The Three Brothers
Once upon a time, in the village of Dasmana, there lived a man named Arco with his wife, Tina. Arco was the village chief and owned vast lands. He loved his wife very much and would buy her flowers and give her gifts.
He took great care of his pregnant wife and the lands he owned.
— Here, for you, my love. — How sweet! Thank you so much!
One day, when the baby was due, and his wife was taken to the maternity ward, she began to feel very unwell and was in pain.
— Stay calm, my love, you'll be fine. After he said that, Tina was taken into the ward with a midwife. Arco waited outside, worried, as he could hear what was happening inside.
Sad News
After a few hours, the noise inside stopped, and the cry of a baby began to be heard. The midwife came out with a baby in her arms, wrapped in a blanket, but she was sad and had tears in her eyes.
— It's a baby boy. He's healthy, but I'm sorry. Your wife didn't make it. — No!
Arco was extraordinarily sad and could not be consoled. He gave up his role and responsibilities as village chief, and for a few days, his sister came to him to take care of Simon, his little boy.
A New Family
— Arco, you deserve to be happy again, and your son needs someone to care for him. Why don't you get married? — Wait! Where are you going? I don't want to get married! — I'm not going anywhere, but the child needs someone to care for him and love him like a mother.
After much convincing, Arco agreed, and a few weeks later, he married a lovely young lady from the village, Dona. Dona was kind and good, and she took care of Simon and loved him as if he were her own son.
Thus, Arco began to feel better and soon became the cheerful man everyone knew again. After a few years, Arco's family grew. Now they had two sons: Ryan and Rodney. Dona loved them all equally and made no distinctions between them, treating Simon as her own son.
Gifts and Envy
— Here, boys, these are for you. — Oh, wow! Cool bat! He's my favorite superhero! — Yes, it's fantastic! — Mine too! Thank you, Mommy!
Even after giving birth to two sons, her love for Simon did not diminish; it remained the same. She also didn't tell Ryan and Rodney that Simon was their stepbrother.
Arco would go with the boys to the fields every year, and together they would build a scarecrow.
— Simon, bring the hay! — Yes, Daddy! — Ryan, Rodney, bring the sticks and clothes! — Yes, Father! Yes, Father!
They loved making scarecrows together and did it year after year.
The Neighbors' Plan
One day, after they had built many scarecrows, the boys grew up. And Arco grew old and passed away. Thus, Simon took over the responsibilities of the household.
He took care of the fields and his family, and they lived happily and prosperously.
— Mother, this is a new dress for you. — Thank you, my son! — Ryan, look at the boots you kept talking about. — Thanks, brother, they're wonderful! — Hey, Rod, I have something special for you. — Wow! It's the motorcycle I've always wanted! Thank you so much, brother!
The neighbors began to grow envious and hatched a plan.
— Look at him! How much land he has! — Yes, I know how to take some of his land. — Really? How so? — The younger brothers don't know that Simon is their stepbrother. We can tell them, turn them against him, and then, when he's out of the picture, we can take their lands. — Then we'll be rich! I like the sound of that!
The Neighbors' Lies
The next day, when Ryan and Rodney went to the market, the two neighbors approached them.
— I see your stepbrother gave you a nice gift. — What? What do you mean? — Didn't you know? He's your father's first child from a previous marriage.
The boys were shocked at the news. The neighbors told them that since he was taking care of everything, he had no intention of leaving them their share of the lands.
— Do you know why he gave you this motorcycle? — Yes, do you know? Do you know? — No. — To keep you busy with trivial things and keep all the lands for himself. — Yes. He's not your brother, he's just selfish, greedy.
Without knowing the neighbors' true intentions, the two brothers united against Simon. They became angrier than ever and decided to get rid of him.
— Come on, let's get rid of him, let's tell Mother.
Dona's Plan
The boys immediately went home and told their mother everything. She was shocked when she heard what they said.
— Don't be foolish, your brother is not selfish. — I don't want to hear anything! Either you get rid of him, or we will. — There's no need! I'll take care of it.
Dona became very sad and realized why the neighbors had told the boys that and what their intentions were.
— I have to fix this!
She stayed awake all night, worried, trying to find a way to teach her sons and the neighbors a lesson. That night, when everyone was asleep, she shouted:
— A snake! A snake! — Where? Where is it? — Oh, my son, I saw it entering your stomach! — Oh, no!
The Lesson Learned
Then, he lost his appetite and lost weight. He stayed in bed all day, and for the next few days, he couldn't even get out of bed. Seeing their stepbrother in this state, the brothers felt they had accomplished their mission. The neighbors rejoiced when they heard how Simon was feeling.
— Our plan worked! — Yes, now let's steal their land!
Soon, the neighbors extended their boundaries and took large portions of their land. The boys tried everything they could, but they achieved nothing.
— Hey, that's our land! — Ah!
Seeing that they had been tricked by the cunning and sly neighbors, they were very ashamed. They went to their mother to ask for forgiveness and help.
— Mother, we are very sorry. Now we realize what we've done. — We shouldn't have listened to the neighbors. — Simon has always been a wonderful brother and took care of us. — If it weren't for us, everything would have been fine and nothing would have happened. — It's alright, my children, let's hope he recovers.
That night, while her sons were sleeping, she shouted:
— A snake! A snake!
Then, Simon weakly said:
— Where? Where is it? — It came out of your stomach and disappeared!
Justice Triumphs
From that day on, Simon's condition improved, and soon he began to eat and then walk. One day, when he went out into the field, he saw that their lands had been stolen by the neighbors.
— I know exactly what I need to do.
Simon went to the village chief and explained that he had become very ill and that the neighbors had encroached on his lands. Seeing that Simon had recovered, the neighbors became scared and began to tremble, thinking about what he might do to them.
— Oh, no! Simon has recovered! What do we do now?
Just then, the village chief arrived with some village guards.
— Come with us! Move your boundaries immediately! — Yes, sir! Yes, sir!
The two neighbors were punished and thrown into prison. They returned Simon's lands and learned that it is not good to deceive people and steal their property.
And the three brothers became closer than ever. Together they took care of their lands and lived as a happy family.
