The Salty Sea
Two Brothers with Different Fates
Once upon a time, there were two brothers who lived in a village. The older brother was very rich, but the younger brother was very poor. One spent a lot on all the festivals, while the other had nothing.
Not even enough food to feed himself or enough clothes to wear. The younger brother's family was often hungry because he had no money. One fine day, he decided to ask his brother for help.
Begging for Help
— Brother, my children are starving. Please, lend me some money. I will buy food for them.
— You always come here asking for money. I have nothing left to give you. Get out!
Meeting the Wise Old Man
Hurt by his words, the younger brother left. On his way back home, he met an old man. He was carrying a pile of firewood.
— Oh, wait! Those must be very heavy. Let me help you with them.
— Oh, thank you! What happened, child? Why do you look so worried?
— I don't know what to do. My family is hungry, and I can't get them food. I am so helpless. What should I do?
— Is that so? I can help you. If you help me carry this pile of firewood home, I will give you something that will make you rich.
— I'll help you!
The Old Man's Reward
He carried the pile of firewood and followed the old man home.
— Thank you, child! You can leave these here. May God bless you and make you rich!
The old man handed him a sweet bread and said:
— Take this and go into the jungle. As you walk on, you will come across three plum trees. Behind those trees is a hill. If you look carefully, you will find a small hut. Go inside. Three dwarves live there. They love sweet bread. They will surely want to buy it from you. Give it to them, but don't ask for money. Instead, ask for a stone hand-mill.
The Road to the Dwarves' Hut
Listening to the old man's advice, he went into the jungle. After passing a few trees, he came to a tree. As he looked closely, he realized there were three plum trees in a row.
As he headed towards the trees, he saw a small hut behind them. When he entered the hut, the dwarves started shouting at him.
— Who are you? How did you get in?
— Uh, I am...
— He must be a thief! What have you come to steal?
— Excuse me? I am not a thief. I was...
Just then, the dwarves spotted the sweet bread in his hands. Immediately, their anger vanished. One of them said to him:
— Oh! We must have that sweet bread. You can take anything in return.
— Alright. I will give you the bread. And in return, you must give me the hand-mill made of stone.
— Agreed! But remember, this is no ordinary hand-mill. As you grind, it will fulfill every wish you make. And when you are finished, cover it with a red cloth. That will stop it.
The Magic Hand-Mill
He took the hand-mill from the dwarves and returned home. As soon as he arrived, he saw his wife and children on the floor, starving. Quickly, he asked his wife to lay a cloth on the floor. Then he placed the hand-mill on the cloth and began to grind.
— Hand-mill, oh, hand-mill, give me curry, hand-mill. Oh, hand-mill, give me curry.
The hand-mill began to produce curry. Then he covered the hand-mill with a red cloth, and the hand-mill immediately stopped producing curry. He took off the cloth and began to grind again.
— Hand-mill, oh, hand-mill, give me rice, hand-mill. Oh, hand-mill, give me rice.
Instantly, the hand-mill produced a pile of rice. Everyone ate their fill.
A Life of Abundance
Every day, the younger brother asked the hand-mill to produce many things: flour, lentils, millet, and many more. Then he took everything to the market to sell. This way, he made a lot of money. Soon, he became very rich.
He built a big house for himself and his family. Now everyone had new clothes to wear. Everyone was happy, except for the older brother, who was now extremely envious.
— How can this be? A few days ago he came begging for money, and now all of a sudden he is very rich. Something isn't right.
The Older Brother's Envy
The older brother hid in the younger brother's house to find out the truth. It didn't take him long to discover his secret. The next day, he stole the hand-mill and decided to leave the village with his family.
— Let's go, quickly! Move!
A little further from the village was the seashore. He reached the shore and left with his family by boat to go to a distant island. On the way, he decided to test the hand-mill.
Greed and Its Consequences
— Hand-mill, oh, hand-mill, give me salt, hand-mill. Oh, hand-mill, give me salt.
The hand-mill immediately began to produce salt. But now the older brother didn't know how to stop the hand-mill. The hand-mill kept producing salt. The weight was too great, and the boat sank with everyone in it.
The Moral of the Story
If he hadn't envied the younger brother, the older brother and his family could have lived happily.
That's why we shouldn't envy others and should be happy with what we have. This is what happens if we ask for too much.
Don't you compare yourselves to your friends and ask your parents for new toys, or argue with your friends because they have better toys? The older brother did the same, and we all saw what happened. Tell me: will you ever be envious of others again?
— Never! We will never make that mistake! Never! We will not make that mistake!
