The King's White Elephant
Traditional | India
Carpenters aid a wounded Elephant who then helps them; his son follows suit until the king claims the white Elephant and cares for it.
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Once upon a time, in a village beside a river and a vast forest, a group of carpenters lived. Each day, they would row their boats to the forest, chop down trees and shape them into lumber for their work.
One beautiful morning, a limping Elephant approached the carpenters while they were busy working. He could hardly walk, and his foot was swollen and painful. He lay down, and the carpenters noticed a large splinter lodged in his sore foot. Kind-hearted as they were, they carefully removed the splinter and cleaned his wound. Soon, the Elephant's foot began to heal.
Feeling grateful for their kindness, the Elephant decided, "These carpenters helped me when I was in pain. Now it's my turn to help them." So, from that day onwards, the Elephant started helping the carpenters. He pulled up trees, rolled logs to the river, and even fetched tools for them. The carpenters, in return, ensured the Elephant was well-fed every day.
The Elephant had a son, a splendid young one who was as white as snow. As the Elephant was getting older, he thought, "I should introduce my son to the carpenters. They were kind to me, and now my son can help them in return." He explained to his son how the carpenters had taken care of him, and introduced him to the group.
The white Elephant followed his father's advice and began assisting the carpenters. Just like his father, he was well-fed by the grateful carpenters. After work, the young Elephant loved to play with the carpenters' children by the river, picking them up with his trunk and placing them onto tree branches, and then letting them climb down onto his back. They had lots of fun together.
One day, the king was passing by the river and noticed the stunning white Elephant working with the carpenters. He was taken by its beauty and strength and immediately decided he wanted the Elephant to be his. He paid the carpenters a hefty price and took the Elephant with him. The Elephant looked back at his friends, the children, one last time before leaving with the king. The king, amazed by his new Elephant, ensured he was well taken care of for the rest of his life.
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