The Three Promises

Once upon a time, a young man named Aditya was walking through a forest. He was very thirsty and hoped to find some water. After a while, he came to a dry well. But when he looked inside, he was surprised! Inside the well, there was a tiger, a snake, and another man, all trapped.

All three of them asked Aditya for help. But Aditya was afraid. "What if the tiger hurts me? What if the snake bites me?" he thought. The tiger quickly said, "Don’t worry. I promise I won’t hurt you if you help me." The snake nodded and agreed.

Aditya decided to be brave. He threw a long rope into the well. First, the tiger climbed out. “Thank you, friend! If you ever come back to this forest, visit me. I will help you,” said the tiger.

Next, the snake slithered out. “You’re very kind,” said the snake. “If you ever need me, just call my name, and I will come.”

Finally, Aditya helped the man out of the well. “Thank you so much!” said the man. “I’m a goldsmith. I live in the city. Come visit me anytime, and I’ll help you.”

Aditya was happy to have new friends and continued his journey.

A few years later, Aditya was in the same forest again and remembered the tiger’s promise. He decided to visit the tiger’s cave. When he arrived, the tiger greeted him warmly. The tiger gave Aditya fresh fruit and water. Before Aditya left, the tiger gave him a special gift – beautiful gold jewelry. “This is for you, my friend!” said the tiger.

Aditya was very thankful but didn’t know what to do with the jewelry. Then he remembered his friend, the goldsmith. Maybe he could help.

Aditya went to the goldsmith’s house and showed him the gift from the tiger. The goldsmith’s eyes widened when he saw the jewelry. He knew this jewelry belonged to the king’s brother, who had gone missing in the forest. The king had promised a big reward to anyone with news about his missing brother.

But the goldsmith was greedy. He didn’t tell Aditya the truth. Instead, he thought, “If I tell the king that Aditya hurt the prince, I’ll get the reward.”

The goldsmith went to the palace and told the king that Aditya had killed his brother. The king sent soldiers to arrest Aditya and put him in jail.

Sitting in the dark jail cell, Aditya remembered the snake’s promise. He called out the snake’s name. Soon, the snake slithered into the cell. “What happened, my friend?” asked the snake.

Aditya told him everything. “Don’t worry,” said the snake. “I have a plan.”

The next day, news spread that the queen had been bitten by a snake and was very sick. No doctors could help her. The king promised a reward to anyone who could save her.

Aditya told the guard that he could cure the queen. The king quickly brought him to the palace.

Aditya said, “I must be alone with the queen. No one else should be in the room.”

The king agreed, and Aditya was left alone with the queen. He quietly called the snake, and the snake came, taking the poison out of the queen’s body.

Soon, the queen woke up, and the king was very happy. “You saved the queen! Ask for anything you want, and I will give it to you,” said the king.

Aditya replied, “I only ask that you listen to my story.”

Aditya explained everything that had happened, including the promises from the tiger, the snake, and the goldsmith.

The king understood and freed Aditya. He then punished the goldsmith for his lies and gave Aditya a bag of gold for his honesty.