THE FARMER’S SECRET- A FOLKTALE
Once, a farmer was ploughing his field when suddenly his
pick-axe hit something under the ground. "Clink!" came the sound.
"What could it be?" the farmer wondered.
He carefully dug up the ground and was amazed
to see two big pots full of gold coins buried there. "So much
wealth!" the farmer cried with joy. He had never seen so much
treasure. He decided to take it home before anybody else saw it. "But
that won't be a good idea!" he thought. He feared his talkative wife may
spread the news around. 'Once the people come to know about it, they will be
after me!" thought the farmer. He was in a dilemma; neither could he leave
the treasure there, nor could he take it home.
So, he planned to test his wife. "I will
tell her something and ask her to keep it a secret. If she obeys me and keeps
the secret, I need not fear that she will talk about the treasure." So,
the farmer buried the pots of gold again and went home. As soon as he saw his
wife, he said, "Did you hear? The king has a tortoise inside his belly!"
"Is that so?" asked his wife. 'Yes, dear!" said the farmer.
"Please keep this a secret." "Of course!" his wife nodded.
But it wasn't to be. That afternoon, as the farmer was taking a nap, his wife
went to the neighbors, "Did you hear? The king has a tortoise inside his
belly!” she said.
The news spread. And spreading fast, the new
finally reached the palace to the king himself. The king was very upset and
asked one of his courtiers to find out who had been spreading the rumor.
The courtier had heard it from his friend, who
in turn had heard it from the washer man, who in turn had heard it from his
wife, who in turn had heard it from her sister.... and the chain went on until
finally reached the farmer.
The king sent his guards to bring the farmer.
When the farmer saw the king's guards, he knew his wife had been talking.
"What a fool I've been to ask my wife to keep a secret. Now I will have to
pay for my foolishness," he thought.
The farmer was produced before the king.
"Why did you spread such a silly rumor about me?" asked the king, who
was very angry. "Tell me or I shall have you beheaded!"
The farmer was terribly frightened. He decided
to tell the truth, " This is the only way I can get away alive," he
thought.
"Speak up!" shouted the king.
"Why did you spread the rumor?" "I didn't spread the rumor, Your
Majesty!" the farmer replied softly. "It was my wife who did
it!" "What do you mean?" asked the king. The farmer said, "
I wanted to test whether my wife could keep a secret or not. And so
I....." "What secret?" the king interrupted.
"That I have found two pots full of gold
coins!" replied the farmer." TWO POTS OF GOLD COINS!" the king
exclaimed. "Where?" Now the farmer knew that once he showed the pots
to the king, he would get only a meager sum as a reward. So, he replied, "
I will tell you where it is, your Majesty, but first you must promise me that
you will let me take half of it."
"I promise!" said the king. The
farmer then took the king to his field and showed him the treasure. "You
deserve to keep both pots for speaking the truth, dear farmer," said the
king.
The farmer was very happy to hear this; he
thanked the king and carried his treasure home. Now he had no need to keep it a
secret.
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