="_blank">~ 102. The Pilgrim and the Snake ~</a><br />
A pilgrim converted a cobra to the holy life.<br />
"Do no harm," he told the cobra, "and don't bite!"<br />
The snake nodded, and the pilgrim departed.<br />
The village boys, however, grew bold and pelted the snake with rocks.<br />
Its bones broken, the snake could barely slither in and out of its hole.<br />
When the pilgrim returned, he was shocked by the snake's condition.<br />
"The boys attack me," it said. "But I keep my vow!"<br />
"I told you no biting, but I didn't forbid hissing!" the pilgrim exclaimed. "Do no harm, but you must hiss if someone threatens to harm you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/two-men-and-mangoes.html" target="_blank">~ 103. The Two Men and the Mangos ~</a><br />
Two men went into a mango orchard.<br />
One man immediately began to count the number of trees and the number of mangos on the trees, and even the number of leaves, estimating how much might be harvested, what the mangos would weigh, and so on.<br />
The other man went to the orchard's owner and befriended him. Then, at the invitation of his host, he began to eat the mangos. They were delicious!<br />
Be like that man: befriend the Creator and enjoy the gifts of creation. What is the good of numbers and calculations when you could be eating mangos instead?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-two-men-did-in-town.html" target="_blank">~ 104. The Two Friends in Town ~</a><br />
Two friends went to town together.<br />
"Let's go listen to a reading of Holy Scripture!" said one.<br />
"I think I'll go to a whorehouse!" said the other.<br />
The man who went to the reading was bored; he wished he had gone to the whorehouse.<br />
The man who went to the whorehouse felt ashamed; he wished he had gone to the reading.<br />
The Angel of Death came for them both at that moment, taking the man in the whorehouse to heaven, and taking the other man down to hell.<br />
God looks at your deeds, and he also looks at your heart.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/bidding-for-priceless-diamond.html" target="_blank">~ 105. The Priceless Diamond ~</a><br />
A wealthy man possessed a priceless diamond.<br />
"Take this to the market," he said to his servant, "and see what people are willing to pay for it."<br />
The eggplant-vendor offered twenty pounds of eggplants.<br />
"Not more?" asked the servant.<br />
"That is a lot for this small bauble!" the vendor replied.<br />
The clothes-dealer offered a thousand rupees.<br />
"Not more?" asked the servant.<br />
"That is too much already!" he said.<br />
And so on, until the servant finally approached a jeweler who said, "I'll give you everything I have!"<br />
So it is with God: each comprehends within the limits of their own experience.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/fish-and-flowers.html" target="_blank">~ 106. The Fish and the Flowers ~</a><br />
A fishmonger ran into her cousin, a flower-seller, in the marketplace.<br />
"You've sold all your fish, and I've sold all my flowers," said the flower-seller. "Come have dinner with me! You can stay the night."<br />
The fishmonger gladly accepted.<br />
She left her fishbasket at the door of her cousin's house.<br />
They ate dinner, and then they went to bed.<br />
During the night, the fishmonger tossed and turned. The smell of flowers was suffocating!<br />
She finally went and got her fishbasket, putting it in the bed beside her. Smelling the familiar smell of fish, she was able to sleep at last.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-pilgrim-couple.html" target="_blank">~ 107. The Pilgrim Couple ~</a><br />
A husband and wife decided they would renounce the world and spend their remaining years on a holy pilgrimage.<br />
One day the husband, walking ahead of his wife, saw a diamond lying in the dust of the road. He scratched at the ground, trying to bury the diamond so his wife wouldn't see it and lapse back into worldly desires.<br />
His wife then noticed what he was doing and rebuked him. "Why did you do that? Do you still see a difference between diamonds and the dust of the road? You must look beyond," she said. "There is no difference."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-holy-man-feeding-dog.html" target="_blank">~ 108. The Holy Man and the Dog ~</a><br />
There was a holy man who lived on food given to him in charity.<br />
One day when he received some food, he sat down next to a dog, and they ate together. The man took a morsel of food and placed it in the dog's mouth, then he put a morsel in his own mouth, back and forth, taking turns.<br />
The villagers saw this and started laughing, thinking he was a lunatic.<br />
The holy man also laughed and he said, "God sits with God; God feeds God! You, God, are laughing, and I, God, am laughing! Whatever is... is God."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-lizard-on-tree.html" target="_blank">~ 109. The Lizard on the Tree ~</a><br />
There was a tree in the center of a village.<br />
One man told another about the green lizard he saw on the tree.<br />
"It's not green!" said another man. "I saw that lizard, and it's red."<br />
Another man chimed in. "No, the lizard is brown."<br />
Or black or orange or yellow.<br />
The people were all arguing about the color of the lizard.<br />
Finally, they went to the tree and found a man sitting there, a stranger to the village. He explained to them about the chameleon's many colors, and then he added, "In the same way, people argue about God."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-woodcutters-dream.html" target="_blank">~ 110. The Woodcutter's Dream ~</a><br />
A woodcutter was napping when his friend shook him and said, "Hey, wake up!"<br />
"Why did you wake me up?" complained the woodcutter. "I dreamed I was a king, the ruler of a great kingdom and father to many children. I sat happily on my throne and administered justice to all my subjects. Why did you destroy my happy state?"<br />
"But it was just a dream!" protested his friend. "What does it matter?"<br />
"You fool!" said the woodcutter. "You understand nothing. Being a king is just as real, and not real, as my being a woodcutter."<br />
So teaches the Vedanta.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-farmer-and-maya.html" target="_blank">~ 111. The Farmer's Dream ~</a><br />
A farmer and his wife doted on their young son, but one day he fell ill and died.<br />
The mother was stricken with grief; the farmer, however, did not cry.<br />
When she asked him why he was not grieving for their son, he said, "Last night, I dreamed I was a king, and I had eight fine sons. Then, in the morning, I woke up. Who should I weep for? The eight sons in the dream who vanished? Our son who died? It is all Maya; it is all illusion."<br />
The farmer then took his plow and went to work.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-hill-of-sugar.html" target="_blank">~ 112. The Hill of Sugar ~</a><br />
You cannot know all of God.<br />
You are an ant who found a hill of sugar.<br />
You rejoice! You eat a whole lump of sugar, and it fills your stomach completely. You barely manage to carry back a lump of sugar to your home, something to share with your fellow ants.<br />
"Next time," you think to yourself, "I will bring back the whole sugar hill."<br />
But you can't. You are just an ant.<br />
Even the biggest ant, the most wise among the ant seekers, might be able to bring back two or three lumps of sugar, no more than that.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-doll-of-salt.html" target="_blank">~ 113. The Doll of Salt ~</a><br />
There was a doll made of salt who wanted to measure the ocean's depth.<br />
"Take me to the ocean!" the doll said to its owner. "Put me in the ocean, and I will measure how deep it is. Then I will be able to tell others about the depth of the ocean."<br />
The ocean was far off, many hundreds of miles away. But the owner did as the doll asked: she took the doll to the ocean.<br />
Then, when she put the doll into the ocean's water, the doll began to dissolve.<br />
The doll disappeared.<br />
The doll was the ocean.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-seeker-who-loved-his-family.html" target="_blank">~ 114. The Seeker and his Family ~</a><br />
A man desired to follow his guru, but love of family held him back.<br />
"Go home and take this pill," said the guru. "You will seem to be dead while hearing everything."<br />
The man did so, and his family began to mourn.<br />
The guru arrived and proclaimed, "I have medicine that will save him! He will drink it and live, but one of you will also have to drink, and you will die."<br />
Mother, father, sisters, brothers... they all refused. "What's done is done," they said.<br />
Having heard everything, the man awoke, and he left them to follow his guru.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-thief-turned-sadhu.html" target="_blank">~ 115. The Thief-Turned-Sadhu ~</a><br />
The king decided to choose a husband for his daughter from among the sadhus who meditated by the river.<br />
A thief heard about this and disguised himself as a sadhu, hoping to marry the princess.<br />
He sat among the sadhus when the king and princess came to inspect them. All the sadhus refused the king's offer.<br />
As the thief sat there, watching one sadhu after another reject wealth and power, preferring the spiritual life, he was moved to become a sadhu himself.<br />
"Will you marry the princess?" asked the king.<br />
"No," said the thief-turned-sadhu, and with the sadhus he remained.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-fisherman-turned-sadhu.html" target="_blank">~ 116. The Fisherman-Turned-Sadhu ~</a><br />
A fisherman was poaching fish from a rich man's lake at night.<br />
The watchmen discovered him. "Stop!" they yelled.<br />
The fisherman ran, and then to hide himself he covered his body with ashes and sat beneath a tree as if he were a sadhu.<br />
By morning word had already spread that a sadhu had arrived. People came to see the sadhu under the tree, bringing offerings of flowers and fruits, bowing reverently.<br />
The fisherman-turned-sadhu felt at peace.<br />
"I think I shall become a true sadhu after all," he thought to himself, "and I will be worthy of these people's devotion."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-saint-by-side-of-road.html" target="_blank">~ 117. The Holy Man by the Roadside ~</a><br />
A holy man lay by the side of the road in the dark of night, deep in meditation.<br />
A passing thief saw him and said, "That thief exhausted himself in criminal activity and fell asleep here before he got home. I won't make his mistake!"<br />
A passing drunkard saw him and said, "That drunkard collapsed in a stupor here in public. Shameful! I will make sure I get home before I pass out!"<br />
Another holy man walked by and bowed down in reverence.<br />
Only he could see what was in front of his eyes; the others could see only themselves.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-traveler-and-tree.html" target="_blank">~ 118. The Traveler and the Tree ~</a><br />
A traveler lay down to rest by a tree, not suspecting it was Kalpavriksha, the wish-fulfilling tree.<br />
Because the man was tired, he thought how nice it would be to have a bed. A bed appeared!<br />
Then he thought how nice it would be to have food. Done!<br />
A woman to rub his feet. Done!<br />
"This is wonderful!" he thought. "How silly of me to have worried about this journey. I almost didn't come because the tigers scared me."<br />
Just as soon as he thought of the tigers, a tiger appeared, and it attacked the traveler and killed him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-wisest-of-brahmins.html" target="_blank">~ 119. The Wisest of the Brahmins ~</a><br />
There were once four brahmins who went traveling. Along the road, they found the bones of a lion.<br />
The first brahmin said a mantra to assemble the bones into a skeleton.<br />
The second brahmin said a mantra to add flesh and skin to the skeleton.<br />
"I will now give it life!" said the third brahmin.<br />
"Wait a minute!" said the fourth brahmin, and he hurriedly climbed a tree.<br />
The third brahmin then pronounced his mantra.<br />
The lion woke up hungry and ate the three brahmins before running off into the jungle.<br />
The fourth brahmin alone lived to tell the tale.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-mouse-maiden.html" target="_blank">~ 120. The Brahmin and his Mouse-Daughter ~</a><br />
A brahmin rescued a mouse from a hawk and turned her into a girl.<br />
She grew up and needed a husband.<br />
"I want the most powerful husband!" she said.<br />
The brahmin thought Sun was the most powerful.<br />
"Sun, marry my daughter," he said.<br />
"Cloud is more powerful," said Sun. "He covers me."<br />
Cloud said, "Wind is more powerful; he pushes me."<br />
Wind said, "Mountain is more powerful; he blocks me."<br />
Mountain said, "The mouse is the most powerful; he gnaws my foundations."<br />
"Make me a mouse again!" said the girl, and thus she married the most powerful husband: a mouse.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-bride-of-snake.html" target="_blank">~ 121. The Brahmin and his Snake-Son ~</a><br />
A brahmin dreamed he would have a strong, handsome son, but his wife gave birth to a snake. They loved him nonetheless.<br />
Time passed.<br />
"He must marry!" said the mother, so the brahmin visited a distant relative.<br />
"Marry your daughter to my strong and handsome son!" the brahmin proposed.<br />
When the bride learned the groom was a snake, she said only, "Let fate bring what it may."<br />
On their wedding night, the snake turned into a handsome man, shedding his skin as she watched. The bride's father threw the snakeskin in the fire, and the couple lived happily ever after.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-snake-that-ate-brahmin.html" target="_blank">~ 122. The Snake and the Brahmin's Wife ~</a><br />
A wandering brahmin and his wife encountered a serpent.<br />
The serpent ate the brahmin!<br />
The wife wept. "How will I live now?"<br />
The serpent spat out a golden cup. "Beg alms with this. If anyone refuses you, his head will explode."<br />
"Then I beg you: return my husband, or your head will explode!"<br />
The snake spit her husband out, and then turned into a gandharva, a heavenly being.<br />
"I was cursed to be a serpent until a woman outwitted me," said the gandharva, and as he flew upwards, jewels rained down.<br />
The brahmin and his wife were beggars no more.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-farmer-and-snake.html" target="_blank">~ 123. The Farmer and the Snake ~</a><br />
A snake lived in a farmer's field, and the farmer made milk offerings to that snake.<br />
The snake would drink the milk and leave a gold coin in exchange.<br />
The farmer kept all this secret, but eventually he told his son. "You are old enough now; you go make the offering!"<br />
When the boy saw the snake emerge from its hole with the gold coin, he concluded that the snake's den must be full of treasure. He struck the snake, intending to kill it, but instead the snake bit him.<br />
The boy died, and the snake was never seen again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-merchant-and-monk-of-gold.html" target="_blank">~ 124. The Monk in the Dream ~</a><br />
A poor merchant saw a vision of a monk in a dream.<br />
"I am money earned by your ancestors," said the monk. "You'll see me tomorrow. Kill me and take the money."<br />
The next day, a monk came to the merchant as foretold. The merchant clubbed him to death, and the monk turned into a heap of gold coins.<br />
The merchant's greedy neighbor happened to see this. He went to the nearby monastery and attacked the monks with a club.<br />
Some died, some were wounded; none turned into gold coins.<br />
The police arrested the neighbor for murder and hanged him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-thief-and-demon.html" target="_blank">~ 125. The Thief and the Demon ~</a><br />
A thief was on his way to rob a brahmin's cow when he met a rakshasa-demon.<br />
"You steal the cow, and I'll eat the brahmin!" said the demon.<br />
When they arrived, the thief said, "I'll go get the cow."<br />
"No," said the demon, "the noise will wake him. Me first!"<br />
"No," said the thief. "Me first!"<br />
They kept arguing.<br />
"What's going on?" yelled the brahmin.<br />
The thief said, "This demon wants to eat you!"<br />
The demon said, "This thief wants to rob you!"<br />
The brahmin pronounced a mantra to destroy the demon, and with a club he killed the thief.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-barber-and-yakshas-gold.html" target="_blank">~ 126. The Barber and the Fairy ~</a><br />
A tree-fairy bestowed seven pots of gold on a barber.<br />
When the barber got home, he discovered the seventh pot was only half-full. He felt compelled to fill the pot, so he put in all his own money. The pot was still just half-full.<br />
He sold all his possessions, but even that did not fill the seventh pot.<br />
He went begging, putting all the money in, but to no effect.<br />
"This fairy's gift is a curse!" he shouted, and he told the fairy to take it all back.<br />
So he lost all the gold, and all his own money too.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-dim-witted-weaver.html" target="_blank">~ 127. The Dim-Witted Weaver ~</a><br />
A weaver was chopping wood.<br />
"I live here!" shouted a tree-fairy. "Stop, and I'll grant you a wish."<br />
"I don't know what to wish for," the weaver said.<br />
"I'll wait till you decide," replied the fairy.<br />
The weaver's brother said, "Ask for a kingdom! You can be king!"<br />
"No!" advised his wife. "Get two more arms and a second head so you can work two looms at once, weaving twice as much."<br />
The weaver liked that idea, so he wished for extra arms and another head.<br />
When the villagers saw him transformed, they screamed, "Monster!" and clubbed him to death.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/sunda-and-upasunda.html" target="_blank">~ 128. Sunda and Upasunda ~</a><br />
There were twin demon brothers, Sunda and Upasunda.<br />
They tormented the whole world, but they honored Shiva devoutly, so Shiva had to grant them a boon.<br />
"We want Parvati!" the demons shouted; Parvati was Shiva's wife.<br />
So, Shiva gave them Parvati.<br />
But then the demon brothers quarreled; each wanted Parvati for himself.<br />
Shiva appeared to them disguised as a brahmin.<br />
"Brahmin, judge between us!" they said.<br />
"You must fight each other," he replied, "to see who is stronger."<br />
Because the demons were equally strong, they killed each other in the fight.<br />
Shiva and Parvati, along with the whole world, rejoiced.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/riding-shivas-bull-to-heaven.html" target="_blank">~ 129. Riding Shiva's Bull ~</a><br />
One night a man saw Shiva's bull descend from heaven. He grabbed the tail and rode up Mount Kailash where Shiva served him heavenly cakes cooked by Parvati herself.<br />
He then rode the bull down and told his friend.<br />
"Take me there!" his friend said.<br />
So the next night he grabbed the tail, his friend grabbed onto his feet, and up they went.<br />
The friend shouted, "How big were those cakes?"<br />
"This big!" the man replied, letting go of the bull's tail to show him, and so the fools both fell down to earth.<br />
They never saw Shiva's bull again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nandis-teeth.html" target="_blank">~ 130. The Teeth of Shiva's Bull ~</a><br />
There was a mystical poet, deeply devoted to Shiva, who had composed a hymn in Shiva's name.<br />
"What a marvelous hymn I have composed!" he thought to himself.<br />
Then Shiva's faithful white bull Nandi appeared to the poet in a dream. The bull opened his mouth, revealing his teeth, and there, written on each tooth, were the words to the hymn.<br />
The poet realized that he had composed nothing. The words were not his but had come to him from a past that has no beginning.<br />
Thereafter when he sang the hymn, he thought only of Shiva, not of himself.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-peasant-woman-seeking-husband.html" target="_blank">~ 131. The Dog in Shiva's Temple ~</a><br />
There was a peasant woman who wanted to marry the king.<br />
She followed the king when he left the palace and saw he bowed down to a sadhu.<br />
"A sadhu will be an even better husband!"<br />
She followed the sadhu to a temple where he kneeled before Shiva's image.<br />
"I will marry Shiva instead!" she decided.<br />
As she gazed at Shiva's image, a dog came and peed there.<br />
"That dog is powerful!' she thought, so she followed the dog as it entered a peasant's house.<br />
"He must be the most powerful of all!" she concluded, so she married the peasant.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/vishnus-avatar.html" target="_blank">~ 132. Shiva and Vishnu ~</a><br />
To defeat the demon Hiranyaksha, Lord Vishnu took the form of a mighty boar. In this form Vishnu defeated Hiranyaksha.<br />
Next, Vishnu became a sow and gave birth to piglets, nursing them contentedly in his sow form.<br />
The gods begged Vishnu to return to heaven. "Give up that body and come back to us!"<br />
But Vishnu refused. "I'm staying here. I like this body."<br />
Finally Lord Shiva came to free Vishnu from his incarnation. "Don't you remember who you are?" he said, and he struck Vishnu with his trident, destroying the sow's body.<br />
Only then did Vishnu return to heaven.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/narada-experiences-maya.html" target="_blank">~ 133. Maya: The Illusion of the World ~</a><br />
Narada asked Lord Vishnu, "What is Maya?"<br />
Vishnu ignored the question. "I'm thirsty," he said. "Bring me water."<br />
Narada went to fetch water from a nearby river. There he saw a beautiful woman. He fell in love at first sight! They married and had children: two boys and a girl.<br />
Years passed happily.<br />
But then one day the river rose in a mighty flood.<br />
Narada watched his beloved children drown, and then his wife.<br />
As he sat on the riverbank weeping, Vishnu approached.<br />
"Where is my water?" Vishnu asked. "And why are you weeping?"<br />
At that moment, Narada understood Maya.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-parrot-and-yama.html" target="_blank">~ 134. Indra's Parrot and Yama ~</a><br />
Indra, King of the Gods, had a pet parrot.<br />
"Yama, God of Death, is coming!" announced Indra's gatekeepers.<br />
The parrot hid behind Indra, quaking with fear.<br />
"What's wrong?" asked Indra.<br />
"I fear Yama!" squawked the parrot.<br />
Yama arrived.<br />
"Greetings!" said Indra. "And please, I beg you: don't kill my parrot!"<br />
"I decide nothing," said Yama. "That is for Kala, God of Time."<br />
"Did you hear that, parrot?" said Indra. "Come out now; it's safe."<br />
The parrot came out, and as soon as he beheld Yama, he died of fright.<br />
"I did nothing!" Yama protested. "It must have been his time."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-brahmins-garden.html" target="_blank">~ 135. Indra and the Brahmin ~</a><br />
A brahmin saw a cow nibbling flowers in his garden.<br />
Enraged, he beat the cow so severely that it died.<br />
"It's not my fault, " the brahmin later claimed. "Lord Indra presides over the right hand; this is Indra's doing."<br />
When Indra heard, he came to the garden in human disguise.<br />
"What a lovely garden!" Indra said.<br />
"I did all the work myself," boasted the brahmin.<br />
As Indra praised the flowers, the fruits, and so on, the brahmin beamed.<br />
Then Indra revealed himself. "If you take credit for all that, how can you blame me for the death of the cow?!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-snake-and-prostitute.html" target="_blank">~ 136. Garuda and the Snake-Man ~</a><br />
Fleeing the eagle-god Garuda, a snake disguised itself as a man and sought refuge with a prostitute.<br />
"I charge one hundred elephants!" she said, just joking, but the snake-man conjured the elephants with magic.<br />
The woman was amazed. "Who are you?" she asked.<br />
The snake-man told her everything, but swore her to secrecy.<br />
Garuda disguised himself as a man and also came to the prostitute's house.<br />
"I already have a customer, and he paid a hundred elephants," she said, boasting. Then she added, "Don't tell anyone, but he's a snake!"<br />
Garuda thus found the snake-man, killed him, and ate him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-seagulls-and-their-eggs.html" target="_blank">~ 137. The Seagulls and Garuda ~</a><br />
A seagull wanted to fly away to lay her eggs.<br />
"No!" said her husband. "Lay them here in the sand."<br />
"But the Ocean will take them."<br />
"If he dares take them, I will drink him up!" replied the husband.<br />
The Ocean took the eggs, so the seagull did as he promised. "I'll drink every last drop of you, Ocean!" he shouted.<br />
"That's impossible with your small beak," said his wife. "We must ask Garuda to help us."<br />
They prayed to Garuda, and the mighty eagle-god came down to the Ocean. "Give back the eggs!" Garuda commanded, and the Ocean obeyed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/fire-versus-water.html" target="_blank">~ 138. Agni and Varuna ~</a><br />
The God of Fire, Agni, and the God of Rain, Varuna, were arguing about who was greater.<br />
"Fire is greater than water!" said Agni.<br />
"No!" said Varuna. "Water is greater than fire!"<br />
They decided to have a contest to see who was right.<br />
The God of Fire burned trees, crops and villages, but Varuna poured down rain and put out the fire. The God of Fire then fled into the mountain rocks, while rain kept pouring down.<br />
Even now, Agni is hiding in the rocks; that's why when you strike rock with steel, sparks fly and you can make fire.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/02/ganesha-is-born.html" target="_blank">~ 139. Ganesha is Born ~</a><br />
The goddess Parvati created a son, Ganesha, to protect her while she bathed.<br />
"Stand guard here," she told him. "Admit no one."<br />
Her husband, Shiva, arrived, demanding to see his wife.<br />
"No," said the boy, obeying his mother's orders. "She's bathing."<br />
Enraged, Shiva cut off the boy's head.<br />
"What have you done?" shrieked Parvati. "That was my son!"<br />
Shiva sent his servants to bring back the head of the first creature they encountered, which was an elephant.<br />
So they brought back the elephant's head, which Shiva placed on Ganesha's body.<br />
That is why the god Ganesha has an elephant's head.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/02/ganesha-and-cat.html" target="_blank">~ 140. Ganesha and the Cat ~</a><br />
One day little Ganesha found a cat in the woods.<br />
He grabbed the cat's tail; then he let the cat go and chased her.<br />
The poor cat fell into a mud puddle, and Ganesha laughed at the cat covered with mud.<br />
He then went home to tell his mother Parvati what happened, but when he got there, he saw she too was covered with mud!<br />
"Who did this?" asked Ganesha.<br />
"You did," Parvati explained. "I am all life, and all life is me."<br />
Ganesha bowed his head and promised her, "I will treat all life with respect from now on."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/ganesha-circles-universe.html" target="_blank">~ 141. Ganesha and Kartikeya ~</a><br />
Kartikeya and Ganesha sat beside their mother, Parvati, who was wearing a necklace of beautiful jewels.<br />
"My sons," she said, "I will give this necklace to the one who circles the Universe most quickly."<br />
Kartikeya leaped on his peacock and flew off, certain he would win the race. "I'm so much faster than my fat brother with his elephant head!" he thought to himself.<br />
Ganesha, meanwhile, walked in a circle around his mother and bowed down before her reverently, knowing she contained the whole Universe.<br />
When Kartikeya returned, he saw Ganesha sitting beside Parvati, and he was wearing the necklace.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/02/kuberas-feast.html" target="_blank">~ 142. Kubera and Ganesha ~</a><br />
Kubera invited Shiva to a feast.<br />
"It will be the best feast ever!" he boasted.<br />
To teach Kubera a lesson, Shiva sent his son Ganesha in his place.<br />
Ganesha ate everything, and then asked, "Is there more?"<br />
Kubera brought food from the kitchen.<br />
Not enough.<br />
From the pantry.<br />
Not enough.<br />
"Why isn't there more?"<br />
Finally, Kubera went to Shiva and begged for help.<br />
"Food served with love is truly filling," said Shiva.<br />
So Kubera brought Ganesha a handful of rice. "I offer you this food with my whole heart," said Kubera.<br />
Ganesha took the rice. "I am satisfied," he said.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/feasting-for-holiday.html" target="_blank">~ 143. Durga Puja ~</a><br />
There was a wealthy man who arranged a feast to celebrate the Durga Puja each year, honoring the goddess. He sacrificed countless goats, and people came from all around to enjoy the goat curry and elaborate dishes that the man offered to his hungry guests, year after year after year.<br />
Later on, though, the man stopped organizing the feasts, and his celebration of the Durga Puja was nothing like it had been in the past.<br />
"Why do you no longer celebrate with a feast as before?" a friend asked him.<br />
"Can't you see?" said the man. "My teeth are gone!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-stingy-mans-dinner.html" target="_blank">~ 144. The Stingy Man's Dinner ~</a><br />
A stingy man and his wife were about to eat dinner when a neighbor knocked.<br />
"Say I'm dead!" the man hissed at his wife, and he stretched out in the bed.<br />
"Alas, my dead husband!" she wailed.<br />
The neighbor was suspicious, seeing dinner on the table. As a joke, he also wailed, calling the villagers to carry the man to the burning-grounds.<br />
"Get up; they're going to cremate you," the wife hissed.<br />
"No!" her husband hissed back.<br />
So he lay there motionless while they carried him away and burned his body.<br />
All because he didn't want to share his dinner.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-poor-man-and-pot-of-oil.html" target="_blank">~ 145. The Poor Man's Pot of Honey ~</a><br />
A poor man had gathered some honey. He suspended the honey-pot from a rafter and sat beneath it, daydreaming.<br />
"When I sell this honey, I'll buy some chicks. They'll grow into chickens, lay eggs, more chicks, more chickens. With that money, I can buy land. Then I'll get a fine wife. We'll have a fine son. But if he ever disobeys me, that bad boy, I'll strike him with my cane…"<br />
And as he lifted his cane to thrash the boy, he broke the honey-pot, spilling the honey all over himself.<br />
Thus the man ended up more poor than before.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-hermit-in-forest.html" target="_blank">~ 146. The Hermit in the Forest ~</a><br />
A hermit had retired to the forest, setting aside all the cares of the world, and a simple loincloth was his only possession.<br />
But rats came and nibbled holes in the loincloth, so the hermit got a cat.<br />
The cat needed milk, so the hermit acquired a cow.<br />
To care for the cow, he employed a cowherd.<br />
The cowherd wanted a house, so he built a house.<br />
To clean the house, he needed a maid.<br />
The maid was lonely living in the forest, so they built more houses.<br />
The result was a village, and all the cares of the world.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-gurus-two-disciples.html" target="_blank">~ 147. The Guru's Two Disciples ~</a><br />
A wise guru had two disciples.<br />
He gave each of his disciples a small sum of money and said, "Use this to go buy something that can completely fill this hut where I live."<br />
One disciple went and bought a huge load of hay and with that hay he filled the hut.<br />
"You disappoint me," said the guru, and he threw all the hay into the woods.<br />
The other disciple used the money to buy a candle, and the candle filled every corner of the hut with light.<br />
The guru smiled. "That," he said, "is the light of wisdom indeed."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-beggar-and-akbars-prayer.html" target="_blank">~ 148. The Beggar and Emperor Akbar ~</a><br />
A poor man came to beg from Emperor Akbar.<br />
As he waited with the other petitioners, he heard the emperor praying. "O God, I pray that you grant me prosperity, I pray that you grant me..." and so on.<br />
The beggar then got up to leave, which attracted the emperor's attention.<br />
"Hey there!" shouted Emperor Akbar. "Why are you leaving? Didn't you come for something?"<br />
"I did," the beggar replied. "But then I heard your prayer and realized you too are a beggar, just like me. If I must beg, then I will beg help from God, not from you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-widow-and-house-walls.html" target="_blank">~ 149. The Widow and her Sons ~</a><br />
A widow lived with her sons and their wives who all treated her unkindly.<br />
One day she wandered outside of town. She found an abandoned house in ruins and without a roof.<br />
She went inside.<br />
"My elder son treats me unkindly!" she said to one wall, venting her frustrations in detail; the wall collapsed.<br />
She felt lighter!<br />
Then she vented her frustration with her other son to another wall; it also collapsed.<br />
Then she complained about her daughters-in-law to the two remaining walls. They collapsed.<br />
Standing in the heap of rubble, she felt happy again, and ready to return home.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-old-woman-who-walked-to-town.html" target="_blank">~ 150. The Old Woman Going to Town ~</a><br />
A young man riding horseback passed an old woman on the way to town.<br />
"Poor thing!" he said as he rode by. "It's going to take you all day to get to town on those old legs."<br />
"Hurry on your way, young man," she said. "I'll get there, God willing."<br />
Along the way the young man talked to various friends, took a nap, and spent some time adjusting his turban to look especially elegant.<br />
Imagine his surprise when he reached town and found the old woman already there.<br />
"With my old legs," she said, smiling, "I have outpaced your horse."<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-33357739480643502542021-01-14T11:52:00.000-05:002021-01-14T11:52:00.885-05:00Reading D: Tales from India (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #150-157.<br />
<div><br /></div><div>You'll want to click on track 151 to start the audio portion for this section:<br><br><iframe width="100%" height="450" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1084517215&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false"></iframe><div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" title="Laura Gibbs" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-india" title="Tiny Tales from India" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Tiny Tales from India</a></div><br><br>
</div><div><br /></div>
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-couple-who-cooperated.html" target="_blank">~ 151. The Couple who Cooperated ~</a><br />
In a village there lived a woman who could not walk because she had lost the use of her legs. In that same village, there lived a man who could not see because he had lost the use of his eyes.<br />
Floodwaters came, and all the villagers ran, abandoning these two to their fate in the rushing waters.<br />
"Help me!" shouted the lame woman, and the blind man lifted her up on his shoulders.<br />
"Help me!" shouted the blind man, and the lame woman told him which way to go.<br />
Thus they escaped the floodwaters, working for each other's safety.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-blind-men-and-elephant.html" target="_blank">~ 152. The Blind Men and the Elephant ~</a><br />
A guide was leading four blind men through a jungle when they came upon an elephant.<br />
One man felt the leg. "There's a pillar here!"<br />
A second touched the trunk. "No, it's a mighty warrior's club!"<br />
The third held the elephant's ear. "You're both wrong. This is a winnowing basket!"<br />
The fourth rubbed the elephant's belly, laughing. "You fools! It's a big jar."<br />
Then the guide explained to them, "This is an elephant: not a pillar or a club or a basket or a jar. You must explore all the parts, and then use your imagination to know the elephant."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-brahmins-sacrificial-goat.html" target="_blank">~ 153. The Brahmin's Goat ~</a><br />
A brahmin was carrying a goat to the temple.<br />
Three bandits were hidden along his path; they wanted that goat.<br />
"Why are you carrying a dog?" the first bandit shouted.<br />
"No!" the brahmin retorted. "It's a goat." He kept on walking.<br />
"Why are you carrying a calf?" the second bandit shouted.<br />
"No!" the brahmin insisted. "It's a goat." He kept on walking.<br />
"Why are you carrying a donkey?" the third bandit shouted.<br />
The brahmin was now terrified. "It must be a shape-shifting demon!" he thought, dropping the goat and fleeing as fast as he could.<br />
The bandits got the goat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/mice-who-eat-iron.html" target="_blank">~ 154. The Farmer and the Merchant ~</a><br />
A farmer left his plowshare with a merchant friend while he traveled.<br />
"I'll keep it safe for you," the merchant promised.<br />
When the farmer returned, the merchant explained that the farmer's plowshare had disappeared. “The mice must have eaten it," he said.<br />
“Mice can’t eat iron!” retorted the farmer, but the merchant swore it was true.<br />
The farmer then kidnapped the merchant’s son.<br />
“Where’s my son?” the merchant asked.<br />
“An eagle carried him off.”<br />
“An eagle couldn’t do that!”<br />
“No more than mice can eat iron.”<br />
Thus the merchant returned the farmer’s plowshare, and the farmer returned the merchant's son.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-monk-who-journeyed-to-heaven.html" target="_blank">~ 155. The Monk and the King ~</a><br />
A monk came to the king. "I journey to heaven each night!" he boasted. Intrigued, the king invited the monk to stay in the royal guesthouse.<br />
The next morning, the monk proclaimed, "I bring you greetings from the gods in heaven!"<br />
The king's minister was not impressed, so that night he had wood heaped around the guesthouse.<br />
"What are you doing?" asked the king.<br />
"The monk's earthly body will burn," the minister said. "Then we'll see his heavenly body."<br />
The guesthouse burned down, and no one saw the monk again.<br />
"No doubt he stayed in heaven," thought the foolish king.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-potter-in-army.html" target="_blank">~ 156. The Potter and the King ~</a><br />
A clumsy potter fell on some pots and cut his head, leaving a deep scar across his forehead.<br />
When the king called for volunteer soldiers, the potter decided he'd prefer to be a soldier than a potter.<br />
Seeing the scar, the king thought he must be a valiant warrior and made him a lieutenant.<br />
Later, however, the army's general asked the potter how he got that scar.<br />
"I fell down and cut my head," said the potter honestly.<br />
The general laughed. "You better go home now," he said, "before you get hurt even more badly pretending to be a soldier."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-foolish-carpenters-foolish-son.html" target="_blank">~ 157. The Carpenter and his Son ~</a><br />
There was once a foolish man, and he had a foolish son. The foolish man was a carpenter, and his son worked as his assistant.<br />
One day the carpenter was working in his workshop when a mosquito landed on his head.<br />
“Get rid of that mosquito for me, son,” he said.<br />
The son picked up an ax and he hit the mosquito.<br />
"I got him!" shouted the son.<br />
Alas, the blow of the ax also cut his father’s head in two.<br />
What is the moral of the carpenter's story?<br />
The Buddha says: A foolish friend is worse than an enemy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-foolish-man-in-tree.html" target="_blank">~ 158. The Man in the Tree ~</a><br />
A foolish man was stuck in a tree.<br />
An elephant-driver riding an elephant came by. "I'll help you!" he said.<br />
But when the elephant-driver reached up with his elephant-hook to grab the man in the tree, the elephant bolted.<br />
Now the elephant-driver was dangling from the man in the tree.<br />
"Let's sing loudly!" said the foolish man. "Someone will hear and come help."<br />
The elephant-driver began to sing.<br />
"Bravo! You're a good singer!" said the foolish man, and when he applauded, they both fell out of the tree and were killed.<br />
If you want to help a fool, be careful.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-servant-and-trunks.html" target="_blank">~ 159. The Merchant and his Servant ~</a><br />
A silk-merchant was traveling to the market.<br />
Along the way, the merchant's camel collapsed.<br />
"I'll go buy a new camel," he told his servant. "You stay here, and make sure not to let my leather trunks get wet in the rain."<br />
The merchant left.<br />
Later, it rained.<br />
The servant was desperate. "How will I keep the rain off the trunks?" he wondered.<br />
Then he had an idea! <br />
He took the bolts of silk out of the trunks and wrapped the silk around the trunks.<br />
When the merchant returned, he was furious: the trunks were safe but the silk was ruined.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-brothers-dividing-estate.html" target="_blank">~ 160. The Two Brothers ~</a><br />
There were once two foolish brothers.<br />
Their father died, and his will said: <br />
Divide everything equally.<br />
First, they divided the farm. "You take the west half; I'll take the east," said the one brother.<br />
Then the house. "You take the top half; I'll take the bottom," said the other.<br />
Then they cut each piece of furniture in the house in half.<br />
Then they began cutting the livestock in half: chickens, goats, cows, everything.<br />
Finally, they cut the servants in half.<br />
The police then came and arrested the two brothers.<br />
They were hanged for murder, and they divided the gibbet equally.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-fool-and-loaves-of-bread.html" target="_blank">~ 161. The Five Loaves of Bread ~</a><br />
There was a very hungry man who bought five loaves of bread at the bakery.<br />
First, he ate one loaf, but he was still hungry. <br />
"That loaf didn't work," he thought. "Maybe the next one will!"<br />
So he ate the second loaf, but he was still hungry.<br />
Then he ate the third, and then the fourth.<br />
None of them worked!<br />
Finally, he ate the fifth loaf. <br />
"Ah," he sighed, "at last my hunger is satisfied. I just wish I had known it was this particular loaf that I needed. I could have eaten this one first and saved the rest."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-man-who-needed-light.html" target="_blank">~ 162. The Man and his Neighbor ~</a><br />
A man came knocking on his neighbor's door in the middle of the night.<br />
"Help me, neighbor!" he shouted.<br />
"What is it?" said his neighbor sleepily as he opened the door. "What's wrong?"<br />
"I wanted to smoke my pipe," said the man, "so I came here to ask you for a light."<br />
"You aren't even paying attention!" groaned the neighbor. "You have woken me up to give you a light, but you have a lighted lantern right there in your hand."<br />
The moral: The solution to a problem might be in your own hands, but you fail to see it.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-judge-and-judges-son.html" target="_blank">~ 163. The Judge and his Son ~</a><br />
A farmer's wife was sleeping with the judge and with the judge's son.<br />
One day, the son was there when his father arrived.<br />
"Hide in the closet!" she said.<br />
The judge came in.<br />
Then she saw her husband coming too.<br />
"Leave now, and look angry!" she told the judge.<br />
"Why was the judge so angry?" her husband asked.<br />
"He's angry at his son! I don't know why," she said. "The son needed to hide, so I put him in the closet. Come out now, boy! Your father's gone."<br />
The judge's son thanked them both.<br />
"You're welcome!" said the gullible husband.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-wife-who-attended-her-own-funeral.html" target="_blank">~ 164. The Wife who Died ~</a><br />
An unfaithful wife plotted with her maid. <br />
"Tell my husband I'm dead!" she said.<br />
The maid took the grieving husband to the burning-grounds and showed him someone else's remains.<br />
Tearfully, he accepted the ashes and bones.<br />
Then, he prepared his wife's funeral. The maid recommended the wife's lover as a worthy brahmin the husband could employ.<br />
As the pretend-brahmin was conducting the ritual, the wife appeared and joined in the feast.<br />
"How can this be?" exclaimed the husband, amazed that she could attend her own funeral.<br />
"Your wife's great chastity," explained the maid, "allows her to enjoy the funeral feast."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-carpenter-under-bed.html" target="_blank">~ 165. The Carpenter under the Bed ~</a><br />
The carpenter suspected his wife was unfaithful, so he hid under the bed and waited.<br />
The wife thought he was gone and invited her lover to come.<br />
Then his wife heard him under the bed, so she screamed, "Hands off, villain!" <br />
Her lover was confused. <br />
"A goddess predicted my husband would die unless I brought a stranger into my bed," she said. "You're in; now get out!"<br />
"Such devotion!" yelled the carpenter joyfully. "Thank you both!"<br />
He then stood up under the bed, lifting the bed on his back, and carried the lovers on the bed all around the village.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-two-bowls.html" target="_blank">~ 166. Tenalirama and Kali ~</a><br />
Young Tenalirama prayed to Kali.<br />
The goddess appeared to him, holding two bowls. "Choose!" she commanded. "The milk of learning or the curds of wealth."<br />
"I'm not sure..." he replied.<br />
The boy then snatched the two bowls and swallowed both milk and curds. <br />
"O Kali Ma," he quickly explained, "there was no choosing; one without the other would be useless."<br />
Kali frowned and then laughed. "You will pay a price for this disobedience! Though learned and prosperous, you will be laughed at: you'll be Tenalirama the jester."<br />
Tenalirama bowed in reverence and gratitude.<br />
When he looked up, she was gone.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenaliramas-first-visit-to-palace.html" target="_blank">~ 167. Tenalirama and the King ~</a><br />
King Krishnadevaraya invited everyone in the city to a royal feast.<br />
Young Tenalirama pushed his way to the front of the crowd to listen to the king's guru.<br />
"What you see is only what you think you see," intoned the guru. "All differences are Maya, thought-illusion. Seeing, hearing, tasting: it is all in your mind."<br />
Tenalirama laughed loudly.<br />
"Why are you laughing, boy?" asked the king.<br />
"I was just thinking that I'll gladly eat the guru's portion at the feast," Tenalirama replied. "I'll taste the food while he thinks about it."<br />
The king laughed and made Tenalirama his royal jester.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenaliramas-pockets-full-of-coins.html" target="_blank">~ 168. Tenalirama and the Gold Coins ~</a><br />
Tenalirama was still new to the court, and he was surprised when King Krishnadevaraya unexpectedly gave him a gift of gold coins. Where to put the coins? He tried stuffing them into his pockets, but the fabric ripped and the coins spilled onto the floor.<br />
As Tenalirama rushed to pick them up, the king's other courtiers all laughed.<br />
"Don't be so miserly!" said the king. "That's undignified for a courtier."<br />
"O Your Majesty, your likeness is on every coin, and you should not be lying on the dusty floor or trampled underfoot," Tenalirama explained. "That's undignified for a king."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-peaches.html" target="_blank">~ 169. Tenalirama and the Peaches ~</a><br />
The Emperor of China sent a gift of fruits no one had seen before: peaches. With the box was a note, which King Krishnadevaraya read aloud: "This food brings long life and happiness to whoever eats it."<br />
Intrigued, Tenalirama reached out, took a peach and bit into it. "Delicious!" he said.<br />
The king was outraged. "How dare you grab a peach without permission! To the dungeons! Off with his head!"<br />
Tenalirama then shook the peach angrily. "It's a trap!" he shouted. "The peach doesn't grant long life; it has killed me!"<br />
The king laughed, and then he shared the peaches.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-twenty-lashes.html" target="_blank">~ 170. Tenalirama and the Twenty Lashes ~</a><br />
King Krishnadevaraya was furious at Tenalirama. "Stay away! If I see you again, you'll get twenty lashes."<br />
Tenalirama returned the next day. <br />
"You're not allowed in!" said the outer guard.<br />
"But the king promised me a present," said Tenalirama. "I'll give you half!"<br />
Tenalirama then made the same deal with the inner guard.<br />
When Tenalirama entered the court, the king yelled, "I warned you: twenty lashes!"<br />
"Wait," said Tenalirama, and he summoned the guards.<br />
"Ten lashes for him," said the jester, "and ten for him."<br />
The king had to laugh at Tenalirama's ingenuity, and he even spared the greedy guards.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-washerman.html" target="_blank">~ 171. Tenalirama and the Washerman ~</a><br />
Enraged by Tenalirama's pranks, King Krishnadevaraya shouted, "Bury him up to his neck! Let an elephant trample his head!"<br />
So the guards buried Tenalirama and went to fetch an elephant.<br />
A washerman walked by, carrying a heavy laundry-basket. "Oh, my arthritis!" the washerman groaned.<br />
"This cure works!' shouted Tenalirama. "I buried myself, and my arthritis is cured. Try it! I'll bury you, and I'll deliver the laundry!"<br />
The washerman agreed.<br />
Tenalirama buried him and ran off.<br />
Then the washerman saw the elephant coming.<br />
"HELP!" he yelled.<br />
The guards stopped the elephant just in time.<br />
Tenalirama had outwitted everyone once again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-executioner.html" target="_blank">~ 172. Tenalirama and the Executioner ~</a><br />
Tenalirama's latest prank infuriated King Krishnadevaraya.<br />
"Take him away!" he said to the executioner. "Cut off his head with one slice of your sword!" <br />
The executioner grabbed Tenalirama. <br />
"Let me pray in the holy river first," the jester begged.<br />
They waded into the river. Tenalirama prayed quietly and then yelled, "CUT!" The executioner swung his sword, but Tenalirama had plunged into the water. The sword whooshed through the air.<br />
The executioner chased Tenalirama onto the bank and prepared to swing again.<br />
"Stop!" Tenalirama yelled. "The king said 'one slice of your sword' — one only!"<br />
So Tenalirama escaped punishment again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-his-brother-in-law.html" target="_blank">~ 173. Tenalirama and his Brother-in-Law ~</a><br />
Tenalirama's greedy brother-in-law raided the royal orchard, so King Krishnadevaraya ordered him to be executed.<br />
Tenalirama's sister begged Tenalirama to help them, and he agreed to intercede with the king.<br />
As soon as the king saw Tenalirama he shouted, "I know why you're here: it's to save that wretched brother-in-law of yours! Well, I absolutely refuse to do whatever you ask on his behalf. I won't do it!"<br />
Tenalirama smiled. "I was coming here to ask you to execute him, rascal that he is. But I understand: you will not execute him."<br />
The king laughed.<br />
Tenalirama had done it again!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/when-queen-yawned.html" target="_blank">~ 174. Tenalirama and the Queen ~</a><br />
King Krishnadevaraya recited his poem for the queen, and she yawned.<br />
"I'll never forgive you!" the king shouted.<br />
The queen asked Tenalirama for help.<br />
The next day, the king and his court discussed the drought afflicting the kingdom. <br />
"I have a solution!" shouted Tenalirama, holding up a sack of seeds. "This wheat grows without any rain at all."<br />
"Wonderful!" shouted the king happily.<br />
"The only condition," Tenalirama said, "is that whoever plants the seed must have never yawned in his life. Not once. Ever."<br />
The king was bewildered, but then he understood. "I will forgive the queen," he said, smiling.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-clean-king.html" target="_blank">~ 175. Tenalirama's Finger ~</a><br />
King Krishnadevaraya was extremely fastidious. <br />
"I see dirt under that fingernail," he shouted at Tenalirama. "Cut that finger off!"<br />
"I'll clean it carefully," replied Tenalirama.<br />
"No! Cut it off!"<br />
Tenalirama disappeared for a few days. He made a pit filled with mud and covered with turf ... exactly where the king liked to walk.<br />
When the king fell into the mud up to his neck, Tenalirama appeared with a sword. "I'll cut right at the neck!" he shouted.<br />
The king understood and laughed. <br />
"Just get me out of here!" he said. "And you can forget what I said about the finger."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-returns-to-court.html" target="_blank">~ 176. Tenalirama's Face ~</a><br />
Tenalirama had done it again: King Krishnadevaraya was furious at his latest prank. <br />
"Get out of here!" the king shouted at him. "And never show your face in court again!"<br />
The next day, the king was shocked when the herald announced Tenalirama was coming. When the jester entered, the king saw he had a huge iron soup pot on his head.<br />
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Tenalirama shouted, his words echoing weirdly inside the pot.<br />
"But I told you..."<br />
"You told me never to show my face in court again," said Tenalirama.<br />
The king laughed and forgave Tenalirama, as he always did.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenali-rama-and-chessboard.html" target="_blank">~ 177. Tenalirama and the Chessboard ~</a><br />
Tenalirama's latest poem delighted King Krishnadevaraya.<br />
"Name your reward!" the king proclaimed.<br />
Tenalirama pointed to the king's chessboard. "Just put one sesame seed here," he said, "and then two seeds on this square; four seeds here; then eight, and so on. That will satisfy me!'<br />
The king laughed. "That's too small a reward for such a great poem!"<br />
"Not at all!" Tenalirama replied, smiling.<br />
The king quickly discovered that Tenalirama was correct: it would bankrupt the whole treasury to cover the chessboard with sesame seeds that way. The whole world did not contain enough sesame!<br />
Again, Tenalirama had delighted the king.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-new-prime-minister.html" target="_blank">~ 178. Tenalirama and the Painter ~</a><br />
"This is the best portrait I've ever seen!" King Krishnadevaraya said to the royal painter. "I must reward you. I'll make you prime minister."<br />
The result was a complete disaster. The royal painter knew nothing of statecraft. <br />
"Help me, Tenalirama!" he said.<br />
Tenalirama organized a feast. The king started to eat, but spat the food out. "This is disgusting!" he shouted. "Summon the cook!"<br />
The cook came in.<br />
"But you're the royal carpenter!" said the king.<br />
Tenalirama laughed. "And making a carpenter cook is about as bad as making a painter prime minister!"<br />
The king laughed. <br />
Tenalirama was right, again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-chinese-vases.html" target="_blank">~ 179. Tenalirama and the Chinese Vases ~</a><br />
The Chinese ambassador sent King Krishnadevaraya four beautiful vases.<br />
"Death to anyone who breaks a vase!' proclaimed the king.<br />
A servant accidentally broke a vase and was sentenced to death.<br />
Tenalirama visited him in prison.<br />
At the execution, the servant begged, "Please, Your Highness, let me see the three remaining vases."<br />
The king agreed.<br />
When he saw the vases, the servant burst free and smashed them all.<br />
"They would get broken eventually," he said. "I didn't want anyone else to have to die for it."<br />
The king understood: people matter more than vases.<br />
"Free the prisoner!" he said.<br />
Tenalirama smiled.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-bad-luck-face.html" target="_blank">~ 180. Tenalirama and the King's Bad Luck ~</a><br />
King Krishnadevaraya had a servant nicknamed "Bad-Luck." <br />
The first person who saw Bad-Luck's face first each day had bad luck all day long.<br />
One early morning the king visited the kitchen; there he saw Bad-Luck, and then he had a terrible day: bad news, bad headache, everything bad.<br />
"I'm going to execute that servant!" the king shouted.<br />
As Tenalirama led Bad-Luck to the gallows, he said, "O King, consider this: you saw Bad-Luck's face first today, and he saw yours first. Now he's facing death. Whose face is more unlucky?"<br />
The king laughed. "Release the prisoner!"<br />
Tenalirama had triumphed again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-magician.html" target="_blank">~ 181. Tenalirama and the Magician ~</a><br />
A magician arrived, boasting of powers greater than any member of King Krishnadevaraya's court. <br />
"You must defeat him, Tenalirama!" begged the king.<br />
Tenalirama confronted the magician. "You cannot do with your eyes open what I can do with my eyes shut!" the jester proclaimed.<br />
"Of course I can!" countered the magician.<br />
Tenalirama took a sack of chili-powder, shut his eyes, and put chili-powder on both eyelids. He then counted to one hundred, smiling.<br />
Next, Tenalirama washed the powder off carefully and handed the sack to the magician.<br />
The magician ran away without so much as a word.<br />
Tenalirama had won!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenaliramas-ramayana.html" target="_blank">~ 182. Tenalirama's Ramayana ~</a><br />
A courtesan invited Tenalirama to recite the Ramayana, the epic story of Rama's adventures, just for her. <br />
Tenalirama began with the story of King Dasharatha and Rama's birth, followed by the intrigue in King Dasharatha's court, then Rama's exile into the forest, accompanied by his devoted wife Sita and his loyal brother Lakshmana.<br />
"So," he said, "Rama, accompanied by Sita and Lakshmana, went into the forest to begin their exile."<br />
Then Tenalirama fell silent.<br />
The courtesan waited, and finally she could wait no longer. "Then what happened?" she demanded.<br />
"Be patient," said Tenalirama. "They are still walking through the forest."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-painter.html" target="_blank">~ 183. Tenalirama and the Ramayana Murals ~</a><br />
The royal painter decorated the palace walls with Ramayana murals. Tenalirama scoffed. "Where's the rest of Lakshmana?" he asked, pointing to one figure.<br />
"That's a profile!" replied the painter. "You have to imagine the rest."<br />
"I will decorate the summer palace with my own Ramayana paintings!" boasted Tenalirama.<br />
A month later, he was done. The king came to see ... and there were only noses. Everywhere! Noses painted all over the walls!<br />
"What is this?" he shouted angrily.<br />
"Well, this is Rama, of course. And Sita, Lakshmana..." Tenalirama pointed out each nose one by one. "You have to imagine the rest."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenaliramas-lost-money-bag.html" target="_blank">~ 184. Tenalirama and the Money-Bag ~</a><br />
Tenalirama was traveling home after a long journey.<br />
It began to rain, so he sought refuge at an inn, hoping to dry himself by the fire. Unfortunately, there were others there already, and he couldn't even get close to the fire.<br />
"Alas!" he shouted. "I've lost the royal money-bag! I must have dropped it when my horse slipped in the mud about a mile down the road. The king will be very angry!"<br />
Everyone in the inn rushed out the door, hoping to find the lost money-bag.<br />
Which did not exist, of course.<br />
Meanwhile, Tenalirama dried himself by the fire.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-travels-with-thief.html" target="_blank">~ 185. Tenalirama and the Thief ~</a><br />
Tenalirama was on a journey, and a sadhu he met along the way asked to travel with him.<br />
Tenalirama agreed, although he knew the man was not a saint; he was a thief who wanted to steal Tenalirama's money.<br />
Every night, the thief would rummage through Tenalirama's bags and clothing, looking for the money, but he could never find where Tenalirama had hidden it.<br />
When they reached their destination, he said, "I confess: I'm a thief, and you baffled me. Where did you hide your money?"<br />
"I put it under your pillow," replied Tenalirama. "I knew you'd never look there."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-lost-and-found-purse.html" target="_blank">~ 186. Tenalirama and the Honest Beggar ~</a><br />
A beggar and a merchant came to Tenalirama for judgment.<br />
"I saw he dropped this purse containing a hundred gold coins," said the beggar, "so I returned it to him."<br />
"My purse contained two hundred gold coins," protested the merchant. "That thieving beggar owes me a hundred more!"<br />
"I'm sure you both speak the truth," Tenalirama said, though he knew the merchant was a notorious liar.<br />
"Keep the purse and coins," he told the beggar. "Nobody has reported a lost purse containing a hundred coins."<br />
Then, he said to the merchant, smiling, "I hope someone finds your lost purse soon!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-chickens.html" target="_blank">~ 187. Tenalirama and the Chicken ~</a><br />
"I demand justice!" the farmer shouted. "That man's cart ran over my chicken! I demand a thousand coins!"<br />
"A chicken's only worth four coins!" the driver insisted.<br />
"But that chicken would have laid hundreds of eggs. You haven't killed one chicken: you've killed hundreds!"<br />
"That also means hundreds of chickens you don't have to feed," said Tenalirama. "One chicken eats fifty pounds of grain yearly, so hundreds of chickens..." Tenalirama calculated silently. "This man owes you a thousand coins for lost chickens, and you owe him seven tons of saved grain."<br />
"I'll take the four coins," said the farmer quickly.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-holy-guru.html" target="_blank">~ 188. Tenalirama and the Sadhu ~</a><br />
Tenalirama had heard of a new sadhu who was attracting crowds of worshipers. He went to see the would-be saint and was appalled. The man had no knowledge of sacred mantras; instead, he was reciting random gibberish.<br />
"O Great Soul!" shouted Tenalirama as he approached the sadhu. "O Most Holy One!" He then reached out and plucked a hair from the sadhu's beard. "A single strand of hair from your beard will bless me forever!"<br />
The crowd then rushed forward, everyone wanting to grab a hair from the sadhu's beard.<br />
Terrified, the sadhu ran off, never to be seen again.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-boys-playing-ball.html" target="_blank">~ 189. Tenalirama and the Boys ~</a><br />
Tenalirama couldn't concentrate; some boys playing ball outside his house were making too much noise.<br />
"How delightful!" he said. "You bring back memories of childhood! I'll pay you three silver coins each week to play here."<br />
He paid them, and the boys were thrilled.<br />
The next week, he paid just two coins. "I'm short on cash!"<br />
The week after, he paid only one coin. "My own master hasn't paid me."<br />
The third week, he paid nothing. "But I'll do my best to pay you next week if I can."<br />
The angry boys deserted his street and never came back.<br />
Success!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenalirama-and-small-house.html" target="_blank">~ 190. Tenalirama and his Friend ~</a><br />
"My house is too small!" complained Tenalirama's friend.<br />
"I can help you," Tenalirama promised. "But you must do exactly what I tell you."<br />
"Agreed!" said his friend.<br />
Tenalirama then told him to bring the cow, the pig, the goat, and all the chickens into the house, and to come back in a week.<br />
A week later, his friend returned. "That made things worse, not better!" he moaned.<br />
"Of course it did," said Tenalirama. "Now, put all the animals back out where they belong."<br />
The friend came back smiling. <br />
"Thank you, Tenalirama!" he said. "My house is so much bigger now!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tenaliramas-magic-water.html" target="_blank">~ 191. Tenalirama's Magical Water ~</a><br />
A friend of Tenalirama's wife came to him for help. <br />
"I keep quarreling with my mother-in-law!" she said. "The things she says make me so angry."<br />
Tenalirama smiled. "I will give you some magical water," he said, handing her a small bottle. "Before you reply to your mother-in-law, take a mouthful, close your eyes, count to three, then swallow. The magical water will help you!"<br />
The woman returned a week later. "It's wonderful!" she said. "But I need more magical water."<br />
Tenalirama laughed. "It's just regular water," he said. "The magic is in stopping yourself before you reply in anger."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/which-is-birbals-house.html" target="_blank">~ 192. Birbal's House ~</a><br />
A man rushing down the street ran right into Birbal.<br />
"Excuse me!" he said. "Which is Birbal's house?"<br />
"That one," Birbal replied, pointing to a house at the end of the street.<br />
The man went running toward the house.<br />
When Birbal arrived, the man was still banging on the door.<br />
"Can I help you?" Birbal asked.<br />
The man turned, surprised to see him again. "I have an urgent message for Birbal, but he isn't home."<br />
"I'm Birbal!"<br />
"Why didn't you say so?"<br />
"You didn't ask," Birbal replied. "You need to ask the question for which you really want the answer!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/birbals-ode-to-eggplants.html" target="_blank">~ 193. Birbal and the Eggplants ~</a><br />
"These eggplants are exquisite!" Emperor Akbar proclaimed one night at dinner.<br />
"I agree, Your Highness," said Birbal.<br />
"Perhaps you can compose an 'Ode to Eggplants' and sing their praises."<br />
Birbal improvised the ode on the spot, and the emperor was delighted.<br />
The imperial chef heard about this and served eggplant every evening with dinner.<br />
A week later, Akbar groaned. "I'm sick of eggplants. Eggplants are disgusting."<br />
"I agree, Your Highness," said Birbal.<br />
"But you were singing their praises last week!" said the emperor.<br />
"That's true, Your Highness," replied Birbal. "I am the servant of the emperor, not of the eggplants."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/birbal-and-case-of-two-mothers.html" target="_blank">~ 194. Birbal and the Two Mothers ~</a><br />
Two women brought a dispute to Akbar's court, and Akbar told Birbal to decide the case.<br />
"This baby's mine!" shouted one woman.<br />
"No, he's mine!" shouted the other.<br />
"Bring a glass of poisoned milk," commanded Birbal.<br />
He then gave the milk to the woman holding the baby. "Have the baby drink this, or drink it yourself."<br />
She hesitated, but then tilted the milk into the baby's mouth.<br />
The other woman screamed, grabbed the glass of milk, and drank the poison herself.<br />
Birbal smiled. "The milk is not poisoned," he said gently. "And now I know the baby is indeed yours."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/birbal-and-owner-of-kebab-shop.html" target="_blank">~ 195. Birbal and the Beggar ~</a><br />
A beggar inhaled the smell wafting from a kebab-shop.<br />
"You must pay me for the smell!" shouted the shop owner.<br />
"I have no money," protested the beggar, so the owner took him to Akbar's court, where Birbal was judge.<br />
Birbal listened to both men's stories. Then he drew forth several coins from his own purse.<br />
"Are you listening?" he said to the shop owner.<br />
The man nodded eagerly, thinking Birbal was going to pay him.<br />
Birbal then shook the coins in his cupped hands. "The sound of the coins is your payment for the smell of the food. Case dismissed!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/birbal-and-detecting-sticks.html" target="_blank">~ 196. Birbal's Magical Sticks ~</a><br />
Someone was robbing the imperial kitchen, but the steward didn't know who. "Help me, Birbal!" he pleaded.<br />
Birbal gathered some sticks and then addressed the kitchen staff. "These are my magical detecting sticks; each is the same length." He gave each person a stick. "Put this under your pillow tonight. The thief's greedy thoughts will make his stick grow longer."<br />
The next morning, the staff presented their sticks.<br />
One stick was much shorter than the rest!<br />
"Behold the thief, who cut his stick to make it shorter," proclaimed Birbal. "By trying to prove his innocence, he has revealed his guilt."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/birbal-and-crows-of-agra.html" target="_blank">~ 197. Birbal and the Crows ~</a><br />
"Birbal has the answer to every question!" boasted Emperor Akbar.<br />
This made the other courtiers jealous.<br />
One courtier decided to challenge Birbal. "Dear Birbal," he said, "please tell us how many crows live here in Agra."<br />
Birbal answered instantly. "Eighty-nine thousand three hundred and twelve."<br />
The courtier scoffed. "Suppose I count and find out that's too high?"<br />
Birbal smiled. "It just means some crows are visiting their relatives in other cities. Of course, if you find more, some of those crows are visiting here from other cities; they don't actually live here."<br />
The emperor laughed, delighted with Birbal as always.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-emperors-caravansary.html" target="_blank">~ 198. The Emperor's Caravansary ~</a><br />
Strolling through the garden, Emperor Akbar and Birbal met a sadhu.<br />
"How did you get here?" the emperor asked.<br />
"How did you?" replied the sadhu.<br />
"This is my palace!" exclaimed the emperor.<br />
"I see no palace," replied the sadhu, "only a caravansary."<br />
The emperor was speechless with rage.<br />
"Tell me," said the sadhu, "who lived here before you?"<br />
"My father."<br />
"And before him?"<br />
"His father."<br />
"Guests come; guests go. You see: only a caravansary."<br />
The emperor smiled. "A good lesson. What may I give you in return?"<br />
"Just move along," said the sadhu. "You're blocking the sun that warms me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/birbal-sees-both-good-and-bad.html" target="_blank">~ 199. Birbal Sees Both Good and Bad ~</a><br />
A fellow courtier complained, "My prize Arabian mare ran away!"<br />
"That could be good," said Birbal, angering the courtier.<br />
Then the mare returned, followed by a wild stallion.<br />
"What wonderful good luck!" exclaimed the courtier.<br />
"Though it could be bad," said Birbal, angering the courtier again.<br />
The stallion then threw the courtier's son, breaking his leg.<br />
"My poor boy!" sobbed the courtier.<br />
"That could be very good," said Birbal.<br />
"You're heartless!" the courtier replied, angrier than ever.<br />
The next day, soldiers came to recruit able-bodied young men for the war; they did not take the courtier's son.<br />
Birbal just smiled.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/birbal-philosopher.html" target="_blank">~ 200. Birbal the Philosopher ~</a><br />
The emperor was feeling philosophical one evening.<br />
"Why doesn't God just put a stop to evil?" he asked Birbal. "When I want something to top, I make it stop. God could use his powers to put a stop to all evil."<br />
"That isn't how God created us," replied Birbal. "We are each a mix of good and evil, every one of us."<br />
The emperor nodded thoughtfully. <br />
"So," Birbal concluded, "if God were to rid the world of evil, he'd have to get rid of me and get rid of you too."<br />
The emperor smiled, delighted as always by Birbal's wisdom.</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-39716566909381263692021-01-14T11:49:00.000-05:002021-01-14T11:49:43.963-05:00Myth-Folklore Unit: Tales of Nasruddin (100 Words)<b>Overview</b>. This reading unit — good for one week, or two weeks — is a collection of stories about Nasruddin <i><b>told as 100-word stories</b>. </i>It is based on <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tiny Tales of Nasruddin</i> which contains two hundred of these tiny 100-word stories. Nasruddin is a famous "wise-fool" known throughout the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. He's a trickster, a jester, and a teacher all rolled into one. <b>The book is available free</b> as a PDF and in standard ebook formats (epub, mobi), and there is also a 99 cent Kindle version. Plus, there is a free audiobook! Links to all formats here: <b><a href="http://nasruddin.lauragibbs.net/">Nasruddin.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>. You will find links to text and audio below, but if you prefer to read with a PDF, on a Kindle, etc., you can do that based on what is most convenient for you.<br />
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<b>Language</b>. The language is very clear and contemporary. Unlike the public domain books published before 1923, this book is a recent publication (2020!).<br />
<br />
<b>Story Length</b>. The stories are very short: just 100 words long each. Each reading section — A, B, C, D, — contains 50 stories. That's a lot of stories but they go very fast, and I hope you will find lots that intrigue you. When you start with a super-short story, there's so much room to expand with your own imagination.<br />
<br />
<b>Navigation</b>. You will find the table of contents below; you can look at the title to get a sense of which sections you might enjoy most. There is no need to start at reading section A; you can read them in any order you prefer. You'll see that there are some dramatic groupings, starting with Nasruddin's famous donkey, then moving on through the stages of his life and ending with stories about his death.<br />
<br />
<b>Additional Resources</b>. Each of these stories has its own blog post with information about sources along with notes, and sometimes an illustration. You can find the list of the individual blog posts at <b><a href="http://nasruddin.lauragibbs.net/">Nasruddin.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>.</div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="401" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GKU2DjTWMxk/Xu6EuAStb1I/AAAAAAACWUs/KLApH_ssGV0i0wfnUHeded2u2EKrlXqRQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/NasruddinBeigeCover.png" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #221199; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 17.82px; font-weight: 700; position: relative;" /></div>
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-tales-of-nasruddin-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING A: </a></b><br />
1. Nasruddin Gallops Through the Market<br />
2. Nasruddin Shares the Donkey's Load<br />
3. Nasruddin's Donkey Is Missing<br />
4. Why Nasruddin Rides Backwards<br />
5. Nasruddin, His Son, and the Donkey<br />
6. Borrowing Nasruddin's Donkey<br />
7. Nasruddin's Donkey Crosses the Stream<br />
8. Nasruddin's Saintly Donkey<br />
9. Nasruddin's Flying Donkey<br />
10. Nasruddin Counts the Donkeys<br />
11. Nasruddin Reports a Stolen Donkey<br />
12. The Donkey and the Police-Chief<br />
13. Nasruddin's Bribe<br />
14. The Judge's Brand-New Shoes<br />
15. Nasruddin and the Slap<br />
16. Nasruddin and the Goat<br />
17. Nasruddin and the Sacks of Wheat<br />
18. Nasruddin Visits the Prisoners<br />
19. The Beggar and the Food Vendor<br />
20. Biting Your Own Ear<br />
21. Nasruddin and the Case of the Cow<br />
22. Payment in Kind<br />
23. Nasruddin Takes Sides<br />
24. Good Goose, Bad Goose<br />
25. Nasruddin and the Ocean<br />
26. Nasruddin and the Milkman<br />
27. Nasruddin's Eggplant Necklace<br />
28. Nasruddin Visits a Town for the First Time<br />
29. The Sky in a Distant Land<br />
30. Nasruddin Rescues the Moon<br />
31. The Sun or the Moon?<br />
32. Nasruddin's House Catches Fire<br />
33. The Wisdom of Camels<br />
34. Nasruddin and the Fish<br />
35. How Old Is Nasruddin?<br />
36. Nasruddin and the Stranger<br />
37. Nasruddin in the Rose Garden<br />
38. Nasruddin and the Eagle<br />
39. Different People, Different Paths<br />
40. Nasruddin's Buried Treasure<br />
41. Nasruddin Is Perplexed<br />
42. Nasruddin the Optimist<br />
43. Nasruddin Digs a Hole<br />
44. Nasruddin the Proud Father<br />
45. Nasruddin in the Dark<br />
46. Nasruddin's Sense of Economy<br />
47. What the Quarrel Was About<br />
48. Nasruddin's Lost Key<br />
49. Nasruddin's Toothache<br />
50. Nine Months for a Baby<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-b-tales-of-nasruddin-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING B: </a></b><br />
51. Nasruddin's Wife and the Stew<br />
52. How Old is Nasruddin's Wife?<br />
53. No Room in the Bed<br />
54. Itching and Scratching<br />
55. Is Someone Snoring?<br />
56. Spouses, Past and Present<br />
57. The Sound of a Cloak<br />
58. Nasruddin's Two Wives<br />
59. Who Will Feed the Donkey?<br />
60. The Burglar in the Well<br />
61. The Bread in the Pond<br />
62. Nasruddin Was Robbed<br />
63. Nasruddin in the Cupboard<br />
64. The Burglar in the Dark<br />
65. Bags of Loot<br />
66. The Thief with a Wagon<br />
67. The Thief and Nasruddin's Rooster<br />
68. Nasruddin and the Thief's Shoes<br />
69. Nasruddin and the Apple Tree<br />
70. Nasruddin and the Wind<br />
71. Nasruddin the Nightingale<br />
72. Nasruddin's Ladder<br />
73. Nasruddin and the Tailor<br />
74. Nasruddin and the Porter<br />
75. Nasruddin and the Wealthy Merchant<br />
76. Donkeys and Horses<br />
77. The Cabbage and the Cooking-Pot<br />
78. Jokes in the Coffeehouse<br />
79. A Token of Friendship<br />
80. Getting Fooled by Nasruddin<br />
81. Nasruddin on the Roof<br />
82. An Unexpected Visit from Nasruddin<br />
83. Nasruddin Eating Eggs<br />
84. Nasruddin and the Philosopher's Questions<br />
85. Nasruddin Rewards His Son<br />
86. Nasruddin Gets a Haircut<br />
87. Nasruddin and the Tall Tree<br />
88. Nasruddin's Playful Turban<br />
89. Young Nasruddin and the Tall Tales<br />
90. Naked Nasruddin<br />
91. Nasruddin and the Village Boys<br />
92. Nasruddin and the Grapes<br />
93. Nasruddin and the Sugar<br />
94. Nasruddin and the Hooligan<br />
95. Nasruddin and the Donkey-Boy<br />
96. Frightening Nasruddin<br />
97. Big Pot, Little Pot<br />
98. Nasruddin Goes Upstairs<br />
99. Nasruddin Thinks of Soup<br />
100. Nasruddin's Clothesline<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-c-tales-of-nasruddin-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING C: </a></b><br />
101. Nasruddin Asks the Donkey<br />
102. Nasruddin and the Neighbor's Dog<br />
103. Nasruddin and the Neighbor's Bull<br />
104. Nasruddin and the Sesame Seeds<br />
105. Nasruddin and the Bears<br />
106. Nasruddin the Architect<br />
107. The Light in the Garden<br />
108. The Warmth of a Candle<br />
109. Nasruddin's House with Many Windows<br />
110. Nasruddin and the Wool<br />
111. Nasruddin and the Dentist<br />
112. Nasruddin and the Baker<br />
113. The Angel with the Golden Coins<br />
114. Buying an Elephant<br />
115. Who Wants to Get Rich?<br />
116. A Loan from Nasruddin<br />
117. The Proper Way to Beg<br />
118. The Poor Man in the Coffeehouse<br />
119. Nasruddin Looks for Work<br />
120. Nasruddin's Donkey for Sale<br />
121. Nasruddin at the Bathhouse<br />
122. What a Beggar Needs<br />
123. Honored Guests at the Banquet<br />
124. Nasruddin's Two Hands<br />
125. Why People Yawn<br />
126. The Miser's Soup<br />
127. Nasruddin's Big Pot<br />
128. Nasruddin and the Ducks<br />
129. Nasruddin and the Recipe<br />
130. Nasruddin is Tired<br />
131. Nasruddin's Views on Cheese<br />
132. Nasruddin Eats the Walnuts and the Shells<br />
133. Nasruddin Eats an Apple<br />
134. Where's the Halvah?<br />
135. Nasruddin and the Box<br />
136. Nasruddin and the Baklava<br />
137. Nasruddin's Lunch<br />
138. Nasruddin Divides the Walnuts<br />
139. Walnuts and Watermelons<br />
140. Nasruddin's Debt<br />
141. Nasruddin Gets a Gift from God<br />
142. Nasruddin Needs New Clothes<br />
143. The Donkey on the Ledge<br />
144. The Cow and the Colt<br />
145. Big Mosque, Little Mosque<br />
146. Nasruddin and God's Own Guest<br />
147. The Door to Nasruddin's House<br />
148. Nasruddin and his Dog<br />
149. Nasruddin and the Stray Goat<br />
150. Nasruddin on the Run<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-d-tales-of-nasruddin-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING D: </a></b></div>
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151. Nasruddin and the Small Boat<br />
152. Nasruddin and the Ship's Passengers<br />
153. Nasruddin's Hurried Prayers<br />
154. Nasruddin Needs New Shoes<br />
155. Nasruddin's Inshallah<br />
156. Who Gets the Loaf of Bread?<br />
157. Nasruddin Sees as God Sees<br />
158. Nasruddin Commands the Tree<br />
159. Nasruddin by Night<br />
160. Nasruddin's Tears<br />
161. Nasruddin's Lullaby<br />
162. The Turban of a Scholar<br />
163. The Eagle Jaliz<br />
164. What Is Bread?<br />
165. Nasruddin and the Butterfly<br />
166. Nasruddin Plays the Lute<br />
167. Nasruddin's Grammar<br />
168. Nasruddin's Sermon<br />
169. The Center of the Universe<br />
170. The Scholar's Knife<br />
171. Nasruddin Meets the Governor<br />
172. The Governor Rewards Nasruddin<br />
173. The Governor's Survey<br />
174. The Governor's Poetry<br />
175. Guards and Thieves<br />
176. Emperor Tamerlane's Tax Collector<br />
177. Nasruddin and the Roast Pheasant<br />
178. The Emperor and the Eggplants<br />
179. A Gift for the Emperor<br />
180. Tamerlane and Nasruddin's Donkey<br />
181. Nasruddin's Bold Claim<br />
182. Nasruddin the Philosopher<br />
183. Nasruddin's Qualifications<br />
184. Nasruddin the Archer<br />
185. Nasruddin and Tamerlane's Whip<br />
186. Nasruddin and the King's Gallows<br />
187. Nasruddin and the King's Astrologers<br />
188. Nasruddin and the Mayor's Funeral<br />
189. The Wealthy Man's Funeral<br />
190. Watching a Funeral Procession<br />
191. Nasruddin's Funeral Robes<br />
192. Nasruddin's Pet Lamb<br />
193. Nasruddin's Funeral Arrangements<br />
194. What Happens After We Die?<br />
195. Prayers for the Dying<br />
196. Nasruddin's Will<br />
197. Nasruddin's Death<br />
198. Nasruddin in the Cemetery<br />
199. Nasruddin on his Deathbed<br />
200. Nasruddin's Final Prayers<br />
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Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-13835003897007931822021-01-14T11:48:00.001-05:002021-01-14T11:48:30.661-05:00Reading A: Tales of Nasruddin (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #158-169.<br />
<div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1093496593&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-of-nasruddin" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales of Nasruddin">Tiny Tales of Nasruddin</a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddins-donkey-on-run_25.html" target="_blank">~ 1. Nasruddin Gallops Through the Market ~</a><br />
The town square was crowded for market day.<br />
Then, all of a sudden, Nasruddin came galloping through the square on his donkey. It looked like he was about to fall off, barely holding onto the reins with one hand while struggling to keep his turban on with the other.<br />
Nobody had ever seen Nasruddin or his donkey move this fast!<br />
"Hey there, Nasruddin!" yelled one of his friends as Nasruddin rode by. "Just where are you going in such a hurry?"<br />
Nasruddin shouted a reply as the donkey galloped past. "I honestly don't know! You need to ask the donkey!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/sharing-load.html" target="_blank">~ 2. Nasruddin Shares the Donkey's Load ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had gone into the forest to chop wood.<br />
At day's end, he bundled up the wood but, instead of putting the bundle on the donkey, he put the bundle on his own head. He then clambered up on the donkey and rode into town.<br />
"Nasruddin!" shouted one of his friends. "Why are you carrying that bundle of wood there on your head? Doesn't it hurt?"<br />
"It does hurt," Nasruddin admitted, "but I wanted to help share the load."<br />
"I still don't understand," said Nasruddin's friend, looking puzzled.<br />
"The donkey is carrying me," explained Nasruddin, "but I'm carrying the wood."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/rejoicing-over-lost-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 3. Nasruddin's Donkey Is Missing ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's donkey was lost, but Nasruddin appeared to be happy, not sad. Instead of looking for his donkey, he sat drinking coffee in the coffeehouse.<br />
Everyone was puzzled about this, knowing how much Nasruddin loved his donkey, and his donkey had now been missing for several days.<br />
"I don't understand why you look so happy," someone finally said to him. "How can you smile like that when your donkey is lost?"<br />
"I'm smiling because I'm not on the donkey," explained Nasruddin, taking another sip of his coffee. "Just imagine: if I were on the donkey, I would be lost too!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-polite-way-to-ride-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 4. Why Nasruddin Rides Backwards ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was riding his donkey to the school while his pupils walked behind him. Nasruddin sat backwards, facing the children.<br />
"You look funny riding backwards!" they said.<br />
"If I faced forward, I'd have my back to you," Nasruddin explained, "which wouldn't be nice. If I faced forward and you walked in front, your backs would be towards me, which also wouldn't be nice. If you walked in front facing backwards to see me, you wouldn't see where you're going and you'd probably fall down. So, me riding backwards facing you, just like this," he concluded, "is really the best solution!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-his-son-and-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 5. Nasruddin, His Son, and the Donkey ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was going to town with his son. Nasruddin walked while his son rode their donkey.<br />
Someone saw them and scoffed. "Lazy boy! Why must your father walk?"<br />
So the son got off, and Nasruddin got on.<br />
Farther down the road, someone else saw them and said, "Cruel father, making your son walk!"<br />
So they both rode the donkey.<br />
"Poor donkey, carrying two riders!" said the next person they met.<br />
So then they both got off.<br />
"Idiots!" laughed the next person. "At least one of you should ride the donkey!"<br />
"Take note, my son," Nasruddin said. "There's no pleasing everyone."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/who-are-you-going-to-believe.html" target="_blank">~ 6. Borrowing Nasruddin's Donkey ~</a><br />
A neighbor asked to borrow Nasruddin's donkey.<br />
Nasruddin did not want to loan him the donkey, but he also did not want to appear to be ungenerous. So, he made up an excuse.<br />
"I'm sorry, but I must say no," said Nasruddin. "The donkey is not here right now; I loaned him to my brother-in-law, and he still hasn't returned the donkey."<br />
Then, at that very moment, the donkey let out a loud bray from inside the stable.<br />
Before his neighbor could say anything, Nasruddin gave him a hard look. "Who are you going to believe: me, or the donkey?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-donkey-crossing-stream.html" target="_blank">~ 7. Nasruddin's Donkey Crosses the Stream ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was returning home from the market, and his donkey was carrying bags of salt.<br />
On the way, they had to cross a stream. The donkey slipped, and the salt dissolved in the water. When the donkey stood back up, he found his load was lighter, and he trotted happily home.<br />
The next time they came from the market, the donkey was carrying bags of wool. He decided to stumble on purpose but, instead of dissolving, the wool absorbed the water and weighed even more than before.<br />
"You can't expect to get lucky every time!" Nasruddin said to the donkey.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/water-and-wine.html" target="_blank">~ 8. Nasruddin's Saintly Donkey ~</a><br />
Nasruddin sat in the coffeehouse, praising his remarkable donkey.<br />
"Your donkey is indeed remarkable," said one of Nasruddin's friends. "I've always thought your donkey had a very saintly disposition. He is much more saintly than you are."<br />
This took Nasruddin by surprise. "What do you mean my donkey is 'more saintly' than I am?"<br />
"I mean that if we gave your donkey a choice between a bucket of water and a bucket of wine, he would drink the water, not the wine."<br />
"There's nothing saintly about that!" exclaimed Nasruddin. "That just shows the donkey is less intelligent than I am."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-flying-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 9. Nasruddin's Flying Donkey ~</a><br />
Nasruddin decided to teach his donkey how to fly.<br />
"Look at the bird! Just do that!" Nasruddin would say. "It's going to be harder because you don't have wings, but I know you can do it."<br />
Finally, the day had arrived. Nasruddin took his donkey up to a high cliff. "Fly, donkey, fly!" he said as he pushed his donkey off the cliff.<br />
The donkey sailed through the air, but only briefly. He hit the ground and died.<br />
Nasruddin blamed himself. "I got so excited about teaching him how to fly that I forgot to teach him how to land."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/counting-donkeys.html" target="_blank">~ 10. Nasruddin Counts the Donkeys ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was taking the village's donkeys, laden with grain, to the mill. There was Nasruddin's donkey, plus nine more.<br />
Halfway there, Nasruddin counted. Only nine!<br />
Worried, he got down and went looking for the lost donkey.<br />
When he came back, he counted again: ten donkeys.<br />
"Praise God!" he said. "The missing donkey returned."<br />
Nasruddin got back on his donkey and continued the journey.<br />
Later, he counted again. Only nine!<br />
He dismounted, went looking, came back, and counted. Ten donkeys!<br />
"Well, I better walk. When I'm riding, that wayward donkey escapes."<br />
Nasruddin was just forgetting to count the donkey underneath him!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-at-police-station.html" target="_blank">~ 11. Nasruddin Reports a Stolen Donkey ~</a><br />
A thief had stolen Nasruddin's donkey, so Nasruddin went to the police station to report the crime, hoping that the police would find the donkey-thief and get his donkey back.<br />
"I want to report a theft!" Nasruddin shouted. "Someone has stolen my donkey. I need your help!"<br />
The police officer took out a piece of paper, ready to write down Nasruddin's account of the events.<br />
"Tell me what happened," he said.<br />
"How can I possibly do that?" Nasruddin exclaimed. "I wasn't there when it happened! If I'd been there, I would have stopped the thief before he took my donkey."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-donkey-and-police-chief.html" target="_blank">~ 12. The Donkey and the Police-Chief ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's donkey was missing. "Have you seen my donkey?" he asked everyone, but no one had seen the donkey.<br />
Nasruddin was about to give up, when one of the village children said, "I know what happened to your donkey. My uncle says the new police chief is a real donkey. So he must be your donkey!"<br />
"That's impossible, boy," Nasruddin replied. "My donkey is smart enough as donkeys go, but he's not capable of taking bribes, and he wouldn't know how to frame people for crimes they didn't commit. And that means he's not qualified to be chief of police!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-pot-of-honey.html" target="_blank">~ 13. Nasruddin's Bribe ~</a><br />
Nasruddin needed the judge's signature on some documents, which meant a bribe, and Nasruddin didn't like bribes.<br />
So, Nasruddin got a pot, filled it with mud, and put honey on top to make it look like a pot full of honey. Nasruddin gave this to the judge, and the judge gave him the signed documents.<br />
The next day, the judge's servant delivered a message. "The documents were in error! Return them to the judge."<br />
"The documents are fine," Nasruddin replied. "If the judge has a problem of his own, he should take that up with his conscience, not with me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-judges-cloak-and-slippers.html" target="_blank">~ 14. The Judge's Brand-New Shoes ~</a><br />
One night Nasruddin found the judge lying drunk in a ditch. Chuckling, he took the judge's brand-new shoes. They were just the right size!<br />
The next day the judge complained that robbers had ambushed him. "They stole my brand-new shoes!" he yelled.<br />
Nasruddin then strolled into court wearing the judge's shoes.<br />
"Where did you get those?" the judge demanded.<br />
"I met a drunken man last night, and he insisted I take them," Nasruddin replied with a smile. "Do you know who he is? I'll gladly return them. He was, I'm afraid, very drunk."<br />
The judge glared at Nasruddin in reply.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/damages-for-assault.html" target="_blank">~ 15. Nasruddin and the Slap ~</a><br />
A man slapped Nasruddin on the face, so Nasruddin took the man to court, accusing him of assault.<br />
The judge ordered that the man must give Nasruddin a gold coin by way of damages.<br />
"I will go home, get the coin, and be back within an hour," the man promised.<br />
Nasruddin waited for an hour, and then another hour.<br />
When three hours had passed and the man still had not returned, Nasruddin got up and slapped the judge.<br />
"I'm going home, Your Honor," he explained, "so when that man finally shows up, feel free to take the coin as compensation."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-goat-in-court.html" target="_blank">~ 16. Nasruddin and the Goat ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his neighbor were quarreling.<br />
"You stink worse than a goat!" his neighbor said, so Nasruddin took him to court for slander.<br />
The judge said, "Bring in a goat for comparison."<br />
They brought in a goat, and when the judge leaned down to sniff the goat, he fainted. That's how bad the goat smelled.<br />
They revived the judge with smelling salts, and then the judge said, "Now bring in Nasruddin."<br />
They brought in Nasruddin, and both the judge and the goat fainted. That's how bad Nasruddin smelled.<br />
They had to throw both Nasruddin and the goat out of court.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/just-fool.html" target="_blank">~ 17. Nasruddin and the Sacks of Wheat ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was caught taking sacks of wheat from his neighbor's barn. Nasruddin had done this before, and this time the neighbor took him to court.<br />
"What do you have to say for yourself?" asked the judge.<br />
"I'm just a fool," Nasruddin admitted. "I get confused about whose barn is whose, which wheat is mine or theirs. I'm not sure how I ended up with my neighbor's wheat in my wagon."<br />
"If you're so easily confused," said the judge, "why don't you sometimes put your wheat in other people's wagons?"<br />
"I may be a fool," Nasruddin replied, "but I'm not stupid!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-prisoners.html" target="_blank">~ 18. Nasruddin Visits the Prisoners ~</a><br />
As an act of charity, Nasruddin went to the prison to talk with all the prisoners and console them.<br />
When they spoke, each inmate told Nasruddin that they were imprisoned unjustly. "I'm innocent," they told him, one after another.<br />
One inmate, however, did not protest. "I'm guilty of my crimes," he said, "and that's why I'm here in prison."<br />
As soon as Nasruddin heard that, he went to see the warden.<br />
"You have to free this prisoner immediately!" Nasruddin told the warden. "Otherwise, he's going to be a terrible influence on all the innocent men you have locked up here."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-beggar-and-shish-kebab-vendor.html" target="_blank">~ 19. The Beggar and the Food Vendor ~</a><br />
A beggar eating a crust of stale bread stood next to a shish-kebab vendor, inhaling deeply. The smell made even his stale bread taste good.<br />
"You must pay for the smell!" shouted the vendor.<br />
When the poor man couldn't pay, the vendor took him to court.<br />
Nasruddin was the judge.<br />
He listened to them both, and then he took some coins from his pocket, cupped his hands, and shook the coins.<br />
"Do you hear that sound?" he asked the vendor.<br />
"Yes," said the vendor, perplexed.<br />
"The sound of the coins is payment for the smell of the meat. Case dismissed!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/biting-your-own-ear.html" target="_blank">~ 20. Biting Your Own Ear ~</a><br />
A wife dragged her husband into Nasruddin's courtroom.<br />
"He bit my ear!" she shouted.<br />
"You bit your own ear!" the husband shouted back at her.<br />
"Impossible!" the wife replied. "Nobody can bite their own ear."<br />
Nasruddin called for a recess and went into his chambers. He tried to bite his own ear, but only succeeded in falling down and bruising his forehead.<br />
Nasruddin returned to the courtroom. "Check the wife: does she have bruises on her forehead?"<br />
There were no bruises.<br />
"I therefore conclude the wife did not bite her own ear," said Nasruddin. "The husband is guilty as charged."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-and-case-of-cow.html" target="_blank">~ 21. Nasruddin and the Case of the Cow ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's neighbor came running up, shouting loudly. "There's been a terrible accident!" he said to Nasruddin.<br />
"What happened?" asked Nasruddin, alarmed.<br />
"Your ox got loose and gored my cow to death," the neighbor explained. "Someone will have to pay!"<br />
"What do you mean?" replied Nasruddin. "Surely you can't hold me responsible for what my ox did to your cow."<br />
"Oh," said the neighbor, "I apologize. I must have gotten my words mixed up! I meant to say that my ox got loose and gored your cow to death."<br />
"Oh!" said Nasruddin. "That changes everything. Someone really will have to pay!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/payment-in-kind.html" target="_blank">~ 22. Payment in Kind ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's neighbor stormed into Nasruddin's house.<br />
"I demand justice!" the neighbor shouted. "Just now your dog viciously attacked my wife and bit her on the foot. You're going to have to pay!"<br />
"Don't worry," Nasruddin replied calmly. "We can easily arrange payment in kind."<br />
"What do you mean?" asked the neighbor.<br />
"For example, I could send my wife to your house, and your dog could bite her on the foot," Nasruddin explained. "There is also this option: your wife could come over here and she could bite my dog on the foot. I'll let you decide what would be best."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/youre-right-too.html" target="_blank">~ 23. Nasruddin Takes Sides ~</a><br />
Two men who were quarreling came to Nasruddin.<br />
"Please help us, Nasruddin!" said the first man.<br />
"We need you to judge between us!" said the second man.<br />
The first man presented his case, and when he was done, Nasruddin exclaimed, "You're right!"<br />
The second man shouted, "You haven't even listened to my side of the story!"<br />
That man then presented his case and when he was done, Nasruddin exclaimed again, "You're right!"<br />
Nasruddin's wife, who had listened to the whole thing, remarked, "They can't both be right."<br />
Nasruddin looked at his wife and exclaimed with a smile, "You're right too!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/bad-goose-good-goose.html" target="_blank">~ 24. Good Goose, Bad Goose ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had a bad-tempered goose that was always hissing and trying to bite him, so he took the goose to the market to sell.<br />
As he handed the goose to the goose-broker, Nasruddin warned him, "This is a badly-behaved goose. Be careful!"<br />
"Don't worry," the broker said. "I'll get you a good price."<br />
The broker then began yelling, "Buy the best goose here! A fine goose! Good-natured goose! Buy the best goose here!"<br />
Nasruddin snatched his goose back from the broker.<br />
"I'm not selling this goose at any price!" he exclaimed. "I never knew what a good goose I had."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-ocean.html" target="_blank">~ 25. Nasruddin and the Ocean ~</a><br />
Nasruddin once took a long journey all the way to the ocean's edge. This was the first time he had seen the ocean. He was astounded by the water stretching to the horizon, and the rise and fall of the waves mesmerized him.<br />
He then bent down to take a drink and immediately spat it out. "Disgusting!" he yelled. "Luckily, I've got some real water here with me."<br />
He reached for his water-flask and poured some fresh water into the ocean.<br />
"It's true that you look very impressive," he said, "but you need to learn what real water tastes like!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-milkman.html" target="_blank">~ 26. Nasruddin and the Milkman ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had gone to the milkman to get a gallon of cow's milk. He waited in line and then presented the milkman with the container he had brought with him.<br />
"A gallon of cow's milk," he said to the milkman.<br />
"I'm sorry, Nasruddin," the milkman replied, "but the container you've brought is much too small. There's no way a gallon of cow's milk will fit into that container."<br />
Nasruddin stood there thinking.<br />
"I know!" he said at last. "Instead of a gallon of cow's milk, give me a gallon of goat's milk. Goat's milk will be just the right size!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-eggplant-necklace.html" target="_blank">~ 27. Nasruddin's Eggplant Necklace ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was traveling with a large caravan full of strangers. To make it easy for everyone to recognize him, he wore a string of eggplants around his neck. Everyone started calling him "Mr. Eggplant," but at least they all knew at a glance who he was.<br />
One night the person sleeping on the ground next to Nasruddin decided to play a joke. He took Nasruddin's eggplant necklace and put it around his own neck.<br />
When Nasruddin woke up, he saw the eggplant necklace around the other man's neck.<br />
"If that is me," he thought to himself, "then who am I?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/visiting-town-for-first-time.html" target="_blank">~ 28. Nasruddin Visits a Town for the First Time ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was visiting a new town for the first time. He didn't know anybody in the town, and he wasn't sure what to do or where to go; it made him feel uneasy.<br />
He decided to enter the first door he found open: a carpenter's shop.<br />
"Hello!" said the carpenter.<br />
"Hello!" replied Nasruddin. "Did you see me just now walk into your shop?"<br />
"Yes," replied the carpenter, not sure what Nasruddin was getting at.<br />
"And have you ever seen me before?" asked Nasruddin.<br />
"No, I've never seen you before," admitted the carpenter.<br />
"Then how did you know it was me?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-sky-in-faraway-land.html" target="_blank">~ 29. The Sky in a Distant Land ~</a><br />
Nasruddin went on a long journey to visit a friend who now lived in a distant city.<br />
As they sat up on the roof of his friend's house enjoying the coolness of the night air, Nasruddin stared up at the stars in amazement. "Oooh!" said Nasruddin. "Ahhh!"<br />
Then he looked at his friend and said, "How do you think they did that?"<br />
"How did who do what?" asked Nasruddin's friend, baffled by Nasruddin's reaction.<br />
"The sky painters!" Nasruddin replied. "How were they able to make such a perfect copy here of the sky that I see each night at home?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-rescues-moon.html" target="_blank">~ 30. Nasruddin Rescues the Moon ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was walking home late one night when he stopped at a well to drink some water.<br />
As he stared down into the well, he saw the moon.<br />
"Hang on, Moon!" he shouted. "I'll rescue you!"<br />
He lowered the bucket into the well but, as he tried to maneuver the bucket into just the right spot so the moon could climb in, he stumbled on the hem of his robe and fell over backwards.<br />
He then saw the moon up in the sky.<br />
"I did it!" he exclaimed happily. "You need to be careful you don't fall down again, Moon!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/sun-or-moon.html" target="_blank">~ 31. The Sun or the Moon? ~</a><br />
There was an argument going on at the coffeehouse, as usual. This time, Nasruddin and his friends were arguing about the sun and the moon.<br />
"Which do you think is more valuable," Nasruddin asked, "the sun, or the moon?"<br />
"What a stupid question, Nasruddin!" they all shouted at him. "The sun is more valuable by far!"<br />
Nasruddin shook his head. "I disagree."<br />
"Are you saying the moon is more valuable than the sun? How can that be?" they asked.<br />
"Isn't it obvious?" Nasruddin replied. "The moon is more valuable because we need the light more at night when it's dark."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-house-on-fire.html" target="_blank">~ 32. Nasruddin's House Catches Fire ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's house happened to catch on fire while Nasruddin was in the coffeehouse. One of his neighbors came bursting in to tell him the bad news.<br />
"Nasruddin!" he shouted. "Come quickly! Your house is on fire!"<br />
Nasruddin jumped up and ran to see what had happened. It was true: his house really was on fire. Flames were shooting up into the air and the whole structure was about to collapse.<br />
Nasruddin, however, just stood there smiling.<br />
"What can you be smiling about?" his neighbor asked.<br />
Nasruddin replied, "Don't you see? I've finally gotten rid of those damn bedbugs at last!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-wisdom-of-camels.html" target="_blank">~ 33. The Wisdom of Camels ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was in the coffeehouse with his friends, and the subject of camels came up. Specifically, they started arguing about whether camels were intelligent or not.<br />
"Camels are very intelligent!" exclaimed Nasruddin. "In fact, I would say that camels are more intelligent than people are."<br />
"What makes you say so?" asked one of Nasruddin's friends.<br />
"A camel carries heavy loads, but he never asks for another load in addition to what he carries," replied Nasruddin. "Most people, on the other hand, no matter how heavily burdened they might be already, are always eager to take on new obligations and responsibilities."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-talking-fish.html" target="_blank">~ 34. Nasruddin and the Fish ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his friends were sitting in the coffeehouse, getting into arguments as usual.<br />
"Fish are truly remarkable animals," Nasruddin opined. "Nobody really respects fish, but they deserve our respect. Talented, intelligent, well-behaved. In fact, there's nothing a person can do that a fish can't do better!"<br />
"That's ridiculous!" protested one of Nasruddin's friends. "Fish can't talk better than people do. Fish can't even talk at all. I've seen hundreds of fish, thousands of fish, but not a single talking fish, and that's because fish can't talk."<br />
"And when you are under the water," Nasruddin replied, "you can't talk either!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/nasruddins-age-then-and-now.html" target="_blank">~ 35. How Old Is Nasruddin? ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was sitting in the coffeehouse drinking coffee with one of his friends. They were talking about this and that, and Nasruddin's friend asked, "Just how old are you, Nasruddin?"<br />
"I'm fifty years old," replied Nasruddin, taking a sip of his coffee.<br />
His friend thought for a moment and then said, "Fifty years old? Really? I'm sure that's what you told me when I asked you your age several years ago."<br />
"That's right. I said I was fifty years old then, and I'm sticking to my story!" said Nasruddin. "I'm a man of my word; you can count on it."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-distance-to-town.html" target="_blank">~ 36. Nasruddin and the Stranger ~</a><br />
A stranger approached Nasruddin as he was standing at the crossroads.<br />
"Which way to town?" the stranger asked.<br />
Nasruddin pointed to the right.<br />
"And how long will it take to get there?"<br />
Nasruddin stared at the stranger intently and shrugged.<br />
"I know you can hear me!" the stranger shouted. "How long will it take me to get to town?"<br />
Nasruddin shrugged again, and the stranger stomped off angrily.<br />
A minute later, Nasruddin shouted, "About half an hour."<br />
The stranger turned and shouted back, "Why didn't you say so?"<br />
"I had to see how quickly you were walking," Nasruddin replied, smiling.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-in-rose-garden.html" target="_blank">~ 37. Nasruddin in the Rose Garden ~</a><br />
As Nasruddin was walking home one day, he decided to take the long way through a rose garden instead of the usual road. The roses were all in bloom, and the scent was heavenly.<br />
But as Nasruddin strolled through the garden, he slipped in the mud and crashed into some rose bushes. He was badly bruised and bleeding from where the thorns had scratched him, plus he was covered with mud.<br />
Even so, Nasruddin was not distressed. "If misfortune can befall me in this lovely rose garden," he thought, "just imagine the disasters that awaited me on the open road!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-was-out-chopping-wood-and-it.html" target="_blank">~ 38. Nasruddin and the Eagle ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was chopping wood one day, working up quite a sweat. Finally he got so hot that he took off his turban and hung it carefully on a tree branch.<br />
Then, without warning, an enormous eagle came swooping down from the sky and snatched Nasruddin's turban.<br />
"Hey, that bird took my turban!" Nasruddin shouted as the eagle soared away up into the sky.<br />
Then he sighed. "Well, I wish he hadn't taken my turban, but I suppose it's all for the best. If I hadn't taken off my turban just in time, the eagle would have carried me away too!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/different-people-different-paths.html" target="_blank">~ 39. Different People, Different Paths ~</a><br />
Over time, Nasruddin had become famous for his wisdom and learning. As a result people came from near and far to ask him questions.<br />
"I have a question, Nasruddin!" one visitor said. "Why is it that people choose to follow so many different paths in life instead of following the one true path?"<br />
"It's actually for the good of the world that everyone follows their own path," Nasruddin replied. "Just imagine: if everyone followed the same path and ended up at the same destination, the world would lose its balance, tip over, and we would all plunge into the abyss."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/x-marks-spot.html" target="_blank">~ 40. Nasruddin's Buried Treasure ~</a><br />
One of Nasruddin's neighbors noticed him in the yard digging a hole. When he went to find out just what Nasruddin was doing, he saw that Nasruddin had dug many holes here and there.<br />
"Why are you digging all these holes?" the neighbor asked.<br />
Nasruddin stared at him wild-eyed. "I'm trying to find the money I buried here last year! Now I really need the money, but I can't find the spot where I buried it."<br />
"Didn't you use something to mark the spot?"<br />
"I did!" said Nasruddin. "I buried it under a cloud that looked just like an elephant."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-is-puzzled.html" target="_blank">~ 41. Nasruddin Is Perplexed ~</a><br />
A neighbor saw Nasruddin standing under a tree, scratching his head and looking perplexed.<br />
"Is something wrong?" his neighbor asked.<br />
"I'm puzzled," said Nasruddin. "I've been standing here for hours, and I just can't figure it out."<br />
"Figure what out?" asked his neighbor.<br />
"Don't you see the problem? There's a fish perching up there on that tree branch. Just look!"<br />
Nasruddin pointed, and his neighbor looked up to see.<br />
"I don't understand," said the neighbor. "How can there be a fish perching in a tree that looks just like a parrot?"<br />
"That is exactly what has me puzzled!" replied Nasruddin.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-yogurt.html" target="_blank">~ 42. Nasruddin the Optimist ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's neighbor saw him kneeling by the side of the lake, spooning something into the water. He was used to Nasruddin behaving strangely, but this was unusual even for Nasruddin. He decided to go investigate and see what Nasruddin was doing.<br />
As the neighbor got closer, he saw that Nasruddin was spooning yogurt into the lake.<br />
"Why are you spooning yogurt into the lake?" asked the neighbor.<br />
"It's starter!" Nasruddin explained. "I am hoping to turn the whole lake into yogurt."<br />
"But that's impossible!" said his neighbor.<br />
"Yes, it's impossible," admitted Nasruddin. "But just imagine how wonderful it would be!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-digs-hole.html" target="_blank">~ 43. Nasruddin Digs a Hole ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's neighbor saw him digging a deep hole in the yard. Nasruddin was barely visible but his neighbor could see shovelfuls of earth flying up out of the hole.<br />
"Nasruddin!" he shouted. "What are you digging that hole for?"<br />
Nasruddin clambered up out of the hole. "I need a place to bury all the rubbish left over from building the new barn."<br />
"And what are you going to do with this heap of earth from the hole you're digging here now?"<br />
Nasruddin paused and scratched his head. "I hadn't thought about that. I suppose I'll have to dig another hole!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-proud-father.html" target="_blank">~ 44. Nasruddin the Proud Father ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was running through the town square.<br />
A friend noticed him and said, "Nasruddin! Wait a moment and talk! I haven't seen you in such a long time."<br />
"I really don't have time to stop and talk," Nasruddin explained. "I went out to do the shopping, and now I need to hurry home."<br />
"Why the rush?"<br />
"My wife just had a baby!" Nasruddin said proudly.<br />
"What wonderful news!" replied his friend. "I'm very glad for you. And is it a boy or a girl?"<br />
Nasruddin stared at him in amazement. "Yes, it is!" he answered. "But how did you know?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/telling-left-from-right.html" target="_blank">~ 45. Nasruddin in the Dark ~</a><br />
Night had come on quickly, and Nasruddin and his wife had forgotten to light a candle. Thus, they found themselves sitting in their house in the dark.<br />
"It's dark, husband," Nasruddin's wife said to him. "We need to light a candle."<br />
"I agree!" said Nasruddin. "It's completely dark. I can't see a thing!"<br />
"Well, I'm sure there's a candle over there on the table to your left. Hand me the candle and I'll light it."<br />
"I don't think that will work," said Nasruddin. "How do you expect me to tell my left from my right in the dark like this?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-was-acting-even-more.html" target="_blank">~ 46. Nasruddin's Sense of Economy ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was acting even more strangely than usual. He had put a patch over one eye and stuffed cotton in one nostril and in one ear. He had also tied one arm behind his back and was hopping on just one leg.<br />
"Nasruddin!" shouted his wife. "Are you alright? What's happened to you?"<br />
"I'm fine!" replied Nasruddin. "I was just thinking that since I have two eyes and two ears and two nostrils, plus two arms and two legs, I should save one of each for future use. That way, I won't use them both up at the same time."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/what-quarrel-was-about.html" target="_blank">~ 47. What the Quarrel Was About ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his wife awoke to the sound of men quarreling outside. The shouting got louder and louder.<br />
"I'll go see what they are quarreling about," said Nasruddin.<br />
He then lit a lamp and went downstairs.<br />
His wife heard him open the front door. Almost immediately, the shouting stopped. She wondered what Nasruddin had said to stop the quarrel so quickly.<br />
"What happened?" she asked when he came back to bed.<br />
"When I opened the door, one of them grabbed my lamp, and then they both ran off," Nasruddin replied. "I suppose they must have been quarreling about my lamp!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-lost-key.html" target="_blank">~ 48. Nasruddin's Lost Key ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was walking around his yard, peering down at the ground and muttering to himself.<br />
Nasruddin's wife came out and asked him, "Did you lose something?"<br />
"I've lost my key," said Nasruddin.<br />
"I'll help you look," said his wife.<br />
Some time passed, and his wife was ready to give up. "Do you have any idea just where exactly you might have dropped it?" she asked.<br />
"I dropped it somewhere in the basement," Nasruddin replied, not looking up.<br />
"Then why are you looking for it out here?" she exclaimed.<br />
"It's dark in the basement," Nasruddin said. "There's more light out here."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-toothache.html" target="_blank">~ 49. Nasruddin's Toothache ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had a terrible toothache. It had been hurting for days, getting worse every day. It hurt when he lay down; it hurt when he was standing up. He tried putting warm compresses on it, but that did not help. Warm salt water did not help either.<br />
Nasruddin's wife felt sorry for him at first, but she eventually lost her patience. "If that were my tooth," she finally told him, "I would go have it removed."<br />
"If it were your tooth, I'd have it removed too!" Nasruddin shouted back at her. "The problem is that it's my tooth, not yours."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nine-months-for-baby.html" target="_blank">~ 50. Nine Months for a Baby ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's wife had given birth to a child barely three months after their wedding.<br />
"Pardon me for asking," said Nasruddin, "but doesn't it usually take nine months for babies to be born?"<br />
"That's right," she replied.<br />
"But then how could you have had this child so soon?" he asked.<br />
"It's simple arithmetic," she answered. "How long have you been married to me?"<br />
"Three months."<br />
"And how long have I been married to you?"<br />
"Three months."<br />
"And how long has the baby been growing inside me?"<br />
"Three months."<br />
"There you go!" she concluded triumphantly. "Nine months, just as it should be."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-63458055485069221832021-01-14T11:48:00.000-05:002021-01-14T11:48:00.411-05:00Reading B: Tales of Nasruddin (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #170-180.<br />
<div><br /></div><div>You'll want to click on track 51 to start the audio portion for this section:<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1093496593&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-of-nasruddin" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales of Nasruddin">Tiny Tales of Nasruddin</a></div><br /></div>
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<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-cat-and-meat.html" target="_blank">~ 51. Nasruddin's Wife and the Stew ~</a><br />
"Here are four kilos of meat," Nasruddin told his wife. "Please make a nice stew! I'm going out now to invite all my friends."<br />
Nasruddin's wife made the stew but it smelled so good that she invited her friends over, and they ate all the stew.<br />
When Nasruddin got home, his wife shouted, "That cat gobbled the meat before I could cook it!"<br />
Nasruddin looked at her suspiciously. He grabbed the cat and put it on the scales.<br />
"Four kilos!" he said. "So, if this is the cat, where's the meat? And if this is the meat, where's the cat?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/how-old-is-nasruddins-wife.html" target="_blank">~ 52. How Old is Nasruddin's Wife? ~</a><br />
One evening Nasruddin turned to his wife and asked, "How old are you?"<br />
"I don't know," she replied.<br />
"What do you mean you don't know? You keep track of everything!" Nasruddin exclaimed. "You know how many knives and forks we have, and how many pots and pans. You could probably tell me how many grains of rice there are in the pantry. How can you not know how old you are?"<br />
"I keep household accounts so that I'll know if someone steals something," she replied. "But nobody is going to steal my age, so what's the point in keeping track?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/sharing-very-small-bed.html" target="_blank">~ 53. No Room in the Bed ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his wife had a very small bed. One night, Nasruddin's wife couldn't take it anymore. "You're not giving me any space at all!" she shouted. "Get up and go! Just go!"<br />
"Go where?" Nasruddin asked, barely awake.<br />
"I don't care! I just need some space in the bed so I can sleep."<br />
Nasruddin started walking.<br />
Eventually, he ran into the nightwatchman who was patrolling the town.<br />
"What are you doing out in the middle of the night?" he asked.<br />
"I'm giving my wife some space," Nasruddin explained. "Could you please go ask her if this is far enough?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/itching-and-scratching.html" target="_blank">~ 54. Itching and Scratching ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his wife lived in a small house and shared a small bed; they had just a single pillow.<br />
One night Nasruddin's head itched so badly that the itchy feeling woke him up. He scratched and scratched, but it didn't do any good. "What an itch!" he thought to himself.<br />
Then his wife yelled, "Stop scratching my head! I'm trying to sleep."<br />
"My apologies, dearest," said Nasruddin. "Go back to sleep."<br />
Nasruddin then felt around until he found his own head.<br />
"Ah," he said to himself, happily scratching the itch. "That explains it. I was scratching the wrong head."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/does-nasruddin-snore.html" target="_blank">~ 55. Is Someone Snoring? ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's wife complained that she couldn't sleep. "How can anybody sleep with all that loud snoring!" she said.<br />
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Nasruddin replied. "Nothing is disturbing my sleep! But if it will make you feel better, I'll stay awake tonight and investigate."<br />
In the morning he informed his wife of the results. "I didn't hear any snoring," Nasruddin declared. "I stayed awake all night listening, and there wasn't anybody snoring. So, my dear, the only logical conclusion is that you dreamed about someone snoring. To improve your sleep, I'd advise you to dream more softly."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/four-in-bed.html" target="_blank">~ 56. Spouses, Past and Present ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's wife died, and eventually he married again. The woman he married was also widowed.<br />
One night as they were lying in bed, Nasruddin's wife began to reminisce about her late husband. "He was so strong, and so handsome!" she said. Then she added, "Unlike some people I know."<br />
"My late wife," said Nasruddin, "was so beautiful, and such a good cook." Then he added, "Unlike some people I know."<br />
As they quarreled, the bed suddenly collapsed underneath them, throwing them both on the floor.<br />
"I didn't think our bed would be strong enough to hold four people," Nasruddin observed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-sound-of-cloak.html" target="_blank">~ 57. The Sound of a Cloak ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his wife were arguing loudly, and the neighbors heard everything, as usual.<br />
But then there was a loud bump bump bump and finally a big thump.<br />
The arguing stopped after that, and the neighbors wondered what had happened.<br />
The next day one of the neighbors said to Nasruddin, "What happened last night? Is everything okay at your house?"<br />
"Everything's fine!" Nasruddin replied. "My wife just threw my cloak down the stairs."<br />
"I didn't think a cloak could have made that much noise," said the neighbor.<br />
"Well," Nasruddin admitted, "I happened to be wearing the cloak at the time."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-wives-and-green-ribbon.html" target="_blank">~ 58. Nasruddin's Two Wives ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had two wives and he loved them both, but they were very jealous of one another, always competing for his affections.<br />
In order to make peace in the house, Nasruddin got two identical green ribbons. He took each wife aside in private and gave her one of the ribbons. "Wear this under your clothes, but secretly; don't show or tell anyone."<br />
The next time the two wives ambushed him, asking which of them he loved more, Nasruddin smiled and said, "All I will say is that the one wearing the green ribbon is the one I love the most."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/who-will-feed-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 59. Who Will Feed the Donkey? ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his wife were arguing about whose turn it was to feed the donkey. Finally they agreed: whoever spoke the next word would have to go feed the donkey.<br />
So, neither one spoke a word all day.<br />
And neither one spoke a word all evening.<br />
In the night, a thief came and broke into their house.<br />
Nasruddin saw him carrying away their clothes, their furniture, everything, but he said nothing at all.<br />
In the morning, his wife saw what had happened and yelled, "We've been robbed!"<br />
Nasruddin laughed in triumph. "And now you have to go feed the donkey!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-burglar-in-well.html" target="_blank">~ 60. The Burglar in the Well ~</a><br />
Nasruddin awoke to the sound of a burglar outside. He crept into the yard but saw nobody, and then he looked in the well. Sure enough, he saw a man's face in the water.<br />
"Don't you even think about trying to escape!" he shouted down at the burglar.<br />
He then rushed inside to get dressed. "I'll fetch the police!" he said. "You go keep an eye on the burglar in the well!"<br />
His wife hurried outside and peered down into the well.<br />
"Oh, I see another one!" she shouted. "He must have brought his wife with him as an accomplice."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-bread-in-pond.html" target="_blank">~ 61. The Bread in the Pond ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's son was walking by the pond eating some bread. When he leaned over to look in the water, the bread fell out of his hand.<br />
Then he saw that another boy in the pond had taken his bread, so he ran home crying and told his father what had happened. "Someone in the pond stole my bread!" he sobbed.<br />
Nasruddin went to the pond and looked in the water. He saw a bearded man, about his own age.<br />
"Hey there, old man!" he shouted. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, stealing bread from a little boy like that."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-was-robbed.html" target="_blank">~ 62. Nasruddin Was Robbed ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his wife returned home after a long journey to find that robbers had broken into their home and stolen everything.<br />
Of course, everyone had their own opinion about what had happened.<br />
"You probably forgot to lock the door!" Nasruddin's wife exclaimed.<br />
"I told you to put bars on the windows!" said a friend.<br />
"Leaving the house unattended for such a long time is very risky!" observed a neighbor.<br />
Everyone chimed in, and they all blamed Nasruddin.<br />
Finally, Nasruddin couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "Is there no one here who will put the blame on the actual robbers?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/nasruddin-in-cupboard.html" target="_blank">~ 63. Nasruddin in the Cupboard ~</a><br />
During the night, Nasruddin heard robbers ransacking his house, so he quietly crept downstairs and hid in the cupboard. He then listened as the robbers worked their way through the house, cursing and swearing. They were not able to find anything worth stealing, and Nasruddin could tell they were getting more and more angry.<br />
Finally, one of the robbers opened the cupboard door and discovered Nasruddin there, cowering in his nightshirt.<br />
"What are you doing in this cupboard?" the robber yelled at him.<br />
"I'm hiding here in shame," said Nasruddin apologetically, "because there is nothing worth stealing in my house."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-burglar-in-dark.html" target="_blank">~ 64. The Burglar in the Dark ~</a><br />
Nasruddin awoke to the sound of a burglar in his house. He got up, crept downstairs, and found the burglar stuffing all kinds of household objects into his sack.<br />
"Excuse me," said Nasruddin, startling the burglar, who stared at Nasruddin in surprise.<br />
"It's dark now, of course," continued Nasruddin, "so it's entirely possible you don't realize what you're doing. You seem to think these objects have some kind of value. But the fact is that they don't have any value at all. I've seen these objects in broad daylight, and I can assure you that everything here is completely worthless."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/loot-in-garden.html" target="_blank">~ 65. Bags of Loot ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's wife woke him in the middle of the night. "I heard burglars!" she whispered. "I saw them leaving their bags of loot in the garden, and then I heard them come into our house. It sounds like they're in the kitchen."<br />
Nasruddin leaped out of bed, pulled on his clothes, and began to climb out of the bedroom window into the garden.<br />
"What are you doing?" his wife asked.<br />
"I'm going to sneak outside," Nasruddin whispered, "and steal the loot from other people's houses while the thieves waste their time looking for something worth stealing here inside our house."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-new-house.html" target="_blank">~ 66. The Thief with a Wagon ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his wife had been visiting relatives and arrived back home just as a thief was loading the last of their furniture into a wagon.<br />
"Let's follow him!" Nasruddin whispered to his wife.<br />
When the thief arrived at his own house, he began unloading Nasruddin's furniture.<br />
"I'll give you a hand!" Nasruddin said. "Wife, go see if there's something to eat in the kitchen."<br />
"Hey!" said the thief. "What do you think you're doing?"<br />
"Isn't this our new house?" asked Nasruddin. "I saw all our furniture on your wagon and thought you were moving us to a new house."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-roosters-tail-feathers.html" target="_blank">~ 67. The Thief and Nasruddin's Rooster ~</a><br />
Nasruddin heard squawking from the henhouse during the night. "It must be a thief," he thought, and he ran outside, where he found a man creeping away from the henhouse.<br />
By the light of the moon, Nasruddin could clearly see a rooster's tail-feathers sticking out from under the man's cloak.<br />
"Give me back my rooster, you thief!" shouted Nasruddin.<br />
The man stood up straight and answered back, "Sir, please believe me! I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."<br />
"And do you think I'm going to believe you," Nasruddin replied, "or am I going to believe the rooster's tail-feathers?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-thief.html" target="_blank">~ 68. Nasruddin and the Thief's Shoes ~</a><br />
Nasruddin awoke when he heard a thief in his house. He crept downstairs and saw the thief had politely left his shoes by the door. Nasruddin grabbed the shoes, and then shouted, "Thief! Thief!"<br />
The thief ran to the door and, when he saw his shoes were gone, he dashed barefoot into the street.<br />
Nasruddin chased him, shouting, "Thief! Thief!"<br />
People rushed out of their houses and easily caught the criminal.<br />
"This is not fair!" the thief protested. "This is not right!"<br />
Then he pointed at Nasruddin accusingly. "I took nothing from that man's house, but he stole my shoes!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-apple-tree.html" target="_blank">~ 69. Nasruddin and the Apple Tree ~</a><br />
As he was riding past an apple orchard, Nasruddin was seized by a desire for apples, so he led his donkey up to one of the trees.<br />
Then, standing on the donkey's back, he reached up and grabbed hold of a branch.<br />
Just as he was about to pick an apple, though, the orchard's owner came running up. This startled the donkey, who bolted and left Nasruddin dangling from the branch.<br />
"Get down from there!" the man shouted. "I'm going to have you arrested for stealing my apples!"<br />
"I'm no thief," Nasruddin shouted back. "I just fell off my donkey."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-and-wind.html" target="_blank">~ 70. Nasruddin and the Wind ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was raiding a garden when the garden's owner caught him in the act.<br />
"What are you doing?" shouted the owner.<br />
"Well, you see," said Nasruddin, trying to think of an explanation, "I was blown here by the wind."<br />
"What about all those vegetables lying here that someone has pulled up out of the ground?"<br />
"I grabbed hold of those vegetables to stop my flight," Nasruddin replied.<br />
"And what about that big bag full of vegetables you are holding in your hand?"<br />
"This is ballast," said Nasruddin, "in case the wind starts blowing and tries to carry me off again!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-nightingale.html" target="_blank">~ 71. Nasruddin the Nightingale ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had broken into an apricot orchard and climbed a tree.<br />
As he was stuffing his pockets with apricots, the owner of the orchard discovered him.<br />
"What are you doing up in that tree?" the man shouted.<br />
Nasruddin said nothing.<br />
"I repeat: what are you doing up there?"<br />
"Are you talking to me?" asked Nasruddin.<br />
"Yes, you!"<br />
"I'm just a nightingale," said Nasruddin. "This tree is my home."<br />
"If you're a nightingale, sing!" said the man.<br />
Nasruddin sang. He sang very badly.<br />
"You don't sound like a nightingale!"<br />
"I'm a young nightingale," said Nasruddin. "I'm still just learning to sing."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddins-ladder.html" target="_blank">~ 72. Nasruddin's Ladder ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was fond of fruit, and he was also fond of raiding his neighbor's orchards.<br />
One night he had just lowered a ladder into someone's orchard in order to raid it, but the orchard's owner caught him in the act.<br />
"What are you doing with that ladder?" the man shouted at him.<br />
"Are you talking about this ladder?" asked Nasruddin. "Well, to tell the truth, I'm just trying to sell this ladder."<br />
"You can't sell a ladder here!" the man replied.<br />
"I beg to differ," said Nasruddin indignantly. "A ladder can be sold anywhere! Do you want to buy it?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-tailor.html" target="_blank">~ 73. Nasruddin and the Tailor ~</a><br />
Nasruddin went into a tailor's shop. "I'd like to try on a pair of trousers."<br />
The tailor gave him the trousers, and Nasruddin tried them on.<br />
"They're not quite right," he said, giving them back to the tailor. "I'd like to try a jacket now, please."<br />
Nasruddin liked the jacket very much. "I'll take it!" he said, and then he began to walk out the door.<br />
"But wait!" shouted the tailor. "You haven't paid!"<br />
"I exchanged the trousers for the jacket," Nasruddin explained.<br />
"But you didn't pay for the trousers!"<br />
"Of course not!" said Nasruddin. "I didn't want the trousers!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-sacks-of-grain.html" target="_blank">~ 74. Nasruddin and the Porter ~</a><br />
Nasruddin needed to hire a porter to take home four large sacks of grain he had bought at the market.<br />
Just outside the market, he found a porter with a wagon.<br />
"Good day, sir!" said Nasruddin.<br />
"Good day to you!" replied the porter.<br />
"How much will you charge to take me and my purchases to my house?" Nasruddin asked.<br />
"That will be four copper coins for you," said the porter. "No charge for the purchases."<br />
"Excellent!" said Nasruddin as he started heaving the sacks of grain onto the wagon. "You just take my purchases home, and I'll follow on foot."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-wealthy-merchant.html" target="_blank">~ 75. Nasruddin and the Wealthy Merchant ~</a><br />
Nasruddin once found himself traveling in the company of a wealthy merchant.<br />
"The more wealthy I am, the more wealthy I become," said the merchant proudly. "Look at my fine boots and your shabby sandals, my thoroughbred horse and your broken-down donkey, my elegant garments and your threadbare cloak..."<br />
As the merchant was speaking, robbers suddenly rode up and attacked them, stripping the merchant of his clothes and stealing his horse. Meanwhile, they ignored Nasruddin and his donkey.<br />
"Remarkable!" said Nasruddin, "The more wealthy you were, the more you had to lose, while my circumstances remain the same as before."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/donkeys-and-horses.html" target="_blank">~ 76. Donkeys and Horses ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was riding his donkey along the road when a rich man on a fine horse rode up alongside him.<br />
"I've been watching you and your donkey," he said, "and you are a sorry-looking sight. I don't know who looks more pathetic: you or your donkey!"<br />
Nasruddin did not reply.<br />
"I'm talking to you!" shouted the rich man. "Don't you have anything to say?"<br />
"Excuse me," said Nasruddin apologetically. "I was just so surprised that I didn't know what to say."<br />
"What do you mean you were surprised?"<br />
Nasruddin smiled. "I've never actually seen a donkey riding a horse before!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-cabbage-and-cooking-pot.html" target="_blank">~ 77. The Cabbage and the Cooking-Pot ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his friends were sitting in the coffeehouse, boasting.<br />
"I once grew a cucumber as long as my arm," one man said.<br />
"That's nothing!" said another. "I once grew a watermelon as big as a sheep."<br />
"Ha!" said another. "I've got you both beat: I once grew a head of cabbage that was as large as an elephant."<br />
Then Nasruddin said, "Just yesterday I bought a cooking-pot as big as a polo field."<br />
"That's ridiculous!" the men shouted at Nasruddin. "Why would anyone want a pot that big?"<br />
"In order to cook that head of cabbage!" replied Nasruddin, smiling.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-joker-in-coffeehouse.html" target="_blank">~ 78. Jokes in the Coffeehouse ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his friends were sitting in the coffeehouse, and one of them decided to tell a joke. It was a very long joke, and the man told the joke very badly.<br />
Everyone squirmed in their seats as they listened to his performance.<br />
Finally, the joker reached the punchline, which he bungled.<br />
No one laughed... except Nasruddin.<br />
Later, one of Nasruddin's friends asked him, "Why did you laugh at that joke? It wasn't funny at all."<br />
"You should always laugh at the joke," Nasruddin told him. "If you don't, there's a possibility that they might try to tell it again."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-token-of-friendship.html" target="_blank">~ 79. A Token of Friendship ~</a><br />
One of Nasruddin's dearest friends was moving away to a distant city.<br />
"I'll miss you," said Nasruddin's friend.<br />
"I'll miss you too," Nasruddin replied.<br />
"Hey, I've got an idea!" said his friend. "Why don't you give me that gold ring of yours as a memento? Then, whenever I look at that ring on my finger, I'll remember that you gave it to me."<br />
Nasruddin thought for a moment.<br />
"I've got a better idea," he said. "I won't give you my gold ring, and that way whenever you look at your finger, you'll remember that I didn't give it to you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-can-fool-everybody.html" target="_blank">~ 80. Getting Fooled by Nasruddin ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had a friend he'd known for a long time.<br />
"You're quite the trickster," Nasruddin's friend said, "but I've seen all your tricks. You can fool everybody else, but you can't fool me."<br />
Nasruddin scratched his head thoughtfully and then he said, "Wait here! I think I know a way to fool you. I'll be right back!"<br />
"Okay," the man agreed. "You can try if you want, but I'm going to be on my guard!"<br />
The man stood there and waited.<br />
And waited.<br />
And as he was waiting, he realized ... Nasruddin wasn't coming back.<br />
Nasruddin had fooled him after all.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-on-roof.html" target="_blank">~ 81. Nasruddin on the Roof ~</a><br />
A man down on the ground was shouting to Nasruddin up on the roof. "Please, sir, come here!"<br />
Nasruddin climbed down and asked the man what he wanted.<br />
"I need money," the man explained.<br />
"Why didn't you just say so?" said Nasruddin. "Instead, you made me climb down."<br />
"I was embarrassed to shout it out loud," the man explained.<br />
Nasruddin told the man to come up on the roof. Then, once they were both up on the roof, Nasruddin told the man he had nothing to give him.<br />
"Why didn't you just say so?" the man asked.<br />
Nasruddin just smiled.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/what-nasruddin-saw-in-window.html" target="_blank">~ 82. An Unexpected Visit from Nasruddin ~</a><br />
Nasruddin decided to pay his friend an unexpected visit.<br />
From the upstairs window, the man could see Nasruddin coming. "It's Nasruddin!" he shouted to his wife. "Tell him I'm not home."<br />
When Nasruddin knocked at the door, the man's wife answered. "My husband has gone out," she said apologetically. "He's not here right now."<br />
Nasruddin looked up and saw the man in the upstairs window.<br />
"Please tell him that I called," Nasruddin said. "And you might also let him know that when he goes out, he should take his head with him instead of hanging it there in the window."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-eats-eggs-for-dinner.html" target="_blank">~ 83. Nasruddin Eating Eggs ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was sitting in a chair outside, eating eggs for dinner. He didn't usually eat dinner outside, and eggs were not his usual dinner, but so it was: Nasruddin was sitting in a chair outside, eating eggs for dinner.<br />
One of Nasruddin's neighbors happened to walk by, and he just couldn't keep quiet. "Hey there, Nasruddin," he said, "why are you sitting in your chair eating eggs like that?"<br />
Nasruddin looked up and replied, "Would it be better if I sat in the eggs and ate the chair?"<br />
The best way to answer a foolish question is with another question.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/one-hundred-questions-or-just-one.html" target="_blank">~ 84. Nasruddin and the Philosopher's Questions ~</a><br />
A renowned philosopher traveled to Nasruddin's town to challenge him in a contest of wisdom. Everyone gathered to see the show, hoping that Nasruddin would uphold the honor of their town.<br />
To begin the contest, the challenger asked if Nasruddin wanted to answer one hundred easy questions or just one hard question.<br />
"I'll take the one hard question," Nasruddin said.<br />
"Which came first: the chicken or the egg?"<br />
"The chicken," replied Nasruddin confidently.<br />
The philosopher was surprised by Nasruddin's answer. "How can you be so sure?"<br />
"Ah," said Nasruddin, "that is your second question. I agreed to answer only one."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/making-request.html" target="_blank">~ 85. Nasruddin Rewards His Son ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's son received a good report from his teacher at school.<br />
"Son, I'm proud of you," said Nasruddin. "You may make a request of me, and I will grant it."<br />
The son was taken aback by this generous offer. "May I have a day to think about it?" he asked.<br />
"Yes," said Nasruddin.<br />
The boy came back the next day and said, "Father, I want a donkey."<br />
"Well, that would be two requests now, wouldn't it? I already granted your request for a day to think things over."<br />
Nasruddin's son was disappointed, but not surprised: he should have known better!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-gets-haircut.html" target="_blank">~ 86. Nasruddin Gets a Haircut ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and a little boy walked into a barbershop together. "Do me first, and then the boy here," Nasruddin said.<br />
The barber gave Nasruddin a haircut and as he was giving the boy a haircut, Nasruddin strolled out of the shop.<br />
When he had finished, the barber waited for Nasruddin to come back and pay.<br />
Finally he asked the boy, "When do you think your father will be back?"<br />
"Oh, that's not my father," said the boy. "He just picked me up off the street out there and said, 'Let's go get us some free haircuts' ... and so we did!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-tall-tree.html" target="_blank">~ 87. Nasruddin and the Tall Tree ~</a><br />
The village boys wanted to trick Nasruddin and steal his new shoes.<br />
"Look at this tall tree!" they shouted. "We're too small to climb it, but maybe you can."<br />
Nasruddin looked at the tree, smiled and said, "That would be fun. I'll try!"<br />
So, Nasruddin took off his new shoes. Next, he tucked the shoes inside his belt. Then he began climbing.<br />
"Wait!" shouted the boys. "Why are you taking your shoes with you?"<br />
"This tree is so tall that it might lead all the way to heaven," Nasruddin replied, "and I'll need my shoes to walk around up there."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-playful-turban.html" target="_blank">~ 88. Nasruddin's Playful Turban ~</a><br />
It was a windy day and as Nasruddin was walking home, a big gust of wind blew the turban right off his head. Some children who were playing nearby grabbed the turban and began tossing it back and forth.<br />
Nasruddin chased the children, hoping to get his turban back. "Hey there, children!" he said. "Give me back my turban!"<br />
Then, when he saw how much fun the children were having, he gave up and went home.<br />
"Where's your turban?" Nasruddin's wife asked. "Did you leave it somewhere?"<br />
"It suddenly remembered its childhood," replied Nasruddin, "and it decided to go play."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/young-nasruddin-and-travelers-tales.html" target="_blank">~ 89. Young Nasruddin and the Tall Tales ~</a><br />
When he was a young boy, Nasruddin liked to sit around the fires of the passing caravans and listen to travelers' tales about faraway places. He enjoyed the stories of valiant warriors in battle, tales of genies and magic, and most of all he enjoyed the anecdotes about the very strange habits of people who lived in distant lands.<br />
"I once visited a land that was so hot all year long," one traveler claimed, "that no one in their country wore any clothes."<br />
"Impossible!" protested Nasruddin. "Without clothes, how would you be able to tell the men from the women?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/naked-nasruddin-in-hurry.html" target="_blank">~ 90. Naked Nasruddin ~</a><br />
One morning Nasruddin arrived at school not wearing any clothes. He was completely naked! All the other schoolboys laughed at him, but the teacher was not amused. In fact, he was very angry.<br />
"Nasruddin, explain yourself!" said the teacher sternly. "What on earth are you doing here without any clothes on?"<br />
"Just let me explain," Nasruddin replied, smiling brightly at the teacher. "I woke up late, so I was in a big hurry and I ran just as fast as I could. I simply didn't have time to get dressed if I wanted to get here to school on time."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-mayors-birthday.html" target="_blank">~ 91. Nasruddin and the Village Boys ~</a><br />
Nasruddin met some boys from the village and decided to play a trick on them.<br />
"Hey!" he shouted. "Did you know it's the mayor's birthday? There's a party with music and dancing and all the food you can eat. You better hurry and run to the mayor's house as fast as you can!"<br />
"Thank you, Nasruddin!" shouted the boys, and they immediately dashed off towards the mayor's house.<br />
Then Nasruddin thought to himself, "You know, it really might be the mayor's birthday after all..." and he began to run after the boys.<br />
"Wait for me!" he shouted. "I'm coming too!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/sharing-grapes.html" target="_blank">~ 92. Nasruddin and the Grapes ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was on his way home carrying a basket full of bunches of grapes when he ran into some children along the way.<br />
"Give us some grapes, Nasruddin!" shouted the children. "Please, Nasruddin, share your grapes with us!"<br />
Nasruddin really didn't want to share his grapes with the children, but the children insisted.<br />
Reluctantly, he took some grapes from the basket and cut each grape in half. He then gave each child half a grape.<br />
"Give us more!" the children complained.<br />
"All the grapes in this basket taste the same," Nasruddin explained. "Half of a grape is all you need."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-sugar.html" target="_blank">~ 93. Nasruddin and the Sugar ~</a><br />
A mother brought her son to see Nasruddin. "My son eats too much sugar," she said. "Please make him stop!"<br />
Nasruddin patted the boy on the head and said, "Come back in two weeks and we'll see what we can do."<br />
The mother promised to return in two weeks.<br />
At their next meeting, Nasruddin looked at the boy and said sternly, "You must stop eating sugar!"<br />
"Why did we have to wait two weeks for you to say that?" asked the mother.<br />
"I had to make myself stop eating sugar," replied Nasruddin, "before telling someone else to do the same."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-hooligan.html" target="_blank">~ 94. Nasruddin and the Hooligan ~</a><br />
One of the local hooligans threw a rock at Nasruddin's donkey. Nasruddin saw what the boy had done but, instead of yelling at him, he laughed.<br />
"You're a very good shot!" Nasruddin exclaimed. "I'm impressed. But my donkey is not a worthy target for someone of your talent. You deserve a better target!"<br />
Nasruddin then noticed the mayor riding by on his horse.<br />
"Like the mayor, for example," Nasruddin said, pointing.<br />
The boy threw a rock at the horse's rump, and when the horse reared, the mayor tumbled to the ground.<br />
"Arrest that boy!" the mayor shouted.<br />
Nasruddin just smiled.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-donkey-boy.html" target="_blank">~ 95. Nasruddin and the Donkey-Boy ~</a><br />
Nasruddin bought a donkey and was leading it home. On the way, a thief stole the donkey and left his young son in the harness.<br />
When he got home, Nasruddin was surprised to see his donkey had turned into a boy.<br />
"For my bad behavior, my mother cursed me to become a donkey," the boy said. "But I repented, and now I'm human again."<br />
"Make sure you don't misbehave in future!" Nasruddin said, sending the boy home.<br />
The next day Nasruddin saw the same donkey at the market. "You bad boy!" said Nasruddin. "Didn't I tell you to behave yourself?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/frightening-nasruddin.html" target="_blank">~ 96. Frightening Nasruddin ~</a><br />
"Our son won't do his chores," said Nasruddin's wife. "You must frighten him to make him behave!"<br />
Nasruddin jumped up and began to scream. He stuck out his tongue and shook his fists wildly. He then grabbed a knife.<br />
At this, Nasruddin's wife started sobbing, and Nasruddin himself ran out of the room.<br />
When he returned, his wife was still crying, and his son was hiding under a chair.<br />
"Why did you run away?" she asked.<br />
"I scared even myself," Nasruddin admitted. "Terror easily gets out of control. I meant to frighten our son, and instead I frightened us all."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/big-pot-little-pot.html" target="_blank">~ 97. Big Pot, Little Pot ~</a><br />
Nasruddin borrowed a big cooking pot from his neighbor. When he returned it, he placed a little pot inside the big pot.<br />
"What's this?" asked his neighbor.<br />
"Your big pot gave birth to a little baby pot," Nasruddin explained.<br />
The neighbor laughed, and he kept the little pot.<br />
Nasruddin borrowed the big pot again later, but he didn't return it.<br />
When his neighbor asked for it back, Nasruddin said, "I'm sorry, but your pot died."<br />
"What do you mean it died?" exclaimed the neighbor. "Pots can't die!"<br />
"If pots can give birth, of course they can die," replied Nasruddin, smiling.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/nasruddin-upstairs.html" target="_blank">~ 98. Nasruddin Goes Upstairs ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had invited his friends to dinner. "They're coming right behind me," he said to his wife when he got home.<br />
"But there's no food in the house!" she exclaimed.<br />
"What will we do?" groaned Nasruddin.<br />
"Go upstairs! I'll do the rest."<br />
A moment later, Nasruddin's friends knocked at the door. "Your husband invited us for dinner!" they said.<br />
"Alas, my husband has gone out," his wife told them. "I don't know when he'll be back."<br />
"But we saw him come in!"<br />
"I could have gone out the back!" Nasruddin shouted from upstairs. "You didn't think of that, did you?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-thought-of-soup.html" target="_blank">~ 99. Nasruddin Thinks of Soup ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was hungry, but he had nothing to eat in the house. He sat in the kitchen, dreaming of soup. A nice noodle soup with beans and lentils, some onion and spinach, seasoned with some turmeric, yogurt on the side...<br />
Then, as Nasruddin was thinking about that soup, he heard a knock at the door. It was his neighbor's young son.<br />
"Please, Nasruddin," said the boy, "if you have cooked a pot of soup here, may we please have some?"<br />
The boy then held out an empty bowl.<br />
"Incredible!" Nasruddin exclaimed. "The neighbors can smell even the thought of soup."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/nasruddins-clothesline.html" target="_blank">~ 100. Nasruddin's Clothesline ~</a><br />
A neighbor asked to borrow Nasruddin's clothesline.<br />
"I'm afraid that's not possible," said Nasruddin. He tried to sound apologetic, but he really didn't want to loan anything to anyone. "I'm using the clothesline right now."<br />
"But I didn't see any clothes drying outside. What are you using it for?"<br />
"I'm using it to dry flour," Nasruddin explained. "I spilled some water and the flour got wet. The flour is still drying."<br />
"You can't use a clothesline for drying flour!" exclaimed the neighbor. "That's impossible!"<br />
"It's completely possible," Nasruddin replied calmly, "when your purpose is to avoid loaning out your clothesline."</div>
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</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-52230017707780121342021-01-14T11:47:00.000-05:002021-01-14T11:47:24.017-05:00Reading C: Tales of Nasruddin (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #181-192.<br />
<div><br /></div><div>You'll want to click on track 101 to start the audio portion for this section:<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1093496593&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-of-nasruddin" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales of Nasruddin">Tiny Tales of Nasruddin</a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-donkey-refuses.html" target="_blank">~ 101. Nasruddin Asks the Donkey ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's neighbor asked to borrow his donkey.<br />
This particular neighbor had a bad temper, and Nasruddin was reluctant to refuse him.<br />
"Let me go ask the donkey," he said.<br />
A few moments later, Nasruddin returned.<br />
"My deepest apologies," he said to his neighbor, "but the donkey refuses. He explained his reasoning like this: if I make him work for you, you are likely to beat him, and if you beat him, he will bite you, and after he bites you, you will curse me. So really, it's better for all of us if I do not loan you the donkey."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-neighbors-dog.html" target="_blank">~ 102. Nasruddin and the Neighbor's Dog ~</a><br />
The neighbor's dog bit Nasruddin. After bandaging the wound, Nasruddin went next door to the neighbor to complain.<br />
"That vicious dog of yours just bit me!" Nasruddin shouted.<br />
"I'm very sorry to hear that," said the neighbor. "He's really a very nice dog. Let me go in the kitchen and get some bread. Then you can feed him the bread yourself, and he'll be your friend forever."<br />
"That's a terrible idea!" said Nasruddin. "If I do that, your dog will tell all the other dogs in town, and then all those dogs will come here trying to bite me too."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-and-marauding-bull.html" target="_blank">~ 103. Nasruddin and the Neighbor's Bull ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's neighbor had a bull, and one day that bull blundered into Nasruddin's garden, trampling all of Nasruddin's vegetables.<br />
When Nasruddin saw what his neighbor's bull had done, he grabbed a whip and chased the bull out of the garden, whipping the bull as he did so.<br />
"You accursed creature!" he shouted. "I'll show you who's the boss here! Take that! And take that!"<br />
The bull bellowed loudly every time he felt the sting of Nasruddin's whip.<br />
"Hey there!" shouted Nasruddin's neighbor. "What are you doing?"<br />
"You stay out of this," replied Nasruddin. "This is between me and the bull!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/keeping-tigers-away.html" target="_blank">~ 104. Nasruddin and the Sesame Seeds ~</a><br />
As one of Nasruddin's neighbors walked by, he noticed that Nasruddin was throwing sesame seeds onto the ground. There were sesame seeds everywhere!<br />
"What on earth are you doing?" the neighbor asked.<br />
"I'm scattering sesame seeds," Nasruddin replied calmly.<br />
"I can see that!" said his neighbor. "But I don't understand why you're scattering sesame seeds."<br />
"To keep the tigers away," said Nasruddin. "I highly recommend you give it a try too!"<br />
"I still don't understand," his neighbor replied. "There aren't any tigers anywhere near here."<br />
"I know!" Nasruddin exclaimed. "Isn't it wonderful? The sesame seeds are working just as expected."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-and-bears.html" target="_blank">~ 105. Nasruddin and the Bears ~</a><br />
A rich man had invited Nasruddin to go with him on a bear hunt. Reluctantly, Nasruddin accepted the invitation.<br />
A few days later, he returned from the hunt beaming with happiness.<br />
"How did it go?" his neighbor asked him.<br />
"It was wonderful!" Nasruddin replied with a smile.<br />
"How many bears did you kill?"<br />
"None!"<br />
"How many bears did you chase?"<br />
"None!"<br />
"How many bears did you see?"<br />
"None!" said Nasruddin happily.<br />
His neighbor stared at him in confusion.<br />
"That is why it was wonderful!" Nasruddin explained. "I don't mind hunting bears if there are not any bears to be found."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/when-you-need-bigger-house.html" target="_blank">~ 106. Nasruddin the Architect ~</a><br />
"Our house is so crowded," Nasruddin's neighbor complained. "We can't stand it anymore."<br />
"I can help," Nasruddin said. "Will you obey my advice exactly?"<br />
His neighbor nodded.<br />
"Bring your goats, chickens, and donkey into the house."<br />
A week later, the neighbor told Nasruddin, "That just made things worse!"<br />
"I know," said Nasruddin. "But now, send the donkey outside."<br />
"That's better," said the neighbor a week later.<br />
"Now send the chickens back out."<br />
"That's much better," the neighbor said next time.<br />
"Now the goats."<br />
Nasruddin's neighbor came back smiling. "Thank you, Nasruddin!" he said. "Our house is so much bigger now!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-well-lit-garden.html" target="_blank">~ 107. The Light in the Garden ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's neighbor was complaining about how dark it was inside his house.<br />
"It's not at all like your nice house here," the neighbor said. "Your house is full of light, but my house is so dark. I don't know what to do."<br />
"I sympathize," Nasruddin replied. "Light is very important." He then thought for a few moments. "How about in your garden?" Nasruddin asked. "Is there light in your garden?"<br />
"Well, of course there's light in the garden. The garden is full of light!"<br />
"Then that's the solution!" exclaimed Nasruddin. "Just move your house into the garden where it's light."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-candles-warmth.html" target="_blank">~ 108. The Warmth of a Candle ~</a><br />
Nasruddin made a bet with his neighbor. "I'll stand in the snow with only a blanket for warmth. If I last all night, you feed me; otherwise, I feed you."<br />
Nasruddin stood all night in the snow. "I won!" he shouted.<br />
"No!" his neighbor protested. "You used the candle burning in my window for warmth. I'll come over tonight to eat that dinner."<br />
When the neighbor arrived, Nasruddin explained the soup wasn't ready.<br />
The neighbor waited.<br />
And waited.<br />
Finally, he went into the kitchen and saw a pot suspended over a candle.<br />
"Imagine that!" said Nasruddin. "The soup's still cold."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-house-with-many-windows.html" target="_blank">~ 109. Nasruddin's House with Many Windows ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had built a new house, and there were many windows, big and small, in every wall.<br />
"I've never seen a house with so many windows!" said Nasruddin's neighbor.<br />
"That's my own design," Nasruddin explained. "This new house has twenty windows! My old house had just one."<br />
"Why so many?" asked the neighbor.<br />
"To stay warm in winter!" replied Nasruddin. "My old house became much warmer when I closed my window in the winter. Now when winter comes, I have twenty windows to close, so the house will be twenty times warmer. I won't even need to light a fire!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-wool-merchant.html" target="_blank">~ 110. Nasruddin and the Wool ~</a><br />
Nasruddin owed his neighbor money. "But don't worry," Nasruddin said. "I've got a plan!"<br />
His neighbor looked doubtful. "Do tell!" he said.<br />
"I planted some bramble bushes outside; you probably saw them. And you know how the shepherds drive their flocks down the road on their way to the pasture...? The wool from those passing sheep will get caught on the brambles. I'm going to harvest that wool, sell it, and that's how I will pay you back."<br />
Nasruddin's neighbor burst out laughing. "I don't think you'll ever pay me back," he said, "but at least you keep me entertained!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-dentist.html" target="_blank">~ 111. Nasruddin and the Dentist ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had been at the dentist all morning, and his wife wondered what was taking so long.<br />
Finally, Nasruddin walked through the door, grinning happily, his mouth wide open.<br />
His wife gasped in shock. "Nasruddin!" she exclaimed. "What has happened to your teeth?"<br />
"Well, you know how much that dentist charges," Nasruddin replied. "He wanted a gold coin to remove my bad tooth. A gold coin! It's outrageous. So we haggled and haggled, back and forth, back and forth, and I finally persuaded him to take out four more teeth. So I got five removed for the price of one!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-accountant.html" target="_blank">~ 112. Nasruddin and the Baker ~</a><br />
Nasruddin owed the baker money, so when the baker saw Nasruddin on the street, he said, "Come with me!" and he led Nasruddin into the bakery.<br />
"Look!" the baker said, pointing at the account book. "You owe me three silver coins."<br />
Nasruddin nodded, looking at the account book. "I see my brother-in-law owes you five," he remarked. "I was on my way to see him just now; I'll get him to pay also!"<br />
"Excellent!" replied the baker.<br />
"He owes you five, and I owe three," Nasruddin said. "So you can give me two coins now, and that will square things."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-angel-with-golden-coins.html" target="_blank">~ 113. The Angel with the Golden Coins ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had a dream. In his dream, an angel was counting golden coins into Nasruddin's hand, one at a time. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight… finally the angel had counted out nine coins.<br />
"If you could give me ten coins," Nasruddin said to the angel, "I would be able to pay all my debts."<br />
The angel then looked at him angrily and disappeared.<br />
Nasruddin awoke from his dream. He looked, and saw there were no golden coins in his hand.<br />
"Come back, angel!" shouted Nasruddin. "Please come back! I've thought it over, and I'll take the nine!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/buying-elephant.html" target="_blank">~ 114. Buying an Elephant ~</a><br />
Nasruddin decided he was going to buy an elephant, and he knew it would be an expensive purchase. Since he didn't have enough money, he went to his richest friend to borrow the money.<br />
His friend, however, refused to give him the loan. "You're not thinking clearly, Nasruddin," he said. "Elephants are expensive to buy, and they are also expensive to keep. If you don't have the money to buy an elephant, how will you be able to afford to house the elephant and feed it?"<br />
"You don't understand," said Nasruddin angrily. "I came here for a loan, not advice."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/who-wants-to-get-rich.html" target="_blank">~ 115. Who Wants to Get Rich? ~</a><br />
Nasruddin stood in the village square and shouted loudly for all to hear, "Who wants to get rich?"<br />
A few people gathered around. "We do!" they yelled.<br />
"And who wants to get rich without doing any work?"<br />
More people began to gather around. "We do!" they yelled.<br />
"Tell me, people," Nasruddin shouted even more loudly, "who wants the secret to getting rich without having to do any work at all?"<br />
A crowd of people now filled the square. "We do! We all do!" they yelled.<br />
"I do too!" shouted Nasruddin.<br />
Then he added, "Does anybody here actually know the secret?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-loan-from-nasruddin.html" target="_blank">~ 116. A Loan from Nasruddin ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's neighbor needed a loan.<br />
"I'm desperate!" he said. "Can you possibly loan me six hundred silver coins? Then just let me have one month to pay the loan back. One month is all I need, I swear!"<br />
"You want me to give you six hundred silver coins, then a month to pay me back," Nasruddin repeated. "Well, I can do half."<br />
"Bless you! Three hundred will be a big help."<br />
"That's not what I meant," said Nasruddin. "I don't have any money at all to loan you, but you can have a month in which to pay me back."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-proper-way-to-beg.html" target="_blank">~ 117. The Proper Way to Beg ~</a><br />
A beggar approached Nasruddin on the street.<br />
"Please, kind sir," he said, "could you possibly give me a coin or two?"<br />
Nasruddin was indignant. "It's not at all proper for a rich man such as myself to give a beggar such a paltry sum."<br />
The beggar bowed apologetically. "Please, kind sir, forgive my mistake," he said. "Could you possibly give me a hundred coins?"<br />
Nasruddin became even more indignant. "It's not at all proper for a beggar like yourself to ask a complete stranger to give him a hundred coins!" he exclaimed.<br />
And with that, Nasruddin continued on his way.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-poor-man-in-coffeehouse.html" target="_blank">~ 118. The Poor Man in the Coffeehouse ~</a><br />
Nasruddin saw a stranger in the coffeehouse who looked very sad.<br />
"Is something the matter?" Nasruddin asked him.<br />
"I used to be rich!" said the man. "I lived in a mansion, and I had many servants. But I've lost it all: money, mansion, servants, everything. I can barely pay for this coffee. Soon I'll be begging on the streets. I'm sick with worry."<br />
"Oh, you won't have to feel like this for long," Nasruddin assured him.<br />
The man looked at Nasruddin eagerly. "Do you mean I'll get rich again?"<br />
"No," said Nasruddin. "I mean you'll get used to being poor."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-bookkeeper.html" target="_blank">~ 119. Nasruddin Looks for Work ~</a><br />
Nasruddin desperately needed a job. He visited every shop, every workshop, every warehouse seeking employment.<br />
Finally, he came to the warehouse of a merchant with a shady reputation.<br />
"Do you have any job openings?" Nasruddin asked.<br />
"Well," said the merchant, "I am looking for a bookkeeper. How's your arithmetic?"<br />
"My arithmetic is excellent!" said Nasruddin enthusiastically.<br />
"I'll have to give you a test first. Are you ready?"<br />
Nasruddin nodded.<br />
"How much is two plus two?"<br />
Nasruddin thought for a moment and then said in a low voice, "How much do you want it to be?"<br />
"You're hired!" said the merchant.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-donkey-and-cat.html" target="_blank">~ 120. Nasruddin's Donkey for Sale ~</a><br />
"That wretched donkey of mine ran away again," said Nasruddin. "If he ever comes back, I'll sell him for a single copper coin!"<br />
The donkey came back, and Nasruddin regretted his reckless oath.<br />
So, he took the cat, who was the donkey's playmate, and put the cat in the donkey's saddlebag. Then he went to the market.<br />
"Buy this fine donkey for just one copper coin!" Nasruddin shouted. "But you must buy the cat too; the donkey would be heartbroken without him."<br />
"How much for the cat?" someone asked.<br />
"The cat will cost you one hundred silver coins," Nasruddin replied.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-at-bathhouse.html" target="_blank">~ 121. Nasruddin at the Bathhouse ~</a><br />
Nasruddin went to the bathhouse.<br />
When the attendant saw Nasruddin's shabby clothes, he treated him poorly, giving him a threadbare towel and only a tiny piece of soap. Nevertheless, after Nasruddin finished his bath, he tipped the attendant very generously.<br />
On his next visit, the attendant greeted Nasruddin with great respect, remembering the generous tip. He gave Nasruddin several luxurious towels and a new bar of soap. But when he left, Nasruddin gave the attendant no tip at all.<br />
"That's for last time," Nasruddin explained, "and the tip I gave you last time was for this time. Now we're even!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-meets-your-needs.html" target="_blank">~ 122. What a Beggar Needs ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was walking down the street when a beggar accosted him.<br />
"I know you," said Nasruddin. "You like drinking coffee in the coffeehouse, don't you?<br />
The beggar nodded. "Yes, I do."<br />
"And the bathhouse? And drinking with your friends?"<br />
The beggar kept nodding, and Nasruddin gave him a gold coin.<br />
Nasruddin met a second beggar; he had overheard the first conversation.<br />
"What about you?" asked Nasruddin. "The coffeehouse?"<br />
"Never!" said the beggar.<br />
"Bathhouse? Drinking?"<br />
The beggar shook his head emphatically, and Nasruddin gave him a copper coin.<br />
"I don't understand!" complained the beggar.<br />
"Your needs are fewer," replied Nasruddin, smiling.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-honored-guests-at-banquet.html" target="_blank">~ 123. Honored Guests at the Banquet ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was invited to a banquet. He rushed off immediately, imagining the fine food he would eat there.<br />
But when he arrived in his shabby clothes, they seated him far from the main table, with nothing but bread to eat.<br />
So Nasruddin ran home, put on his best clothes, and returned to the banquet. This time they seated him at the main table which was loaded with delicious food.<br />
Nasruddin then began rubbing the food all over his clothes.<br />
"What are you doing?" shouted the host.<br />
"I'm feeding my clothes," Nasruddin replied, "as they are the honored guests, not me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-two-hands.html" target="_blank">~ 124. Nasruddin's Two Hands ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was delighted to receive a dinner invitation from his friend.<br />
He arrived early, and hungry, eager to try every single dish.<br />
As the food was served, Nasruddin reached with both hands, grabbing for the meat and the bread, anything and everything he could reach, hurriedly stuffing the food into his mouth.<br />
Finally one of the other dinner guests shouted, "Nasruddin! Your behavior is simply outrageous! Why are you grabbing at all the food and stuffing it into your mouth with your two hands like that?"<br />
"Why?" repeated Nasruddin, his mouth full. "Because these two hands are all I've got!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/why-people-yawn.html" target="_blank">~ 125. Why People Yawn ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was staying at the house of relatives in a distant town. He had arrived in time for dinner, but so far they hadn't served him any food at all.<br />
The evening was dragging on as his host regaled Nasruddin with stories in which Nasruddin had no interest.<br />
Finally, Nasruddin could not help himself: he yawned.<br />
This prompted his host to change the topic. "You are a learned man, Nasruddin," he said. "Why is it that people yawn?"<br />
"It's either from lack of sleep or lack of food," declared Nasruddin. "And I got a very good night's sleep last night!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-misers-soup.html" target="_blank">~ 126. The Miser's Soup ~</a><br />
A notorious miser had invited Nasruddin to dinner.<br />
Nasruddin arrived at the appointed time and eagerly sat down at the dinner table.<br />
"I have prepared soup, Nasruddin! I hope you will enjoy it," said his host as he placed two bowls of soup on the table.<br />
Nasruddin stared for a moment at his bowl and then, without a word, he got up and started to undress.<br />
"Nasruddin, what on earth are you doing?"<br />
"I'm going to dive into the soup bowl and see if there might be a bit of vegetable or even some meat down there at the bottom."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-big-pot.html" target="_blank">~ 127. Nasruddin's Big Pot ~</a><br />
Nasruddin brought some friends home. He seated them at the table and then went into the kitchen.<br />
"But we have no food!" his wife said. "No meat, no rice, no vegetables, nothing. We don't even have wood to light a fire to cook with."<br />
"I'll think of something," said Nasruddin.<br />
He looked around the kitchen, grabbed their biggest cooking pot, and went into the other room.<br />
"Dear friends," he said, "if we had any meat or rice or vegetables, or wood with which to light a fire, this is the pot I would use to cook a soup for you!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-ducks.html" target="_blank">~ 128. Nasruddin and the Ducks ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was walking home from the bakery with some fresh bread, and then he saw them: ducks! Several very beautiful, very fat ducks were swimming in the pond by the side of the road.<br />
Nasruddin ran at top speed into the pond, hoping to catch one of them, but the ducks all flew away.<br />
Nasruddin then began to eat the bread, pulling off pieces and ostentatiously dipping each piece in the water before he ate it.<br />
A man walking along the road shouted, "Hey, Nasruddin, what are you doing there in the pond?"<br />
"I'm eating duck soup!" he replied happily.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-liver.html" target="_blank">~ 129. Nasruddin and the Recipe ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's wife had written out the recipe for Nasruddin's favorite liver-and onion dish and then she sent him to the market.<br />
"Buy all the ingredients," she said, "and make sure the liver is fresh."<br />
Walking home, Nasruddin was daydreaming about the fine dinner he would enjoy when out of nowhere a crow swooped down and attacked him. As Nasruddin defended himself, the crow snatched the liver and flew away with it.<br />
"You accursed creature!" Nasruddin shouted as the crow flew away. "But the joke's on you: you forgot the recipe. You don't have any idea how to prepare the dish!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/exhaustion.html" target="_blank">~ 130. Nasruddin is Tired ~</a><br />
"Go to the market and buy some meat for tonight's stew!" said Nasruddin's wife.<br />
"I'm tired," he complained, but he went to the market.<br />
Later on she said, "Bring in some firewood!"<br />
"I'm tired," he groaned, but he brought in the firewood.<br />
Next she told him, "Fetch some water!"<br />
"Didn't you hear me say I was tired?" he moaned, but he brought the water.<br />
"Come eat dinner!" she said.<br />
"I can see there's no point in telling you how tired I am," Nasruddin sighed, and then he raced to the dinner table so fast he almost tripped over his robes.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddins-views-on-cheese.html" target="_blank">~ 131. Nasruddin's Views on Cheese ~</a><br />
"Bring me some cheese," Nasruddin said to his wife. "Cheese is healthy, and it's tasty too. They say it's good for your bones. I like cheese very much."<br />
"I don't think we have any cheese," Nasruddin's wife replied apologetically.<br />
"Just as well I suppose," said Nasruddin. "They say cheese is hard on the stomach and it always gives me gas. I really don't like cheese at all."<br />
"I don't understand," said Nasruddin's wife, now very confused. "Do you like cheese, or do you not like it?"<br />
"That depends on whether there's any cheese in the house or not," replied Nasruddin.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/walnuts-and-shells.html" target="_blank">~ 132. Nasruddin Eats the Walnuts and the Shells ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was eating some walnuts, shells and all.<br />
"What on earth are you doing?" asked his wife, surprised. "Why don't you crack the shell and take the nut out before you eat them?"<br />
"Well," said Nasruddinm "I already know there's a walnut in there, so I don't need to crack the shells in order to find that out."<br />
He then ate another walnut in the shell.<br />
"Plus, when I paid for these, I paid by the pound, shells and all. If I throw away the shells, that's like throwing away money!" Nasruddin explained. "This way, I'm getting my money's worth."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-unethical-apple.html" target="_blank">~ 133. Nasruddin Eats an Apple ~</a><br />
Nasruddin walked by the grocer's stall in the market. He was feeling very hungry, but he didn't have any money.<br />
As he looked at the heap of apples on display, Nasruddin could not resist. He reached out, grabbed one of the apples, and bit into it. "Delicious!" he exclaimed.<br />
"Hey there!" shouted the grocer. "You can't do that!"<br />
"What do you mean?" asked Nasruddin.<br />
"I mean you can't eat that apple without paying for it," shouted the grocer. "It's not ethical!"<br />
"Oh, that's not a problem!" Nasruddin replied happily. "I'm eating this apple because it's nutritional, not because it's ethical."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-grocer-discuss-halvah.html" target="_blank">~ 134. Where's the Halvah? ~</a><br />
Nasruddin went to the grocer.<br />
"I want some halvah, please," he said.<br />
"My apologies," said the grocer. "I don't have any halvah."<br />
"That's impossible!" exclaimed Nasruddin. "How can a grocer not have halvah? I simply don't understand. Tell me: do you have any flour?"<br />
"Yes," said the grocer.<br />
"And what about sugar? Do you have any sugar?"<br />
"Yes," said the grocer.<br />
"And do you have butter? Surely you have butter!"<br />
"Yes," said the grocer.<br />
"So, isn't it obvious? Everything you need is here!" Nasruddin concluded. "If you have flour and sugar and butter, why don't you go make some halvah?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-opens-box.html" target="_blank">~ 135. Nasruddin and the Box ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's friend gave him a box for safekeeping. "I'll be back to collect it tomorrow or the day after. But whatever you do, don't look in the box!"<br />
"I understand," said Nasruddin. "Don't worry."<br />
"Thank you!" said Nasruddin's friend, and he left.<br />
Of course Nasruddin immediately opened the box. There was baklava inside!<br />
He ate one piece.<br />
Then another.<br />
And another.<br />
Finally he had eaten it all.<br />
When his friend returned for the box, he opened it and saw it was empty.<br />
"What happened to the baklava?" he asked.<br />
"Don't ask," Nasruddin replied, "and I won't have to tell you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-baklava.html" target="_blank">~ 136. Nasruddin and the Baklava ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was a holy man's disciple.<br />
Another disciple brought their master a plate of baklava, and he didn't want Nasruddin to eat any.<br />
"This is from our master's enemies," he told Nasruddin. "I suspect it's poisoned, so don't touch it!"<br />
The disciple left, and Nasruddin couldn't resist. He grabbed the baklava, but he dropped the plate. Crash!<br />
The other disciple rushed in to see what had happened and found Nasruddin down on all fours, eating baklava.<br />
"I dropped the plate!" Nasruddin confessed. "In my shame, I wanted to die, so I'm eating as much of the poison as I can."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddins-lunch.html" target="_blank">~ 137. Nasruddin's Lunch ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was working as a laborer, and each day he ate lunch in the company of his fellow workers.<br />
"Nothing but bread and cheese," Nasruddin would say each day as he looked longingly at the food the other men had for their lunch. He saw dolmas, kebabs, tabbouleh, yogurt, pilaf, all kinds of food.<br />
"You complain like this every day," one of the men said to Nasruddin. "You should tell your wife to make you something different for lunch."<br />
"I'm not married," said Nasruddin.<br />
"Who makes your lunch then?"<br />
"I do," Nasruddin admitted, staring sadly at his bread and cheese.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-divides-walnuts.html" target="_blank">~ 138. Nasruddin Divides the Walnuts ~</a><br />
"Help us!" the boys said to Nasruddin. "We have this bag of walnuts but we don't know how to divide them."<br />
"Do you want to divide them God's way, or the human way?"<br />
"God's way!" shouted the boys.<br />
So Nasruddin gave two handfuls to one boy, a handful to another, a few walnuts to the third, and none to the fourth.<br />
The boys looked at him in confusion.<br />
"All things come from God, not just walnuts," Nasruddin explained. "Life itself is a gift from God! As for walnuts: he gives more to some, less to others, and some get none."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/walnuts-and-watermelons.html" target="_blank">~ 139. Walnuts and Watermelons ~</a><br />
One afternoon, Nasruddin was resting in the shade of a walnut tree next to a watermelon patch.<br />
"What a strange world this is!" he exclaimed. "Tiny walnuts are growing on this enormous tree, while the watermelons are lying there in the dirt, growing on those scrawny vines. If I were in charge, I'd arrange things in a much more logical way."<br />
Then a walnut happened to fall on Nasruddin's head.<br />
"Praise God, now I understand!" he exclaimed. "It is because of Divine Providence that I was hit on the head by this tiny walnut and not by an enormous watermelon."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddins-debt.html" target="_blank">~ 140. Nasruddin's Debt ~</a><br />
Desperate for money, Nasruddin put his winter coat up for sale, and he soon found a buyer.<br />
"Wait here," the buyer said, taking the coat. "I'll be right back with the money."<br />
But the man did not come back, so Nasruddin lost his coat and still had no money.<br />
As he walked past the baker's shop, he quietly grabbed some pastries which he took home for supper.<br />
"O God," said Nasruddin, "I need you to please pay the baker for these pastries! You can just take it out of the money the man still owes me for my winter coat."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-gift-from-god.html" target="_blank">~ 141. Nasruddin Gets a Gift from God ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was praying outside one night. "O God," he cried, "please reward me for my devoted service. I'm asking for a hundred gold coins, and I'll accept nothing less."<br />
Nasruddin's neighbor heard this and, as a joke, he tossed down a bag containing some coins.<br />
"Praise God!" Nasruddin exclaimed when he opened the bag and saw the money.<br />
"Wait a minute!" shouted the neighbor. "You said you'd accept nothing less than a hundred gold coins. There's nowhere near that much in the bag."<br />
"Since God kindly gave me this much now," Nasruddin shouted back, "he can owe me the rest."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-kings-birthday-parade.html" target="_blank">~ 142. Nasruddin Needs New Clothes ~</a><br />
The whole town had put on their best clothes for the mayor's birthday parade.<br />
Ashamed of his threadbare garments, Nasruddin was hiding in an alley as the parade went by. "O God," he prayed, "please give me some new clothes!"<br />
At that moment, a man who had bought new clothes for the celebration threw his old clothes down into the alley. Joyfully, Nasruddin grabbed the bundle, only to discover these clothes were even more shabby than his own.<br />
"God," said Nasruddin, "you're going to have to do better than this!" and he threw the bundle back up in the air.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-donkey-on-ledge.html" target="_blank">~ 143. The Donkey on the Ledge ~</a><br />
As Nasruddin was leading his donkey down a steep mountain path, the donkey stumbled and fell.<br />
"O God," Nasruddin shouted, "if you save my poor donkey, I'll donate a gold coin to the mosque!"<br />
Miraculously, the donkey landed on the ledge below. Nasruddin was amazed. "Thank you, God!" he exclaimed. "I had no idea you were so desperate for cash!"<br />
Then the ledge under the donkey started to crumble.<br />
"Okay, God, okay! I'll donate two gold coins."<br />
Then the ledge collapsed and the donkey plunged to its death. Nasruddin sighed. "I never thought God would drive such a hard bargain."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-cow-and-colt.html" target="_blank">~ 144. The Cow and the Colt ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's donkey had given birth but died in labor.<br />
Nasruddin wanted to save the donkey's colt, but that meant giving it milk from the cow, and Nasruddin needed that cow's milk for his own family.<br />
In despair, he prayed. "O God," he cried, "please relieve me of this burden and take the little colt into heaven as you did its mother."<br />
Nasruddin was shocked to discover the next morning that his cow was dead, not the colt.<br />
"O God," he cried, "I don't understand! How is it possible that you can't tell the difference between a cow and a donkey?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/big-mosque-little-mosque.html" target="_blank">~ 145. Big Mosque, Little Mosque ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had gone to the city to settle some business, but things were not turning out well.<br />
"You should go pray in the big mosque," Nasruddin's business partner told him. "Maybe God will help us."<br />
Nasruddin prayed in the big mosque, but his business still went badly.<br />
He then went and prayed in a small mosque, and the next day he was able to settle his business matters favorably.<br />
Nasruddin then returned to the big mosque and said, "Shame on you, big mosque! You look powerful and important, but it was the little mosque who finally helped me, not you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-gods-own-guest.html" target="_blank">~ 146. Nasruddin and God's Own Guest ~</a><br />
A dervish arrived at Nasruddin's house one night, dressed in fine garments and wearing an impressive turban. "I come as God's own guest," he proclaimed loudly, "and I thank you in advance for food and drink and also a bed in which to rest."<br />
Without a word, Nasruddin took the dervish by the arm and led him down the street to the mosque.<br />
"But this place is empty and cold!" shouted the dervish. "I will find no comforts here."<br />
"You yourself said you were God's own guest!" replied Nasruddin. "So please make yourself at home here in God's own house."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-door.html" target="_blank">~ 147. The Door to Nasruddin's House ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had been robbed many times, but this was something new: a thief came in the night and stole Nasruddin's door.<br />
When Nasruddin saw what had happened, he marched to the mosque and took that door off its hinges. He then carried it home and set it up in place of his own missing door.<br />
"I recognize that door!" shouted his wife. "That's the door to the mosque. What do you think you're doing?"<br />
"God only knows who stole our door," he replied. "And when God tells me the name of the thief, I'll return the door to his mosque."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-his-dog.html" target="_blank">~ 148. Nasruddin and his Dog ~</a><br />
The imam came to see Nasruddin and discovered there was a dog in Nasruddin's kitchen.<br />
"What is this unclean beast doing in your kitchen?" he shouted.<br />
"This is my watchdog," said Nasruddin. "He's also good at herding goats."<br />
"You must drive this dog out of your house before God sends his avenging angels to punish you!"<br />
"About those angels," said Nasruddin, "are they going to watch out for thieves and herd my goats?"<br />
"Of course not!" exclaimed the imam. "That's not a job for God's angels."<br />
"Well then," said Nasruddin, "I think I'm going to have to keep my dog."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-stray-goat.html" target="_blank">~ 149. Nasruddin and the Stray Goat ~</a><br />
A stray goat wandered into Nasruddin's yard. Nasruddin killed the goat and told his wife to cook the meat in a stew.<br />
The goat stew was delicious, but then Nasruddin felt guilty about what he had done and confessed to his wife.<br />
"You have committed a sin!" she shouted, shaking her fist at her husband. "God will call you to account."<br />
"Then I'll tell God I never saw the goat," said Nasruddin.<br />
"God might resurrect the goat as a witness!" his wife replied.<br />
Nasruddin smiled and said, "Then I'll grab the goat and give it back to its real owner."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-on-run.html" target="_blank">~ 150. Nasruddin on the Run ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was making a journey through the mountains when he was attacked by a band of robbers. Thanks to some good luck he was able to escape, but he knew the robbers were not far behind him.<br />
As he ran, he saw a wandering holy man beside the road. "Hide yourself!" Nasruddin shouted at the dervish. "Robbers are coming! They'll kill you for sure!"<br />
"I serve God," replied the dervish, "and I know he will protect me."<br />
"Well, that's good," said Nasruddin as he disappeared down the road. "But just in case, you might want to find a hiding place!"</div>
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</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-60631700894460646842021-01-14T11:46:00.000-05:002021-01-14T11:46:25.452-05:00Reading D: Tales of Nasruddin (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #193-200.<br />
<div><br /></div><div>You'll want to click on track 151 to start the audio portion for this section:<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1093496593&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-of-nasruddin" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales of Nasruddin">Tiny Tales of Nasruddin</a></div><br /><br /></div>
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<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/small-boat-in-storm.html" target="_blank">~ 151. Nasruddin and the Small Boat ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had gone fishing with a friend in a very small sailboat.<br />
While they were far from shore, a sudden storm blew up unexpectedly. Fierce winds ripped the sails to shreds and waves tossed the boat back and forth.<br />
When the little boat began to fill with water, Nasruddin was truly frightened. "What are we going to do?" he shouted at his friend.<br />
"Do not worry," said his friend calmly. "Let us direct our prayers to God, who is great and merciful."<br />
"God is great and merciful, I know," replied Nasruddin, "but this boat is small and it is sinking!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-ships-passengers.html" target="_blank">~ 152. Nasruddin and the Ship's Passengers ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was working on a ship, but he still made sure to say his daily prayers. The passengers all laughed at him, though, and they did not say their prayers.<br />
Then, a sudden storm blew up and the ship was in danger of sinking. All the passengers began to pray loudly to God.<br />
"O God," each passenger shouted, "you are great and merciful! Spare us! Please! I'll be a good Muslim! I'll dedicate my life to your service!"<br />
After a while, Nasruddin shouted, "I see land ahead. We're saved!" And then he added, "You can stop your pretended devotions now."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-in-hurry.html" target="_blank">~ 153. Nasruddin's Hurried Prayers ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was in a hurry when he went into the mosque to say his prayers.<br />
When the imam saw how quickly Nasruddin was praying, he hit Nasruddin on the head. "Say your prayers again!" he commanded. "And show some respect this time."<br />
Nasruddin said his prayers again, more slowly.<br />
"That was better!" said the imam. "I'm sure God was more pleased with your prayers the second time than the first time."<br />
"I'm not so sure," said Nasruddin. "The first time I said my prayers in obedience to God, but the second time I said my prayers in obedience to you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/shoes-and-shoemakers.html" target="_blank">~ 154. Nasruddin Needs New Shoes ~</a><br />
Nasruddin wasn't a wealthy man. His clothes were threadbare, and his shoes were even worse, much to Nasruddin's shame. He wanted to buy new shoes, but he couldn't even afford to pay the shoemaker to repair his old shoes.<br />
A friend sought to console him. "Don't worry, Nasruddin," he said. "Your shoes may be shabby now, but God has promised that anyone suffering from need and want in this world will be rewarded in Paradise."<br />
"I was thinking about that," replied Nasruddin, "and I realized there must be a lot of angels who are working as shoemakers there in Paradise."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-inshallah.html" target="_blank">~ 155. Nasruddin's Inshallah ~</a><br />
"I'm going to buy a new donkey tomorrow," declared Nasruddin.<br />
His wife rebuked him. "You should say 'Insh'allah!'"<br />
But Nasruddin was feeling self-confident and refused to say "God-willing."<br />
The next day he bought his donkey.<br />
"I'm doing fine on my own!" he thought to himself.<br />
But on the way home, a snake startled the donkey.<br />
The donkey bolted, throwing Nasruddin into the brambles.<br />
Nasruddin was scratched, his clothes were torn, and his donkey was gone.<br />
It was dark when Nasruddin got home.<br />
He knocked at the door.<br />
"Who is it?" his wife asked.<br />
"Nasruddin!" he replied. Then he added, "Insh'allah!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-loaf-of-bread.html" target="_blank">~ 156. Who Gets the Loaf of Bread? ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was traveling together with an ascetic and a scholar, and they had found four loaves of bread.<br />
They each ate one loaf, and then quarreled about the fourth.<br />
Nobody wanted to share, so Nasruddin said, "Whoever has the best dream gets the bread!"<br />
The next morning, the ascetic said, "I dreamed I kissed God's feet. What could top that?"<br />
The scholar said, "My dream's better: God embraced me and praised my wisdom!"<br />
Then Nasruddin said, "In my dream, God came to me and said, 'Nasruddin, what are you lying there for? Go eat the bread now!' So I did."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-divine-second.html" target="_blank">~ 157. Nasruddin Sees as God Sees ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was preaching about the divine mysteries. "A thousand years on earth are but one second in God's time," he proclaimed. "Let us see as God sees in order that we may make a heaven on this earth."<br />
"What a fine sermon!" said Nasruddin's neighbor afterwards. "I'm wondering if money works the same way as time. What do a thousand gold coins mean to you?"<br />
"They mean less than a single copper coin!" Nasruddin replied.<br />
"In that case, could you loan me a thousand gold coins?"<br />
"Of course!" said Nasruddin. "Just wait a divine second while I go get them."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-commands-tree.html" target="_blank">~ 158. Nasruddin Commands the Tree ~</a><br />
"I'm actually a saint," Nasruddin told his neighbor. "And as a saint, I have supernatural powers."<br />
"Prove it!" said his neighbor. "If you have supernatural powers, command that tree over there to come here and bow down to you."<br />
"O Tree," shouted Nasruddin, "come here and bow down to me!"<br />
The tree did not move.<br />
Nasruddin waited a moment, and then he walked over to the tree and bowed down before it.<br />
"What are you doing?" asked his neighbor.<br />
"Saints like me are also very modest," Nasruddin explained. "If the tree won't come to me, I'll go to the tree."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/seeing-in-dark.html" target="_blank">~ 159. Nasruddin by Night ~</a><br />
"You wouldn't know it just by looking at me," said Nasruddin, "but I have truly miraculous powers."<br />
Nasruddin's friend laughed. "So tell me," he said, "what is your most miraculous power?"<br />
"I can see in the dark! In the darkest darkness, I can see as clearly as if it were broad daylight. I need no light of any kind."<br />
"Surely you’re joking!" his friend objected. "I’ve seen you carrying a lantern in the dark, just like everybody else does."<br />
"Of course!" said Nasruddin, smiling. "But I carry a lantern in the dark only so that others won't run into me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddins-tears-of-sorrow.html" target="_blank">~ 160. Nasruddin's Tears ~</a><br />
The imam of Nasruddin's village was delivering a sermon about the prophets, extolling their excellent qualities and illustrious deeds.<br />
As the imam was speaking, Nasruddin began to weep loudly.<br />
"Behold this man's sincere devotion!" the imam exclaimed. "My sermon has moved him to tears."<br />
"It's true," said Nasruddin, sobbing. "This morning, I woke up to discover that my favorite goat had suddenly passed away, and it broke my heart. As I watch your beard wagging back and forth as you speak, it makes me think of my poor dead goat, and I can't help but weep these tears of sorrow."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/lulling-baby-to-sleep.html" target="_blank">~ 161. Nasruddin's Lullaby ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's wife had just given birth, but the baby was restless. She rocked the baby, sang to him, doing everything she could to lull the infant to sleep, but nothing seemed to work.<br />
"I'll take care of it," said Nasruddin.<br />
"You don't know anything about babies!" his wife replied.<br />
"But I know how to put people to sleep," said Nasruddin. "My pupils often fall asleep during my lectures. I'll try lecturing first, and if that doesn't work, I'll give him this boring book to read." Nasruddin took a book down off the shelf. "It puts me to sleep every time!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-turban-of-scholar.html" target="_blank">~ 162. The Turban of a Scholar ~</a><br />
People who could not read would sometimes bring letters to Nasruddin so that he could read the letters to them.<br />
One man had brought Nasruddin a letter to read, but the handwriting was terrible.<br />
"This is the worst handwriting I have ever seen," said Nasruddin. "I can't read this letter."<br />
The man was indignant. "You wear the turban of a scholar, but you can't even read a simple letter from my brother."<br />
Nasruddin pulled the turban off his head and threw it at the man. "Go ahead! Take the turban," he said, "and see if you can do any better!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-eagle-jaliz.html" target="_blank">~ 163. The Eagle Jaliz ~</a><br />
A scholar was boasting about his knowledge of Islamic traditions. What color was Mohammad's horse? The scholar knew. What is the favorite food of the angels? He knew that too.<br />
Eager to display his knowledge, Nasruddin shouted out, "Jaliz!"<br />
The scholar stared at him coldly. "Is that some kind of name?"<br />
"It's the name of the eagle who swooped down and carried Moses away," replied Nasruddin.<br />
"But there is no record of an eagle swooping down and carrying Moses away."<br />
"Well," retorted Nasruddin, "then Jaliz is the name of the eagle who did not swoop down and carry Moses away."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/what-is-bread.html" target="_blank">~ 164. What Is Bread? ~</a><br />
Some renowned wise men challenged Nasruddin to a contest. Nasruddin agreed, provided he could ask the first question.<br />
This was his question: What is bread?<br />
The wise men wrote their answers on pieces of paper. Nasruddin then read their answers aloud:<br />
Bread is made with flour and water.<br />
Bread is my favorite food.<br />
Bread is a gift of God.<br />
Bread is delicious.<br />
Bread is baked in an oven.<br />
Bread is the staff of life.<br />
Nasruddin sighed. "These supposed wise men cannot even agree what bread is! Why then should we listen to what they say about matters of real difficulty?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/nasruddin-and-butterfly.html" target="_blank">~ 165. Nasruddin and the Butterfly ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was obsessed with butterflies. Whenever he saw a butterfly, he would stop whatever he was doing and watch the butterfly. He would get up and follow the butterfly, going wherever the butterfly would go until finally it would flutter away.<br />
"I must learn what a butterfly truly is!" Nasruddin declared, so he got a net and caught a butterfly.<br />
Then he took the butterfly and carefully removed its wings.<br />
Next he removed the two antennae, and then the legs, and also the head.<br />
"I can see all the butterfly's parts now," said Nasruddin. "But where did the butterfly go?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-plays-lute.html" target="_blank">~ 166. Nasruddin Plays the Lute ~</a><br />
"I can play any instrument!" Nasruddin declared confidently.<br />
His friend gave him a lute. "Play this!" he said.<br />
Nasruddin grabbed the lute and awkwardly strummed a single chord. He then strummed the same chord over and over, smiling contentedly the whole time.<br />
"That sounds horrible," Nasruddin’s friend protested. "Real lute players move their hands up and down when they are playing music on the lute."<br />
"That’s because they don’t know what they're doing, unlike me," retorted Nasruddin. "They are unsure where to find the notes they are looking for, but I know exactly the chord that I want to play."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-grammatical-scholar.html" target="_blank">~ 167. Nasruddin's Grammar ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was traveling by ship, and a famous scholar was also on board.<br />
Every time Nasruddin spoke, the scholar mocked him. "I've never heard such atrocious language. Didn't you study grammar in school?"<br />
Nasruddin shook his head.<br />
"Well," said the scholar, "I'd say you've wasted your life."<br />
The ship was then caught in a storm.<br />
"Abandon ship!" shouted the captain.<br />
Nasruddin then turned to the scholar and asked, "Didn't you study swimming in school?"<br />
The terrified scholar shook his head.<br />
"Well," said Nasruddin, "I'd say you've wasted your life."<br />
Nasruddin then jumped into the water and swam safely to shore.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-sermon.html" target="_blank">~ 168. Nasruddin's Sermon ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was preaching in a village for the first time.<br />
"Do you know what I'm going to say?" Nasruddin asked.<br />
"No!" the people shouted.<br />
"How can I preach to people so ignorant?" he said and left.<br />
They begged him to come back.<br />
"Do you know what I'm going to say?" he asked again.<br />
"Yes!" they shouted.<br />
"Good! We can all leave."<br />
But they asked him to try one more time.<br />
"Do you know what I'm going to say?" he asked.<br />
"Yes!" shouted some. "No!" shouted others.<br />
"So let those who know teach those who don't!"<br />
That was Nasruddin's last sermon.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-center-of-universe.html" target="_blank">~ 169. The Center of the Universe ~</a><br />
There was a fortune-teller in the marketplace who resented Nasruddin boasting about how wise he was.<br />
"If you're so wise," he said to Nasruddin, "please tell me: where is the center of the universe?" Then he added by way of emphasis, "The exact center."<br />
Nasruddin stroked his beard, looking thoughtful. He then walked over to his donkey and stared at him intently.<br />
"The exact center of the universe," Nasruddin declared, "is under my donkey's right hind hoof."<br />
"Impossible!" retorted the fortune-teller. "You must prove to me that you're right!"<br />
"No," said Nasruddin, "you must prove to me that I'm wrong."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-scholars-knife.html" target="_blank">~ 170. The Scholar's Knife ~</a><br />
The governor issued a decree that nobody in the city was to carry any kind of weapon in public, including knives.<br />
So, when Nasruddin was caught carrying a knife - and it was a very big knife! - they took him to court.<br />
"Why were you carrying that knife?" asked the judge.<br />
"I need it for my work," replied Nasruddin.<br />
"What are you, some kind of butcher?"<br />
"No, I'm not a butcher. I'm a scholar. I use the knife to scrape off errors in manuscripts."<br />
"Why such a big knife?"<br />
"You wouldn't believe the size of some of these errors, Your Honor!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-meets-king.html" target="_blank">~ 171. Nasruddin Meets the Governor ~</a><br />
After a long journey, Nasruddin returned from the big city to his hometown. He looked like some kind of conquering hero, riding proudly on his donkey.<br />
The people all gathered around. "Tell us about your visit to the big city, Nasruddin!" they said.<br />
"Well," replied Nasruddin, as he grinned happily at everyone in the crowd, "the governor himself spoke to me!"<br />
"Oooh!" said some people in the crowd. "Ahhhh!" said others.<br />
"And what exactly did he say to you?" asked Nasruddin's wife.<br />
"He said: 'Get out of my way, you idiot!' Those were the words the governor spoke to me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-reward.html" target="_blank">~ 172. The Governor Rewards Nasruddin ~</a><br />
Nasruddin once did a favor for the governor, and the governor announced that he was going to bestow on Nasruddin a great reward. Naturally, Nasruddin was curious what reward the governor would give him.<br />
"Nasruddin," said the governor, "because of your great service to me and to the state, I offer you my eternal friendship."<br />
Nasruddin thought for a moment before he replied. "Thank you, Governor. That is very kind of you," he said. "But if you don't mind, I think I would rather you offered me some gold coins or perhaps a donkey. That would be far more useful."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-survey-of-province.html" target="_blank">~ 173. The Governor's Survey ~</a><br />
The newly appointed governor of the province summoned Nasruddin for an urgent consultation.<br />
"I'm worried," said the governor, "and I need your advice. In my brief time here in the province, I've already met quite a few people who are undoubtedly insane. I find this troubling, and I think we need to conduct a survey to find out just how many people in the province are suffering from insanity. What do you think?"<br />
"Well, Governor, I don't think that's the right approach," replied Nasruddin. "What makes you suspect there are any sane people here in the province to begin with?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-critic.html" target="_blank">~ 174. The Governor's Poetry ~</a><br />
The governor considered himself a poet, and one day he asked Nasruddin to listen to his latest poem.<br />
"The content is extremely tedious," Nasruddin told him afterwards, "and the style is even worse."<br />
Enraged, the governor put Nasruddin in jail.<br />
Time passed.<br />
The governor had composed a new poem and decided to give Nasruddin a second chance. He summoned Nasruddin back to court, recited the new poem, and then asked his opinion.<br />
Without a word, Nasruddin got up and started to leave the room.<br />
"Just where do you think you are going?" shouted the governor.<br />
"Back to jail," replied Nasruddin.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/thieves-inside-and-outside.html" target="_blank">~ 175. Guards and Thieves ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was walking around the perimeter of the imperial palace one day, and he decided to speak with the palace guards standing along the wall.<br />
"Greetings!" said Nasruddin.<br />
The guards nodded silently in reply.<br />
"I would like to know what your duties are exactly. Can you tell me why you are standing guard here?" asked Nasruddin.<br />
"We stand guard to keep any thieves from climbing over the wall."<br />
"I see," said Nasruddin. "And are you more concerned about thieves from outside who are trying to get into the palace, or thieves inside the palace who are trying to get out?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-tax-records.html" target="_blank">~ 176. Emperor Tamerlane's Tax Collector ~</a><br />
Tamerlane was convinced that his tax collector had been cheating him. "Bring the tax collector here! And his account books too!" shouted the emperor.<br />
When the tax collector arrived with his account books, Tamerlane interrogated him. Not satisfied with the answers, Tamerlane made him eat the books page by page.<br />
"Nasruddin," Tamerlane shouted, "you are now my new tax collector."<br />
When Tamerlane later summoned Nasruddin to bring the account books, Nasruddin wheeled in a cart full of bread.<br />
"What on earth is that?" the emperor asked.<br />
"I wrote the accounts on these loaves of bread," explained Nasruddin. "Just in case."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/carving-pheasant.html" target="_blank">~ 177. Nasruddin and the Roast Pheasant ~</a><br />
"Ah, roast pheasant! My favorite!" said Emperor Tamerlane. "Nasruddin, you will carve and serve."<br />
"I offer you the head, O Head of the World," he said to Tamerlane.<br />
"The wings are for you," he said to the Treasurer, "so you can fly off as soon as your embezzlement is discovered."<br />
"Here are the legs," he said to the General, "for running from battle."<br />
"Take the neck," he said to the Prime Minister, "for you're sure to be hanged sooner or later."<br />
"The rest of the pheasant is mine," Nasruddin concluded, "because I have done such an excellent job of carving."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-king-and-eggplants.html" target="_blank">~ 178. The Emperor and the Eggplants ~</a><br />
Tamerlane had become obsessed with eggplants. He wanted to eat eggplants every day. "Aren't eggplants the best food in the world?" he asked Nasruddin.<br />
"Yes, sire," said Nasruddin, "eggplants are the best."<br />
Eventually the king got tired of eating eggplants. "Take this away!" he shouted. "I never want to see another eggplant."<br />
Then he said to Nasruddin, "Aren't eggplants the worst food in the world?"<br />
"Yes, sire," said Nasruddin, "eggplants are the worst."<br />
"But didn't you tell me the other day that eggplants are the best?"<br />
"Yes, sire," said Nasruddin. "My loyalty is to the emperor, not to the eggplants."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-gift-for-emperor.html" target="_blank">~ 179. A Gift for the Emperor ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was bringing a gift of coconuts to the emperor when another courtier stopped him.<br />
"Give him apricots instead," he whispered to Nasruddin. "Ripe apricots. As ripe as possible. Trust me."<br />
Nasruddin heeded the courtier's advice and returned with a tray of apricots.<br />
"For you, O Great One!" said Nasruddin.<br />
The emperor, however, was in a foul mood. "What kind of gift is this!" he shouted as he pelted Nasruddin with apricots.<br />
"Thanks be to God!" shouted Nasruddin. "Thanks be to God!"<br />
"Why are you thanking God like that?" Tamerlane asked.<br />
"I'm thanking God those are apricots instead of coconuts."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/how-donkey-reads.html" target="_blank">~ 180. Tamerlane and Nasruddin's Donkey ~</a><br />
"My donkey is so smart I could teach him to read," declared Nasruddin.<br />
The emperor laughed. "Teach him to read, and I'll give you a hundred gold coins."<br />
Nasruddin hurried home, took a book, and put barley between the pages. The donkey turned the pages with his tongue, eating all the barley.<br />
Over time, Nasruddin reduced the amount of barley between the pages. Then, he returned to Tamerlane.<br />
"Behold: the donkey who reads!"<br />
As the donkey turned the pages and didn't find any barley, he started to bray.<br />
"That's not reading!" objected Tamerlane.<br />
Nasruddin laughed. "That's how a donkey reads!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/proving-claim.html" target="_blank">~ 181. Nasruddin's Bold Claim ~</a><br />
When Nasruddin was a new minister in Tamerlane's court, he wanted to win the emperor's favor, so he made a bold claim.<br />
"I have an announcement to make!" Nasruddin shouted. "I am actually God in human form."<br />
"Prove it!" replied Tamerlane. "You can't expect us to accept such a claim without proof."<br />
"I have supernatural powers," Nasruddin said calmly. "For example, I can read minds. As God, I can see into every heart and know what people are thinking."<br />
"Then tell me what I'm thinking right now," said Tamerlane.<br />
"Right now," Nasruddin replied, "you're thinking that I am a liar!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-and-two-philosophers.html" target="_blank">~ 182. Nasruddin the Philosopher ~</a><br />
A philosopher from a distant land came to Tamerlane's court. "I wish to challenge your philosopher!" he said.<br />
"Nasruddin is my philosopher," replied Tamerlane, and he summoned Nasruddin.<br />
"I will ask you a question," said the foreign philosopher.<br />
"Ask me anything," replied Nasruddin.<br />
"What is the number of stars in the sky?"<br />
Nasruddin smiled. "That's an easy one! The number of stars in the sky is exactly equal to the number of the hairs in my donkey's tail."<br />
"Absurd!" replied the foreign philosopher. "How can you prove it?"<br />
"If you don't believe me," Nasruddin replied, "you can count them yourself."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/appointing-judge.html" target="_blank">~ 183. Nasruddin's Qualifications ~</a><br />
"You're going to be my new judge!" Tamerlane said to Nasruddin, but Nasruddin didn't want the job.<br />
"O Emperor," Nasruddin said apologetically, "I'm not worthy of this honor."<br />
"What do you mean you're not worthy?" exclaimed Tamerlane.<br />
"Well, a judge must be worthy and also truthful," said Nasruddin, "isn't that correct?"<br />
"Yes," said Tamerlane, "that's correct."<br />
"As I already said: I'm not worthy. If I spoke the truth, that disqualifies me: I'm not worthy. If I'm lying and I really am worthy, then I'm disqualified because I'm a liar. Either way," Nasruddin concluded, "I'm not qualified to be your judge."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddin-archer.html" target="_blank">~ 184. Nasruddin the Archer ~</a><br />
Tamerlane and his generals were boasting about their archery skills.<br />
"I'm a rather skilled archer myself," proclaimed Nasruddin.<br />
"Is that so?" said Tamerlane, laughing. "Come and show us!"<br />
That was not what Nasruddin expected...<br />
Tamerlane led them all to a field where targets had been set up. Nasruddin's first shot didn't even hit the target.<br />
"I'm just showing you how my father used to shoot."<br />
The next shot landed on the outside rim of the target.<br />
"That's how my brother shoots," Nasruddin said.<br />
On his third shot, Nasruddin hit the center. "And that," he exclaimed triumphantly, "is how I shoot!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tamerlanes-whip.html" target="_blank">~ 185. Nasruddin and Tamerlane's Whip ~</a><br />
Serving in Tamerlane's court, Nasruddin saw the emperor engage in many acts of cruelty. Whenever possible, Nasruddin tried to intervene.<br />
One time, the guards brought in a soldier. "He was passed out drunk while on duty, Your Highness," they said.<br />
"I sentence him to five thousand lashes!" the emperor shouted.<br />
Nasruddin burst out laughing.<br />
"What's so funny?" asked Tamerlane.<br />
"O Emperor," Nasruddin replied, "I was just thinking that either you've never been whipped, or perhaps you don't know how to count."<br />
Tamerlane also started laughing and reduced the sentence to just fifty lashes.<br />
Nasruddin's laughter thus saved the soldier's life.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/nasruddin-and-gallows.html" target="_blank">~ 186. Nasruddin and the King's Gallows ~</a><br />
"No more lies!" shouted the king. "Henceforth, everyone tells the truth."<br />
The king then built a gallows by the palace gate.<br />
"Truthtellers shall pass through; liars will be hanged!" the king declared.<br />
Nasruddin arrived at the gate.<br />
"Where are you going?" asked the king.<br />
"I'm going to be hanged."<br />
"You are lying!" protested the king.<br />
"Correct," said Nasruddin, "I was on my way to the barber. So hang me!"<br />
Then he grinned. "But you can't hang me, can you? Because then I'd be telling the truth."<br />
Thus Nasruddin persuaded the king to revoke his decree and take down the gallows.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/tamerlanes-royal-astrologers.html" target="_blank">~ 187. Nasruddin and the King's Astrologers ~</a><br />
"Tell me how long I will live!" the king shouted at his four royal astrologers.<br />
"Five years!"<br />
"Ten years!"<br />
"A hundred years!"<br />
"You will live forever!"<br />
"These astrologers are all worthless," said the king. "Their numbers are too low or too high. Executioner, behead the four royal astrologers."<br />
Then the king turned to Nasruddin. "Tell me what you think, Nasruddin: how long will I live?"<br />
Nasruddin smiled. "An angel told me the answer to that question in a vision last night," he told the king. "Behold, said the angel, you and the king will die on the very same day!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-mayors-funeral.html" target="_blank">~ 188. Nasruddin and the Mayor's Funeral ~</a><br />
It was the day of the mayor's funeral. Nasruddin and the mayor had been enemies for many years, but Nasruddin's wife decided they were both going to the funeral.<br />
"Let bygones be bygones," she said. "Hurry, or we'll be late!"<br />
She was ready to go, but Nasruddin had not even started to get dressed yet.<br />
"Nasruddin!" she yelled. "You have to get dressed! It's not polite to show up late to a funeral."<br />
"I don't think I'm going to go to the mayor's funeral," Nasruddin replied. "What's the point after all? He is certainly not going to come to mine."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-wealthy-mans-funeral-procession.html" target="_blank">~ 189. The Wealthy Man's Funeral ~</a><br />
There was a funeral procession in the town for a very wealthy gentleman. Nasruddin put on his robes of mourning and joined in the procession, weeping copious tears and bewailing the deceased.<br />
"Nasruddin," said one of his friends, "what are you doing here? I didn't even know that you were acquainted with this man. I'm surprised to find you here mourning his death with such feeling."<br />
"I didn't know him," sobbed Nasruddin. "I never met him, not even once. Which is why I am certain that he has not remembered me in his will. That's the reason why I'm weeping!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/watching-funeral-procession.html" target="_blank">~ 190. Watching a Funeral Procession ~</a><br />
Nasruddin and his young son were walking through the town when they saw a funeral procession coming down the street. The boy had never seen a funeral procession before.<br />
"What is that?" he asked.<br />
"That is a funeral procession," Nasruddin explained. "There is a dead person in the casket."<br />
"And where are they taking the casket?" asked the boy.<br />
"They are taking it to a place of darkness without food or drink, without silver or gold, without comfort, without hope..." replied Nasruddin mournfully.<br />
"I don't understand," said the little boy. "Do you mean they are taking him to our house?"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-funeral-robes.html" target="_blank">~ 191. Nasruddin's Funeral Robes ~</a><br />
Nasruddin walked into the coffeehouse dressed as if he were going to a funeral. His friends, seeing his clothes, greeted him somberly and in hushed tones.<br />
"My deep condolences," one of them said to Nasruddin. "Who is it that has died? I did not know there was a funeral today."<br />
"Nobody has died," Nasruddin replied. "At least, not that I've heard. What makes you think someone has died?"<br />
"You are wearing your funeral robes!"<br />
"Oh, I see what you mean," said Nasruddin, looking down at his clothes. "I thought I should be prepared in case someone does die, that's all."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-picnic-before-judgment-day.html" target="_blank">~ 192. Nasruddin's Pet Lamb ~</a><br />
Nasruddin had a beloved pet lamb, but his friends wanted to roast Nasruddin's lamb and eat it.<br />
"Judgment Day is coming!" Nasruddin's friends told him. "We better eat that lamb of yours before the world ends."<br />
Nasruddin agreed, and his friends organized a picnic.<br />
While the lamb was roasting, everyone undressed and went swimming. Nasruddin, however, sat alone by the fire, and when the fire died down, he burned the clothes to keep the fire going.<br />
Then his friends returned. "How could you burn our clothes?" they yelled.<br />
"What's the difference?" Nasruddin replied. "You won't need clothes on Judgment Day."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-day-of-judgment.html" target="_blank">~ 193. Nasruddin's Funeral Arrangements ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was getting his affairs in order because he had a sense that his life was coming to an end. He arranged his will, said goodbye to his friends, and then he gave strict instructions to his wife about his funeral arrangements.<br />
"And the most important thing," he concluded, "is that you bury me in the ground upside-down: feet up and head down."<br />
His wife was shocked. "That sounds very strange!"<br />
"Everyone says that on the Day of Judgment, the whole world will be turned upside-down," Nasruddin explained. "When that happens, then I'll be the only one who is right-side-up!"<br />
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<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-happens-after-we-die.html" target="_blank">~ 194. What Happens After We Die? ~</a><br />
As Nasruddin's fame as a wise man spread, people came from far and wide, seeking answers to life's big questions.<br />
One day, a man came all the way from Baghdad to see Nasruddin. "I have a question for you," said the man. "I want to know what happens to us after we die."<br />
Nasruddin paused for a moment, and then smiled.<br />
"Come with me," he said. "I know who can answer your question."<br />
Nasruddin then led the man through the streets of the city until they found themselves at the cemetery.<br />
"You need to ask them," Nasruddin said, "not me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/prayers-for-dying.html" target="_blank">~ 195. Prayers for the Dying ~</a><br />
Nasruddin was summoned to the bedside of a dying man. The man had quite a bad reputation, but Nasruddin took pity on him and agreed to go.<br />
"Pray for my soul to find peace in heaven!" he said to Nasruddin.<br />
Nasruddin prayed, "May God help this poor man as he passes from this life."<br />
Then he added, "May the Devil likewise help this poor man as he passes from this life."<br />
"But I asked you to pray for my soul to find peace in heaven," the man protested.<br />
"In your case," said Nasruddin, "we can't afford to take any chances."<br />
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<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-generosity.html" target="_blank">~ 196. Nasruddin's Will ~</a><br />
Nasruddin went to see a lawyer about making a will.<br />
"I'll be glad to help you," said the lawyer. "Just tell me how to divide your estate."<br />
Nasruddin consulted a piece of paper he had brought with him. "A thousand gold coins to every member of my family, five thousand to the orphanage, another five thousand to the mosque, and then twenty thousand to distribute to the poor of the city."<br />
The lawyer was amazed. "I had no idea you were so wealthy!"<br />
"Oh, I don't actually have any money," Nasruddin explained. "But I still have great feelings of generosity!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-sad-news.html" target="_blank">~ 197. Nasruddin's Death ~</a><br />
Chopping wood in the forest, Nasruddin felt very cold. He'd never felt so cold! "I must be dead," he thought, so he lay down, stretched out like a corpse.<br />
Then he realized his body had to be carried to the cemetery, so he went home to tell his wife. "I died in the forest. Tell my friends to come get my body."<br />
Nasruddin returned to lie back down in the forest while his wife ran to the coffeehouse. "Nasruddin is lying dead in the forest," she sobbed.<br />
"How do you know?" they asked.<br />
"He came and told me," she replied.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/dont-upset-camels.html" target="_blank">~ 198. Nasruddin in the Cemetery ~</a><br />
Taking a shortcut through the cemetery one night, Nasruddin fell into an open grave. He waited to see if angels would come greet him.<br />
Then a loud noise frightened him, so he jumped out of the grave and ran.<br />
The noise was a camel caravan, and Nasruddin's unexpected presence startled the camels. They bolted, spilling their cargo.<br />
The camel-drivers, furious, beat Nasruddin badly.<br />
"What happened to you?" asked Nasruddin's wife when he staggered home.<br />
"I died and journeyed to the afterlife."<br />
"Was it so bad there?"<br />
"I think it would have been alright if I had not upset the camels."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2019/12/nasruddin-on-his-deathbed.html" target="_blank">~ 199. Nasruddin on his Deathbed ~</a><br />
Nasruddin's wife sat beside him on his deathbed, weeping uncontrollably.<br />
"Don't cry, my dear," Nasruddin told her in a tremulous voice. "In fact, I want to see you wearing your best clothes and finest jewelry. And put on some makeup. It's very important that you look absolutely gorgeous."<br />
"Oh, my dearest husband, I don't think I can do that," she replied sadly. "My grief is too great."<br />
"Please, wife, just do what I say," Nasruddin insisted. "Then, when the Angel of Death arrives and sees you, he might change his mind and take you away with him instead of me!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/nasruddins-five-prayers.html" target="_blank">~ 200. Nasruddin's Final Prayers ~</a><br />
The Angel of Death arrived to take Nasruddin. "It's time," said the Angel.<br />
Nasruddin was alarmed. "I've done some dubious things in my life, and I haven't always been a good Muslim. Can you at least let me say the day's five prayers before I die?"<br />
The Angel was compassionate and agreed. "I will be back tomorrow at this same time."<br />
As promised, the Angel returned the next day.<br />
"But I haven't finished my five prayers yet!" Nasruddin protested. "I've only done two."<br />
"And when will you say the rest?" asked the Angel.<br />
"In my own time," Nasruddin replied, smiling.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-11066133494307854762021-01-14T11:43:00.000-05:002021-01-14T11:43:07.852-05:00Myth-Folklore Unit: Aesop's Fables (100 Words)<b>Overview</b>. This reading unit — good for one week, or two weeks — is a collection of Aesop's fables <i><b>told as 100-word stories</b>. </i>It is based on <i style="font-weight: bold;">Tiny Tales from Aesop</i> which contains two hundred of these tiny 100-word stories. <b>The book is available free</b> as a PDF and in standard ebook formats (epub, mobi), and there is also a 99 cent Kindle version. Plus, there is a free audiobook! Links to all formats here: <b><a href="http://aesop.lauragibbs.net/" target="_blank">Aesop.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>. You will find links to text and audio below, but if you prefer to read with a PDF, on a Kindle, etc., you can do that based on what is most convenient for you.<br />
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<b> Language</b>. The language is very clear and contemporary. Unlike the public domain books published before 1923, this book is a recent publication (2020!).<br />
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<b> Story Length</b>. The stories are very short: just 100 words long each. Each reading section — A, B, C, D, — contains 50 stories. That's a lot of stories but they go very fast, and I hope you will find lots that intrigue you. When you start with a super-short story, there's so much room to expand with your own imagination.<br />
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<b> Navigation</b>. You will find the table of contents below; you can look at the title to get a sense of which sections you might enjoy most. There is no need to start at reading section A; you can read them in any order you prefer. You'll see it's mostly animal at the start and then shifts to mostly human fables at the end.<br />
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<b> Additional Resources</b>. Each of these stories has its own blog post with information about sources along with notes, and sometimes an illustration. You can find the list of the individual blog posts at <b><a href="http://aesop.lauragibbs.net/" target="_blank">Aesop.LauraGibbs.net</a></b>.</div>
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<img border="0" data-original-height="638" data-original-width="401" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hqmx3oeu6uQ/XwDCPDPwIJI/AAAAAAACWlg/YPM8KksNT-4DRWWgkJ7TDbq4WQVWZeaKwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Aesop%2B%25281%2529.png" style="background-color: white; border: none; color: #221199; font-weight: 700; position: relative;" /></div>
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-aesops-fables-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING A</a>: </b></div>
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1. The Lion's Share</div>
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2. The Angry Lion</div>
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3. The Lion and the Rabbit</div>
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4. The Lion and the Bulls</div>
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5. The Lion and the Mouse</div>
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6. The Lion's Army</div>
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7. The Lion Cub and Man</div>
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8. The Lion in Love</div>
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9. The Lion and the Man Debating</div>
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10. The Lion and the Boar</div>
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11. The Old Lion and the Horse</div>
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12. The Lion and the Unicorn</div>
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13. The Old Lion's Last Breath</div>
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14. The Lion and the Donkey Go Hunting</div>
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15. Wild Donkey, Tame Donkey</div>
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16. The Wild Donkey</div>
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17. The Donkey and the Horse's Barley</div>
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18. The Cruel Horse and the Donkey</div>
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19. The Horse and the Donkey's Load</div>
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20. Death and the Donkey</div>
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21. The Donkey in Winter</div>
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22. The Two Donkeys</div>
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23. The Donkey and the Icon</div>
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24. The Fox and the Leopard</div>
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25. The Fox and the Dragon</div>
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26. The Farmer and the Dragon</div>
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27. The Fox in the Hut</div>
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28. The Fox Meets the Lion</div>
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29. The Lion and the Bear</div>
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30. The Fox Visits the Lion</div>
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31. The Fox in the Lion-King's Palace</div>
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32. The Fox and the Wolf, Courtiers</div>
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33. The Fox and the Ape</div>
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34. The Fox with a Short Tail</div>
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35. The Fox and the Old Women</div>
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36. The Fox and the Grapes</div>
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37. The Fox and the Moon</div>
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38. The Fox and the Boar</div>
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39. The Fox and the Rooster</div>
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40. The Fox Seeks an Eye Doctor</div>
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41. The Fox and the Stork</div>
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42. The Fox and the Mule</div>
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43. The Wolf and the Fox in the Well</div>
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44. The Fox and the Wolf in the Pit</div>
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45. The Fox Teaches the Wolf to Fish</div>
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46. The Fox and the Wolf and the Well-Buckets</div>
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47. The Fox and the Wolf in the Shed</div>
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48. The Wolf Becomes a Monk</div>
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49. The Wolf and the Porcupine</div>
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50. The Wolf and the Crane</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-b-aesops-fables-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING B: </a></b></div>
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51. The Wolf and the Goat on a Rock</div>
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52. The Wolf and the Goats in a Tub</div>
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53. The Wolf and the Cow</div>
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54. The Wolf and the Lamb at the Stream</div>
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55. The Wolf and the Lamb in the Temple</div>
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56. The Friendly Wolf</div>
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57. The Wolves and their Allies</div>
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58. The Treacherous Sheepdog</div>
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59. The Lamb and the Nanny-Goat</div>
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60. The Dogs and the River</div>
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61. The Dog without a House</div>
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62. The Hunting Dog and the Rabbit</div>
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63. The Rabbit and the Wolf</div>
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64. The War of the Rabbits and the Eagles</div>
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65. The Rabbit and the Sparrow</div>
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66. The Rabbit and the Weasel</div>
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67. The Rabbit's Resolution</div>
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68. The Funeral of the Lion-Queen</div>
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69. The Deer in the Cave</div>
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70. The Deer in the Stable</div>
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71. The Deer and his Reflection</div>
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72. The Deer and the Vine</div>
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73. The Deer and her Friends</div>
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74. The Monkey's Twin Children</div>
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75. The Monkey and the Fishermen</div>
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76. The King's Dancing Monkeys</div>
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77. The Monkey and the Camel</div>
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78. The Kingdom of the Monkeys</div>
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79. The Cat and the Rooster</div>
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80. The Cat and the Chickens</div>
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81. The Cat and her Neighbors</div>
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82. The Cat and the Stork</div>
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83. The Cat and the Sparrows</div>
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84. Cat and Fox, Philosophers</div>
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85. Brother Cat and Brother Rat</div>
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86. The Miller's Cat and the Mice</div>
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87. The Mouse and the Cat on the Shelf</div>
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88. The Cat and the Mouse in the Beer</div>
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89. The War of the Cats and the Mice</div>
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90. Belling the Cat</div>
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91. The Mouse and the Cat in the Flour</div>
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92. Country Mouse and City Mouse</div>
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93. The Mouse in the Soup</div>
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94. The Mouse in the Chest</div>
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95. The Mouse and the Bull</div>
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96. The Mouse Observes the World</div>
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97. The Hawk and the Mouse</div>
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98. The Hawk and the Nightingale</div>
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99. The Hawk and the Nightingale's Chicks</div>
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100. The War of the Hawks</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-c-aesops-fables-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING C: </a></b></div>
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101. The Two Doves</div>
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102. The Stork and the Crow</div>
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103. The Chicken and the Crow</div>
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104. The Noisy Crow</div>
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105. The Crow and the Fox</div>
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106. The Fox who Played Dead</div>
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107. The Eagle and the Crow</div>
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108. The Eagle and the Peacock</div>
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109. The Crow's Warning</div>
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110. The Ambitious Crow</div>
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111. The Crane and the Eagle</div>
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112. The Crane Goes Fishing</div>
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113. The Halcyon and her Nest</div>
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114. The Swallow and the Nightingale</div>
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115. The Nightingale's Advice</div>
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116. The Nightingale and the Glow-Worm</div>
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117. The Beetle and the Eagle</div>
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118. The Bees Go to Court</div>
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119. The Bear and the Bees</div>
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120. The Fly and the Mule</div>
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121. The Gnat and the Bull</div>
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122. The Frogs and the Bulls</div>
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123. The Frogs and the Sun</div>
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124. The Mouse and the Frog</div>
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125. The Cunning Stork</div>
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126. The Boys and the Frogs</div>
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127. The Porcupine and the Snake</div>
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128. The Dragon and the Eagle</div>
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129. Zeus and the Wedding Gifts</div>
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130. Zeus and the Dogs</div>
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131. The Prayer of the Fox and the Wolf</div>
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132. Zeus and the Camel</div>
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133. Zeus and the Rabbit</div>
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134. Aphrodite and the Cat</div>
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135. Zeus and the Donkey</div>
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136. Zeus and the Lost Calf</div>
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137. Zeus and the Two Sacks</div>
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138. Zeus and the Jar of Good Things</div>
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139. Athena and the Shipwreck</div>
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140. Hercules and the Farmer</div>
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141. Fortuna and the Boy</div>
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142. Fortuna and the Farmer</div>
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143. The Farmer and the Wheat</div>
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144. The Farmer and his Weather Wishes</div>
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145. Prometheus and the Satyr</div>
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146. The Satyr and the Traveler</div>
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147. Hermes and the Traveler</div>
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148. Hermes and the Woodcutter</div>
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149. The Justice of the Gods</div>
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150. Death's Warnings</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><a href="https://mythfolklore.blogspot.com/2020/08/reading-d-aesops-fables-100-words.html" target="_blank">link to READING D: </a></b></div>
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151. Death and the Old Man</div>
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152. Death and Cupid</div>
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153. The Father and his Lazy Sons</div>
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154. The Father and his Quarrelsome Sons</div>
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155. The Man's Loyal Dog</div>
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156. The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs</div>
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157. The Woman and her Cat</div>
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158. The Woman and her Hen</div>
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159. The Milkmaid's Bucket of Milk</div>
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160. The Farmer and the Lion</div>
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161. The Farmer and the Apple Trees</div>
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162. Bushes and Hedges</div>
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163. The Foolish Farmers and the Rabbit</div>
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164. The Farmer's Revenge</div>
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165. The Farmer and the Frozen Snake</div>
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166. The Widow and her Sheep</div>
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167. The Shepherd and his Cloak</div>
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168. The Shepherd and the Ram</div>
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169. The Shepherd's Big Sheepdog</div>
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170. The Shepherd and the Wolf Cubs</div>
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171. The Wolf Who Herded Sheep</div>
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172. The Shepherd and the Friendly Wolf</div>
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173. The Shepherd and the Lion</div>
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174. The Boy Who Cried Wolf</div>
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175. The Shepherd and the Rabbit</div>
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176. The Three Travelers</div>
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177. The Three Wise Men</div>
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178. The Two Friends and the Bear</div>
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179. The Two Travelers and the Ax</div>
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180. The Two Men and the Donkey</div>
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181. The Two Men and the Oyster</div>
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182. The Merchant and the Copper</div>
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183. The Man and his Mistresses</div>
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184. Three Generations</div>
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185. Father and Son and Donkey</div>
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186. The Philosopher and the Pumpkin</div>
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187. The Monks and their Abbots</div>
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188. The Abbot and the Bones</div>
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189. The Hermit and his Disciple</div>
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190. The Priest and the Weeping Woman</div>
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191. Hiring a Donkey</div>
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192. Seeing a Camel</div>
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193. The Sailor and the Merchant</div>
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194. The Introverted Philosopher</div>
<div>
195. The Miser and his Gold</div>
<div>
196. The Boy and the Thief</div>
<div>
197. The Boy and his Teacher</div>
<div>
198. The Trumpeter Captured</div>
<div>
199. The Star-Gazing Astrologer</div>
<div>
200. The Man in the Tree<br />
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Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-27470247281939827282021-01-14T11:42:00.001-05:002021-01-14T11:42:55.102-05:00Reading A: Aesop's Fables (100 Words) You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #1-24.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1089735847&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-aesop" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from Aesop">Tiny Tales from Aesop</a></div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lions-share.html" target="_blank">~ 1. The Lion's Share ~</a><br />
A lion, a cow, a goat, and a sheep were working together as partners.<br />
They managed to kill a stag, and the lion divided their prize into four equal parts.<br />
"The first part is mine," he said, "because I am the lion. The second part goes to me because I am the strongest. Next, I will take the third part for myself on account of my exceedingly hard work. Finally, if anyone so much as touches the fourth part, they will know my wrath!"<br />
That is the lion's share: he pretends to share, but he takes it all for himself.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-angry-lion.html" target="_blank">~ 2. The Angry Lion ~</a><br />
There was once an enraged lion, filled with anger and hatred, hoping to find another lion he could fight with and kill.<br />
Then, as he was looking down into a well, there it was: a lion had fallen in there.<br />
It was just his own reflection in the water, of course, but he saw what he wanted to see.<br />
The angry lion, convinced he had found the enemy he was hoping to find, sprang and jumped into the well, and he drowned.<br />
So it is that those who are angry often do more harm to themselves than to anyone else.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lion-rabbit-and-deer.html" target="_blank">~ 3. The Lion and the Rabbit ~</a><br />
A lion found a sleeping rabbit and was about to gobble him up, but all of a sudden the lion then saw a deer passing by. The lion abandoned the rabbit, and he started to chase the deer.<br />
Awakened by the ruckus, the rabbit ran off.<br />
The lion, meanwhile, chased the deer a long time but didn't catch her, so he returned to the rabbit.<br />
When he discovered the rabbit had also escaped, the lion said, "By Hercules, I got what I deserved: I cast aside food I already had in my paws, preferring to chase an uncertain hope instead."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lion-and-th-ebulls.html" target="_blank">~ 4. The Lion and the Bulls ~</a><br />
A lion wanted to attack two bulls, thinking they would make a very fine feast.<br />
The two bulls joined forces, however, and turned their horns towards the lion, so he could not get between them. Combining forces, those bulls were stronger than the lion.<br />
Since the lion couldn't fight both bulls at once, he resorted to subterfuge instead.<br />
"If you betray your partner to me, I promise not to touch you!" he said to each one, separately. "I'll kill the other one; I won't kill you."<br />
Using this trick, the lion managed to kill both bulls easily, one by one.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-mouses-promise-to-lion.html" target="_blank">~ 5. The Lion and the Mouse ~</a><br />
As a mouse ran over a sleeping lion, the lion awoke and grabbed her.<br />
"Let me go, please!" squeaked the mouse. "I'll repay your kindness, I promise!"<br />
"What could you ever do for me?" scoffed the lion. "I'm letting you go only because it's not worth my time to kill you."<br />
A few days later, the lion was caught in a hunter's snare. He roared in terror, and the little mouse ran to the rescue, gnawing through the ropes and freeing the lion.<br />
"I was wrong about you," said the grateful lion. "You're a good friend to have after all."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-lions-army.html" target="_blank">~ 6. The Lion's Army ~</a><br />
There was a fierce war between the beasts and the birds, and the lion had taken command of the army of beasts, with tigers and bears, leopards and wolves, and all sorts of mighty warriors in his ranks.<br />
The donkeys and rabbits wanted to enlist too.<br />
The tigers and bears and other warriors scoffed, but the lion accepted the volunteers gladly. "The donkeys will be my trumpeters," the lion said, "and the rabbits will be my couriers."<br />
The greatest commanders know how to make the best use of all their soldiers, based on the strengths of each and every one.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lion-cub-and-man.html" target="_blank">~ 7. The Lion Cub and Man ~</a><br />
"Don't fight Man," said the Lion to his Cub, but the Cub didn't listen. The Cub went looking for Man.<br />
He saw a Bull. "Are you Man?"<br />
"No, I bear Man's yoke."<br />
Next he saw a Horse. "Are you Man?"<br />
"No, Man rides me."<br />
Then he saw someone splitting logs with wedges: a Man!<br />
"Fight me, Man!" said the Cub.<br />
"I will! But first, help me split this log."<br />
When the Cub put his paws in the crack, Man knocked out the wedge, trapping the Cub's paws.<br />
The Cub finally pulled loose and went home with bloody paws, lesson learned.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lion-in-love.html" target="_blank">~ 8. The Lion in Love ~</a><br />
A lion had fallen madly in love with the daughter of a woodcutter.<br />
"Please let me marry your daughter," the lion said to the woodcutter. "I will love and cherish her always."<br />
"My daughter is a tender and delicate girl," the man replied, "and she cannot endure a lion's claws and teeth."<br />
"Do not fear," said the lion. "I will have my teeth and claws removed, and then I will marry your daughter."<br />
The lion did as he promised, but when he returned to the woodcutter to arrange the marriage, the man beat the defenseless lion and drove him away.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-man-and-lion-debate.html" target="_blank">~ 9. The Lion and the Man Debating ~</a><br />
"I'm stronger than you!" roared the lion.<br />
"No, you're not!" shouted the man. "I'm stronger than you, and I'll prove it."<br />
The man took the lion to see a painting of a man killing a lion. "Just look at that!" he declared triumphantly.<br />
"A man painted that painting," the lion scoffed. "If a lion could paint, he would paint a lion killing a man. Come on, and I'll show you some real proof."<br />
The lion then took the man to the circus where a lion really was killing a man.<br />
"This isn't pretend," the lion told him. "This is real."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-lion-boar-and-vultures.html" target="_blank">~ 10. The Lion and the Boar ~</a><br />
A lion and a boar were fighting fiercely.<br />
"I'll kill you!" roared the lion.<br />
The boar growled back, "Not before I kill you!"<br />
The vultures were delighted to hear these words, and they settled comfortably in a tree, watching the fight and waiting to see who would kill and who would be killed.<br />
"I'd like lion for dinner," said one of the vultures.<br />
"I'd prefer boar," said another.<br />
But the boar and lion finally tired of fighting and left the scene, while the vultures cursed them both. "The lion has betrayed our hopes," they squawked, "and so has the boar."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-old-lion-and-horse.html" target="_blank">~ 11. The Old Lion and the Horse ~</a><br />
An old lion was stalking a horse, but he was no longer strong, so he decided to play a trick instead.<br />
"I'm a doctor," he shouted to the horse, "and I see that you're limping."<br />
The horse, however, was also a trickster. "What good luck!" he said. "I've got a thorn in my hoof. Please remove it if you can."<br />
Then, when the lion bent down to inspect the hoof, the horse kicked him in the head and ran off.<br />
"That horse tricked this old trickster, fair and square," said the stunned lion, "and I've got only myself to blame."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lion-and-unicorn.html" target="_blank">~ 12. The Lion and the Unicorn ~</a><br />
The lion and the unicorn were fierce enemies.<br />
The lion, pretending weakness, limped up to the unicorn. "Set aside our quarrels and help me, please. I want to go see my wife before I die, but I need your horn to lean on. I will return it to you as soon as I have said my last goodbyes to my wife; I give you my word."<br />
The unicorn felt sorry for the lion and offered him his horn, which left the unicorn defenseless.<br />
The lion took the horn and then used it to attack the unicorn, defeating him at last.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-old-lions-last-breath.html" target="_blank">~ 13. The Old Lion's Last Breath ~</a><br />
The lion was worn out with sickness and old age. Now he was stretched out on the ground, about to draw his last breath.<br />
The boar approached and stabbed the lion with his tusks. "That's for every time you did me wrong!"<br />
Then the bull did the same with his horns. "It's payback time!" he bellowed.<br />
Next came the donkey, who kicked the lion with his hooves. "I never thought I'd see this day!" he brayed.<br />
"When I was strong," groaned the lion, "all the animals respected and feared me, but now even that wretched donkey treats me with contempt."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-lion-and-donkey-meet-wolf.html" target="_blank">~ 14. The Lion and the Donkey Go Hunting ~</a><br />
A lion and a donkey agreed to go hunting in partnership together.<br />
One day they happened upon a pack of wolves. The donkey brayed loudly and raced at the wolves as if he were going to swallow them whole.<br />
"Hee-haw!" he shouted. "Hee-haw!"<br />
The wolves laughed, but when they glimpsed the lion running up behind the donkey, they turned tail and ran away.<br />
"Behold!" said the donkey. "The tremendous sound of my voice has made the wolves run away!"<br />
"I suspect it was the sight of me that did it," replied the lion, "rather than the sound of your voice.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/wild-donkey-tame-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 15. Wild Donkey, Tame Donkey ~</a><br />
There was an onager who watched a tame donkey walking along the road, weighed down by a heavy load, while the whip-wielding donkey-driver walked beside him.<br />
"How happy I am to live wild and free!" thought the wild donkey. "I do what I please, and I go where I want."<br />
Meanwhile, a lion crept up quietly. Fearing the donkey-driver, he avoided the tame donkey and instead attacked the unprotected onager, who did not stand a chance against the lion's sharp teeth and claws.<br />
"How happy I am not to be food for a lion!" the tame donkey thought to himself.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-wild-donkeys-good-luck.html" target="_blank">~ 16. The Wild Donkey ~</a><br />
An onager who had strayed from his herd in search of grass saw a donkey eating a bundle of barley straw.<br />
"That barley straw looks tasty," thought the wild donkey, "and how fat he looks. He must be a lucky donkey indeed!"<br />
Then the wild donkey watched as a man put heavy bundles on the donkey's back. The man shouted at the donkey, and then he threatened the donkey with a whip.<br />
At that, the onager turned and ran. "I was wrong; that donkey is not lucky after all. I would never sell my freedom in exchange for barley straw."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-horse-and-his-barley.html" target="_blank">~ 17. The Donkey and the Horse's Barley ~</a><br />
A donkey once asked a horse to share a little bit of his barley.<br />
"I would do so gladly," replied the horse. "I'm a very noble creature after all! But I simply can't give you any barley at the moment. When we get to the manger this evening, though, I'll give you a full sack of wheat."<br />
"Since you won't give me even a little bit of barley now," said the donkey, "why should I believe you'll give me a lot of wheat later?"<br />
Beware of people who make big promises but don't really want to give you anything at all.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-cruel-horse-and-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 18. The Cruel Horse and the Donkey ~</a><br />
"Get out of my way, stupid donkey!" shouted a horse, and when the donkey did not get out of the way fast enough, the horse kicked the donkey and wounded him badly.<br />
As he did so, though, the horse brought about his own punishment: he dislocated his leg and, overcome by pain, he had to lie down on the ground, groaning in agony.<br />
The donkey then stood over the horse and said, "Look at you there on the ground! I'm still in pain, it's true, but I feel better already, seeing you lying there, the victim of your own wickedness."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-horse-and-donkeys-load.html" target="_blank">~ 19. The Horse and the Donkey's Load ~</a><br />
A tanner was driving his donkey and his horse to market, and the donkey staggered under the weight of his load.<br />
"Help me, horse!" said the donkey. "I need you to take just a little bit of the load. Have mercy!"<br />
"Bearing the load is your job!" replied the horse. "I'm no donkey."<br />
Soon afterwards, the donkey collapsed and died.<br />
The tanner skinned the donkey, and then he put the donkey's load on the horse, along with the donkey's skin.<br />
"Woe is me!" groaned the horse. "I refused to help the donkey, and now I'm bearing the whole load myself."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/death-and-donkey.html" target="_blank">~ 20. Death and the Donkey ~</a><br />
There was a donkey who led a miserable life, and after years of wretched labor, he finally implored Death to deliver him.<br />
Death did come, but not with the deliverance that the donkey expected.<br />
"My poor donkey," said Death, "I am here to take your life, and I also have bad news for you: after your death, the humans are going to take the skin from your dead body and make that skin into a drum. So, just as they beat you in life, so too they will beat you in death."<br />
That was the fate of the poor donkey.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-donkey-in-winter.html" target="_blank">~ 21. The Donkey in Winter ~</a><br />
It was Winter, and the donkey longed for Spring, with fresh grass to eat and a bit of warmth.<br />
But when Spring came, bringing fresh grass, there was so much toil and labor that it was worse than Winter.<br />
The donkey longed for Summer, but the labor was even greater then and the weather was even hotter.<br />
He began to long for Fall, but Fall brought harvest loads to carry and provisions to lay in before the snows arrived.<br />
Then it was Winter, and once again the donkey longed for Spring, with some fresh grass and a bit of warmth.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-two-donkeys.html" target="_blank">~ 22. The Two Donkeys ~</a><br />
Two donkeys were going to town, one carrying bags of oats, and the other, bags of money.<br />
The donkey carrying money was adorned with all sorts of foppish frippery, including bells that went jingle-jangle as he walked.<br />
The other donkey was as plain as the load he was carrying.<br />
Bandits fell upon them, and they attacked the donkey with the money, stripping him of his cargo and his fine adornments, thrashing him cruelly, but they paid no attention to the donkey with the oats.<br />
"What a fine thing it is," thought the humble donkey, "not to have anything worth robbing."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-donkey-and-icon.html" target="_blank">~ 23. The Donkey and the Icon ~</a><br />
There was a great religious procession, and a donkey was carrying a holy icon on the way to the church.<br />
When the people saw the icon, they all fell to their knees in devotion.<br />
"Behold!" the foolish donkey thought to himself. "The people are all falling to their knees and worshiping me… ME!"<br />
As the donkey hee-hawed happily, the donkey-driver cracked his whip and laughed. "You are nothing more than a donkey. You were a donkey before I put the icon on your back, and you're still a donkey now," he said. "They're worshiping the icon; they're not worshiping you!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-and-leopard.html" target="_blank">~ 24. The Fox and the Leopard ~</a><br />
The fox and the leopard were arguing about who was the most beautiful.<br />
"Just look at me! And look at my spots!" boasted the leopard. "Anyone can see that I am the most beautiful. I have spots all over everywhere. No other animal has fur with such a lovely pattern as mine."<br />
The fox just laughed at the leopard. "It's true that you have lovely fur, but outward beauty really doesn't matter," she explained. "The patterns of the mind are far more important, and I have been blessed with an intelligence that is far more beautiful than all your spots."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-fox-and-dragon.html" target="_blank">~ 25. The Fox and the Dragon ~</a><br />
A fox digging in the ground found herself in a dragon's den filled with golden treasure.<br />
"I beg your pardon," she said to the dragon. "I ended up here by accident, and I'll be on my way. Before I go, though, I'd like to know just what you plan to do with all this treasure."<br />
"I have no use for the treasure," said the dragon, "but it is my fate to spend my life here guarding the treasure, night and day."<br />
"Then you're a wretched creature indeed," replied the fox. "You do possess a treasure, but I envy you not."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-man-and-dragon.html" target="_blank">~ 26. The Farmer and the Dragon ~</a><br />
A river dried up, stranding the water-dragon who lived there.<br />
"Take me to water!" the dragon shouted. "I'll offer a golden reward!"<br />
A greedy farmer tied the dragon to his donkey and brought the dragon to another river.<br />
When he untied the dragon, though, it roared, "Now I'll eat you!"<br />
"That's not fair!" yelled the farmer.<br />
A fox heard them. "I'll be the judge of that!" she said. "Show me how the dragon was tied up on the donkey."<br />
The farmer tied the dragon up.<br />
"Now take it back where you found it," advised the fox, "and leave it there."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-in-hole.html" target="_blank">~ 27. The Fox in the Hut ~</a><br />
A hungry fox crawled through a hole into a peasant's hut; there she found some bread and meat.<br />
The fox devoured the food, but when she went to crawl back out of the hole, her belly was too big, and she got stuck.<br />
As she groaned and sighed, with her head sticking out of the hut, another fox came by and asked what was wrong.<br />
The first fox explained what happened.<br />
"Well," the second fox told her, "you'll just have to stay here until you are as skinny again as you were when you went in."<br />
Time solves many problems.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/becoming-acquainted-with-lion.html" target="_blank">~ 28. The Fox Meets the Lion ~</a><br />
There was once a fox who had never seen a lion before.<br />
The first time she happened to run into a lion she was so scared that she almost died of fright.<br />
When the fox ran into a lion the second time, however, she was still scared, but not as scared as the first time.<br />
Finally, the third time that the fox saw a lion, she walked right up to him and started a conversation.<br />
The moral of the story is that some things are frightening at first, but they are not as scary when you become familiar with them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-lion-and-bear.html" target="_blank">~ 29. The Lion and the Bear ~</a><br />
The lion and the bear had caught a fawn.<br />
"It's mine!" roared the lion.<br />
"No, it's mine!" growled the bear.<br />
Then they started fighting, slashing and tearing at one another until they collapsed on the ground, exhausted.<br />
Meanwhile, a fox strolled by and saw the two of them lying there with the fawn between them. She ran up, grabbed the fawn, and carried it off.<br />
The bear and lion both saw what the fox did but they didn't have the strength to stand up.<br />
"Woe is us!" they said. "We did all the work, but the fox got the prize."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-lion-in-his-cave.html" target="_blank">~ 30. The Fox Visits the Lion ~</a><br />
There was once a lion, king of the animals, who had grown old. He lay in his cave, pretending to be sick. Many different animals came to visit their king, and he devoured the animals one after another after another.<br />
The fox also came, but stood cautiously in front of the cave, greeting the king from there. "I salute you, Your Mightiness!" shouted the fox.<br />
"How good to see you, my dear fox!" replied the lion. "Why don't you come closer?"<br />
"Because I see many tracks of animals going in," replied the fox, "but no tracks of animals coming out."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-lion-kings-palace.html" target="_blank">~ 31. The Fox in the Lion-King's Palace ~</a><br />
The lion was a savage king whose palace was filled with the bones and rotting remains of animals he had killed. The stink was terrible.<br />
When the bear entered the palace, he exclaimed, "What a stink!"<br />
This made the lion angry and he killed the bear.<br />
The monkey, however, flattered the king. "Your Highness, the palace smells even more wonderful than usual!"<br />
The lion made the monkey his prime minister.<br />
Then the fox arrived.<br />
"Do you like the smell of the palace?" the lion asked.<br />
"I have a cold, Sire," replied the fox, "and I've lost my sense of smell."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/medicine-for-sick-lion.html" target="_blank">~ 32. The Fox and the Wolf, Courtiers ~</a><br />
The lion-king had grown old and sick, never coming out of his cave.<br />
All the animals came to pay their respects, except the fox.<br />
"The fox shows you no respect!" said the wolf.<br />
The fox arrived at that very moment and heard what the wolf said.<br />
She then addressed the king. "While the others bring only condolences, I bring news of a cure for what ails you!"<br />
"What is that?" asked the lion eagerly.<br />
"You need to flay a living wolf and wrap his still warm skin around you."<br />
So the lion killed the wolf, just as the fox recommended.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-lion-king-and-animals-tails.html" target="_blank">~ 33. The Fox and the Ape ~</a><br />
"Any animal without a tail is banished from my kingdom!" proclaimed the lion-king. He waved his own tail dramatically. "All animals must have tails. If not, be gone before nightfall!"<br />
The ape had no tail, so he packed his bags and prepared to leave.<br />
He was surprised to see the fox packing her bags too.<br />
"You have a most impressive tail!" said the ape. "The lion-king's command doesn't apply to you."<br />
"True," said the fox. "But this king is a danger to us all: at any moment he could condemn me for no reason just as he has condemned you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-fox-with-short-tail.html" target="_blank">~ 34. The Fox with a Short Tail ~</a><br />
A fox had gotten trapped in a snare, and lost his tail as a result.<br />
He then ran into some other foxes. "My brothers, where are you going?" he asked.<br />
"We're on our way to the lion's palace," they replied.<br />
"The lion's palace? I was just there, which is where I learned about the latest fashion: short tails!"<br />
When they heard this, the other foxes immediately cut off their tails too.<br />
Then the fox burst out laughing, glad to have these partners in his misery. "They may not have shared my danger," he said, "but now they share my shame."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-and-old-woman.html" target="_blank">~ 35. The Fox and the Old Women ~</a><br />
A fox was walking along when he saw some old women feasting on a roasted chicken. The food smelled delicious, and the fox was very hungry. "It just isn't fair," thought the fox to himself.<br />
He then addressed the old women. "My good ladies," said the fox, "just imagine what an outcry there would be if I were to do what you are doing right now, eating a chicken like that!"<br />
"There's no comparison!" one of the women shouted back, laughing at the fox. "We're eating our own chicken, while you steal and eat chickens that don't belong to you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-and-grapes.html" target="_blank">~ 36. The Fox and the Grapes ~</a><br />
A hungry fox was walking along the road when she saw some grapes growing up high on a trellis.<br />
"Those grapes look delicious," thought the fox. "What a lovely purple color too! That means they're ripe. I just need to jump up there and grab them."<br />
So the fox jumped up as high as she could, but the trellis was out of reach.<br />
She tried again. No luck.<br />
Then she tried one last time. Still no luck.<br />
"I knew the grapes were sour anyway," she said loudly, just in case anybody was listening.<br />
The fox then continued on her way.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-and-moon.html" target="_blank">~ 37. The Fox and the Moon ~</a><br />
A fox was wandering about at night. She strolled through the fields, and then she reached the river.<br />
Feeling thirsty, she went to take a drink from the river, and there in the water she saw a reflection of the full moon in the sky.<br />
"Look at that!" the fox exclaimed. "There's a wheel of cheese in the river. How delicious that would be to eat!"<br />
The fox then began to drink the water, hoping that if she could drink the whole river, she'd be able to eat the cheese.<br />
The fox kept drinking and drinking until she finally... exploded.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-fox-and-boar.html" target="_blank">~ 38. The Fox and the Boar ~</a><br />
A fox was strolling through the woods and saw a boar rubbing his tusks against a tree, back and forth, back and forth.<br />
As always, the fox was curious. "What are you doing that for?" she asked the boar.<br />
"I'm readying my weapons!" the boar replied. "The sharper my tusks, the more ready I'll be to fight."<br />
The fox looked around. "But I don't see any enemies," she remarked.<br />
"That's the idea exactly! I'm sharpening my tusks now," replied the boar, "because there will be no time to ready my weapons when the enemy arrives and the actual fighting begins."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-fox-and-prophetic-rooster.html" target="_blank">~ 39. The Fox and the Rooster ~</a><br />
"Dear rooster," said the fox, "the beauty of your feathers dazzles me, as does the sound of your cock-a-doodle-doo. You are a magnificent creature indeed!"<br />
The rooster beamed with pleasure, and the fox continued, "And you are a prophet of events to come, announcing the sun's arrival each dawn."<br />
As the fox was speaking, he crept closer and closer to the rooster. Finally, he snatched the foolish bird in his teeth.<br />
"You knew when the sun would rise this morning," the fox said, laughing, "but you failed to predict that I was going to have rooster for my supper tonight!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-fox-seeks-eye-doctor.html" target="_blank">~ 40. The Fox Seeks an Eye Doctor ~</a><br />
The fox wanted to eat the rooster, so he lay down in the barnyard, groaning loudly to get the rooster's attention.<br />
"Please, dear rooster," he cried, "remove this thorn that lodged in my eye when I crawled through a hedge."<br />
"Dear fox," replied the rooster, suspecting trouble, "if I remove the thorn from the one eye, I might accidentally poke out your other eye. I'm not much of a doctor after all, but let me go fetch the watchdog. He'll know what to do!"<br />
At the mention of the dog, the fox immediately recovered his strength and took off running.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-and-stork.html" target="_blank">~ 41. The Fox and the Stork ~</a><br />
The fox invited the stork to dinner. The main course was soup in a shallow bowl. The fox licked the soup with her tongue, but the stork couldn't eat with her beak. She went away frustrated and hungry.<br />
A few days later, the stork invited the fox to dinner, and she served the food in a glass vase with a narrow neck. The fox could see the food but she couldn't get to it with her tongue, while the stork was able to easily eat the food with her beak.<br />
Thus the stork got her revenge: turn-about is fair play.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-name-of-mule.html" target="_blank">~ 42. The Fox and the Mule ~</a><br />
A fox saw a mule in a meadow.<br />
"What's your name?" the fox asked.<br />
"I forget," replied the mule. "But it's written on my hoof. Read my hoof if you want!"<br />
The fox just laughed and ran into the woods where he met a wolf.<br />
"I found you a delicious-looking mule," said the fox. "Go ask his name!"<br />
The wolf talked to the mule and when the mule said "Read my hoof!" the wolf bent down... and the mule kicked him! Hard!<br />
The fox then laughed at the wolf. "You can't even read, and now you've got a headache too."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-wolf-and-fox-in-well.html" target="_blank">~ 43. The Wolf and the Fox in the Well ~</a><br />
A fox had fallen into a well and shouted for help.<br />
A wolf came by and asked, "What's going on, fox?"<br />
The fox replied, "Go get a rope and pull me out!"<br />
"You poor thing!" said the wolf. "I feel so badly for you down there. It must be very cold. You're probably all wet! How did you manage to fall in?"<br />
"This is no time for chit-chat," shouted the fox. "Go get the rope, pull me out, and then I'll tell you how I fell down here."<br />
The moral: Don't waste words when someone in trouble needs your help.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-and-wolf-in-pit.html" target="_blank">~ 44. The Fox and the Wolf in the Pit ~</a><br />
A fox saw a wolf who'd fallen into a pit.<br />
The fox laughed and ran around the edge of the pit, leaping and jumping with joy. "You idiot!' she shouted. "You fell right into the man's trap!"<br />
While the fox was capering around the pit, the ground beneath her feet crumbled and she fell down into the pit also.<br />
When the wolf saw the fox falling down, he exclaimed, "What a comfort to me it is to see that I won't die alone; this wicked fox, who was mocking me just a moment ago, will die here together with me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-teaches-wolf-to-fish.html" target="_blank">~ 45. The Fox Teaches the Wolf to Fish ~</a><br />
The wolf saw the fox running through the snow.<br />
"Where are you going?" he asked.<br />
"I'm taking these fish home to eat!" replied the fox.<br />
"Where did you catch them?" asked the wolf.<br />
"I just put my tail in the river, and then I pulled my tail out, full of fish."<br />
The wolf ran and put his tail in the river, and he waited.<br />
The water was so cold!<br />
The sun went down, the water froze, and the wolf was stuck.<br />
"Help!" he yelled.<br />
The farmer came and beat the wolf, and the wolf died cursing farmer, fox, and fish.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-and-wolf-and-well-buckets.html" target="_blank">~ 46. The Fox and the Wolf and the Well-Buckets ~</a><br />
A fox had jumped into a well-bucket which then plunged down into the water. A wolf heard the splash and came running.<br />
"What are you doing down there?" he asked.<br />
"I'm fishing!' replied the fox.<br />
"I want to go fishing too!" shouted the wolf.<br />
"Well, just get in the other well-bucket up there and come on down."<br />
As the wolf went down, the fox went up.<br />
"I've caught plenty, so I'm going home now," the fox said. "Good fishing!"<br />
But there weren't any fish in the well, and when the wolf shouted for help, a farmer came and killed him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-fox-and-wolf-in-farmers-shed.html" target="_blank">~ 47. The Fox and the Wolf in the Shed ~</a><br />
"I'm starving!" groaned the wolf. "I've got to eat something!"<br />
"Follow me!" said the fox, and she led him to the farmer's shed.<br />
The fox crawled into the shed through a hole, and the wolf also managed to squeeze through.<br />
The shed was full of meat and fish!<br />
Remembering the narrow hole, the fox ate only a little, but the wolf stuffed himself.<br />
Then the farmer burst into the shed, club in hand.<br />
"Run!" squealed the fox.<br />
She escaped through the narrow hole but the wolf got stuck because of his big belly, and the farmer clubbed him to death.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-old-wolf-gets-religion.html" target="_blank">~ 48. The Wolf Becomes a Monk ~</a><br />
A wolf had grown old and couldn't hunt, so he decided to put on a monk's habit and go begging from door to door.<br />
Sure enough, the disguise worked, and the wolf was eating pretty well.<br />
He later ran into one of his fellow wolves.<br />
"What are you doing in the robes of a monk?" asked the other wolf indignantly. "That's not how a wolf should live!"<br />
The old wolf replied, "What do you expect me to do? My teeth are gone, and my tired old legs can't run anymore. I have to either get religion or prepare to starve."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-wolf-and-porcupine.html" target="_blank">~ 49. The Wolf and the Porcupine ~</a><br />
A wolf came across a porcupine. He was a fierce-looking creature armed with darts, so the wolf kept his distance.<br />
At the same time, the wolf was quite hungry, and the porcupine would make a very fine snack if only he would lay aside his darts.<br />
"Dear porcupine," said the wolf, "don't you know that we animals are living at peace? It is bad manners for you to be going around armed, as if there were war between us."<br />
The porcupine bristled. "I'm no fool," he replied. "When I see a wolf nearby, I am at war, not at peace."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-wolf-and-crane.html" target="_blank">~ 50. The Wolf and the Crane ~</a><br />
A wolf was choking on a bone that had stuck in his throat.<br />
"Help me!" he groaned. "Somebody! Anybody! Help me!"<br />
But nobody wanted to help the wolf.<br />
Then the wolf saw a crane.<br />
"Use your beak to get this bone out of my throat!" he begged. "I'll give you a reward."<br />
So the crane extracted the bone from the wolf's throat.<br />
"Give me my reward!" said the crane.<br />
"Your reward," snarled the wolf, "is that you were able to escape my jaws alive. Now go away before I decide to eat you after all!"<br />
Don't expect rewards from wolves.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7343462874524166503.post-71590885344766582152021-01-14T11:42:00.000-05:002021-01-14T11:42:18.577-05:00Reading B: Aesop's Fables (100 Words)You will find the texts of the stories below the audio, and the titles are linked to individual blog posts where you can learn more about sources, see notes, etc.<div>You can also find storytelling ideas here: <b><a href="https://tinytalesguide.pressbooks.com/chapter/chapter-1/" target="_blank">Teaching Guide</a></b>, see #25-43.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>You'll want to click on track 51 to start the audio portion for this section:</div><div><br /></div><div><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/playlists/1089735847&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=false" width="100%"></iframe><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Laura Gibbs">Laura Gibbs</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/laura-gibbs-4/sets/tiny-tales-from-aesop" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Tiny Tales from Aesop">Tiny Tales from Aesop</a></div><br /></div><div>
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-goat-on-rock.html" target="_blank">~ 51. The Wolf and the Goat on a Rock ~</a><br />
A goat was standing up on a high rock, and a wolf noticed her there.<br />
"There's no grass up there on that rock," the wolf shouted. "Look down here: there's so much nice grass! You should come down here and enjoy a nice meal."<br />
The goat just laughed at him.<br />
"If I come down there," she shouted back, "you are the one who would be enjoying a nice meal, not me. We'll both just have to stay hungry!"<br />
And so the wise goat stayed up there on that rock until the wolf went somewhere else to look for his supper.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-pious-wolf-and-goats.html" target="_blank">~ 52. The Wolf and the Goats in a Tub ~</a><br />
A wolf saw two goats standing on a big tub.<br />
"Thank God for sending me such good food!" he shouted as he ran towards them.<br />
But before he could grab them, the goats jumped down inside the tub. "There is holy water here so that we can conduct the Mass," they said. "Please let us sing a hymn and say our prayers, and you can eat us afterwards."<br />
"Okay," said the pious wolf. "I will sing and pray with you!"<br />
The goats bleated and the wolf howled. This sound alerted a farmer who came and beat the wolf to death.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-cows-prayers.html" target="_blank">~ 53. The Wolf and the Cow ~</a><br />
A wolf ambushed a cow in a pasture.<br />
"I know I can't escape," said the cow. "Please just let me go up that hill to pray before you eat me. I'll pray for God's blessings on us both!"<br />
"Go," said the wolf, "but keep it short!"<br />
The cow went up the hill and mooed loudly.<br />
A farmer heard and came running, and the farmer's dogs tore the wolf to pieces.<br />
The wolf howled, "You didn't pray for me, did you?"<br />
The cow laughed. "You were going to eat me!" she said. "So my prayers were strictly for me, not you."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-wolf-and-lamb-at-stream.html" target="_blank">~ 54. The Wolf and the Lamb at the Stream ~</a><br />
A wolf and a lamb both came to the same stream to drink; the wolf upstream, the lamb downstream.<br />
The wolf eyed the lamb hungrily, thinking of some excuse to kill and eat him. "Stop muddying my water!" he howled.<br />
"I don't understand," bleated the lamb. "The water flows down from you to me, not up."<br />
The wolf invented another excuse. "I remember you insulted me six months ago!"<br />
"I wasn't even born then," said the lamb. "I'm only three months old."<br />
"Well, that must have been your father!" snarled the wolf, who then attacked the lamb and devoured him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-lamb-in-temple.html" target="_blank">~ 55. The Wolf and the Lamb in the Temple ~</a><br />
A wolf was chasing a lamb, but the lamb managed to run inside a temple.<br />
The wolf dared not enter the god's own house, so he stood at the temple's outer door and shouted to the lamb inside, "What do you think is going to happen now, lamb? The priest of the temple is going to catch you and sacrifice you to the god of this temple. You might as well come outside now and get it over with."<br />
"I'd rather die as a sacrificial victim in here," the lamb shouted back, "rather than become food for you out there."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-friendly-wolf.html" target="_blank">~ 56. The Friendly Wolf ~</a><br />
A man once owned twelve sheep. He wanted to take a trip, so he entrusted his sheep to a friendly wolf.<br />
"I'll be glad to watch them," said the wolf.<br />
On the first day, the wolf ate one sheep, another the next day, and by the time the man returned, there were only three sheep left.<br />
"What happened to the rest of my sheep?" the man asked.<br />
"They died unexpectedly," said the wolf.<br />
"Show me their skins," said the man, and there he saw the wolf's teeth-marks.<br />
"You are a murderer!" shouted the man, and he had the wolf hanged.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-wolves-and-their-allies.html" target="_blank">~ 57. The Wolves and their Allies ~</a><br />
The wolves were ready to raid the sheep, if only they could get rid of the watchdogs.<br />
They sought out the most wolf-like individuals among the dogs and said, "Surely we're cousins, close cousins perhaps. You look more like wolves than dogs! Why not come over to our side?"<br />
By promising the dogs a share in the spoils, they lured them into the wolf pack.<br />
The wolves were then able to easily defeat the rest of the watchdogs.<br />
Next, the wolves killed their dog allies.<br />
And then they feasted on the sheep, who were left without any protection at all.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-shepherds-treacherous-dog.html" target="_blank">~ 58. The Treacherous Sheepdog ~</a><br />
A shepherd had a special favorite among the dogs who guarded his sheep. This dog, however, would snatch lambs to eat, and even the occasional sheep.<br />
The shepherd eventually discovered this dog was the culprit, so he seized the dog and planned to execute him.<br />
"But wolves do far more damage than I," the dog whined. "The wolves are your worst enemies. Why punish me? "<br />
"It's the business of wolves to kill the sheep, but you are supposed to be their guardian," he replied. "A wolf is a predator, but you, wretched dog, are worse, for you are a traitor!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-lamb-and-nanny-goat.html" target="_blank">~ 59. The Lamb and the Nanny-Goat ~</a><br />
The sheepdog was surprised to find a lamb among the goats.<br />
"Your mother isn't here," said the sheepdog. "She must be over there, with the sheep."<br />
"Not so," said the lamb. "My mother is the one who gave me her udder to suck. Even though she also had children of her own to feed, it is this nanny-goat who gave me milk. She is the one I call mother."<br />
"A goat can't be your mother!" said the sheepdog.<br />
"Yes, she can," said the lamb. "That sheep may be my mother in body, but this nanny-goat is my mother in love."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-dogs-and-river.html" target="_blank">~ 60. The Dogs and the River ~</a><br />
Some hungry dogs were roaming the countryside looking everywhere for something to eat.<br />
One of the dogs saw an animal hide floating in the river, and he barked to his fellows, summoning them to come help.<br />
"We're going to have to drink it!" said one of the dogs.<br />
"Drink what?" asked another.<br />
"We've got to drink the whole river!"<br />
And so the dogs began drinking, lapping the water, gulping and guzzling in hopes of draining the river so that they could retrieve the hide.<br />
Finally the dogs drank so much that they burst, and they never did get the hide.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-dog-without-house.html" target="_blank">~ 61. The Dog without a House ~</a><br />
A dog was about to deliver a litter, but she had no roof over her head.<br />
She went to another dog and begged for help. "If you would just let me occupy your house while I deliver my pups, I'd be forever in your debt."<br />
Feeling sorry for the expectant mother, the owner of the doghouse moved out, expecting to reclaim her home in a few months.<br />
When she returned, however, the other dog snarled, and so did the puppies. "If you want your house back," she said, "you're going to have to contend with me and with my pups!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-hunting-dog-and-rabbit.html" target="_blank">~ 62. The Hunting Dog and the Rabbit ~</a><br />
There was a hunter whose dog had stirred up a rabbit in the bushes.<br />
The rabbit took off running.<br />
"Go get him!" yelled the hunter. "You can catch him! Go! Go!"<br />
The hunting dog ran after the rabbit as fast as he could, determined to catch him, but the rabbit finally got away. The dog was just not fast enough.<br />
When the dog returned, the hunter shouted at him, "How could that little rabbit outrun you?"<br />
"It's one thing to run for a living, like me," said the dog. "It's another thing to run for your life, like that rabbit."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-rabbit-and-wolf.html" target="_blank">~ 63. The Rabbit and the Wolf ~</a><br />
A rabbit and a wolf met in the woods.<br />
"You're such a coward," said the wolf.<br />
"Ha!" replied the rabbit. "What if I said I could beat you?"<br />
"Beat me? Impossible!" replied the wolf.<br />
"I'll bet you ten ducats I can beat you!" said the rabbit.<br />
"Agreed!" said the wolf. "Now show me how a rabbit beats a wolf!"<br />
So the rabbit started running, and the wolf chased him.<br />
The rabbit dodged here and there, always ahead of the wolf.<br />
Finally, the wolf couldn't run any more.<br />
"I don't win by fighting," said the rabbit. "I win by running away."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-war-of-rabbits-and-eagles.html" target="_blank">~ 64. The War of the Rabbits and the Eagles ~</a><br />
The rabbits and the eagles were at war, and the rabbits were losing.<br />
The eagles were able to seize the rabbits with their talons and beaks, but the rabbits had no weapons of their own.<br />
"If we don't have weapons," said the leader of the rabbits, "then we must have allies!"<br />
The rabbits then decided to ask the foxes to be their allies, but the foxes refused.<br />
"We might be willing to help you," they said, "if we did not know just who you are and who you are fighting against."<br />
It is hard to find allies when you're losing.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-hare-and-sparrow.html" target="_blank">~ 65. The Rabbit and the Sparrow ~</a><br />
A sparrow was flitting from bush to bush one day when she saw an eagle swoop down from the sky, chasing a rabbit.<br />
The rabbit zigged left, zagged right, running as fast as she could to escape the eagle, but finally the eagle seized the rabbit in his talons, and the rabbit squealed.<br />
The sparrow laughed. "Where's your fancy footwork now, silly rabbit?" she said.<br />
Then a hawk flew by and grabbed the sparrow.<br />
The dying rabbit saw what happened. "There is some justice in the world," she thought. "The sparrow paid a price for her cruel words after all."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-dispute-of-rabbit-and-weasel.html" target="_blank">~ 66. The Rabbit and the Weasel ~</a><br />
While the rabbit was away nibbling grass in the meadow, the weasel occupied her rabbit hole.<br />
When the rabbit came back, the weasel said, "Go away! This is my house now."<br />
"That's not fair!" protested the rabbit. "I demand justice!"<br />
So the weasel proposed that they take their case to the local court, where the judge was an old cat.<br />
"Come closer, my dears!" the cat told them. "I'm rather deaf, and I can't hear what you are saying. Closer! Closer!"<br />
And as soon as the rabbit and weasel got close enough, the cat grabbed them and devoured them both.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-rabbits-resolution.html" target="_blank">~ 67. The Rabbit's Resolution ~</a><br />
The animals were holding an assembly.<br />
All the animals had complaints they wanted to make, and the assembly dragged on and on until the rabbit proposed a resolution.<br />
"It's time to declare equality among the animals. Instead of this animal complaining about that animal, one against another, every animal should be treated with the same respect and dignity as every other animal," shouted the rabbit, "regardless of how powerful they are. Equal rights for all!"<br />
The lion, however, opposed the rabbit's resolution.<br />
"Let the rabbit shout all he wants," growled the lion. "His words have no claws and no teeth."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-funeral-of-lion-queen.html" target="_blank">~ 68. The Funeral of the Lion-Queen ~</a><br />
The lion's wife had died, and all the animals came to her funeral.<br />
They were all weeping for their queen, except for the deer. The lion-queen had eaten many fawns, and the deer was glad she was dead.<br />
"Why do you not weep?" asked the lion angrily.<br />
The deer quickly thought up a story. "Our queen came to me in a dream," she said, "and told me she had reached the Elysian Fields with all the other blessed animals. She doesn't want us to grieve for her."<br />
The lion rejoiced and even rewarded the deer.<br />
Sometimes a lie is safest.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-deer-in-cave.html" target="_blank">~ 69. The Deer in the Cave ~</a><br />
A deer was fleeing some hunters and ran inside a cave.<br />
"I'll be safe in here!" thought the deer. "I'll just wait here inside the cave until the hunters are gone, and then it will be safe for me to go back out."<br />
What the deer didn't know was that there was a lion in that cave.<br />
The lion pounced on the deer and tore her to pieces.<br />
"Alas!" shrieked the deer. "I was on the run from human hunters, but it is actually another wild animal who has killed me."<br />
Be careful not to exchange one danger for another.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-deer-in-stable.html" target="_blank">~ 70. The Deer in the Stable ~</a><br />
Fleeing a hunter and his dogs, a deer ran inside a stable.<br />
"Let me hide here!" she said.<br />
The oxen agreed, and the deer hid in one of the stalls.<br />
A stableboy came in, carelessly did his work, and left. He didn't even notice the deer in the stall.<br />
The deer rejoiced. "I'm safe now!"<br />
"Just wait," the oxen said.<br />
Then the farmer came. As he looked around, he noticed the deer. "What are you doing here?" he shouted. "You don't belong here!"<br />
Then the farmer chased the deer out of the stable right into the path of the hunter.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-deer-and-his-reflection.html" target="_blank">~ 71. The Deer and his Reflection ~</a><br />
A deer was drinking water from a pond when he noticed his reflection.<br />
"My legs are so scrawny and thin," he complained. "But look at my horns: they are so tall and beautiful!"<br />
Then he heard hunters and their dogs coming his way.<br />
He ran!<br />
The deer's legs carried him swiftly across the meadow but when he reached the woods, his horns got tangled in the branches. The hunters caught him there and killed him.<br />
"What I thought was my crowning glory has killed me," he thought as he was dying, "while what I scoffed at could have saved me."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-deer-and-vine.html" target="_blank">~ 72. The Deer and the Vine ~</a><br />
A deer was on the run from a hunter.<br />
As she looked around desperately for a place to hide, she saw an enormous vine, so she got behind the vine and stood there, waiting.<br />
The hunter showed up, and he also stood there, looking around and catching his breath.<br />
The deer, who was hungry, began to munch on the vine.<br />
As the deer ate, the branches of the vine moved.<br />
Silently, the hunter took aim and shot the deer.<br />
Pierced by the arrow, the deer exclaimed, "It's my own fault! I should not have harmed the vine that saved me!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-deer-and-his-friends.html" target="_blank">~ 73. The Deer and her Friends ~</a><br />
There was a deer who was sick, so she lay down in a grassy field to rest. When they heard she was sick, her friends came to visit her.<br />
The rabbit came. "I hope you feel better soon!" he said. He also nibbled on the grass near the deer.<br />
The sheep came, and the cow, and the goat, even the little grasshopper. They all brought good wishes, and they also ate the grass.<br />
So, when the deer did begin to feel better, all the grass was gone; there was nothing for her to eat nearby, and she died of hunger.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-monkeys-twin-children.html" target="_blank">~ 74. The Monkey's Twin Children ~</a><br />
When a monkey has twins, she loves one, neglecting the other. She thus fondles the one she loves and keeps him close, while the other child has to take care of himself.<br />
There was once a monkey mother who had given birth to twins. A sound in the jungle scared her. She ran from the danger, holding her beloved twin in her arms, but as she ran, she fell against a rock, and the twin she held in her arms was crushed.<br />
The twin that she neglected, however, who was clinging to her back as she ran, survived without injury.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-monkey-and-fishermen.html" target="_blank">~ 75. The Monkey and the Fishermen ~</a><br />
A monkey sat in a tree, watching some fishermen as they cast their nets into the river and then pulled them back out, full of fish.<br />
The monkey watched every little thing the men did.<br />
After a while, the men set aside their nets and went to eat.<br />
The monkey hurried down from the tree. "I'll go fishing too!" she thought. She grabbed the nets, but got tangled up and fell into the river.<br />
"It's my own fault," thought the monkey as she sank under the water. "I didn't really know how to fish, and now I'm going to drown."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-kings-dancing-monkeys.html" target="_blank">~ 76. The King's Dancing Monkeys ~</a><br />
There was a king who built a school for dancing monkeys.<br />
"Let them be educated in all the dances!" he proclaimed.<br />
So the monkeys studied all the dances.<br />
Finally the time came for the royal performance.<br />
The king was delighted to see his monkeys dancing so beautifully, and the audience applauded every dance.<br />
A joker in the crowd, however, decided to throw some nuts onto the stage. The monkeys went wild, forgetting all their dances as they scrambled to grab the nuts. Then the monkeys even started throwing nutshells at the audience.<br />
That was the end of the dancing monkeys.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-camel-who-danced.html" target="_blank">~ 77. The Monkey and the Camel ~</a><br />
The monkey did a dance for the assembly of animals, and they applauded his performance.<br />
"Bravo, monkey!" shouted the animals. "Well done!"<br />
The camel was jealous. "I'm a good dancer!" he thought to himself.<br />
So the camel shoved his way to the front of the assembly and started to dance.<br />
But the camel didn't know how to dance.<br />
He couldn't leap.<br />
He couldn't twirl.<br />
In fact, he looked ridiculous.<br />
So the animals attacked the camel and drove him out of the assembly.<br />
The moral: Be happy for others when they succeed, and don't let your envy lead you into disaster.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-men-in-kingdom-of-monkeys.html" target="_blank">~ 78. The Kingdom of the Monkeys ~</a><br />
Two friends, one truthful and one a liar, wandered into the Kingdom of the Monkeys.<br />
Monkeys captured them and brought them to the Monkey-King.<br />
"Behold my court!" said the Monkey-King. "Aren't we a magnificent sight?"<br />
"The splendor of your court is dazzling," said the liar. "I've never seen anything so magnificent."<br />
The Monkey-King beamed with pleasure.<br />
"And what do you say?" he inquired, turning to the other man.<br />
"Why, you're nothing but a monkey, and so are all your courtiers," he replied.<br />
The Monkey-King shrieked with rage. "Kill him!" shouted the king.<br />
Telling the truth isn't always the safest strategy.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-cat-and-rooster.html" target="_blank">~ 79. The Cat and the Rooster ~</a><br />
A cat had caught a rooster.<br />
"I sentence you to death, you wicked creature!" hissed the cat.<br />
"On what charge?" asked the rooster.<br />
"You're always waking us up early in the morning," said the cat.<br />
"That's just my job," said the rooster. "I'm supposed to wake the farmer in the morning."<br />
"And you are lascivious, sleeping with your sister-hens!"<br />
"But that's also my job!" said the rooster. "That's how we make eggs for the farmer."<br />
"I can see you've got an excuse for everything," said the cat, "but I still sentence you to death."<br />
And then she ate the rooster.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-cat-and-roosters.html" target="_blank">~ 80. The Cat and the Chickens ~</a><br />
The cat heard that the chickens were feeling poorly.<br />
"They need a doctor!" the cat said to herself.<br />
So, the cat got dressed up, equipped herself with a doctor's bag filled with medical instruments of various kinds, and went to visit the chickens.<br />
"Greetings, my good chickens!" she said.<br />
"What do you want, cat?" squawked one of the chickens.<br />
"I heard that you were not feeling well," replied the cat. "So I've come here to help."<br />
"Oh, the best help you can offer is to go far away!" said the chicken. "The farther away you go, the better we feel."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/eagle-cat-and-sow.html" target="_blank">~ 81. The Cat and her Neighbors ~</a><br />
An eagle, cat, and sow lived together in a tree: eagle on top, sow at the bottom, and cat in-between.<br />
The cat said to the eagle, "Beware: the sow is digging up the tree's roots in order to topple it and eat your chicks."<br />
To the sow she said, "The eagle craves your little piglets."<br />
The eagle dared not leave her chicks unguarded, nor did the worried sow venture forth to find food, so they both finally starved to death.<br />
The cat and her kittens then had the whole tree to themselves, and they fed on the chicks and piglets.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-cat-and-stork.html" target="_blank">~ 82. The Cat and the Stork ~</a><br />
A stork was carrying an eel home to feed to her chicks.<br />
The cat saw her, and while he enjoyed eating eels, he didn't like to get his feet wet. "O stork," said the cat, "you have such lovely white feathers. Is your beak all white on the inside too?"<br />
The stork kept her beak shut and said nothing.<br />
The angry cat then said, "Ugh! Why would you eat anything so nasty as an eel? You must be a nasty creature yourself!"<br />
The stork kept her beak shut and said nothing.<br />
If you're wise, you'll ignore both flattery and insults.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-cat-and-sparrows.html" target="_blank">~ 83. The Cat and the Sparrows ~</a><br />
There was a sparrow who lived with a cat as his companion. The two of them played together, the sparrow poking the cat with his beak, and the cat gently swatting the bird with his paw.<br />
Then another sparrow came to live with them, but she was not a nice bird at all. She attacked the cat and she attacked the cat's sparrow-friend too.<br />
"This is unacceptable!" exclaimed the cat. He killed the wicked sparrow and ate her.<br />
"Delicious!" said the cat. "I had no idea that sparrows were so good to eat!"<br />
He then devoured his sparrow-friend as well.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/cat-and-fox-philosophers.html" target="_blank">~ 84. Cat and Fox, Philosophers ~</a><br />
The cat and the fox were traveling together, sharing philosophical thoughts about beauty, truth, the nature of existence, good and evil, and so on.<br />
Along the way they saw a wolf eating a sheep.<br />
"How immoral!" said the cat.<br />
"I concur!" said the fox. "It's most unethical!"<br />
Then they passed a barnyard where they saw a hen and her chicks. The fox seized the hen and devoured her, while the cat devoured the chicks.<br />
Having satisfied their hunger, they continued on their journey, philosophizing as before.<br />
Many who condemn criminal behavior will behave like criminals themselves, given the right opportunity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/brother-cat-and-brother-rat.html" target="_blank">~ 85. Brother Cat and Brother Rat ~</a><br />
The abbey cat had caught and killed all the mice except for one last rat.<br />
To catch that last rat, the cat had to be sneaky, so he shaved his head like a monk and put on a monk's robe.<br />
The rat rejoiced, supposing he was now safe. "Peace upon you, brother," said the rat to the cat, and the cat lowered his eyes piously.<br />
Then, when the rat came closer, the cat grabbed him.<br />
"Stop it!" squealed the rat. "Aren't you a monk now?"<br />
"Only when I feel like it," replied the cat, and then he ate the rat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-millers-cat-and-mice.html" target="_blank">~ 86. The Miller's Cat and the Mice ~</a><br />
There was a mill infested with mice, so the miller got a cat to kill the mice. The cat was ferocious and soon there were only a few mice still left alive.<br />
The surviving mice, seeing slaughter all around them, retreated to the highest hiding places they could find, never coming down where the cat was lurking.<br />
The cat decided to play dead, lying motionless on the floor.<br />
"Look! The cat's dead!" squeaked the mice.<br />
But the oldest and wisest of the mice warned them, "Don't let that cat fool you! You can't ever trust a cat, living or dead."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-calm-and-beautiful-cat.html" target="_blank">~ 87. The Mouse and the Cat on the Shelf ~</a><br />
A mouse gazed at a cat who was curled up, fast asleep, on a high shelf.<br />
"She looks so calm and good-natured," the mouse thought to himself. "And so pretty too! I'm sure such a beautiful creature must have a kind heart. In fact, I think I would like to make her acquaintance."<br />
The mouse then scampered up on the shelf, squeaking sweetly.<br />
The cat opened her eyes but did not move until the mouse was within reach.<br />
She then seized the mouse and devoured him.<br />
The moral: If you're a mouse, be careful when making friends with the cat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-mouse-in-beer.html" target="_blank">~ 88. The Cat and the Mouse in the Beer ~</a><br />
A mouse had fallen into a pot of beer.<br />
"Help!" he squeaked. "I'm drowning!"<br />
"What will you give me if I pull you out?" asked the cat.<br />
"Anything you want!" shrieked the mouse.<br />
"Promise that you'll come when I call," said the cat.<br />
"I promise!" said the mouse.<br />
So the cat rescued the mouse.<br />
A few days later, the cat was hungry, so he went to the mouse-hole and said, "Come out now, mouse! You promised!"<br />
"That promise doesn't count!" replied the mouse.<br />
"What do you mean?" said the cat.<br />
"I was drunk at the time," replied the mouse, laughing.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-cats-and-mice-were-at-war.html" target="_blank">~ 89. The War of the Cats and the Mice ~</a><br />
The cats and the mice were at war.<br />
The mice realized they were losing, so they decided to organize themselves into a proper army with generals, and they equipped the mouse-generals with elaborate horned helmets.<br />
The mouse-generals then led the mouse-army into battle against the cats, but once again, the cats were victorious.<br />
"Retreat! Retreat!" yelled the mouse-generals.<br />
But when the mice ran into their holes, the generals got stuck. Their helmets were too big to fit inside the holes, making them easy prey for the cats.<br />
Those who live by the sword will die by the sword. Even mice.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/belling-cat.html" target="_blank">~ 90. Belling the Cat ~</a><br />
The mice held a council. "Something must be done about the cat!" said the chief of the mice.<br />
"But what shall we do?"<br />
The mice debated many proposals, and finally they decided that a bell might work.<br />
"All in favor of belling the cat, say aye!"<br />
The mice all shouted aye with great enthusiasm.<br />
"All opposed?"<br />
None of the mice was opposed.<br />
"Next order of business," said the mouse-chief. "Who is going to put the bell on the cat?"<br />
Silence.<br />
And so the fine plan failed, all because there was no mouse who would put the bell on the cat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-weasel-in-flour.html" target="_blank">~ 91. The Mouse and the Cat in the Flour ~</a><br />
There was an old cat who was too feeble to hunt mice as she once did. "I'll need to use a trick!" she thought, so she rolled herself back and forth in the flour until she was completely white all over.<br />
Then she lay there, motionless, waiting for the mice.<br />
The cat thus caught all the mice who were young and foolish.<br />
Then an old mouse approached the flour. He had escaped many mousetraps, and he saw the cat lurking in the flour.<br />
"Some mice don't know any better," he said. "But you can't fool me! I'd know you anywhere!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/country-mouse-and-city-mouse.html" target="_blank">~ 92. Country Mouse and City Mouse ~</a><br />
A country mouse entertained his city cousin with a meal of barley and carrots, but the city mouse scorned this rustic fare.<br />
"Come with me to the city," he said, "and enjoy some fine dining."<br />
The city mouse led his country cousin into a dining room where the table was laden with bread, cheese, meat, and delicious sweets too.<br />
They had just begun to enjoy the feast when a cat pounced up on the table; the two mice ran for their lives.<br />
"I prefer my peaceful poverty to your deadly luxury!" said the country mouse, and then he scurried home.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-mouse-in-soup.html" target="_blank">~ 93. The Mouse in the Soup ~</a><br />
There was a big pot of soup on the stove, and the cook had left the lid off.<br />
A mouse smelled the soup: irresistible!<br />
So the mouse climbed up onto the pot, and then she jumped in.<br />
As she splashed about in the broth, she gobbled the soup greedily. It was delicious!<br />
Realizing she had no means of escape, the mouse sighed. "So be it!" she squeaked. "I've eaten well, my stomach is full, and I'm ready to die."<br />
Having spoken her last words, the mouse disappeared into the depths of the soup.<br />
Such is the end of all gluttons.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-mouse-in-chest.html" target="_blank">~ 94. The Mouse in the Chest ~</a><br />
There was a mouse who had been born inside a chest, and she lived all her life there, eating the grain inside the chest.<br />
Then one day she climbed up onto the edge of the chest and from there she fell down onto a shelf which was full of bread and cheese and all kinds of wonderful food.<br />
"What a fool I've been!" said the mouse, "All this time I thought there was nothing better in the world than the little chest in which I lived. Now I see the world is full of things I never dreamed of before!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-mouse-and-bull.html" target="_blank">~ 95. The Mouse and the Bull ~</a><br />
A mighty bull was stretched out comfortably on a bed of straw inside his stable.<br />
Meanwhile, there was a tiny mouse in the straw, and as the mouse nibbled on the straw, she also nibbled on the bull's leg.<br />
"Who did that?" roared the bull. He shook his head angrily, gesturing with his horns, and he finally sprang to his feet, stamping and snorting, looking everywhere for the enemy that had wounded him.<br />
The mouse scurried into her mouse-hole, laughing to herself. "Who would have thought a little creature like me could win a fight with someone so much bigger!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-mouse-observes-world.html" target="_blank">~ 96. The Mouse Observes the World ~</a><br />
"Don't go outside the mouse-hole," said the mouse-mother to her daughter.<br />
But the little mouse disobeyed: she ventured outside where she saw a rooster scratching the ground with its talons. The rooster terrified her.<br />
Next she saw a cat sitting by the fire, licking its fur. The cat looked so sweet!<br />
Then she ran back into the mouse-hole.<br />
"Mother," she said, "I saw a diabolical creature with feathers and a saintly creature with fur."<br />
"You have it mixed up," her mother explained. "There is nothing to fear from the feathered rooster, but you must never go near that furry cat!"<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-hawk-and-mouse.html" target="_blank">~ 97. The Hawk and the Mouse ~</a><br />
There was a hawk who got caught in a net.<br />
"Oh! Help me please!" he shrieked, but the hawk had no friends among the creatures, and no one would help him.<br />
Finally a little mouse came scurrying by, and the hawk shouted, "Mouse! Please, I beg you: rescue me from this net if you can!"<br />
The good-hearted little mouse gnawed through the net, setting the hawk free.<br />
"With my compliments!" squeaked the little mouse.<br />
But as soon as the hawk was free, he gobbled up the mouse.<br />
Save a thief from the gallows, says Aesop, and he'll cut your throat.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-hawk-and-nightingale.html" target="_blank">~ 98. The Hawk and the Nightingale ~</a><br />
A nightingale was singing in a bush when a hawk grabbed her.<br />
"Please spare me!" she cried. "My little body is hardly a meal for a great and powerful bird such as yourself. I'm sure you can find much bigger birds that will satisfy your hunger."<br />
The hawk scoffed. "What a foolish creature you are! Do you really think I would let go a bird I have caught in my talons for a bird I have yet to catch?"<br />
"But I will sing you a lovely song," pleaded the nightingale.<br />
"My belly is hungry," replied the hawk, "not my ears."<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-hawk-and-nightingales-chicks.html" target="_blank">~ 99. The Hawk and the Nightingale's Chicks ~</a><br />
A hawk had found some nightingale chicks in a nest.<br />
Just at that moment, the mother bird returned. "Please spare my chicks!" shrieked the nightingale. "I'll do anything you ask! Please just spare my babies!"<br />
"I'll spare them if you sing me a beautiful song," said the hawk.<br />
The nightingale started singing, but she was so frightened that her voice quavered as she sang.<br />
"That was terrible," said the hawk.<br />
He grabbed one of the chicks and was about to devour it when a hunter arrived and shot the hawk.<br />
Those who plan destruction for others will likewise be destroyed.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://microfables.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-war-of-hawks.html" target="_blank">~ 100. The War of the Hawks ~</a><br />
A bloody civil war broke out among the hawks.<br />
The doves, who loved peace, decided that they would send ambassadors to the warring groups of hawks, seeking to put an end to the war.<br />
The diplomatic doves finally reconciled the hawks, and there was peace once again in the world of birds.<br />
But now that the hawks were no longer at war with one another, they launched a war against the doves, attacking and devouring the peacemakers.<br />
"What a terrible mistake we've made!" moaned the doves. "We should never have united an enemy whose common goal is to destroy us."<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>Laura Gibbshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04994025992373244815noreply@blogger.com