The tale of monkey

Long time ago, in a village where a girl working as a maid lived. She not only was forced to work hardly but also was mistreated. Although she had been 20 years old, her body was bone, ugly, tiny like a monkey because she didn’t get enough food to eat.

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One day, her master had a luxurious party with so many people participated so she had to carry water for party. At tenth, she felt so tired so she had stayed by the lake for minutes. She burst in sobs because of that she deplored herself. Mean time, Buddha appeared as an old man with silver hair and beard. He went up to her and requested a little water. Although she was tired, she was willing to take water from lake and gave him. After drinking, he asked her to have something to eat. She talked politely him waiting there and went up to home. After putting her helping into bucket, she came back to the lake where the old man was waiting for her, gave him the helping and said: “I only received this bowl of burnt-rice, it may help you to relive your hunger”
After eating, he said “Why did you cry?”

She bowed her head and didn’t say.

“I am the Buddha” he added “Because of your kindness, I will gift you a wish”.

She was both surprise and happy so she talked him about her whole hope. He realized her wish wanting to be beautiful so he said her that she had to went down to well and took whatever flowers she thought it was beautiful and ate their floral honey so she would receive what she want. Following his words, she only took white flowers and ate their floral honey. When she came back lakeside, she realized she not only had become beautiful but also her clothes had transformed into luxurious clothes.

When she took water came back home, all people of her master was surprised about that she had become a beautiful girl nobody could realize. She talked to them whole story. Immediately, all of them went up to the lake to meet Buddha and could wish what they want. They saw the Buddha was still sitting by the lake so all sprinted toward the Buddha and invited him to eat their meals. The Buddha said them as he had said the girl. All of them thought that red flowers was more beautiful than white flowers so the took red flower and ate their floral honey but when they was back on lakeside they was not only not younger but also older. Their skins became wizen, hairy. Horribly, a tail had grown up from their back.

When other people saw them some of them yelled”Runnn…, There are monters”but others roared: “kill all them”.

Immediately, they grabbed sticks, stones and chased the monsters. Being frightened, the monsters ran toward forest, left their patrimony for the girl. They hid themselves in deep forest, ate fruit to live but still had wanted to regain their assets. They came back their home, knocked on doors, yelled every night until sunrise. The girl and are were frightened so they closed their door very tight. They spread shrimp paste on their doors and set many red-heated surround their door. When the monsters came, they knock on door and were stuck shrimp paste they swept their hand on their body so that made them so stinky. Walking backward, they sat front the door but when they had sat the plow-shares heated their ass. Painfully, they yelled and ran toward forest and had never come back.

Today, we know them as monkeys. They have red asses because of that they had heated by plowshares. Still being frightened, they always hide themselves from human.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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