In olden times, in the thick of a dark forest, there lived a man who had three sons. The father loved his two elder sons dearly but could not bear his youngest who was ill treated and called a fool by the whole family. No matter what he said or did, the others only laughed at him and insisted that they had never heard of anything so silly. If the elder brothers took a dislike to a piece of clothing he was made to wear it; if a dish was not to their liking he was forced to eat it. Whatever they asked for they got, but no so he who was never given anything he wanted. And if ever there was a household chore they doing they passed it on to him.

Thus it came about, since the two elder brothers found such work beneath them, that he was the one who had to pasture the pigs. He pastured them day in and day out, and as he had much time for thought began to wonder whether or not there were people living beyond the forest.

One morning he left the pigs to pasture by themselves and set out on his way. He walked for a whole day but there seemed to be no end to the forest. So he ate his breakfast, climbed a tree, and, tying himself to it, spent the night in it.

On the following day he went on again. He walked and he walked, ate his dinner, and toward evening, fearing the wild beasts, climbed a tree and spent the night in it just as he had before.

On the third day on he went again. He followed a path that led through the thickest part of the forest and he had his supper, but the edge of the forest was still not in sight.

Only on the fourth day, as he was sitting in a tree, did he suddenly hear the cocks crowing. He went in the direction from which the crowing came, and, reaching the forest edge at last, saw a city before him.

He came into the city and marveled at the sight of so many people.

Seeing that many were weeping openly and that the walls of the houses were hung with lengths of black cloth, he asked a passer-by why this was so.

Said the man:

"Where do you come from that you don't know that the wicked dragon is to get the king's daughter to morrow? Of all the maidens in the city the lot has fallen upon her to be given to him this time. The dragon threatens to level the whole city with the ground if this is not done."

"Why does no one kill the dragon?" the fool asked.

"Everyone fears him he is so fierce," the man replied. "The king has promised to give his daughter in marriage and his throne, too, to however saves her from the dragon, but even so no one dares to attempt it."

"Well, then, I will!" cried the fool. "Take me to the king."

When news of this began to get about, everyone thought the young stranger an empty braggart and only the king was pleased that at least one brave man had come forward. He ordered all sorts of weapons to be brought to him, swords, spears, lances, guns and poleaxes, and a choice of helmets and coats of armour, too, but the fool took nothing but a large axe.

"I've never handled any of these fancy weapons before in my life," said he, "but I know how to use an axe well enough."

On the following day the king took his daughter to the forest, chained her to a tree with iron chains, and, weeping bitterly, returned to the palace. The princess sighed as she waited for death, and the fool stayed with her and watched for the dragon's coming. It was a cold morning, and, thinking to warm himself, he chopped some firewood and made up a fire nearby.

As he was fanning out the flames, the dragon came flying up. He snorted and opened wide his jaws, wanting to swallow the fool, but as soon as he had crawled up to him the fool snatched up one of the larger of the burning logs and thrust it down his throat. The pain of it made the dragon open his jaws even wider, and the fool availed himself of this and pushed all of the logs down his throat. The dragon roared out in agony and began rolling over the ground. And the fool hurried up with his axe and went at him as if he were a block of wood. He chopped off his head, cut up his tail to bits and would not stop till he was quite worn out himself. The princess saw it all and at first she trembled with fear, but her fear soon changed to joy. And when the fool had cut her chains and freed her, the poor thing who had not thought to remain alive, threw her arms round his neck and kissed him.

Toward evening the king came to the forest and what did he see but the dragon hacked to pieces and the brave young stranger lying asleep, his head resting on the princess's knees. The king embraced him and wept in joy, and from then on no one was there in the whole kingdom who was held in such esteem and regard. So fond did the king grow of the fool that he married him to his daughter and gave up his own throne to him.

After a time the fool bethought him of paying his parents a visit. He took his young wife with him, and off they set in a golden coach. Their way lay through a forest, but they had not quite reached the forest edge when the fool stopped the coach, put on his old clothes and went off to pasture the pigs as he had once done. As for his wife, he told her to ask his parents to let her in for the night, to pretend that she did not know him and not to be surprised at anything that might happen.

The princess did as he had told her, and the fool seeing that the pigs were out by themselves, pastured them till evening and then drove them home, cracking his whip and shouting loudly: "Come on, you porkers! Get a move on, dearies!"

His father ran out to meet him and begged him to be silent, but he only shouted the louder.

"Do be quiet, the princess is staying in our house," the father said.

But the son, pretending to be the fool they all thought him, replied:

"What do I care about the princess, I have to drive the pigs home. They've turned wild, what with no one to look after them, and won't listen to me, so I've got to shout at them from time to time."

He came into the hut just as if he had been there only yesterday, and, sitting down at the table, began to eat his supper.

"Where have you been all this time?" his father asked.

Said the fool in reply:

"I went beyond the forest to see if there were people there and found that there were, indeed, and many more than here. Unlike you, they treated me with kindness and respect, and, to crown all, made me their king."

The father heard him out and only shook his head. He asked him nothing more, for he had had enough.

In the meantime the mother cooked some supper for the princess but was fearful of serving so high a personage. She asked first one, then the other of her sons to do it, but they, too, dared not.

Said the fool:

"Since no one wants to serve the princess, I will. She won't eat me up. I love her dearly and hope to make her my wife one of these days."

The mother looked at him and shook her head, for was he not the fool he always had been, but she gave him the food to take to the princess.

The fool carried in the bowl of meat and set it down on the table in front of the princess with such force that-crash!-it broke and the meat fell out.

"Here, lap it up!" said he and ran out again without another word.

The mother had been watching through a crack in the door and seen it all, and when he came back to the kitchen began scolding him for his rudeness.

"Where can a man learn good manners if he is out with the pigs all day!" said the fool.

"Whether you're out with them or not, nothing will change you," said the mother with a shrug.

After that he carried in a bowl of soup, and, saying "Here's some soup for you!" set it down on the table with such force that the soup splashed over and wet the princess's figured skirt. The princess only laughed and the fool ran out again.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself, you pig you!" cried his mother. "You've spoiled the princess's skirt."

"I don't doubt but she has another," said the fool.

Then he carried in a pot of turnips and this he overturned into the princess's lap.

"Here, have some turnips!" said he.

And the princess laughed so that she nearby died.

It was time to go to bed, and the mother said to the fool:

"You'd better find yourself a place to sleep in. your brother have taken your bed, so you must go to the cow-house and lie down on the floor there, there's no room for you in the hut."

Said the fool in reply:

"That I won't, for the cow-house is not a fitting place for a king to sleep in. but since there is no room for me, I'll lie down beside the princess."

"You were always a fool," said the mother, "but you never spoke such nonsense before. The things you think up! As if the princess would let you packing then and there!"

"Just you watch and see how the princess will treat me," the fool said. "She's my wife and is sure to be waiting for me."

At this the fool's mother, father and brother burst out laughing.

"Ha-ha-ha!" roared they.

They settled down for the night and the fool went to the princess's room. She welcomed her husband lovingly, as was to be expected, but could not keep from laughing all the same.

The mother and father and the two elder brothers only gasped when the fool came out to them in the morning richly dressed and with his wife at his side.

They all went off to pay his father-in-law a visit soon after and they never stopped marveling that the fool had become king.

I once paid him a visit and stayed in his palace and I came back home on a gingerbread horse he gave me for a gift.

And for all I know, he must still be alive and ruling the land.

There was once a farmer who had many children. Time passed and his sons and daughters were all married, and the oldest son and his wife waited for him to give them his farm. But the old man was still strong and had no wish to give up farming.

Still, he did have thoughts of death and knew that sooner or later the farm would pass into his son's hands.

So off he went to see a sage and learn from him how many years of life were left to him.

The sage looked at the old man and said:

"You'll know your death has come when you have sneezed three times."

Much saddened, the old man went off home. On he walked and all he thought about was how to keep from sneezing.

He gad only just come into his own front yard when he suddenly left a tickling in his nose and gave a great sneeze!

"O Heavens me, I've only two more sneezes left!" sighed the old man.

On the following day he went to the mill to grind grain. The dust there got into his nose and he sneezed again.

"There is nothing to be done!" sighed the old man. "I have one last sneeze left and then my end will come."

And out he ran from the mill so as not to sneeze for the third and last time. But the flour was ready and had to be taken away. So back he came inside again, threw the sack of flour over his shoulder and made for the door.

By that time his nose was full of dust and the old man felt that he was going to sneeze. He tried not to but could not stop himself.

"A-tishoo!" went he.

"O Heavens me, here am I dead!" sighed the old man, and, dropping his sack, stretched himself out on the ground.

Seeing the sack of flour, the miller's hogs came running up and began tearing at it.

The old man looked at them and sighed.

"You villains you!" thought he. "Were I alive I'd have shown you, but what can a dead man do!"

Just then the miller came out into the yard. What was his surprise when he saw the hogs tearing at the sack of flour while its owner lay there and did nothing.

"What are you doing?" asked he.

Said the old man in reply:

"Why, just lying here, of course! What else can I do now that I'm dead? Were I alive I'd have driven off your hogs. Do me a favour, will you, and drive them off for me."

The miller was more surprised than ever.

"Oh, so you're dead!" said he. "How very sad that is."

He took a whip and began flogging the hogs and he sent the whip flying over the old man's back, too.

Up jumped the old man from the ground.

"Thank you for bringing me back to life," said he. "If it weren't for you I'd be dead still."

With this he heaved the sack of flour on to a wagon and drove home. And he won't hear about dying to this day!

Hundreds of years ago in a small Dhani (cluster of houses) on the bank of the river Lunee, there once lived, two neighbours, Lakshman and Manohar Singh belonging to Bania and Jat communities respectively. Both, were on good friendly terms.

Once the whole area was badly hit by drought and consequently by famine. Lakshman and his wife decided to go to some other city for better living. Both discussed among themselves about the safety of the ornaments and other belongings and decided to leave the same in the custody of Manohar Singh.

Next morning Lakshman went to his friend, Manohar Singh's house. Manohar Singh was not there. So he called his wife and said, "Bai, we do know how long this famine will continue, so we are going to some other city. It is not wise to carry the ornaments with us, so we have decided to leave them with you."

The talk was going on, when Manohar Singh also arrived. Lakshman repeated his words and asked his friend to take good care of his belongings. Manohar Singh and his wife readily agreed to the proposal.

Lakshman and his wife set out on the journey. After living for some years in Malav Desh, they returned home. They had amassed a lot of wealth including gold and money.

Manohar Singh learnt about their arrival, he did not feel happy. But, to keep his face, he and his wife visited Lakshman's house and enquired about their well being.

Next morning Lakshman's wife went to Manohar Singh's house and asked for the ornaments and other belongings, which they had left with them.

To her great surprise Manohar Singh's wife told her that the belongings and ornaments had been eaten away by the mice.

Lakshman's wife was shocked and was angry. She did not utter a word at Manohar's house but she and her husband realized that their friend had cheated them. They discussed a plan and finalized it.

After some time, one day Lakshman requested Manohar to send someone to his land to remain there, till he returned from the next village, as his wife was not feeling well. Manohar readily agreed to send his younger son, to guard the standing crop.

Lakshman took the boy to one of his relatives in the nearby village and asked him to stay there, till his return. The boy agreed.

When Lakshman returned, Manohar asked him about his son. Lakshman replied sorrowfully that the boy had been carried away by a big eagle, while he was coming back.

Hearing it, Manohar got terribly upset and started shouting at him for murdering his son.

Some people advised Manohar to approach the mukhia (headman of village) about the grave incident.

The mukhia heard the whole story and asked Lakshman-"How it is possible, for an eagle, to carry away a boy of thirteen years?"

Lakshman replied in the same tone-"Why not? If mice can eat away our ornaments then an eagle can also carry away the boy".

The mukhia now wanted to know the story of the ornaments and mice. Foolish Manohar narrated the whole story.

The mukhia gave his verdict that all the ornaments and other belongings of Lakshman Bania should be returned to him and in exchange, Lakshman should return Manohar's son.

As a result Lakshman got his belongings and Manohar his son.

It is rightly said-"Bad deeds do not yield good results".

The Goose Maid : A Story
Once upon a time there was a Queen whose daughter was to marry a Prince. The Queen packed up many wedding treasures. She gave the Princess a maid and each them had a horse for the journey. The Princess's horse was called Falada and it could talk.

"My dear child," said the Queen. "Take this little piece of fabric. I let three drops of blood from my finger fall on it. Take good care of it, and it will become very useful on your journey."

The Princess took the piece of fabric and put it in her pocket. Then she and her maid set off on their journey. When she became thirsty the Princess said to her maid, "Get down and fetch me some water from the stream." But the maid replied, "Get down yourself! I don't want to be your servant any more."

As the Princess lay down by the water to drink, she heard the three drops of blood say, "If your mother knew this, her heart would break!"

The Princess said nothing. She mounted her horse again and they continued their journey. Soon she became thirsty gain. But the maid, even more arrogant than before, said, "If you want to drink, get down yourself. I'm not your servant any more!"

Again, the Princess got down. But as she was leaning over the stream the little piece of fabric with the drops of blood fell into the water and floated away. When the maid saw this she was very pleased. She now had complete power over the Princess. She made her swap clothes and horses with her, and forced her to swear not to tell anybody at the Court. But the horse Falada had seen and heard everything.

Arriving at the castle, the Prince joyfully received what he believed to be his bride. She pointed to the real Princess and said at once, "Give my maid some work to do!"

"She could help the boy Conrad look after the geese," said the Prince.

But the false bride was afraid Falada might reveal her secret. Therefore, she said the Prince, "Have this horse's head cut off. It annoyed me on the way."

The real Princess heard about this. She was very upset and asked the stable lad if he would nail Falada's head up in the archway. She passed through the archway every day with the geese and she was able to see her beloved Falada.

"The next morning when she had Conrad drove the geese through the archway, she said, "Oh, my dear Falada, how said to see you like that." And the horse answered, "Oh, my dear Princess, how sad to see you like that. If your mother knew her heart would break!"

The Princess went to the meadow and combed her hair.

Conrad teased her and pulled her hair. She asked the wind to blow Conrad's hat away, so he had to run after it and she could comb her hair in peace.

The next day she talked to Falada again. And again she played the trick with Conrad's hat. Angrily, he went to the King and said, "I don't want to tend the geese with that girl any more! She annoys me." And he told the King his story. But the King ordered him to tend the geese with the girl again the next day.

The King secretly followed them and overheard the Goose Maid talking to Falada. He asked her about it and the Princess told him the whole story. The King gave a big party where the false Princess sat on one side and the real Princess sat on the other side of the Prince. The false Princess was quite confused and didn't recognize the Princess in her beautiful clothes.

When they had eaten, the King said to her, "I shall ask you a riddle. What does a person deserve who has deceived her mistress?"

"Such a person deserves to be put to death," replied the maid.

And with that the King pronounced this to be her punishment. The Prince then married the real Princess and they lived happily ever after.

If at times you feel you want to cry
And life seems such a trial
Above the clouds there's a brught blue sky
To make your tears a smile

As you travel on life's way
with its many ups and downs
Remember it's quite true to say
One smile is worth a dozen frowns

Among the world's expensive things
A smile is very cheap
And when you give a smile away
You get one back to keep

Happiness comes at times to all
But sadness comes unbidden
And sometimes a few tears must fall
Among the laughter hidden


So when friends have sadness on their face
And troubles round them piled
The world will seem a better place
And all because YOU SMILED

A story read by me I really liked it posting here for all of You..................................... .......................


My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell... anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school.
I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed.
How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school..."Your mom only has one eye?!" and they taunted me.

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, "Mom, why don't you have the other eye?! You're only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don't you just die?" My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I'd wanted to say all this time.

Maybe it was because my mom hadn't punished me, but I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

That night...I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away. Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I'm living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me "What?! Who's this?!" ...It was my mother...Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye.

And I asked her, "Who are you? I don't know you!!!" as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her "How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!" And to this, my mother quietly answered, "oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared. Thank good ness... she doesn't recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn't going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

Then a wave of relief came upon me...one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house...just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand.... it was a letter to me.

She wrote:
My son...
I think my life has been long enough now. And... I won't visit Seoul anymore... but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school.... For you... I'm sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you.

You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye... so I gave you mine...I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me. I thought to myself, 'it's because he loves me.' I miss the times when you were still young around me.

I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me.
My world shattered!!!

Then I cried for the person who lived for me... My Mother