There, in a small village, standing by forest, where had two brothers. They both had their own family. Though they had been born and grown up in the same family, they were different. While the elder was rich, the younger was poor and while the elder was scrimp, the younger was kind treating others very well.
Time passed they had their own life and it seemed they had nothing to meet again till one day.
One day, a beggar no one knew where he was came to the village. He made his way to gate of the elder’s house. At the first time the elder and his wife saw the beggar who was in torn corny clothes and dirty, his hands, his feet, his head, of course whole his body and things on his body so dirty, the traveling louses could be seen by anyone so that they turned cold their hearts turned into stone. They didn’t do anything even throwing him some words they made their way back into their home and unchained their evil dogs.
The beggar dragged each step along road he crossed the younger’s house. That time, the younger and his wife was having dinner and what they had was only some porridge. The younger felt very sorry as he saw the beggar, an old poor man who seemed very hungry and tired. He went out, held the beggar’s hand and pulled him in. His wife gave the beggar one bowl of porridge.
“It’s not much”, said the wife, “but I think it will help you much”.
The beggar asked for the second bowl of porridge after he ate the first bowl. The wife helped him to have another bowl of porridge though there had no much. After the second bowl the beggar grabbed his stick and found the way to stand up.
“You both are kind”, said the beggar, “and worthy to have fortune. I know a place with a lot of treasures in that. Follow me we need to go in forest”.
They both looked at the other by a stupid way they didn’t believe in their ears that the beggar had to hurry them for few times. They followed the beggar deeply in forest then they climbed up a high mountain. At last, they came to stone steps. They followed stone steps which led to rock dog standing on a stone platform. The beggar walked toward and then poked on the dog's head. Suddenly, the rock dog opened its mouth.
“Here. Take whatever you want”, said the beggar.
They one more time looked at the other then found out the beggar had disappeared. The younger put his hand into rock dog’s mouth and started groping. Of course, he found something and when he pulled out they are gold bars twinkling. He and his wife took some, put in their pocket and then came back their home. They sold the gold and then bought nice house, fields and something like that. Their life now turned wealthy.
It didn’t need long time to spread out the news people suddenly turned rich. That news came to the the elder who made his way, after many years, to their home.
“You did change very much from the last time we met”, said the elder, “What does it come from, your fortune?”
In peace the younger told his brother whole about the beggar, the stone steps, the rock dog and things like that.
The elder and his wife didn’t miss any words they heard whole of what his young brother said.
“Oh! That beggar did ever go to our home wife.” said the elder, “We did behave so foolishly”.
From that time, the elder and his way always kept noticing on beggars. They hoped they could see again the beggar and have the fortune as his younger bother. They willingly came to street markets, villages to find the beggar. Besides, they hired people to keep watching anywhere but all of them and including the elder didn’t do much they couldn’t see the beggar at anywhere.
One day, the elder had business needing to go out and just got pass the gate he saw the beggar. That corny shabby clothes, that bamboo stick, that long white beard which indicated there was no one but the man, the fairy or god or something like that, he was finding. Hurriedly, he ran toward the man, greeted him politely and violently invited him to go in his home. When the beggar had been in his home, he hurried his servants to cook a meal. His servant slaughtered some cattle, cooked rice and made a great meal to treat their guest. When the meal was brought to, they waited the beggar finished it and then they both, the elder and his wife, approached the place where the beggar was sitting, kneeled.
“You did help a person to have his richness now. I and he are brothers. So, if you can help both of us, we will never forget your help always keeping our gratefulness”, said the elder.
The beggar nodded his head, very much.
“All right!” he said, “You follow me”.
Happily the elder and his wife brought big pocket and followed the beggar. They also came to the place where their younger brother and his wife had. The beggar poked on rock dog’s head few times and it opened his mouth. As fast as he could the elder put his hand into the rock dog’s mouth but as son as the dog shut it mouth and then the hand of the elder was stuck in that. He turned his head madly to every directions, found beggar to pray his help but he couldn’t the beggar had disappeared. I hope you can see his face. Though, his wife tried her best to help him pull out his hand, his hand was still stuck in the rock dog’s mouth.
“This is his punishment for what we have done”, said the elder in bad mood. He looked to his wife and then they both bursted into tears. Later, he said:
“Now I can’t die and also can’t pull out my hand. But, I need something to eat so you come home, cook something and bring it to me”, said the elder.
The wife made her way back home, cooked and brought the food to her husband. Day by day, she spent all time in day to cook and bring food to her husband. Rainy or shiny, cold or hot, she had never missed a day bringing food to husband. Three years passed many shoes, clothes had torn and of course all of their assets had gone.
“We fall in this situation because of my greed. All our things had gone and I can’t continue this life.” said the elder, “So, before I die, I want to have some fun with you, in this wild place. Come here!”
The wife felt shy but her husband insisted her much so she agreed. She made the way to stay next to her husband. And when her clothes just dropped on ground, the rock dog opened its mouth. You can’t believe but it laughed. While the elder at one pulled out his hand, the wife fast picked up her clothes and put in. They both, hurriedly, ran, got away the place not daring to look back or stop to make their clothes in their right place.
THE END
"Translator: Hung Nguyen"
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