It's hard to put a wise head on young shoulders.
Once there were four young men who passed their time creating the most far-fetched and incredible tales. One day they saw an old man who was travelling from one city to another and had stopped in their village to rest and have a meal. The old man’s clothes were quite expensive and, on seeing them, the young men were soon filled with envy. They decided to hatch a plan that would enable them to take the old man’s clothes for their own. Soon they came up with a wonderful idea. They would challenge him to a contest. Each one would tell an improbable adventure and, if any man doubted the truth of any story, that man would become the slave of the storyteller.
When he heard their proposal, the traveller agreed. He finished his meal, and he settled down to listen to each young man as he took his turn weaving his elaborate tale. In fact, everyone in the shop stopped and listened and wondered who would win the contest.
The first young man began. “Before I was even born my mother asked my father to pick her some plums from the tree in front of their house. My father replied that the tree was too high and too dangerous to climb. My mother asked the same favour of my brothers and sisters, and they gave her the same answer. I was so upset that my mother was disappointed and hungry for those plums that I climbed the tree myself and picked the plums when no one was looking. I left them on the table near where my mother rested. No one knew where the plums came from, but my mother was very pleased".
The four young men watched the old traveller to see if he would protest and express his disbelief, but he merely nodded his head quietly as if the story were commonplace.
The second young man began. “When I was only a week old I took a walk through the forest. As I walked, I grew hungry and found a date tree. I climbed up into the date tree and ate and ate until I was so full and sleepy that I could not climb down. So I went back to the village and borrowed a ladder, which I carried to the tree, propped it against its trunk, and climbed down. If I hadn’t used that ladder I would still be up there in that date tree”.
They all looked at the old man, but again he merely nodded in agreement.
The third young man then began. “When I was one-year-old I was walking in the tall grasses at the edge of the village when I saw a rabbit. I chased the creature until I caught it, only to discover that it was not a rabbit at all, but a tiger - a ravenous tiger. The beast roared and opened its mouth to eat me. I tried to explain that I thought he was a rabbit and would never chase a tiger, but this only enraged him further. He opened his great jaws to bite me, but I caught hold of him and broke him in two and went on my way, still looking for the rabbit".
The old man nodded his head in agreement.
The fourth and last young man began his story. “Last year I went fishing on a nearby lake. I fished all morning but caught nothing. I asked others who were there fishing, but none of them had caught anything either. I decided to find the cause of this problem and dived off the side of the boat and into the water. I swam down for about three days until I reached the bottom. There I found a huge fish as big as a mountain, eating every fish that passed by its enormous mouth. I killed the monster with one blow from my fist. Then I realized I was hungry, so I lit a fire and roasted the huge beast and ate the whole thing. After a nap, I floated to the surface and went home.”
Again the traveller only nodded his head in agreement.
Now it was the old man ’s turn. “On my farm, I have a fruit tree that is different from any other tree in the world. It has no leaves, but it does have four branches. Years ago, at the end of each branch, a single fruit grew. When the fruit was ripe, I picked it and, when I cut each piece open a young man jumped out. As they came from my tree on my property, these men were legally mine. I made them work on my farm, but they were very lazy. The only thing they wanted to do all day was sit around and make up fantastic stories. After a few weeks, all four men ran away and since that time I have been travelling all over the countryside looking for them. Now, here in this shop, I have found them at last. You know well enough that you are my runaway servants. Now, come back with me and don’t give me any more trouble.”
The four young tricksters couldn’t say a word. They were in a hopeless position. If they declared his story to be true, they were admitting to being his runaway servants. If they said the story was false, they would lose the contest and become his slaves anyway. They hung their heads in silence.
The villagers who were watching smiled at their dilemma. Finally, the head of the village declared the traveller to be the winner. The old man turned to the four young scoundrels and said, “Now you are my slaves, and everything you own belongs to me, so take off your clothes, and shoes, and rings, and give them to me and I will give you back your freedom.” The four young men agreed.
The old traveller tied their belongings into a bundle, threw them over his shoulder and resumed his journey, leaving the four young men standing naked and bewildered in the village shop. You can be rest assured the story was told over and over again, always at their expense!
A retelling of an old Burmese (Myanmar) tale.