King Pig

Once upon a time, a boy had no both father and mother or any relatives. He was laid on road. A landlord brought him to home and fed him. Because he was dirty as the landlord brought him to home, people called him Pig. Though others derided, was not respected, Pig didn’t fell uncomfortable. Pig grew up and passed famine years.

When Pig was fifteen years old, Pig worked for a mandarin. One day, the mandarin asked him to bring a pot of water and bathed his feet. The mandarin showed him moles and threatened:

“I have three red moles here. Carefully. If you make any scratch, you and, all of your family also can not indemnify. Understand!”

Pig thought: “He was arrogant because of three red moles”. Then Pig pulled his shirt up to showed the mandarin his moles. He said:

“You think your three moles are valuable. You see I have nine red moles here”.

The mandarin felt surprise as he see nine red moles in Pig’back. He thought:

“God, how can he get them? It is very valuable the signal that he will become a king or a lord. But, if he can be a king or lord, how will the world be? I have to find the way to kill him before the thing happen”.

Then the mandarin gave a maid a vial of poison and muttered: “Put it into his food but you have to keep the thing in secret. If any one, but you and me, knows, I will kill you immediately”.

The maid took the vial. The kindness maid felt very sorry Pig and she also couldn’t obey her master’s word. That day, Pig went to market to buy something for his master, the mandarin. As he came back he saw the maid was feeding pigs. Pig sat down on table and took the bowl of rice which was prepared for him. The maid saw, she pretended as she said to pigs:

“Ping! Ping! Pig eat Ping died and Pig don’t eat Pig also die!”

She repeated more twice. Pig caught her idea but he couldn’t understand exactly what she said. He ran toward her and asked her in low voice:

“What? Let me know what is going on?”

“Promise thet you will not forget me then I will talk to you”.

Pig nodded. She pulled him to a wild place and said him all things then she advised:

“Go! Go immediately if you want to save your life”.

Ping hugged her and whispered:

“Later, when I have much money and high position; find me but you have to keep this hair style for me to recognize you”.

Then Pig set off. He came to a landlord’s house and asked for working for him. The landlord rented him to take care of his children. Pig thought that was a easy work but landlord’s children were naughty. Therefore, taking care of them was hard work and Pig used to be scolded by his master. Pig chose not to reply as his master scolded.

One day, his master wanted to make the children happy so he asked Pig:

“Be a horse and let children mount on you. Making them happy is the reason I rent you”.

Pig stood on ground by both knees and hands. The children seemed very happy with the game. Each of them mounted on his back till Pig felt very very tired. The next day, they continued to play the game. The oldest son of his master not only mounted his back but also seized his ears. Pig was angry but he chose not to say any thing. Later, the child grabbed a rod and beat on his ass and acted as he was riding really. That moment, Pig couldn’t be patient more. He got rid of the child by force. The child flew ahead, his head banged on the wall and was broken. He died.

Pig was scared. He escaped. He went very far from the house and arrived to a temple. He asked the abbot to let him stay. The abbot needed a person to wipe statues so he let him stay in. The job was easy and Pig had nothing to complain. But, one day as the abbot saw dust between statues’ fingers and toes, he scolded Pig. The next day, Pig tried to wipe carefully but some places were so difficult to wipe. Pig was angry, he glared satue and shouted:

“Raise your hands up”. The statue suddenly raised hands up. After wiping Pig said: “Stretch your feet”. The statue was sitting cross-legged, stretched legs at one. He wiped all statues by the way. Then he asked all tatues sat, lied or stood as they had been before he wiped them.

Pig did the job normaly till a day he forgot asking statues to lowered hands, crossed legs… He went to his room after wiped them at one. That night when monks discovered the thing, they was very very surprised and had a little tremendous. All monks grouped in the hall to see the strange thing. Abbot called Pig. Pig admitted that he forgot asking statues to change back their statuses. The Abbot thoght: “Only the king can force Buddha. He can force Buddha so he will be king but if I know the thing and don’t report to the recent king, I will be punished as he finds out the thing”.

The Abbot spent time thinking then he asked a monk to go and report to a mandarin. But, the thing was discovered by another monk. The kindness monk didn’t want to see Pig was harmed. So, he talked to him. Pig had escaped before mandarin and soldiers came.

That time, Pig worked for a trader. Front of trader’s house stood three trees. They had same height and Pig’s duty was watering the trees. One day, Pig sat under the trees and just joked. He pointed at each tree and said:

“You are father, you are mother and you are son”.

Suddenly, a tree grew up higher than others, a tree was shoter and the other bore many fruit.

The next day, the trader went out and discovered the change. He felt surprised. He called Pig.

“How can the trees change?”, asked the trader.

“I said them to change”, replied Pig.

The trader didn’t believe he asked:

“If that is the thing you have done, you have to ask them to change back like they have been before or I will beat you”.

Pig glared at the trader and said:

“People should keep their word. I will not change my word”.

The trader got angry. He found a rod to beat Pid but Pig ran. He ran away. Though he felt hungry, he didn’t stop. Till midnight, he felt both hungry and tired so he found the way to rest. He went in a house. The house had only a bedroom but it was very cramped and people lying in the room slept as dead. The next room was the room which was used to set the altar’s dragon god. The altar was enough space for him lie on. Pig brought the statue of dragon god and put down the corner then he mounted, lied on the altar and slept. Early morning, he woke up and continued going.

When people in the house woke up and discovered that the statue was set under ground, the altar had mark that a person had lied on. They hurriedly brought the statue back altar but they couldn’t carry it. All of them couldn’t bring. They still didn’t know to do any thing, drangon god entered one of them. and said:

“I live in land of the king. the king set me where I have to stay there”.

People believed that the king had come to their home. The rumor spread largely that made people had more hope they hope that they would had a wise, kindness king who would rescued them away from recent situation. That day, Pig went and participated in rebels. He followed them and fought against the recent king. He had strong health, bravery and used to give them good ideas. Therefore, later they respected him to become their leader. People who participated in them were more crowded. Especially, as they knew that he could force god and Buddha, many participated in.His land spread largely. Pig became king in the area, he had his castle, mandarins and generals. His enemies because of hating him used to call him King Pig.

One day, he came back to his hometown. A girl came and asked soldiers to meet him. A soldier led her to him. Firstly, he didn’t rememder who the girl was but as he noticed her hair style he reconigzed the maid who had helped him before. He brought her to his castle at one and she became the queen after that. They had happy lives till they died.

THE END

"Translated by Hung Nguyen"

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