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FOUR
LIARS
One there were four liars. They planned playing tricks on people. When
they were all ready and agreed with one another, they left their house to
go far away from their village. They met two persons, husband and wife,
who worked by the river far away from anyone's home. The four liars knew
that the two were rich, so they said " We must stop here and tell
them a lie to cheat them of their goods. "
And then they asked them " Oh! old ones! we come form far away. We
seek someone who knows an ancient tale, because we want to know it. Now we
meet you who, perhaps, can tell us an ancient tale. Could you tell us one?
" The two old ones told them " Oh, young ones! old ones have not heard
any tale since they were children. Please young ones go to ask someone who
knows one. "
The four liars told them "
Oh, old ones! If someone knows an ancient tale, do you want to listen to
it? " " Yes, young ones! We would like very much to listen to it, but we
cannot find someone who is able to tell us an ancient tale " said the
old ones. The four liars told them naughtily " We all know one because we heard
it from our ancestors, but when we tell it to you, you must believe us.
" Then the old ones said " We must believe "
The first one began his lie, he said " When I was three months old in
my mother's womb I scented, a ripe fruit in front of my house. That tree
was about sixteen feet and it had only one fruit. My mother did not know
how to pick the fruit to eat, when I thought that my mother wanted to eat
it, I came out of her womb, then I climbed up the tree to pick up the
fruit for her. Finally I got into her womb again. "
The second one said " When I was six months old in my mother's womb,
my mother was very busy working in the field, so I came out of her
abdomen. I worked with her, tending oxen and buffaloes, cooking for her in
the morning. At night when there were nothing to do, I got into her womb
again. "
The third one told them " I am a god coming down from heaven to be
born in my mother's abdomen. When I come out from her womb, I go to serve
her in every thing. I will get in her abdomen again before I die and I
will be born young again.
"
The fourth one said " When I came out from my mother's womb I
practiced five commandments and waited for eight commandments very
different from others. I can drink, smoke and kill, when I die, I will be
born in heaven. "
The liars told the old ones these lies and asked them " All the tales
that we told you are true. Do you believe us? " The old one answered
" Yes, I believe all you said. " but the old ones know that the
boy were liars. When the liars could not play any more tricks on them, they asked the old
ones to tell them some tales. But before the old ones had told them a
tale, they asked them to promise to believe their tales as the four liars
did. The old man said " Oh, young ones, my children! Since I had planed
cotton for five or six years, I made enough money to spend and to feed
you. But this year, the cotton plants do not yield anything. I do not know
why. One day as I went to my field, I saw a cotton plant as big as a palm
tree with a fruit. I took the fruit home and when I stripped it, I saw
four seeds each of which was a boy, I told my wife to feed them, when all
the boys grew up, they went away from us. Now I see they have come back to
live with us. You are those boys. " The four liars were afraid and said " We do not believe this "
But the old ones told them " If you do not believe this, you break
your promise, so you must live with us and serve us as good sons should
serve their parents. The four liars then became their servants. |
