Bedtime Stories For Kids - Three Strange Fellows

Three Strange Fellows

 One day King Kantisen rode up to the frontier of his land. There was a vast meadow. At its center stood a huge tree. It was quiet noon and the king saw three fellows seated under the tree. They too saw the king, but they showed no respect to him. The king asked one of them, more in surprise than in anger, "Should you not stand up when you see the king?" The fellow looked at the king but uttered no word. The fellow who sat next to and who had only one eye, said, "O King, he speaks only when he gets angry, not otherwise. But whosoever hears him turns deaf and dumb." The king was suddenly overtaken by an eerie fear. "And, so far as I am concerned, the moment I open that eye of mine which I keep shut, you will grow totally blind!" said the fellow again. "You must be wondering why I did not fold my hands to greet you," said the third fellow who sat with both his hands twisted backward, "The moment I raise my hands to salute anybody his head shall be shattered into pieces." King Kantisen who had proved his bravery in several battles felt nervous now. He turned his horse to go away. "Halt!" shouted the one-eyed fellow. "Listen to me or your horse will fall dead!" The king stopped and asked timidly, "What do you want of me? Why don't you allow me to go away? I have done no harm to you!" 

The one-eyed fellow laughed. His friend who kept mum stared at the king menacingly and the fellow with his hands backward grinned like a ghost. "Let us accompany you to your palace," the one-eyed fellow said. "But why?" asked the king. "We welcome no foolish question! Beware of our wrath," growled the fellow. The king was obliged to trot on slowly. The three fellows walked, keeping pace with him. It was evening when they reached the palace. The king arranged for their comfortable stay. "Listen, O King," said the one-eyed fellow, the leader of the group, next morning, "Do not go to your court tomorrow without first paying us a visit." The palace attendants as well as the ministers were surprised to see the king paying so much attention to the strangers. "Who are these fellows, my lord?" the minister asked the king in private. "They are a strange lot with great power. They can do havoc if we do not obey them," said the king. From the next day onward the king had to visit the strangers regularly before going to the court. The strangers asked for a number of facilities for themselves. Everything was given to them. They exercised a great influence on the king and insisted that the king consult them on every issue which comes up before him. The king avoided his minister and began to be guided by the strangers. The whole administration ran in the wrong way. But nobody could help it. One day the leader of the strangers told the king, "From tomorrow we will sit on the throne by turn, each for one day."

"That is not possible," murmured the king. "If not, our wrath will destroy your kingdom," warned the fellow. "Well, then, let it be as you wish," agreed the king. The king did not go to the court for three days during which the strangers, one after the other, ruled the kingdom. When the king came to the court on the fourth day, he saw all the courtiers looking sad. The treasurer informed him that the royal treasury was almost empty, the wealth having been carried to a deserted house on the frontier of the kingdom. The king also learned that it was the one-eyed stranger who sat on the throne on the first day. He ordered that everyone in the capital must keep his or her one eye shut. Because a young man was found moving about with both his eyes wide open, he was caught and one of his eyes was dug out. It was the silent stranger's turn to sit on the throne on the second day. On his behalf, his two friends ordered that all in the capital must keep their mouths shut. Two passers-by were heard talking. They lost their tongues under the ruler's order! The fellow who kept his hands backward sat on the throne on the third day. He ordered all to keep their hands backward. When he found a man disobeying him he ordered his hands to be cut off. King Kantisen was overwhelmed with sorrow. He could hardly speak. He left the court soon with tears in his eyes. The minister followed him. When he found the king alone, he said, "My lord! We must put an end to this senseless tyranny. Otherwise, the people will rise in rebellion and there will be great chaos."

"I understand. But is it not to save the kingdom from the wrath of the strangers that I have conceded to their whims? If angry, they can destroy us all!" said the king. "If it is so, then certainly one with greater power can come to our rescue!" said the minister. "True. But where is such a man?" asked the king. "Why, my lord, have you forgotten about the hermit who is believed to be sitting in penance inside a cave in the forest for the last hundred years?" reminded the minister. "But he will come out only if a devotee sacrifices himself before him - as goes the legend," said the king. "Right, my lord. I have found out such a devotee. Let us go to the cave. The devotee should be there, waiting for us," said the minister. It was a moonlit night. The king and the minister stood before the cave. The minister looked around and said, "My lord, it seems the devotee who had promised to be here has failed us. Never mind. I will enter the cave and sacrifice myself so that the hermit can come to your rescue." The king did not wish to lose his dear minister. But before he could stop him, the minister rushed into the cave. The king had no other go than to wait. A few minutes later he heard a roaring voice and saw a bearded hermit emerging from the cave. "Lead me to the strangers," said the hermit. Silently the king showed him the way. As soon as they arrived at the palace the courtiers and the king's bodyguards pressed near them. The hermit went straight to that portion of the palace where the strangers resided. He shouted, asking them to come out. 

Surprised, the three fellows appeared before the crowd. "Ha! Ha!!" laughed the hermit and struck the one-eyed fellow on the head with his stick. "This fellow's powers are gone!" he announced. Instantly the crowd pounced on the fellow and he was taken, prisoner. The other two strangers were found shivering in fear. The hermit struck them in a similar way and announced that they too had become powerless. The crowd beat them up and they too were taken, prisoners. The hermit then lead the king into a room. When they stood face to face, the king was about to prostrate himself to him. But the hermit stopped him. Next, the king lamented the sacrifice of his minister. The hermit laughed and pulled away his own beard and shed other disguises. There stood the minister! The king was delighted. He then asked, "How did you muster such courage to challenge the strangers?" "My lord, I knew from the beginning that they were three ordinary fellows. Secretly I gathered the information that they were notorious for their villainy in the neighboring kingdom. They had been punished and turned out of that kingdom. One of them had lost his tongue, the other fellow one of his eyes. The third one's hands had been twisted. On arrival in our kingdom, they met you at such a moment when you were alone and somehow you were frightened by them. Your fear was their only strength!"

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