Starling and landlord

Once upon a time, that had a starling which could speak and understand what people said. He lived with a poor famer.

The first time they met was a day as he, the famer, went to plow and saw the starling who was injured and hid himself in plants. The famer brought the starling to his house to cure. The famer taught him to speak and let him known every thing he knew. The famer treated him very well. He said: “I have no child so I want you to become my son”. Because of that the famer had never caged the starling, he let him have free but the starling had never left.

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That had a landlord who lived near their house. He was very rich that he sometime brought his golden bars out to bask. One day, the starling flew cross the landlord’s house he saw and immediately realized the golden bars were valuable things. He flew down and brought some bars away. He gave the golden bars to his father. From that time the famer had an easier life.

The landlord discovered that he lost some golden bars but he couldn’t find out who had done. He bask the golden bars on the roof and forced every one not to come nearly so none could go and take his bars away. At last he kept the thing in secret but still continued to find out. Another day, he bask the golden bars. The time, he hid himseft and observed. He didn’t need much time to see a starling who flew down and tried to steal his golden bars. Immediaely, he sprinted to catch the starling.

“Where is your house?”, asked the landlord.

“I live in forest”, answered the starling.

“Who asked you to steal my golden bars?”, asked the landlord.

“None”, answered the starling.

“Who you bring the bars to?”, asked the landlord.

“None, I drop them in forest.” Answered the starling.

Felling angry because he didn’t find out any clue to find his lost golden bars. So, he asked his servants to make the starling o be bald to make sure that he starling would have a painful death. But, when they plucked the second feather the starling pretended that he died he fainted, laid his wings on the groud and didn’t move though they did any thing. The landlord asked his servant to throw the starling away. They threw him into bamboo trees. Short time later, the starling tried his best to stand and dragged himself to his house.

Few months later, a strange thing happened in a temple which stood in the village. Whenever people went in the temple they also heard a voice which spread from the Buddhist statue.

“This village will meet a great trouble. Call the landlord to come I want to meet him.”

People felt suspicious but when they heard the voice in second time they belived and sprinted to call the landlord. The landlord was frightened when he heard the news. He immediately wore nice clothes, asked his servants to bring a feast to come the temple. He stood on his knees when he went in the temple.

“You have to shave your head and live in the temple few month that will help you to get pass the trouble”, spread the voice from the Buddhist statue.

The landlord was made to sweat he didn’t dare to ask any thing. At last he asked others to shave his head, wore Buddhist clothes and lived in the temple to have Buddhist protecion.

One day, the voice, another time, spread and asked people to call the landlord to come. When people were kneeling the starling went out from he back of statue.

“Open your eyes and see what I am. I am not any Buddha. You should know I nearly die because of you and I only want to revenge.”, said the starling then he flew down the feast and pecked.

When the bald head of landlord went up and saw the thing he was very angry. He jumped and tried to catch the starling but he couldn’t. The starling had flown away before he could reach.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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