by David Conger
Cho had to act quickly. He didn’t want to end up hanging in a butcher’s shop.
Using all his strength, he pulled the stake right out of the ground and fled. He ran and ran on his strange four legs, and before long came to a turnip patch. The turnips looked succulent and juicy, so Cho ate a few of them. To his great surprise, he turned back into a man!
“Aaaahh,” said Cho, exhaling with great relief. He ran all the way home.
Cho slept for three whole days after he arrived back at his farm. When he woke up, he remembered what had happened, although now it seemed like a bad dream. He decided it would be best if he said nothing about it—not even to his wife.
As the months flew by, he thought less and less about that bizarre night the strange couple had turned him into an ox. But one day he heard from his wife about the governor’s latest misfortune.
“Can you imagine?” she said. “The governor’s son has turned into an ox! Everyone is saying that an evil curse has been put on him.”
Cho only nodded. “I’m going to the market,” he said, pretending not to be especially interested in the gossip.
Immediately he set out for the market and bought some turnips. He dried them in an oven and ground them into a powder. Carrying the powder in a small sack, Cho travelled to the governor’s house. There he found a crush of people hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy-turned-ox.
“Stand back!” he said, pushing through the crowd. “Let me pass!”
Cho finally arrived at the gates leading to the governor’s home and approached one of the guards. “I am here to help the governor’s son,” he said. “Please. The child needs me. I’m his only chance. I can break the curse.”
A servant soon arrived to lead Cho to the boy, who had indeed turned into an ox and was now swatting a fly with his tail. Six doctors were huddled together, deep in discussion. The governor was slumped in a chair nearby.
Cho cleared his throat to speak. “I think I can help you,” he said.
The governor got up from his chair and put an arm around the ox. “He is my only son,” he said desperately. “Do you really think you can help him?”
“Yes,” said Cho, feeling very sure that he could.
Showing no sign at all of recognizing Cho, the governor moved aside to make way for him. “Please help my son,” he pleaded.
Cho stepped up to the ox and presented it with a handful of turnip powder. “Go on,” whispered Cho gently. “Eat it.”
The ox sniffed at the chalky powder before dipping his tongue into it. The very next instant the beast turned into a wide-eyed little boy sitting on the floor.
The governor threw his hands up to the sky. “Oh! It’s a miracle,” he said, his eyes brimming with tears. Taking Cho’s hand in both of his, he said, “Thank you, thank you. For this I will give you any reward you want.”
“I would like to take the royal exam,” Cho eagerly replied.
“Then you will,” the governor answered with a smile. “You are a good man. You will do well serving the government.”
A week later, Cho passed the exam and the job he had been wanting for so long became his. His dream of helping others finally came true. As mayor, he was able to do many good things for the people and his village prospered.
The Lucky Farmer
Becomes King
Thailand
“Someday I will be king,” Lek said to his wife, Ying.
Ying only smiled. “My dear husband,” she said, as she always did, “you are a rice farmer with a tiny piece of land. I love you very much, but maybe you should put away your daydreaming and get back to work.”
“Oh, you’ll see,” Lek told his wife. “One day you will eat those words.” With that, he got back to work, dreaming of the day he’d mount the royal elephant and live in the royal palace. Deep in his heart he knew that day would come. He didn’t care if his wife thought he was only a silly man with big dreams.
One day, while Lek and Ying were planting rice under the hot sun, Ying suddenly cried out, “What was that?” She stood upright, turning around to look behind her. “Listen, Lek!”
Standing knee-deep in the rice paddy, Lek listened but couldn’t hear a thing.
“Shhh!” Ying said, quickly picking up a whittling knife that was nearby. “It’s a growling sound. Can’t you hear it?”
Again, Lek listened. He was about to sidle up next to Ying, when she suddenly screamed. Lek looked in the direction she was facing and saw an enormous bear rushing toward them. “Run!” he shouted. “Run!”
Without turning back, Lek ran for his life. He stormed into his house, slammed the door shut, and barred it behind him. He was so afraid that he didn’t realize that he’d locked Ying out, too. Trembling, he peeked through a crack in the door and saw that the beast was less than two meters away from his wife, ready to attack her. Lek was frozen with fear.
In Ying’s upraised hand was his whittling knife. Lek closed his eyes just as the bear roared, flashing its long white teeth and raising its giant paws. It was too late to do anything to save poor Ying.
Suddenly Lek collapsed and huddled into a ball, crying. He was sure his wife had just been killed by a wild animal. Nothing could be worse! Several minutes passed, and then he heard a voice. “Open the door,” it said. “Please.”
Lek couldn’t believe it. It sounded like Ying.
“Open up, Lek. The bear is dead,” Ying said weakly.
Lek got up and very carefully peered through the crack in the door. The second he saw his wife, the color returned to his face. “Oh, you’re alive!” he cried, as he flung the door wide open. “I’m so sorry. My legs just wouldn’t move,” said Lek, wrapping his arms around Ying and sobbing.
Ying was too shaken to say anything. Fortunately, she was not hurt. When she had found the door was locked, she had no choice but to turn around and face the charging bear. Luckily, it charged right into the whittling knife she had held clutched in both hands.
Lek finally stopped crying and began to feel like himself again. He started to realize that if people heard his wife had killed the bear, while he’d locked himself in the house, they would think he was a coward. “What will you say if someone asks who killed the bear?” he asked Ying.
Ying shot him a quizzical look. “I’ll tell the truth,” she said. “What kind of question is that?”
“Well,” said Lek, stammering a bit, “people might, uh, misunderstand if you tell them the truth.” He looked at his wife and measured his words carefully. “Not very many women have killed bears, you know. Some people might be afraid of you... and some might even believe you killed the bear with black magic.”
Ying merely shrugged in response.
“My dear,” Lek went on, “to protect you from what people might say about you, why don’t we say that I killed the bear?”
“Fine,” said Ying. “It really makes no difference to me.”
Before long, news of the bear-slaying reached the palace and Lek was summoned by the king, who had always honored bear-killers.
“Well done, my good man. You shall be rewarded.” Then the king gave Lek six rubies, two emeralds, and one sapphire. But, most importantly, he gave Lek a new title. He bestowed upon him the glorious name Hon Mee, which meant Brave Bear-Killer. Lek was no longer just a simple rice farmer. Before long, everyone in the country would speak of him as the best bear-hunter in all the land.
The king even invited Lek to live at the palace, and for the first time in his life Lek was truly happy. He loved the leisurely life of the palace and delighted in the luxury of royal treatment. The soft silks felt wonderful against his skin, especially in comparison to the rough cottons he used to wear. The savory curries and sweet meats were far more delicious to Lek than rice and fish. All day and every day, he smiled.
He returned home to see Ying and told her that he would one day be king. Only then would he take her to the palace. Happy to see Lek, she just hugged him.
Lek’s happiness did not last long. A giant cob
ra named Chong Ra-Ang soon slithered onto the palace grounds, causing trouble for those who lived there. When the king heard about the snake, which holed itself up in the palace well, he summoned Lek.
“Brave Bear-Killer,” he said, “you must remove the cobra from our well.”
Lek was terrified, of course. He did not want to face Chong Ra-Ang, but the king had given him a direct order. Lek crept backward on his hands and knees, shaking and perspiring from nervousness, until he was out of the king’s sight.
Having no choice, Lek went to the well to see what he could do. “I am strong and brave!” he said to himself, over and over.
He peered over the side of the well to get a better look at the creature, but in doing so he tripped over a stone and lost his balance. Lek fell, tumbling straight into the well, landing right on top of Chong Ra-Ang!
Lek did not know how to swim and was now flailing his arms around, trying to keep his head above water. He swung wildly and reached out for something, anything to help him stay afloat. He grabbed the snake just as it was raising its enormous head to strike, and jumped on its back. Lek squeezed Chong Ra-Ang so tightly that the snake was killed instantly. No one was more surprised than Lek when he realized what had happened.
“Help! Help!” he called out as loudly as he could. By now he was really going under.
Luckily, someone heard him and quickly lowered ropes to pull him and the dead snake out of the well.
The king smiled happily when Lek showed him the dead cobra. “Hon Mee, good job!” said the king, “You have earned another reward.” He gave Lek twelve rubies, six sapphires, and two glittering white diamonds. Better than anything else, however, was the gift of a new title, Hon Mee Chong Ra-Ang, which meant Brave Bear-and Snake-Killer.
Again, Lek settled down to a comfortable life in the palace. The servants pampered him. He grew plump and lazy, but never forgot his dream of being king.
The next time he visited Ying, he told her how he had killed the snake with his bare hands and told her again that soon she would be living in the palace. That night, Lek talked and talked until the crow of the rooster reminded him that it was time to return to the palace.
On the way back, a group of little children came out to cheer him. Villagers gathered around him, begging for stories of his brave deeds. He declined modestly, and in doing so became even more famous. People from all over adored Lek, now known as Hon Mee Chong Ra-Ang, and cheered at the mention of his name.
Everything was going well for Lek until, one day, the king sent for him to kill a crocodile that lived in the river close to his village. “This crocodile especially enjoys eating little boys and girls,” said the king gravely. “He eats at least one for dinner every day. I want you to kill this ugly creature and bring it to me.”
Of course, Lek shook at the thought of facing a crocodile large enough to eat children, but he could not refuse the king’s order. After all, it was Lek’s duty as Hon Mee Chong Ra-Ang to protect the people and to serve the king.
The king gave Lek a boat and the assistance of six men armed with rifles. “Kill that crocodile!” everyone cheered as they departed the very next day.
As the boat floated down the fast-flowing, murky river, Lek was very scared. If the boat sank, he would drown because he couldn’t swim, or the crocodile would eat him up, or both. Every floating log looked to him like a crocodile and made him jump from his seat. He groaned and moaned, dreading the confrontation.
Suddenly, all six men stopped paddling at once. Within seconds they had their rifles cocked and aimed at a crocodile that was bigger than their boat! There it was on the river’s edge, just meters away, sliding down the mud embankment. Lek’s hair immediately stood up on end at the sight of it.
The crocodile opened its jaws, and when Lek saw its jagged teeth, he felt all his blood draining out of him. His knees shook so violently that they knocked against each other. His legs finally gave way and he dropped, slouching at the back of the boat and mumbling to himself, “I can be brave. I am brave.”
A series of powerful blasts went off in quick succession. He covered his ears, trying desperately to drown out the shattering explosions that made his insides shake. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach.
When the gunfire finally stopped, he lifted his head and saw that the small army of men had killed the crocodile.
“The crocodile is dead!” cried the six men.
Hearing that, Lek quickly leaped to his feet and put on a brave face. “What have you done?” he cried. “The king ordered me to kill the crocodile. You heard his orders and you have disobeyed the king! I was not able to do my duty—you have robbed me off my honors,” Lek said, raising his voice even more.
The men looked at one another with puzzled expressions. Then, one by one, they set down their weapons.
“When the king hears about this, he will be so angry. You cannot imagine what he will do to you! In this country, everyone must obey the king,” Lek told them.
The six men looked very sorry and hung their heads in shame. Lek turned his back on them, pretending to be angry, and listened in as they spoke to one another in panicked voices. Finally, one of them stepped forward. He bowed to Lek and asked for permission to speak.
“You may speak,” he said, looking down his nose at the man.
“We have a plan, Honorable One,” the man said. “We know you would have killed the crocodile if we had not. We will say that you killed it. This way, you can keep your honors and the king will be happy that you carried out his orders to slay the crocodile.”
Lek thought carefully. “I will tell the king that I could not have killed it without the help of six brave men,” he replied. With that, everyone was happy.
By the time they arrived at the palace, there was a huge crowd waiting to hear about the exciting adventure. When the people saw Lek standing proudly at the prow of the boat, they began cheering.
Lek held up his hands dramatically until the crowd fell silent. “The crocodile is dead!” he declared. “Our boys and girls are now safe from harm.”
The king was so grateful to Lek that he gave him twenty-four rubies, twelve sapphires, two glittering diamonds, and two perfect green emeralds. More important, however, was Lek’s new title. The king announced in a royal ceremony that Lek would be called Hon Mee Chong Ra-Ang Wang Chorake, which meant Brave Bear-, Snake-, and Crocodile-Killer. No one in the kingdom had a grander title.
Soon after the great event, Lek went to visit his loyal wife, who still looked after their small rice paddy. After he told her everything, she seemed pleased. “People everywhere are saying that you are fearless,” she said. “Some even think you have magical powers to slay all these fierce animals.” She squeezed his hand in hers and looked into his eyes. “Maybe you do have some kind of power. One day, you might just be king,” she said, smiling.
Hearing this made Lek think. The bears no longer bothered anyone and remained in the forest, the snakes did not come anywhere near the palace, and the crocodiles no longer ate boys and girls. Why, it seemed to Lek that the kingdom was very safe and quiet. He was glad that he helped to cause this peace.
Lek spent the whole night in deep thought until the the crow of the rooster reminded him that it was time to return to the palace.
Back at the palace, Lek rested his head on a silk pillow, still deep in thought. A court musician tapped out soothing rhythms on a snakeskin-covered drum.
Suddenly a messenger burst into the room and said, “Come quickly! The king needs you!”
Lek raced down the corridors and fell to the floor before the king. “I have declared a state of national emergency!” the king announced, looking troubled. “The neighboring kingdom is planning an attack upon us. Hon Mee, I am appointing you commander in chief of our royal army. I know you will lead us to victory.”
Lek did not dare look up.
If he did, the king might see how frightened he was. “If you succeed in driving this enemy from our borders,” said the king, “I will gi
ve you half my kingdom.”
“Your Highness, I will drive these attackers from our country!” Lek’s reply was bold, but he did not feel so bold. How could he ever solve this problem? I will try to spy on the enemy and find out more before I take my next step, Lek decided.
That evening, he crept through the forest to the enemy camp, again whispering to himself, “I can be brave. I am brave.” Quietly, he climbed up a tall tree and stretched himself out on one of its limbs so that he could listen in on the enemies. He saw a small group of men discussing their battle plans.
“Defeating the entire army of Siam would not be a problem if only the great warrior Hon Mee Chong Ra-Ang Wang Chorake were not leading it,” he heard one of the officials say. Lek was all charged up when he heard the words great warrior. For once he felt really brave and strong, even powerful.
At that moment, the branch he was hanging on began to crackle. Then, with a loud crack and a great swooshing thud, Lek tumbled out of the tree and somehow landed on his feet, face-to-face with one of the soldiers.
For a split second, Lek was paralyzed with shock, and so was everyone else around him. Lek couldn’t move. He just stood there with his eyes and mouth wide open, staring at his enemy, without a single weapon on him.
The men around him grabbed their guns. Still not moving, Lek listened breathlessly to the sound of each weapon being cocked and readied for firing. Then, suddenly, he thought of what Ying said and knew exactly what to do.
“I am Hon Mee Chong Ra-Ang Wang Chorake!” he said in his deepest, lowest voice. “Come and get me if you dare! But be warned. I have the power to turn you into stone with just one blink of my eye.”
Terrified, each man dropped his weapon and tore off into the forest. Lek’s reputation as the greatest warrior of all time was enough to scare the enemy away. Nobody dared challenge him.
Soon after, the enemies left the borders and there was peace again in the country. The king sent for Lek and said, “Hon Mee, you have succeeded in driving our enemies away, and you shall have half my kingdom. When I die, you will be my successor.”