The Poison

Hello, everyone.

    The story that I am going to tell you is based in China a very long time ago. It is the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law story. The daughter-in-law gets fed up with her mother-in-law’s bickering and decides to take a drastic step of killing her.

     Read on and find out if she succeeds in her plot.

The Poison

    Once upon a time, there was an old woman in China. She had one son and when he got to age she got him married to a very beautiful girl.

    They all lived together peacefully at first but soon the mother-in-law and the daughter in law were always at war with each other. Things got so bad that one day the daughter in law decided to do something about it.

    One day she went to a traditional doctor and told him to give her poison so that she could kill her mother in law.

    The doctor looked at him for a while and then said, “Are sure you want to kill her?”

    “Yes,” she replied.

    “Very well,” he said, “I will give you some medicine, but you will have to promise me something.”

    “I will do anything to get rid of that old woman,” she said, decidedly.

    “Here is what you will have to do,” the doctor said. “You will have to act very nicely with her and cook her favourite food for her and be kind do whatever she wants. Will you be able to do that? If you can then I will give you some slow poison that will do its work slowly.”

    “If I can get rid of her I am willing to do that,” she said.

    Then, the doctor gave her some powder and told her to put a little bit of it in her mother in law’s food.

    The daughter in law went home and started to act very nicely towards her mother in law. She cooked for her whatever she wanted and the mother in law started to be kind to her. Now as days went on, the daughter in law really started to get fond of her mother in law. She started to feel guilty.

    One day, she just could not bear it anymore and went to the doctor again.

    “Doctor,” she said, “I have come to tell you that I don’t want to poison my mother in law. She is a very sweet lady. I like her very much. How can I reverse the effect of the poison that you have given me?”

    The doctor looked at her and smiled.

    “I never gave you any poison,” he said. “I knew it was just a misunderstanding between you two. I had given you vitamin powder to help her get healthy. It’s just that she was feeling weak that she had become like that.”

    “Thank you, doctor,” said the daughter in law. “You are so understanding.”

    With that she went home with a light heart.

    After that there were no quarrels and everybody lived happily.

The Wolf and the Seven Kids

Hello, everyone.

    I am sorry I was unable to post a story yesterday as I was not feeling well. Please, pray for me that I get well and be able to bring you nice stories every time.

    The story that I am going to tell you is that of seven kids. The big bad wolf was always trying to get them and when he was able to get them how the mother goat got the better of him.

    Happy reading!

The wolf and the Seven Kids

    Once upon a time, there was a mother goat and she had seven beautiful white kids. They were living happily but the mother goat was always afraid for them. There was a very big bad wolf that was always trying to catch and eat the kids. One day, she wanted to go to the market and she warned the kids not to open the door to anyone but herself.

    “Don’t open the door to anyone,” she said. “I will knock the door like this. Rat-a-tat-tat two times and I will say it’s me and when you hear my voice you open the door. Have you understood?”

    “Yes, Mother,” they replied.

    “Be careful,” she said and with that she left.

    Now the wolf was waiting behind a tree near their house and he heard everything the mother goat had said. So as soon as the mother goat was out of sight he knocked at the door, rat-a-tat-tat.

    The kids were surprised to hear the knock so soon.

    “Who is it?” they asked.

    “It’s me,” the wolf replied in his gruff voice.

    The kids knew at once that that was not their mother’s voice.

     “That is not our mother’s voice,” they said and asked, “you are not our mother. Go away.”

    The wolf understood that this time he was caught and so went away.

    When the mother goat came home the children told them exactly what had happened.

    Now a few days later, again the mother had to go somewhere and she warned the kids again against the wolf.

    “Now, listen to me,” she said, “this time I will knock and show you my hoof. If it is white you will know and then you open the door. Have you all understood?”

    “Yes, Mother,” they all replied.

    The mother goat went away.

    This time the wolf did not knock immediately but waited for a while and then he knocked rat-a-tat-tat.

    Again the kids asked, “Who is it?”

    “It’s me your mother,” replying in a soft voice like the mother goat’s.

    He had eaten honey so that his voice became soft.

    “If you are our mother then show us your hoof,” they said.

    The wolf showed them the paw. It was grey and not at all like the goat’s hoof.

    “Go away,” they said. “You are not our mother.”

    Once again the big bad wolf failed but he was determined to get the kids. So one day when he found out that the mother goat was going to go out he prepared himself. He covered his paw in white flour and made it look like a hoof.

    The mother goat went away to the market after warning them to be careful.

    The wolf hid himself behind a tree and when he saw that the mother goat had left he waited for a while and then he went and knocked on the door, rat-a-tat-tat.

    “Who is it?” they asked.

    “It’s me, your mother,” he replied in soft voice.

    “Show us your hoof,” they said opened the door a crack to let him show them the hoof, but of course it was a paw and he had disguised it as a hoof.

    The children mistaking the paw for their mother’s hoof they opened the door.

    As soon as they opened the door the big bad wolf rushed inside and started to catch the kids one by one and gobbling them.

    The youngest one was clever. As soon as he saw that it was the wolf and not their mother he jumped up and hid himself on a cupboard and sat there trembling.

    When he wolf had gobbled the six kids he felt very heavy and he went to the riverbank and lay down to sleep.

    By and by the mother goat returned and when she saw that the door was open she went inside quickly. When the kid who was hiding climbed down the cupboard and explained to his mother all that had taken place. The mother became distressed. But she did not give up.

    She took her scissors and a big needle and some strong thread and went to look for the wolf. Soon she found him sleeping by the river. She went slowly near the wolf and cut his belly and took out her kids. The mother goat warned them not to make any noise. Once she had removed them out she took some stones and put in the wolf’s stomach and sewed it up with her needle and thread.

    Then, she told her kids to go home and she hid behind a tree to see what would happen.

   Soon the wolf woke up and still feeling heavy he thought that maybe if drank some water he would feel better. He stood up slowly for you see the stones were heavy it was difficult to stand up. Then, slowly he went to edge of the river and started to drink. The wolf felt heavy and as he was drinking he leaned a bit too much and fell in the water and drowned.

    The mother goat went home and they all lived happily ever after as there was no big bad wolf to fear.

The Golden Goose

Hello, everyone.

    The story that I am going to tell you today is one of my favourites. I had read this story when I was in primary school. This story holds many good memories for me.

    I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

    Happy reading.

The Golden Goose

    Once upon a time, there was an old woman who had three sons, the eldest was called Sam, the younger was called Paul and the youngest was called Tom. She was a widow. One day there was very little food in the house and so she called her sons.

    “My sons,” she said. “There is hardly any food left in the house. You will have to go and cut wood in the forest so that when you sell it we could buy food.”

    “Alright, Mother,” said Sam, the eldest son. “I will go and cut wood today.”

    So the old woman gave him a big piece of cake and an apple. She also gave him some orange juice.

    Sam took all this and went to the forest. He cut wood until noon. Then, feeling tired and hungry he sat down to rest and have his lunch.

    Now, as soon as he opened his mouth to put his first morsel a very old woman appeared before him.

    “I am very hungry,” she said. “I haven’t eaten for two days. Please spare me some food.”

    Sam was startled and looked up. He was an old woman in tattered clothes and a stick standing there before him.

    “I just have enough for myself,” he said, rudely. “How can I give you any?”

    “Very well,” said the old woman and disappeared.

    Now as soon as Sam finished eating he took up his axe and wanted to continue his work, the axe slipped from his hands and cut his leg badly. Sam tied an handkerchief on his wound and went home.

    The next day, the second son, Paul said he would go to the forest to cut wood.

    So his mother gave him half a loaf of bread, some cheese and some orange juice.

   Paul did the same thing as well. He went to the forest and cut wood until noon. He was tired and hungry and so he sat down on a log to eat his lunch.

    As soon as he put the first morsel in his mouth an old woman in tattered clothes and a stick appeared before him.

    “I am very hungry,” she said. “I haven’t eaten anything for two days. Please, spare me some food.”

    Paul was startled and looked up.

    “Certainly not,” he said, rudely. “I barely have enough for myself. Now, go away.”

    “Very well,” said the old woman and disappeared.

    Now, when Paul had finished his lunch he stood up to continue with his work. As soon as he lifted his axe it slipped from his hands and cut his hand badly. He tied an handkerchief on his wound and went home.

    The third day the old woman told Tom to go to the forest and cut wood.

    “My son,” she said. “Both your brothers are hurt and cannot go to cut wood. You will have to go today, but there is no food left in the house. Take these two slices of bread and water. That is all I can give you.”

    “It’s alright, Mother,” said Tom taking the two stale slices of bread and some water. Then he left.

    He did what his brothers had done. He cut wood until noon and then being very tired and hungry he sat down on a tree stump to eat his meager meal.

    Now as soon as he was about to put a morsel in his mouth the same old woman appeared in tattered clothes and a stick.

    “I am very hungry,” she said. “I haven’t eaten for two days. Can you spare me some food?”

    Tom looked up startled.

     “Oh, hello,” he said. “I didn’t see you come. Well, I just have two slices of stale bread. Here you can have one if you want.”

    And he gave one piece to the old woman. The old woman took it gratefully and they both started to eat. Soon they had finished and then suddenly something happened instead of the old woman in old tattered clothes and a stick there stood a most beautiful fairy. She had beautiful golden hair and very beautiful transparent shimmering wings!

    Tom just gapped at her.

    “You look surprised,” she said, laughing. “I came to test you. I tested your brothers but they were too selfish. You, on the other hand are a kind lad.”

    Then, she gave him a golden goose.

    “This is a magic goose,” she said. “As soon as someone touches it and you say ‘don’t let go, don’t let go’, that person will be stuck to the goose until you say ‘let go’.”

    Then, she disappeared. Tom took the goose and went home excitedly.

    As soon as he reached home he called his mother and brothers and showed them the golden goose. Nobody believed him so he told his older brother to touch it and as soon as he touched it he said out loud, “don’t let go, don’t let go” and his brother got stuck to the goose and when Paul tried to free Sam, Tom cried, “don’t let go, don’t let go” and he got stuck to Tom.

    His brothers begged him to free them and so he said, “let go”, and they were free. His brothers and mother were angry.

    “What good is a golden goose,” his mother said, angrily, “when all it does is stick people? Take your goose go away. You lazy boy.”

    Tom did not say anything. He just took his golden goose and went away.

    Now let me tell you about this town. The king who ruled this town had a beautiful princess. She was so beautiful that her beauty was praised far and wide, but there was one problem. The princess had never laughed or even smiled in her life. The king was worried and had announced that whosoever would make the princess laugh he would give her hand in marriage to that person. Soon many princes and young men came but no-one was able to make her laugh. The king got so fed up that he announced if whosoever came and tried to make the princess laugh and was unable to do so would be sent to jail. Even then many princes and young men came but no-one was able to do so.

    Now, Tom had reached this town. As soon as he entered the town people were curious to see such a beautiful golden goose and came nearer to have a closer look at it. They began to annoy Tom. At first, he did not know what to do. Then he had an idea.

    There was a maid and she tried to stroke the goose and at once Tom said, “don’t let go, don’t let go” and of course she got stuck to the goose at once.

    Now, the baker saw this and he came with a rolling pin to hit Tom and rescue the maid and as soon as he touched her Tom shouted again “don’t let go, don’t let go” and he got stuck to the maid. The butler saw them and he came to rescue them and as soon as he touched the baker Tom shouted, “don’t let go, don’t let go” enjoying himself and the butler got stuck to the baker. Then came the butcher and then came the footman and they were all stuck together and Tom just went on his way and soon he came to the palace and as he as passing there with everyone shouting to let them go.

    Now the princess was in her room and when she heard all the noise she came to window to see what all the din was about. When she saw everyone stuck to one another in such a comical way she burst out laughing. She laughed and she laughed until tears were rolling down her cheeks.

    Now when her maids saw that they at once went and informed the king. The king couldn’t believe his ears. He came to the princess’ room to see for himself. He was very happy to see his daughter laugh and at once sent his servants to bring Tom and his goose and everyone stuck to it in his presence.

   The king also laughed to see such a sight. Then he asked Tom about himself and then as was his promise he married his daughter to Tom and gave half of his kingdom to him.

    Tom and the princess lived happily ever after.

The Old Woman and the Medicine Man

Hello, everyone,

    The story that I am going to tell you is of an old woman who loved to spread bad things about people. One day she went too far. Read on and find out how she was cured of this bad habit.

The Old Woman and the Medicine Man

     Once upon a time there was an old woman. Whenever she saw something she just would not try and understand the situation but go and speak about it to other people. Everybody was tired of her gossiping. She always found something to talk about. Just the other day a girl was rude to her mother and so she told everyone about it. That is how she was.

    Now on this particular day she went to a grocer’s shop to buy some sugar. As she was waiting for the shopkeeper to serve her she saw a young lady come into the shop and take a parcel that was there and go. Immediately she thought that that young lady had stolen that parcel that was on the shelf. Now she got excited she had some news to spread. She wanted the shopkeeper to serve her quickly so that she could go and tell everyone about it. At last it was her turn and she got served and she went straight to one of her friends to talk about it.

    “Do you know what I saw today when I went to buy sugar today?” she asked her friend.

    “No, what did you see?” her friend asked her.

    “Well, you know Divya?” she asked.

    “Yes, what about her?” her friend asked her.

    “Well as I was standing there to be served and she just came in and stole a parcel and went away,” she said, triumphantly as if she had done a great deed.

    “I don’t believe it,” her friend said, rather annoyed. “I know her she would never take anything without asking. You must have made a mistake.”

    “No, I tell you,” she persisted. “I saw it with my own eyes.”

    “That is funny,” her friend said. “She has never done such a thing before. She is very nice young lady. I like her.”

    “Ok,” the old woman said, “if you don’t believe me.”

    From there she went to another friend and another and another. Soon the word spread that Divya had stolen something from the grocer’s shop.

    Soon the grocer himself got this news and he was surprised.

    “That is funny,” he told the lady who had broken the news to him. “She has never taken anything from my shop. Who told you?”

     The lady told him the name. The shopkeeper got upset that anyone should spread such bad things about one of his customers. Also Divya was a very nice young lady. She had very good manners and she would never do anything to jeopardize her name. So he decided to investigate and find out who had spread these rumours. When he asked around he found out that it was that old lady who was responsible for this. He got rather angry.

    One day, this old woman came to his shop to buy some rice. The shopkeeper saw the opportunity. Luckily there was no-one in the shop and so he asked her about it.

    “I saw it with my own two eyes she took a parcel from your shelf and went away without telling you,” she insisted.

    “What you saw that day was that she had kept her parcel there for safekeeping,” he said. “She told me to look after it and she would come and collect it later and so she came and took it that day. It was her own parcel. You should be careful what you tell people in future. She is very nice girl and you have tried to ruin her good name. That is very bad.”

    The old woman went away from there shamefacedly. She felt ashamed now that she had spread such bad things about a very nice person. She sat and thought what to do. She became desperate. She did not know what to do. Then she had an idea. She went to a medicine man and told him about her problem.

    “Is there some medicine that you can give me so that I can put things right?” she asked him.

    The medicine man looked at for a while.

    “There is one thing you can do,” he said. “Take a bagful of feathers and go up a very high hill and then empty the bag there in the wind.”

    “Will that help?” the old woman asked him.

    “Just go and do as I tell you and then you come back to me,” he said.

    And so the old woman got lots of feathers and put them in a bag and went to the highest hill and emptied the bag there. All the feathers blew away with the wind and not one was left there. After doing this she went to the medicine man.

    “I have done what you told me to do,” she told him.

    “Now go and gather all those feathers again and bring them to me,” he said, calmly.

    The old woman stared at him wide eyed.

    “How can I get the feathers?” she asked. “They have all been blown away by the wind.”

    “Exactly,” the medicine man said. “You have ruined a perfectly good name of a nice person. You cannot go to each and every person and tell them that you have made a mistake just like the feathers. You have to be careful what you are saying. You cannot judge a person by one act. Our eyes could deceive us. Sometimes what you are seeing is not exactly what it is. Just be careful next time. Why don’t you just go and ask that lady’s forgiveness?”

    The old woman felt very ashamed of herself.

    “Yes, I will go and beg her forgiveness,” she said, with her head down.

    She did just that and from that day onwards she  was very careful and tried very hard not to gossip.