Five Brothers And A Tyrant
There once lived on the coast of the China Sea an old woman with her five sons. The five brothers all looked alike. Even their mother would often mistake one for the other. They were known as the Len brothers. Each of the five brothers had extraordinary power. The eldest, Len one, could suck all the water from any lake into himself and blow it out whenever he wished. The second brother Len two, could step into a fire and not get burned. Len three could stretch his legs for miles and miles. Len four had a body of steel. The sharpest weapon could not pierce his skin. And the youngest brother, Len five, could speak and understand every animal language. One day while Len five was listening to the tales of the animals, the king came to hunt in the forest. The king was a tyrant and his subjects were mortally frightened of him. Now the king was about to shoot a deer when Len caught sight of him. "Run, danger," he shouted in deer language.
In a wink, the deer disappeared and warned all the other animals of the danger. The king was furious. He ordered his soldiers to capture Len and throw him into the cage of a famished tiger. But what a surprise! The tiger and Len chatted like two friends meeting after a long time. The king's face went beetroot red. He ordered Len to be beheaded the next morning. But when the guards were sleeping Len four, exchanged places with the youngest. Morning came. Len four whose body was strong as steel was led to the block. At the King's command, the executioner, with all his might, brought down the sword on Len's neck. But what a strange sight! The sword broke into pieces and Len stood smiling beside. The king screamed, "Throw the wretch down the highest cliff, tomorrow." In the dead of the night, the third Len brother who could stretch legs as long as necessary secretly changed places with Len four. Early next day Len three was led up the highest cliff and pushed down. But as he dropped, Len started stretching his legs till they touched the ground safely. In a fit of rage, the king began tearing his hair. "How can I get rid of this devil?" he screamed. His ministers thought for a while. They finally advised the king to burn Len alive. While arrangements were being made for the burning, the Len brothers switched places without being noticed. Soon two guards led a whistling Len two, to the public ground. There he was tied to a post and a great fire was lit. The flames rose high. Dark fumes spread making people cough. "Alas, the unfortunate one," cried a spectator.
The king laughed in glee. But his laughter was short-lived. For out of the drying fire came out a grinning Len. Not a single hair of his body had been burned. "What a man!" cried the desperate king. "Tiger does not eat him, the sword cannot kill him, thrown from a cliff he survives and now fire cannot burn him. What am I to do?" After a few minutes, he exclaimed, "Tie a heavy stone around his neck and drown him where the lake is deepest. Nothing can save him this time." Meanwhile very cautiously the eldest Len exchanged places with his brother. Two boats were ready to sail. One carried Len one and the soldiers who would throw him into the lake. In the other, the king and his attendants followed. When they reached Midlake, the king ordered his men to throw Len overboard. The king felt much relieved now that he had, at last, got rid of Len. But a strange thing started to happen. The water of the lake was fast disappearing into nowhere! Before long the boats touched the lake bed. In the meantime the eldest Len, having sucked in the lake, unfastened the heavy stone around his neck and reached the shore. Without losing time he blew out all the water he was holding, back into the lake. In a twinkle, the lake was full again. The ruthless king and his men struggled to come out of it but failed. The country was at last free from its tyrant king. People rejoiced and the Len brothers were honored as no king had ever been.
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