The Hidden Luck
There once lived a very, very lazy man. Abdulla was his name. All-day long he lay in the sunshine, gazing at the blue sky. No doubt his small family went hungry most of the time. Often his wife would chide him, "It's high time you took up some work. How do you think we will survive in this manner?" "Don't you worry, dear. We are poor and sad now, but soon we shall be rich and happy. Have patience and wait," he would always reply to her and doze off to sleep. So the wife waited, their children waited, and the lazy man, too, waited. But alas, nothing happened, and they remained as poor as ever and their stomachs gnawed ever loudly. "If we were to wait any longer, we will soon starve to death!" said the wife one day and she began to weep. So, with great effort indeed, Abdulla lifted his hand and scratched his head. "I'll go to the sage who dwells in the forest and ask for his advice. He'll surely teach me how to stop being poor," he thought. The next morning, Abdulla's wife could not believe her eyes when she saw her husband out of his bed well before the cock's crow. Soon he set off. For several arduous days and nights, he walked, deeper and deeper into the woods. At last, he came across a grizzly bear. "Where are you going, my good man, far away from the village?" asked the bear.
"I'm off to meet the wise sage, All wrinkled and white with age. To learn how to be rich in life, without any effort or strife," sang Abdulla while performing a dance step. "Dear friend, perhaps he could give me the cure for my sleeplessness too," said the bear. "All right, I'll ask him about it," he replied and continued on his way. For another two days and nights, he trod on the winding path. He soon came to a cherry tree and rested awhile under its shade. "O weary traveler, where are you going?" asked the tree swaying one of its branches. "I'm off to meet the wise sage, All wrinkled and white with age. To learn how to be rich in life, without any effort or strife," said Abdulla in one sing-song breath. "Friend, for the last four springs, flowers do not blossom on me nor do I bear any fruit. Surely, the wise man will know what is wrong," said the tree. "Okay, I'll ask him about it," assured Abdulla. He walked for another couple of days and nights. For, the humble dwelling of the great sage stood very deep in the forest. He felt thirsty and stopped by a stream. Suddenly, a large fish thrust its head out of the water. "Where are you heading for through this wilderness?" asked the fish. Abdulla once again repeated his refrain. "O kind man," said the fish, "Could you please ask the wise one how to get rid of the nagging pain in my belly?" "Very well, I'll enquire about it," he replied and hurried away. At last, after several weary days and nights, he reached his destination.
Under the great Oak, just outside his small hut, sat the wise old man. He looked more than a hundred years, his long grey beard flowing down up to the ground. All around him frolicked wee little denizens of the woods, but he sat undisturbed, eyes closed in meditation. Slowly, he opened them, as if he knew that someone had come to meet him. "What can I do for you?" he asked calmly. Abdulla explained the purpose of his visit. "Is that all?" asked the wise one. Abdulla then told him what the bear, the cherry tree, and the fish wanted to know. Said the wise man: "When the rare pearl that lodges in the fish's stomach is removed, it will find relief." "And the cherry-tree?" "Under the ground, entangled in the roots, lies a golden chest. When it is dug out, the tree will blossom and bear fruit once again," replied the sage. "And what about the bear's insomnia, O good soul?" he asked. "Well, he has but to box the ears of the first fool he comes across," replied the old man. "O revered Sir, what about me? How am I to stop being poor?" asked Abdulla. "But, hasn't your wish been already granted?" replied the sage. "Is that so? Has it been granted?" he asked excitedly. But, by then, the sage had closed his eyes once again. Abdulla's joy knew no bounds. He trod homewards chuckling to himself. Soon, he reached the stream and stopped to have a gulp of its clear sweet water.