Khmer Short Story:12- The Blackbird And The Monkey
There were two blackbirds, male and female who set up their nest on a tree. Mean whole it was raining; a homeless monkey who was stricken with cold came to stay under the blackbird’s tree. When the blackbirds saw him terribly shivering, one counseled him “Oh, Brother Monkey, you have two hands and two legs as a man does. Why don’t you build home for you dwelling?”
The monkey said “I have two hands and two legs as a man does. Thus I am a nestles animal. The truth is I cannot do it” The blackbird said again “You do not need knowledge to build your nest. You see the birds have only one beak and they can build the nest which they need for their protection from the cold and the rain. You had better think it over. Am I right or not? All the animals in the world have their own dwelling to protect their babies and their mates from suffering. If you cannot build a good nest, you just put branches one on another and you cover it with leaves for your own nest for a while. You do not depend on another dwelling or on a branch or on a tree. It is very difficult for you mate and your young ones. Monkey you have two hands and two legs, I think you can do it. Please do it, do not wait for your knowledge to help you.
All the animals have only strength will work in their own way. They never work like the human beings. You see even the worm, the locust and the termite which are very small, but they have their own habitations, and you, why can’t you do it?
Other animals have no more knowledge than you, but they are able to build habitations of their own.
You said that you cannot do it because you do not want to do it, and you are lazy animal”
When the monkey heard the blackbird criticize him, he became very angry, because he was ashamed before the blackbirds, and then he swung straight to the blackbird’s nest and dropped it down.
DO NOT GIVE COUNSEL THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT TO LISTEN.
Once there was a hungry polecat who decided to leave the forest to find food in a nearby village. He soundlessly padded his slender body through the fields, carefully sniffing the air for the smell of food. Through the evening darkness, he soon caught a delicious whiff of some tasty bird. The polecat looked up and there, perched upon a limb of a tree, sat a rooster sleeping with his head tucked into his ruffled feathers.
Now, the polecat wanted to eat the rooster, but he could not climb the tree. So he decided to try to trick the rooster into coming down. The polecat crouched his body close to the tree trunk and gently called up to the rooster. “Hey, dear friend, wake up! I bring you a special message from our Supreme Lord. Our Lord says that from now on, all animals who have hated each other must become friends and never fight again. We must all live happily together in peace and harmony. So let us both begin our friendship now. Come down from your perch so that you and I can embrace each other just like peaceful, loving brothers.”
When the rooster heard the polecat’s voice, he woke up quickly. He looked sharply down upon his cunning old enemy whose slinky body crouched against the tree trunk. Now, the rooster had always been a sensible bird, and he just did not trust that old polecat. He thought a while and then he slowly replied, “My dear brother Polecat, your message from our Lord is very beautiful, Yes, we should love each other and live in peace and friendship. I want to come down and make peace with you, but could you wait a few minutes, please? My friend, the dog, lives together with me here. He went out to the forest to find some food. Let us wait for him to return. Then I will come down from the tree and three of us can celebrate our new friendship together.”
Then the rooster stretched his body and opened his wings. He turned to the north and called loudly into the forest, “Hello-o, dear Dog, hello-o! Come home now! Our friend the polecat is waiting for you here!”
When there was no answer from the forest, the rooster called still more loudly, “Hello, Dog! Can you hear me? Please come right now. Our friend the polecat is waiting”
The wary polecat thought he heard the dog coming. He was fearful because the dog was his old enemy. So he began to slip his soft body away form the tree.
The rooster pouted. “Oh, dear Polecat, don’t go,” he said. “Please wait. Our friend the dog will be here soon.”
But the polecat fidgeted and cringed. “No, I cannot wait any longer. I must bring the message of the Supreme Lord to all the other animals”
And with that, the polecat scurried back into the forest. The rooster watched him go and then, settling his feathers, went back to sleep again.
In Buddhist traditions, people were often reborn as animals. Therefore, animals often talked and behaved just like ordinary people. Cambodian Buddhist monks used this story as an example of how clever reasoning can outwit scoundrels.
There was a man who went fishing with his son in a river. When he dropped his fishing line into the river, it got tangled around the root of a tree, but the man thought that his fishing line caught a big fish; he could not lift the line; then he told his son to go home and tell his wife to quarrel with the family and the neighbors; because he did not want his relatives to ask for some fish. Then his son when to his house to tell his mother to provoke a quarrel. She put on only a strip of cloth round her chest and a sampot under her navel and she pretended to be like a foolish woman; then she painted her face black; and then went to her relatives’ houses.
All her relatives saw her in a strange condition, so they asked her “Hi! Why did you do this? Why do you put black coal on you face?” Then she blamed them and called them names “Damned! Are you heads heavy, when I paint my face black? What is that to you? Do I hurt you, when I paint my face black?
All her relatives heard her calling their names and they were very angry with her; then they called her name in return. Some were very angry; they took her to the judge. The judge asked her to pay money to those whom she called names.
After the fisherman had told his son to ask his wife to provoke a quarrel with his relatives, he dived to take the fish that the fishing line had caught. When he dived into the water, his head was hurt by the tree which got tangled with the fishing line, his eyes began to bleed; then the fumbled around to find the fish, but he found only the root of the tree; then he got out of the water and put up his hands to shield his eyes; and finally he went to the place where he had took off his clothes. But while he dived into the water, his clothes were blown away by the wind.
The fisherman felt very cold, his eyes pained him very much, and he wanted to go home but he could not go because he was naked; then he hid within a bush till night came. At night he crept into his house, but he could not get into his house because it was lighted; then he called his wife to give him some cloth; after putting his on, he entered his house. His wife told him that she gave as a fine all the money and goods to their relatives because he called them names.
The two lost everything; the man did not catch the fish, his eyes were hurt, his clothes were gone, and his wife was fined by the judge.
This is the story of the man who is greedy.
In a small village near the edge of the forest, there once lived a buffalo boy who had no mother or father. His uncle, who was the chief cook for the king, pitied the poor boy. So he invited the boy to stay with him in the palace. The grateful boy worked hard to help his uncle. He washed the plates, polished the cups, cleaned the dining room tables and mopped the floors. At the end of each month, his uncle gave him six sen as his wages.
Now the king frequently inspected the palace quarters. He often noticed the hardworking boy mopping the floors or polishing the cups, cheerfully and in good humor.
One day the king asked the boy, “Do you receive wages for your hard work?”
The boy bowed and said, “Yes, I do, Your Majesty. I earn six sen every month”
Then the king asked, “Do you think you are rich or do you think you are poor?”
“Your Majesty,” the boy replied, “I think that I am as rich as a king”
The king was taken by surprise. “Why is this poor boy talking such nonsense?” he mused to himself.
Once more, the king spoke to the boy, “I am a king and I have all the power and richest of this country. You earn only six sen a month. Why do you say you are as rich as I am?”
The boy laid down his broom and slowly replied to the king, “Your Majesty, I may receive only six sen each month, but I eat from one plate and you also eat from one plate. I sleep for one night and you also sleep for one night. We eat and sleep the same. There is no difference. Now, Your Majesty, do you understand why I say that I am as rich as a king?”
The king understood and was satisfied.
The Buddha preached about the equality of all human beings. In this story, a vain king, too proud of his wealth, is taught by his lowly servant that in the most important things of life, all men are equal brothers.
In a thick forest there was a lake where grew the kinds of agnatic plant such as water-lily and lotus.
One in the dry season a thirsty lamb went to the lake for drinking water.
Some where near the lake there lived a jackal. Seeing the lamb, the jackal was tempted to eat it. But it thought, “If I capture it and eat directly, it will not be anything very clever”
With this thought, the jackal approached the lamb and said, “Hey, what a naughty creature you are! Why do you make the limpid water so dirty that I cannot drink?”
Accused by the jackal, the lamb replied, “Why! I am standing downstream while you are upstream; how can the water be made dirty by me flow upstream?”
This reasonable reply made the jackal speechless. Then it made another accusation “Let it be so” it said “But why do you speak ill of me last year?”
Being terrified, the lamb said, “Last year was time when I was not born, how could I speak ill of you then?”
This reply, too, was to gag the jackal’s mouth. But the jackal was too persistent in accusation. It went on, “If it was not you, then it was your brother!” the lamb said humbly, “I have neither a brother nor a sister!”
The jackal on hearing this became very angry. Its face turned dark, “If it was not your brother” if bellowed, “Then it was surely your parents or grandparents who abused me”
Who has no parents and grandparents?
This accusation was too difficult to be disproved. The lamb then had no way to escape. It was at once killed by the jackal and eaten up?
Be continued from part I
Then, they approached the donkey and said roughly to the old man, “This young donkey is fat and pretty, it is worthy of the young man who is in the same happy state; an old man like you is not fit to ride on it!”
When the old man and his son heard such unkind words, they began to discuss. The father said, “First, when we carried the donkey we received and advice. Later, as you rode on the donkey, you got the blame. Afterwards I ride and encounter unkind words from these young women. What should we do to save ourselves from unpleasant words?”
After a thorough discussion, they found out a solution “Now, we ride together on it, you sit in front and I behind you” decided the old man. And sitting like that, they continued the journey.
After crossing some distance, they reached a custom-house. They were then seen by the officer of the custom-house, who asked, “Where are you going, men?”
“We are going to the village of Kompong” they answered.
And the officer blamed them “Your donkey is not strong and old enough to carry both of you. If you keep on riding along as far as the village of Kompong, it will become thin and its price will go down. How foolish you are! Why don’t you let it walk?”
Again they got off the donkey and led it by means of a rope. When they arrived at a field, there was no road for them to go any further. So they began to cross it to find another way.
The owner of the field who was working there cried out from a distance, “Walk carefully, old man! My field is full of thorns for it is not yet cleaned up. But you have a donkey, why don’t you ride it to avoid the thorns? Why do you treat it as your ruler? How foolish you are!”
After such an experience of life, the father and the son spoke to each other, “We cannot be in agreement with all people. See, we receive so much blame. What is good for one man may be bad for another. When it is fruitful for one, it may to fruitless for another, come along, we nevertheless, have to put up with all the blame”
And then they went on and reached at last the village of Kompong. There, they sold their donkey for a reasonable price and started for home without further loss of time. 
Long ago, there was a man named Khek. He had a son and a calf of a donkey as well.
When the donkey-calf grew up, it became a handsome and plump donkey with brown and smooth hair.
On seeing the grown-up donkey, the man said to his son, “Now our donkey has become fat and nice; if we sell it now, we can get a good price for it. But here, there is no one who needs a donkey and the village where someone needs it is very far from here, how can we then get a good price for it? If we make it walk to that far away village, it may get thin by fatigue, and its price will go down. Now, what are we to do for getting a good price for it? ”
The problem arising from this finally found its solution. The man and his son caught the donkey and fastened each pair of its feet tightly together and passed a pole between the pairs of feet and shouldered its two ends. Thus they began to carry it to the far a way village for getting a good price.
While going on their way, they were seen by villagers who were very much amused to see such a sight.
They burst into laughter and said, “Hey what a strange thing! The two men carrying a donkey” And then they accused the man, “Old man, do not do so. The horse, the ox, the elephant and the donkey have never been carried. It is they, which have to carry men on their back”
On hearing this, the father and the son took down the donkey and untied it. The father then said to the son, “We cannot ride all at once, for our donkey is not strong enough to carry both of us. So, ride alone on it, and I will follow you” And so the young man did.
As he was passing through another village, he was asked, “Where are you riding, boy?” “I ride to a village called Kompong” answered the young man. And pointing out the old man, they asked, “Who is this old man behind you?” “He is my father” the young man replied.
On hearing this, the villagers became angry and said “What an ungrateful son you are! You are strong enough to walk while your old father is not so; you would better get down at once and let your old father ride the donkey.
On hearing this sharp remark, the young man at once got down from the donkey and the old man took his place. And then they continued their journal. The young man walked behind the donkey carrying his father.
After some time, they came near a well at the end of a certain village. Around this well there was a throng of young women who came to draw water from there. Some were noisily pouring water on their body for a bath.
Looking at the handsome young man walking slowly behind the donkey, they felt a great sympathy for him. They envied the old man who was riding so comfortably on the donkey while the young man walked behind him with much hardship….
To be continued
Be continued from part I
A wife is the most necessary of all things! I shall get betrothed to a charming young woman. I shall marry her and shall comfortably live with her in my new house. I shall love her and she will love me. Se, in course of one year I will have a delightful boy. I shall love him very much. I shall engage some servants to look after him so that my beloved wife has no difficulty. All the servants will attentively take care of my child. But if any one of them neglect their duty and let my child fall down, I shall knock him down without any mercy!
As this last idea occurred to him, he forgot what he was doing. So, to punish his headless servant he suddenly raised his feet and gavea heavy blow to the bunch of palm-leaves. As he was about to fall down, luckily he could seize by his hand the end of a palm leaf and hung from there. It was a difficult position. If he wanted to get on the top of the palm tree again, it was impossible to do so. If he left the palm-leaves, he would fall down and meet his death. He therefore remained hanging there.
Shortly afterwards, a man riding this elephant, came towards the palm tree. Seeing him, the basket-maker asked a favour from him, "My brother, please help me to come down, I will be your servant, if I am saved from death "
The elephant driver on hearing this, made his animal stop under the swinging man. Then, standing on the elephant's back, he got hold of the basket-maker's feet to take him down with his two hands. But as he did so, he did not stand firmly and his feet therefore, trembled.
With such a touch on its back, the elephant thought it was its master's signal to go on. If then made a sudden rush forwards leaving its master who was tightly hoding the basket maker's feet, Now, the elephant driver told the basket-maker, "Please catch the palm-leaves as tightly as possible my dear brother, I will be your servant if I am saved!"
The basket-maker who now found it difficult to maintain his grasp of the palm-leaf shouted to the elephant driver, "Leave my feet! I cannot keep my hold with your catching my feet!"
"Please do not let go your hands from the palm leaves, I am afraid of death," said the elephant driver " it is just our bad fate!"
Suddenly there appeared four bald men. They carried a large fishing-net and moved towards the two men in danger. The two men humbly begged their sympathy, "Have pity, dear uncles, by taking us down on the ground, we shall then be happy to be your servant for our life"
"But how can we save you while you are swinging like this? " asked the bald men in bewilderment.
The unlucky men said, "Please spead out your fishing-net under us, and each one of you standing face to face in four corners and lift it up so that we can jump down on it"
The bald men did what they were instructed to do. But instead of raising the fishing-net with hands, they ties each corner of the net to their neck with a robe. Then they told the men in danger to give up the palm-leaves. Instantly, down fell the two men with a loud noise at the net center, tugging the four heads to hit one another so violently that they died a moment later.
But the basket-maker and the elephant-driver were then safe. They were shocked to see the four bald men laying dead with blood-stain on their heads. They discussed, "What should we do with them now? If we cremate them, the headman of our village will accuse us of a crime. If we tell him truly, he may not believe for we have no proof. So,the best way, I think, is to bury them right here"
Then the two being of the dug a large pit and placed the four motionless men into it and, after burying them there, they went back to their houses.
There was once a poor man who lived by making baskets and selling them. One day, the climbed up a plan tree near his house. Getting up on the top of the tree, he cut off some palm leaves and began to make baskets with them. No sooner had he started his work than he began to dream of a bright future. He thought, "When I have made a lot of baskets, I shall take them to the market. After selling them, I shall get one riel. With this money, I shall buy a chicken. Gradually it will grow into a hen. And in the course of time the hen will lay a number of eggs, the eggs will soon be hatched. I shall then have a broad of chickens. When these grow bigger, I shall sell them. From these chickens, I shall surely get five riels, with this money, I shall buy a pig-baby. When the Pig-baby grows older, I shall sell it and have ten riels, for it. Now, I have sufficient money to buy a calt and a colt to raise. Then, as they will be big enough I shall sell both of them and I shall then have one or two hundred riels. Ah, how happy I shall be with such a large amount of money! But to make this amount of money even larger, I have to buy farms and fields and land in a village where I shall built a large house to live in. In the farms and fields I shall grow rice and fruit trees. The yearly production coming from these will make me a happy rich man with an annual income of four or five hundred riels. What shall I do next? Oh, I see! I shall have a wife....................
In a great forest, there was once a big elephant whose name was Tilaka. There was also a large herd of jackals in the same forest, which went from place to place in search of food.
Once they saw the big elephant and discussed with one another, "What a big elephant is this! We have to kill him by a trick, if we can do this! Then we shall have food enough for four months."
Of all jackals, an old one was very clever. He asserted, "By my cleverness, I shall find out a special means with which to kill the elephant,"
After saying this, that sly old jackal started and walked up to the elephant, then prostrating to him with eight limbs, he said, "My lord, please do me a favour; I come to meet your lordship."
"Who are you? Where do you come from? And where do you go?" asked the elephant with a loud voice.
"My lord, I'm a jackal," he replied, " as the animals of this forest are without a king, they live without law and order: they have none to protect them and have no happiness; henceall of them agreed to send me for inviting you to be our king for you have all kinds of high quality for being our ruler"
Then the jackle added, "Now, my lord, it is anauspicious moment for you to be crowned; so, please have no hesitation and come quickly after me"
On hearing this, Tilaka was tempted. He liked very much to be a king. Wishing eagerly to be a king, he followed the jackal and walk as fast as he could. Suddenly, he got stuck in great mud so badly that he could neither go forward nor come back. From that position, he asked the jackal for help and said, "O friend jackal, help me. I'm now sinking in great mud!"
But the jackal being very much please to see that his trick is about to be successfully! said mockeringly with smile, "O lord, please hold up the tip of my tail with your trunk. This is your result in trusting my word!"
Then, no sooner had the big elephant sunk in great mud than the herd of jackals came out of the forest nearby and tore his skin and made him their food.
In a certain pond once there lived a crocodile. As the rainy season passed, and the dry season advanced little by little, small ponds and lakes began to dry up and plants began to wither away. Because of this, the crocodile crawling out from the waterless ponds began to wander hither and thither in search of water.
An old man riding in his bullock cart came along the lonely road and discovered the crocodile. Being tired by that time, the crocodile said to the carter "May I go with you in your cart, grand father?"
"Where do you want to go?" asked the carter "I look for a pond where the water is abundant" replied the crocodile, "Would you mind carrying me to such apond?"
"Well" said the carter, "I'll gladly carry you in my cart."
Then the carter freeing his oxen from the yoke said the the crocodile, "Crawl up his front frame of the cart!"
But as the crocodile was not sure that its slippery body would not fall down from the front frame he said, "Please fasten me to the frame strongly so that I might not slide down" And so did the carter.
When this was done the carter started. After sometime, he saw a pond full of water and stopped his oxen and after untying the crocodile, he said, "Now, you have a good pond, go and live here happily!"
But the crocodile instead of thanking the man accused him, saying, "I have suffered a great deal from your tight bond, so I have to eat you one of your oxen!" And it also added, "If you refuse this, I take instead of this your head"
Being frightened, the carter said, "It is strange; I have brought your here to find out a good pond. Why do you speak like this?"
And he went on saying "Indeed, I am innocent and I think I am not to be eaten and our case should be judged by someone""
Find out a judge if you please!" said the crocodile.
The carter being depressed in mind went about to find out a judge who would solve the question.
Roaming about here and these with some ripe bananas in his hand, the carter met a rabbit near a small hill,
And the rabbit said to him from a distance, "Hey old man, why do you look so piteous?"
The carter went near the rabbit and told it what had happened to him unexpectedly.
Indifferently the rabbit said, "Never mind, old man!" I shall help you, but first, give me your bananas!"
The carter gave it the bananas. And the rabbit ate them up till it was satisfied.
Then they two started for the spot where the old man had been accused. There, they saw the crocodile waiting for them. Just then the rabbit said, "Oh crocodile! What's going on? I heard you had once lost the direction and you had been brought here to find the pond by this old man; why are you so rude and ungrateful that you claim to eat him?"
"Certainly", replied the crocodile, "he is kind to me, but his kindness hurts me even now; he bound me so tightly that I nearly lost my breath; I there for asked him to give me to eat only an ox!"
And the rabbit turned to the old man said, "Oh good old man, are the crocodile's words true?
"Shaking his head, the man replied, "No, I did not bind it so tightly as it has said, I tied it just to make it impossible for it to slide down"
When the rabbit got such different answers, it said, "Since each one of you has no eye-witness, you the crocodile have again to climb up the front frame of the cart!"
And so did the foolish crocodile. The rabbit went on saying,"And you the carter tie it as tightly as you have done!"
And so did the carter.
When this was done, the rabbit asked, "Was it as tight as this, crocodile?"
"Oh no, it was not like this" answered the crocodile.
"Tighten it a little more!" the rabbit said to the carter. And so he did.
"Was it as tight as this?" the rabbit asked again.
"No, why should I be angry if it was as tight as this?" it said.
As it was impossible to tighten with hands, the rabbit said to the carter, "Go, old man, to look for a stick so that we can make a tourniquet
"When a stick was brought, a device being made with that stick, the carter tightened the crocodile's bond with the front frame of the cart so much it became difficult for it to move any more.
The rabbit asked the crocodile again, "Was it as tight as this?"
"Yes it was!" uttered the crocodile with difficulty.
"Stick!" commanded the rabbit, "what's the use of stick, old man? Send it to yama!"
But insead of stick, the carter brought out his axe and chopped the ungrateful crocodile into pieces and then thanking the rabbit for its help and he returned home in peace.
Once there were an old man and an old woman. They were very poor. Their cottage was on the seashore. They were fishermen by profession.
One day, the old man with his fishing-net on his shoulder went down to the sea. He threw his net into the sea but he caught no fish.
Again he threw the net but there was no difference. On the third time, when he dragged out the net. he found in it a fish of golden colour and because of this he called it "The golden-fish"
"Have pity on me, good old man," said the golden fish, "put me into the sea. I'll offer you something valuable"
The old man was surprised at the fish's words. He did never see any fish that could speak like a man. Now he saw this strange fish which could speak the human language. So he lifted it up carefully and said, "May god be with you. Oh golden fish, I want to have nothing from you."
On saying this, he threw the golden fish back into the water with the words,"Swim away with joy!"
On that day, the old man had nothing for his wife. He went back to his cottage and told his wife of all that had happened.
"How foolish!" exclaimed the old woman, "why didn't you beg something from it? Our two water pots are very old, why didn't you ask it to give us new ones? "
The old man said nothing. He just went back to the sea and called out very loudly,"Oh golden fish! Golden fish! I come to meet you."
He called out and at last the golden fish came to him "What do you want from me, good old man?" asked the fish.
"My wife," said the old man, "is very angry with me; now she asks me to come here for a pair of new water pots from you"
"Do not get worried, good old man" said the golden fish, "God will give you a new pair of water posts, go back to your house, please"
Saying this, the fish was out of sight, and the old man returned to his cottage. He saw a new pair of water pots in his house, but the old woman was still unhappy. She was a bad-tempered woman. She therefore said to him angrily, "What a stupid man you are! What's the use of these wooden pots?" And she went on,"Go to the fish again and ask for a house, because our house is too old to live in.
The old man had nothing to reply. He went wearily back to the sea. This time the water of the sea became rather dirty.
As before, he called out again and again until at last the fish came to him and said"What's the matter with you, good old man?"
"My wife is still angry with me." said the old man "and now she forces me to askfor a house"
"Don't trouble yourself!" said the golden fish "Return to your house, god will give you what you want"
The old man was very happy. He went back to his house. There he saw no cottage but a large building instead. In it, there were many rooms. It was a building made with bricks, surrounded by tall tree and a lawn and a park. The old woman was sitting near a window. From the window, she looked at the old man was wearily approaching the building "You, the dirty beast" she said to the old man when he came near, "why did you ask for such a bad building?" Go back to the fish again and ask it to change me into a charming young rich lady!"
Again the poor old man could not refuse. He moved back to the fish. This time the water turned dirtier. The fish came to him and asked, "what is the matter with you, good old man?"
"Pardon me please," said the old man, "my wife wants to be a charming young rich lady"
"Never mind, good old man" said the golden fish "God will make her a charming and rich young lady, just go back to your house with joy!"
As the old man arrived at his house, he saw that a palace arose at the site of the building. In the inner room, he could see his wife who was now young in fine and costly clothes siting in the middle of servants: On her fingers she wore rings adorned with diamonds. Her shoes were shining.
The old man approaching her said, "Good morning lady; are you now satisfies with these things?"
But the young rich lady frowned and shouted at him "Go to work in the stable, do not come here" and the old man went to the stable.
Two weeks later, the young rich lady had a new desire. She again said to the old man, "My dear" she began, "go to the golden fish again and ask it to change me into a powerful queen"
Being afraid, the old man said to her respectfully "Do not want to be so, please; you are from a humble family, why do you want to get such a high position?" Are you ot ashamed of villagers? Limit your desire, my lady!" But the cruel young lady became more angry. She thundered "Who are you? Don't you know that I am now a rich woman?"
And she ordered him, "Go at once to the fish, otherwise I shall use my power!"
The poor old man fearing his wife returned to the sea. This time the water turned dark and the golden fish said as usually, "God will help her"
On that very moment, the young rough lady became a queen. A splendid palace with all kinds of pomp and amusement was in her possession.
"Are you now happy with your high position?" asked the old man. But the young cruel queen did not give him even a look. Then minutes later, he was driven away by deserve servants. Some of them said unkindly to him "You deserve this for your behaviour; you have to know that you and our queen are not equal in position."
The old man ran away. But after two weeks, the queen had another new desire. She asked one of her servants to look for the old man. Then the old man was brought in front of the who said "My dear, go to the golden fish again and ask it to change me into the queen of the sea so that I can be a mistress of the golden fish itself"
The old man did not deny her command. "He went to the sea and called the fish. This time the sea was in great waves. The storm was going on. The water became very dark.
After some time, the golden fish approached him. And the old man told it what his wife had asked him to say. On hearing that, the golden fish uttered no word. It turned away with its head down into the sea.
The old man waited for it. He waited and waited, but he saw no fish coming back to him. Finally he returned to his wife. But alas! There he saw no palace, no queen and no servant I instead, he saw his old cottage wiht a pair of broken water pots under it. And he saw also his own poor old wife sitting near them.
Manay years ago, there lived a ghost in a certain village, he always wandered hither and thither in search of food. One day, while he was in his way looking for food he saw a farmer's wife, the ghost then came to like her very greatly, and when night came, he transformed himself into the farmer that no one could say that he was not the same man. Then he went to live with her.
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