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.
"Has the wise man prescribed some cure for me?" asked the fish. "You have just to take out the rare pearl that is lodged in your stomach and all will be well with you," he replied. "Friend, do help me and take it out. You will not only relieve me of my pain but also would possess the rare pearl," said the fish. "Oh no. My wish has already been granted. I will be rich anyway without moving my little finger," said Abdulla and he resumed walking. He reached the cherry-tree and at his sight, all its branches began to sway and its leaves rustled. "Has the wise man given any solution to my problem?" asked the tree. "A golden chest lies buried under you. The moment it is unearthed, you'll once again blossom and bear fruit," he replied. "Please, dear friend," implored the cherry tree, "will you dig out the chest, for me? You'll be helping me and helping yourself too!" "Why should I bother, when the wise man has assured that I shall be rich anyway?" replied Abdulla bidding the tree goodbye. Finally, he met the grizzly bear. "Ah, Mister, what news have you brought for me?" asked the anxious beast. "Box the ears of the first fool who comes your way and you'll be cured," said Abdulla rather hesitantly. "Fine. Will, you kindly tell me a little more about your adventure?" asked the happy bear.
Very proudly indeed Abdulla related all that had passed and about his encounters with the fish and the cherry tree. "But I just did not at all bother about their pleadings," he concluded, sounding clever. "For I'll be rich anyway!" "Is that so?" said the bear with a big smile. "But as for myself, I need not go very far. For the greatest fool, the world could ever know stands right in front of me!" The bear at once held Abdulla in a tight hug with one hand and with the other began to box his ears black and blue. "Oh, oh, oh... I've... I've understood! I've.." The bear left Abdulla and said, "You're indeed lucky if you have understood!" The first thing Abdulla did thereafter was to go back and meet the cherry tree and fish. On his way back home, along with the golden chest and the rare pearl, he came across the grizzly bear, fast asleep, snoring blissfully. He was quietly passing by when the bear woke up and said, "Avoiding me, eh? But am I not your true friend?" Abdulla stopped, turned back, smiled, and saluted the bear and said, "Indeed, you are! What a fool I am!" "No, say what a fool you were! With the rare pearl and the golden chest, you are no longer what you were!"
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