Tidu the Flute Player
Once upon a time, there was a poor farmer who lived with his wife and children. They all worked the land hard to earn enough to put food on the table. They all worked hard, except for the youngest child, Tidu.
Tidu would lie in bed all day and wasn't interested in working, no matter how much his family nagged him. If they pestered him too much, Tidu would go into the forest. There, he would either sleep in the cool shade of the trees or play his flute.
One day, while he was playing his flute, a man passed by him.
"How beautifully you play the bagpipes!" "Thank you! I wish I could just sit, play, never work, and be the richest man in the kingdom. That's what I'd like." "No dream comes true if you do nothing, young man. No one has ever gotten rich without working." "But I don't like work at all." "Why don't you play the bagpipes or the flute for others?" "But I don't have a flute, and I don't have money to buy one." "Then play the bagpipes. Soon you'll have enough money to buy a flute."
Tidu's Rise
So Tidu began to play the bagpipes for the villagers. He played so beautifully that people filled his hat with gold coins, and soon Tidu had saved enough money to buy a set of flutes. He played the flute even better than the bagpipes, and up to 20 surrounding villages constantly invited Tidu to play at weddings and celebrations.
"Tidu! I've never heard such beautiful music! I don't know how much you deserve for your playing, but now I ask you to accept 100 gold coins for your performance." "Thank you, sir!"
You might think that so much money would have made Tidu happy, but it didn't. He only became greedier. He had long since left home, and instead of returning to his family, he decided to go to the famous land of Cungla. It was said that any family in Cungla was richer than 50 kings combined.
"My money! Where is my money? How... how would it be if I played in Cungla? I would be so rich!"
The Journey to Cungla
So Tidu took his riches and his flutes and went to a ship bound for Cungla. But Tidu didn't want to buy a ticket, lying that he didn't have enough money, even though it was obvious he had plenty.
"Excuse me, sir, your ticket, please!" "But I don't have a ticket." "I'm sorry, but I cannot let you board without a ticket." "I am poor. If I could have, I would have bought a ticket." "I am very sorry."
One of the sailors on the ship knew Tidu. He had heard him play the flute. He called him aside.
"Shh! Over here! Aren't you the famous flute player?" "Yes." "Surely you have enough money to buy a ticket. I know you play very well. So I will let you in. Tonight, you must jump into the water and swim behind the ship, alright? I will get the captain to pull you out. Tell the captain that you've been swimming after the ship ever since we departed."
Tidu became so miserly that he agreed to the strange plan, and that night he slipped out of the sailor's cabin and jumped into the water. The sailor shouted:
"There's a man swimming behind the ship! There's a man swimming behind the ship! He looks like he's drowning!" "Quick! Pull him in with ropes! Quickly!" "Help! Help!"
They pulled Tidu onto the ship.
"How did you get there?" "Because you wouldn't let me on the ship without a ticket, I swam behind it, but now I was losing my strength. If you hadn't pulled me in, I surely would have drowned." "You swam all this way for more than eight hours? I didn't know you wanted to reach Cungla so badly. Come, join us!"
The Riches of Cungla
So Tidu was allowed on the ship, and after about two days, the ship arrived in Cungla. Tidu walked the streets of Cungla and was amazed by the houses with golden gates and the people riding in carriages adorned with precious stones. Even the simple merchants in the markets looked like rich and radiant nobles and princesses.
"I can make a fortune here!" "Come on, in Cungla, a servant can earn ten times more than a musician earns elsewhere."
Tidu overheard the conversation and decided that if a servant earned more than a musician, he should become a servant. He threw away his flutes and got a job in a large villa. After a month of work:
"I am pleased with you. This is your salary."
In one month, Tidu earned ten times more than he would have in a year. However, the more money he made, the more he wanted. He became so greedy and miserly that he no longer bought new clothes, and his old ones were torn and ruined.
One day, his master noticed:
"Servant, go and get new clothes, or leave my house. Servants who look shabby have no place in my house. People will think I don't pay you well, and I won't allow that, you know."
Tidu's Lesson
When Tidu heard his master scolding him, he became very upset. He longed for the praise and respect from his home village. He went to soothe his heart by the town lake. As he sat there, a familiar face appeared in the water. Tidu looked up. It was the same man who had advised him to play music.
"You?" "I see you remember me. Your hunger for money didn't make you forget me so easily, did it?" "I have enough money, but I desire respect." "How can you be happy as a servant if your heart craves music? You easily gave up your talent for a few extra gold coins. It's not your lack of respect that gnaws at you, young man, but your greed." "What should I do? You showed me the way once. Please show me again." "The path is the same. Forget about money, young man, and start playing again. But don't ask for money this time. You will see that you will be well rewarded." "But I haven't played in a long time. I don't know if I'll be able to play as well as before." "What a shame to waste such a wonderful musical talent. Practice, and you will see that one day you will become as good as before. You have enough money to support yourself until then." "I will do as you say."
The Return Home
So Tidu began to play the flute again, and before long, he played even better than before. His music was so delightful that the rich people of Cungla rewarded him with so much wealth that Tidu became one of the richest men there.
But now Tidu was changed. He longed to go home to his family. So he bought a ship and began the journey home, along with his riches. But alas! A powerful storm arose and sank the ship, destroying all of Tidu's wealth. Fortunately, Tidu was saved and washed ashore on a strange island.
"Where am I? Did I lose everything in the storm?"
Tidu was hungry and began to search for food on the island. Soon, he came to a tree full of apples and another with hazelnuts. He picked from both, for he was very hungry. He returned to the beach to eat. But as soon as he took a few bites of an apple, his nose grew so long that it almost touched his feet.
"What is this? Will I be like this from now on?"
Immediately he took the hazelnuts and began to eat. Relieved, he noticed that his nose had returned to its original length.
"These fruits are magical! At least I won't starve here. I don't care about my riches, for I have seen that money makes life easy, but it doesn't heal your heartaches. But I wish I had my flute so I could play."
The Arrogant King
Ah! Suddenly, thunder began, and Tidu saw the face of the one from the sky.
"Tidu, I am glad that you have finally learned what is most important in life and that you are not sad about losing your riches. Therefore, I will give you back your flutes. Soon you will be saved. There is a king in the kingdom of Riviera who is arrogant and believes that he and his family are the most beautiful people on earth. He has imprisoned people just because he thought they were well-dressed. Use these apples and hazelnuts to teach him a lesson and earn enough to return home."
Immediately, Tidu prepared two baskets. In one, he put apples, in the other, hazelnuts. And he waited. Soon, he saw a ship. Tidu waved to the ship and was saved. The ship anchored in a kingdom called Riviera. Tidu disguised himself so that no one would recognize him.
He took the basket of apples and went to the palace.
"Fresh, sweet, juicy apples, yellow as the sun! Fresh, sweet, juicy apples, yellow as the sun!"
It seemed the chef was just looking for apples to bake a pie for the royal family. So he called Tidu.
"Hey, apple seller, come here! Are your apples good enough to be eaten by the king?" "Oh, you've never seen apples as good as these. Look at them and enjoy!" "They really do look extraordinary. Good, I'll take the whole basket."
Tidu quickly took the money and left before the chef could taste the apples. Then, he waited patiently for a few days. Soon, it was rumored that the royal family had fallen ill. Then one day, an announcement was made.
"Attention, everyone! A special message from the palace! The royal family is suffering from a strange illness, caught from some apples. The illness does not endanger their lives, but it is strange and affects their noses. Anyone who brings the medicine to cure them will receive half the kingdom."
When Tidu heard this, he made a powder from the hazelnuts and disguised himself as a doctor. He went to the palace with the hazelnuts.
"I have the medicine for the king's illness. All family members should eat five full spoonfuls of this, and by morning they will be well."
Of course, the royal family got rid of their long noses, and the king offered Tidu his reward.
"You have cured us! I will keep the promise I made to you, and I want to give you something more than half of my kingdom. What do you wish for?" "Sire, I heard that you imprisoned people simply for being well-dressed. Release them, Your Majesty!" "That is true. I have been cured of the pride of being sophisticated and well-dressed, and I have already ordered those prisoners to be released. What else can I give you besides half the kingdom?" "Your Majesty, I do not want half the kingdom. I only want you to give me a ship to go home and enough money for a few acres of land." "Very well!"
A Happy Life
So the king gave Tidu one of his best ships and filled it with riches. Thus, Tidu went home, bought a huge piece of land, built a mansion, and lived there happily with his family until old age, playing his flute. He shared his wealth with the needy and was never lazy or greedy again.
Riches and beauty fade, but talent and perseverance never do.
