Story: Dwarf, Doctor, Drum, Demon,

 

The   fiery  demon  was always threatening the dwarf. The demon always physically overpowered him and got the better of him with his mean ways. The dwarf was fed up and determined to teach him a lesson. He read through many books to understand the weakness of demons so that he could pick on one of them. The Dwarf was vulnerable because he was short.

He asked the doctor if there was any way by which he could become taller.  The doctor explained that it was genetic and that only the God  could help. This trigerred the imagination of the Dwarf.He had heard stories of how penance and Tapasya could create the appearance of God who would on being pleased with the intensity of the penance  grant a boon.

He made his way quietly to the forest and was soon in a trance that helped him meditate for long periods. He did not need any food or water when meditating and soon mastered the art .He was in this State for years and one fine day God appeared and said to him ;”My ardent devotee I am pleased with your penance-Ask what you want as a boon and it will be yours”. The dwarf replied that he was being plagued and tortured by the evil Demon who had made life miserable for him and he wanted to teach him a  lesson  so that he would not trouble him or anybody else.

Thatatsu   (So be it) said the Lord. Here is a drum. Whenever the Demon tries to harm you-play on it and he will run away because the acoustics of the drum  will cause him excruciating ear pain which will be unbearable and he will beg of you not to play it. Also note that this drum will work only in your hands so it cannot be misused by others.To all others and yourself the drum will sound divine.The Dwarf had no words to thank the Lord and before he looked up the Lord was gone.The drum was in his hands.

The dwarf returned triumphantly to the plains and first went to the Doctor to thank him for his suggestion. The Doctor asked him to play the drum and the beats were so enchanting that the Doctor started dancing  with his stethoscope in hand.

He now made his way to address the  Demon  with his new found  weapon. The Demon was fast   asleep and snoring so loudly that the trees nearby were shaking. Hey You Demon wake up from your slumber. I am no longer afraid of you. The Demon opened his eyes saw the Dwarf and laughed heartily. You dwarf,  you midget how dare you wake me up from my sleep. Where have you been all these years?I will make mincemeat of you once and for all. So saying   the Demon hurried towards the Dwarf. The clever dwarf had a strong belt to support the drum on his neck and began drumming on it. The Divine sound  brought all the people to the spot.The Demon looked quite  terrified and put his hands to his ears to stop the infernal racket that was causing him so much pain in his eardrum. The dwarf continued to play on the drum. Every one in the village started dancing to its beat.The Dwarf began to run .The Dwarf beat the drum harder.The Demon  fell at the Dwarf’s feet and said he was sorry for all the trouble caused earlier and would do anything if he stopped drumming.

The Dwarf asked him to promise that he would not trouble him or anyone hereafter.As a punishment and atonement for you evil ways you will draw the water from the well every day for the whole village.

The Demon agreed to do so with folded hands and continues to be nice and helpful to the whole village to this day.

Story: The Vicar, Volcano, Vulture & Ventriloquist

The Vicar  anxiously looked forward to his weekly sermon.He  enjoyed picturing  while walking across to the Church in his Parish what his audience would look like . He would phrase and re-phrase every sentence he would utter that day  to exacting perfection and enact in his mind their response to his sermon .

Winter was around the corner. There was a chill in the air and soon the weather was getting cold with snow and frost. The vicar was down with a flu and  a throat infection and he lost his voice. He had never missed a single sermon week after week and the thought of being unable to deliver the sermon disturbed him. Outside his  window  he saw a   vulture  cawing vociferously at a stray cat.

The Vicar thought to himself “I wish I had  a loud voice like the  vulture”. At this moment he thought of the famous ventriloquist in his Parish- Abraham Jonathan and his alert mind fashioned the picture of having his voice thrown to have the sermon delivered.

The Vicar and Abraham Jonathan sat together for hours on end to work out the strategy. Abraham  had excellent presentation skills. Located close to the Parish was an extinct  volcano. It was called the Silent Volcano and the valley surrounding it was called the silent valley. Abraham took a lovely picture of the Volcano and enlarged it.

The day of the Sermon arrived. People in their elegant attire flocked to seat themselves in the Church.They saw a huge picture of the Volcano in the backdrop. The Vicar arrived at the Dais.The sight of the beautiful volcano chiseled the attention of the audience. The Vicar made lip movements. The voice came from the volcano.The vicar said for many years this volcano has been a silent spectator to all the good  and bad things that are happening in the Parish. Today, it wishes to speak to you and appeal to you to shun all evil and embrace all good. The audience listened with Awe. Abraham had done a masterly job of Ventriloquism.

The Vicar, Volcano, Vulture and Ventriloquist had pulled of the Sermon.                                 

Story: Lion, Laptop & Lawyer

A lion had escaped from the zoo and was confounded to see a  lawyer  working   feverishly  on his laptop  in  the  park  outside  the  court .  It presumed that the lawyer was getting ready to eat the laptop and that he was thumping on the keys to prepare the food for his meal.

The lawyer stopped his work to reach into   his   bag   for a drink of water and the lion thought that he would now eat his meal. It was now disappointed and scratched its head because the lawyer got back to thumping the keys on the laptop.

The lion composed a poem to say to him:

Damn the law,

You can eat  almost  anything  raw

If you just use your paw and claw

And then work it in your jaw

The Lawyer replied:

You stupid Lion Im not gonna eat it

Now Ive got a case and have to beat it

I ve to work hard to get a name

You animals don’t need  such fame

The Lion retorted:

Why   don’t   you  just  take a break,

I speak the truth and am not a fake,

Enjoy   yourself   in   this   your life,

Don’t waste it away in endless strife.

The Lawyer said:

Do you ever use your brain,

To get some real material gain,

All you do is to sleep and eat,

And   use  your  Head  to find your next meat.

The Lion replied:

You know I am mad with rage,

You humans enjoy seeing me in a cage,

And   work  , so hard for a daily wage,

No wonder you look twice your age

The lawyer said:

To us humans we know what counts,

It’s  just how your bank balance mounts.

The suit you wear and your shoes,

That’s what makes the news.

The Lion Says:

We  animals just have to eat and sleep, 

You humans have to think hard and deep.

Strange and different are our ways,

You are a part of the human rat race.

Story: Tailor Tarantula Tabla & Tornado

There lived a tailor in a house with an old mother who had taught him her tailoring skills. All was well and the neighbours would flock to the house to get their dresses .

One day the mother was getting disturbed by strange noises from a neighbouring dilapidated old house where nobody lived. She believed that that ought to be a ghost. One day the tailor summoned the courage to march to the house to prove his mother wrong. It was dark and he tried pushing the door which wouldn’t budge. He then gave it a heave. The door opened the floor, the house collapsed and the tailor went right down into the old basement. His fall disturbed a tarantula who gave him a sharp bite on his legs and he crawled out of the house in pain, was tired and slept the night without telling his mother what had happened.

The next morning, his body became stiff and he couldn’t do his tailoring job. This condition continued for weeks during which the mother would stitch the dresses although slowly. 


His mother decided to bring her late husband’s tabla to his bed. Very soon the tailor was proficient on the tabla and word got around of his tremendous skill. He would go to concerts on his wheelchair since his legs were not able and became the talk of the town.

The mother had slowly forgotten about the ghost because of the new problem. One night, a tornado struck the town and carried with it the old dilapidated house.  As the house fell down, the tarantula fell on the tailor who was going to the concert in his wheelchair. Startled, the tarantula bit him again. Returning from the concert, he felt no longer needed the wheelchair, went to the tailoring machine and discovered that he had got back his old skill and was much faster.

The tailor is today fit – an outstanding tailor and a super tabla player. His mother is extremely happy and there was no dilapidated house and therefore no ghost.