One
day a farmer went to his field to work and came across a huge pumpkin that grew
in his field. He was delighted at the huge size of it and decided to present it
to the king. So he carried the pumpkin and started towards the king’s palace.
All
the villagers who saw the pumpkin praised him for growing such a large fruit.
When the farmer presented the pumpkin, the king was delighted and congratulated
him for his hard work.
Then he called his treasurer and
said, ‘give this poor farmer a thousand gold coins, he deserves this for his labor’.
The poor farmer became rich.
The poor farmer became rich. This
news reached a rich villager, who was also a big miser. ‘A thousand coins for
just a mere pumpkin’ he thought. Then he took a diamond necklace from his chest
and said, ‘I wonder how many coins the king will give me if I present him this
necklace.’ He thought, the king might give him a cart-load of coins for the
expensive gift. So dreaming his fortune, he set out for the king’s palace with
the diamond necklace.
The king admired the shining
diamonds and said, ‘you must be very rich to possess this’. The rich miser
nodded. The king looked around for his ministers and said, ‘he doesn’t need any
coins, but I think I have a surprise for him.’ Then he pointed at the huge
pumpkin that lay there and said’ yes, I want you to take that home and admire
the work behind it’.
The villager was shocked. He quietly
lifted the pumpkin and slowly walked out of the palace repenting for his greed
and folly.
He felt the king had taught him a
lesson.