Hansel and Gretel
Seeing them the distressed step-mother locked them with no food with only a sip of water. The next day the father took them deeper into the forest and when Hansel set to find their way, he realized that they were truly lost. They frayed into the woods in hope to find the way back but in vain. When night fell they stumbled near a house that looked tasty. So Gretel plucked a small chip of the wall and found it tasty. Soon the two were gloating on every corner of the house. Hansel found a huge doughnut while Gretel ate candy and since they had never tasted such heavenly delights in their life, they feasted.
Listening to the noise outside, the door opened and a witch stood there. Oohh, she said, what lovely children, why are you outside. Come in and stay here for the night. With nowhere else to go both the children walked in and feasted even more with the delights the witch dished before them
When dawn broke, the witch pulled Hansel from his sleep and locked him in a cage and covered him so that even if he screamed, nobody could hear him. She pushed Gretel till she woke and told her to get food done so that they could feed Hansel till he was fat enough to be eaten. Hearing this Gretel broke down and found herself, helplessly making food to fatten her brother.
As days passed by the witch would go to Hansel and ask him to put his hands out so that he could see how fat he had become. But Hansel always put out a bone he found in the cage and as the witch was almost blind as a bat thought him to be really thin. As the bone was always the same, the witch was frustrated after a week and thought of killing the boy the next day as she wanted to eat him.
The very next day, she made Gretel fetch water and do all the chores. She made her fill the pot with water to boil the boy in. But first she thought she would bake him. So she told Gretel to get the oven ready. After sometime she asked her to check if the oven was hot enough to be cooked in. How do I do that asked Gretel, I have never done anything like that before? So the witch thumped to the oven and opened the lid. Gretel looking at the chance kicked her hard and closed the lid immediately.
Then she ran and freed her brother and they ran back into the woods. As time passed, they found to recognize the woods and soon they came to their cottage. Their father’s eyes were filled on seeing them and proclaimed that their mother was dead, leaving them to live a happy life ever after.
Once upon a time, these four fours immediately transport us into a land where candy grows on trees and the air is fresh, where trees talk and tales have morals. One such tale is as follows.
Alongside the woods there lived a tired woodcutter with a nagging wife and two children. The step mother disliked the kids and would always find ways to get them out of the house. She would nag her husband till sundown and he would listen compelled as he had no way out.
As times got harder, the woodcutter found it difficult to bring bread home daily and feed everyone. Chancing on the opportunity the wife said that it was not possible to feed all mouths and so the husband would have to abandon his children in the forest, and she assured him that there would be someone who would take them home. Gretelheard this and told her brother while she wept. Hansel though scared told his sister not to worry and that he would bring them home safely.
Early at dawn the father took both the kids and went deep into the woods. As they walked Hansel slipped out small white pebbles every metre. When the sun shone, the father knew that they had walked a long way and the children would find it hard to come back and so he mumbled some excuse that he would come back and scurried away. The moon came but not the father and so Gretel began to wail. As the moonlight filled the forest and the white stones began to glitter in the dark, Hansel told his sister that he knew the way home and by dawn they were back, standing in front of their father.
The Three Questions
Akbar and Birbal’s relationship was exemplary in the kingdom at the time of Akbar’s rule. It was evident to the whole court that Akbar was extremely impressed with Birbal. People would always have their eye on Birbal’s activities and behavior so they might find a glitch and thus bring him down in king’s eyes. Amongst these jealous souls, remained a specific courtier who hated whenever Akbar encouraged and praised Birbal. He always wanted to be the chief minister but sadly enough; the seat was occupied by Akbar’s very own Birbal.
The courtier finally expressed his anger to Akbar and challenged him with three questions. He demanded that if Birbal could not answer these questions, he should be demoted from the position, as he didn’t deserve to be the chief minister. Akbar, who always believed Birbal, but yet, wanted to test his wit and intelligence agreed to the challenge. He informed Birbal that if he didn’t answer these questions, he would be required to step off the seat.
The courtier asked the following questions:
How many stars span across the sky?
Where does the centre of earth exist?
The number of males and females in the world?
Birbal brought back his version of answers.
For the first question, he presented a sheep, and replied that the number of hair on this sheep exactly equals the number of stars spanning the sky, and to be sure, the courtier has full right to count them.
For the second question, he drew couple of straight lines on ground and stuck a metal rod in between them. He claimed that it was in fact the centre of the earth, and the courtier can measure it, to his own precision.
The third answer was the most witty and humorous. He replied that the number of males and females cannot be determined nor counted as there are people like the courtier who can neither be termed males nor females and in order to know the exact number, such people would have to be killed.
Akbar was surprisingly proud of his choice. As a result, Birbal continued being the chief minister.
Seeing them the distressed step-mother locked them with no food with only a sip of water. The next day the father took them deeper into the forest and when Hansel set to find their way, he realized that they were truly lost. They frayed into the woods in hope to find the way back but in vain. When night fell they stumbled near a house that looked tasty. So Gretel plucked a small chip of the wall and found it tasty. Soon the two were gloating on every corner of the house. Hansel found a huge doughnut while Gretel ate candy and since they had never tasted such heavenly delights in their life, they feasted.
Listening to the noise outside, the door opened and a witch stood there. Oohh, she said, what lovely children, why are you outside. Come in and stay here for the night. With nowhere else to go both the children walked in and feasted even more with the delights the witch dished before them
When dawn broke, the witch pulled Hansel from his sleep and locked him in a cage and covered him so that even if he screamed, nobody could hear him. She pushed Gretel till she woke and told her to get food done so that they could feed Hansel till he was fat enough to be eaten. Hearing this Gretel broke down and found herself, helplessly making food to fatten her brother.
As days passed by the witch would go to Hansel and ask him to put his hands out so that he could see how fat he had become. But Hansel always put out a bone he found in the cage and as the witch was almost blind as a bat thought him to be really thin. As the bone was always the same, the witch was frustrated after a week and thought of killing the boy the next day as she wanted to eat him.
The very next day, she made Gretel fetch water and do all the chores. She made her fill the pot with water to boil the boy in. But first she thought she would bake him. So she told Gretel to get the oven ready. After sometime she asked her to check if the oven was hot enough to be cooked in. How do I do that asked Gretel, I have never done anything like that before? So the witch thumped to the oven and opened the lid. Gretel looking at the chance kicked her hard and closed the lid immediately.
Then she ran and freed her brother and they ran back into the woods. As time passed, they found to recognize the woods and soon they came to their cottage. Their father’s eyes were filled on seeing them and proclaimed that their mother was dead, leaving them to live a happy life ever after.
Once upon a time, these four fours immediately transport us into a land where candy grows on trees and the air is fresh, where trees talk and tales have morals. One such tale is as follows.
Alongside the woods there lived a tired woodcutter with a nagging wife and two children. The step mother disliked the kids and would always find ways to get them out of the house. She would nag her husband till sundown and he would listen compelled as he had no way out.
As times got harder, the woodcutter found it difficult to bring bread home daily and feed everyone. Chancing on the opportunity the wife said that it was not possible to feed all mouths and so the husband would have to abandon his children in the forest, and she assured him that there would be someone who would take them home. Gretelheard this and told her brother while she wept. Hansel though scared told his sister not to worry and that he would bring them home safely.
Early at dawn the father took both the kids and went deep into the woods. As they walked Hansel slipped out small white pebbles every metre. When the sun shone, the father knew that they had walked a long way and the children would find it hard to come back and so he mumbled some excuse that he would come back and scurried away. The moon came but not the father and so Gretel began to wail. As the moonlight filled the forest and the white stones began to glitter in the dark, Hansel told his sister that he knew the way home and by dawn they were back, standing in front of their father.
The Three Questions
Akbar and Birbal’s relationship was exemplary in the kingdom at the time of Akbar’s rule. It was evident to the whole court that Akbar was extremely impressed with Birbal. People would always have their eye on Birbal’s activities and behavior so they might find a glitch and thus bring him down in king’s eyes. Amongst these jealous souls, remained a specific courtier who hated whenever Akbar encouraged and praised Birbal. He always wanted to be the chief minister but sadly enough; the seat was occupied by Akbar’s very own Birbal.
The courtier finally expressed his anger to Akbar and challenged him with three questions. He demanded that if Birbal could not answer these questions, he should be demoted from the position, as he didn’t deserve to be the chief minister. Akbar, who always believed Birbal, but yet, wanted to test his wit and intelligence agreed to the challenge. He informed Birbal that if he didn’t answer these questions, he would be required to step off the seat.
The courtier asked the following questions:
How many stars span across the sky?
Where does the centre of earth exist?
The number of males and females in the world?
Birbal brought back his version of answers.
For the first question, he presented a sheep, and replied that the number of hair on this sheep exactly equals the number of stars spanning the sky, and to be sure, the courtier has full right to count them.
For the second question, he drew couple of straight lines on ground and stuck a metal rod in between them. He claimed that it was in fact the centre of the earth, and the courtier can measure it, to his own precision.
The third answer was the most witty and humorous. He replied that the number of males and females cannot be determined nor counted as there are people like the courtier who can neither be termed males nor females and in order to know the exact number, such people would have to be killed.
Akbar was surprisingly proud of his choice. As a result, Birbal continued being the chief minister.