The Prince and the Zombie

by Tenzin Wangmo

  Once again the beggar then appeared in the guise of a spiritual master in the midst of a family in a state of shock. And as before, he promised to save the young woman if she and her family treated her husband properly. Thus it was that after the young man had regained his respected place, the false spiritual master used the yellow flower to turn the monkey back into a woman. The woman, overjoyed, thereafter treated her husband with due honor and respect. Despite a difficult leave-taking, the two men separated very pleased with their deep friendship.

  The beggar removed his disguise and departed in search of his third friend, the orphan. But he also had suffered the same treatment as the others. After a short period of happiness in the bosom of his family, he had been forced to tend the asses, had received little to eat, and had been obliged to dress in miserable rags. When the friends were reunited, the beggar promised to devise a trick that would help him. Exactly the same things happened as the previous times, and soon enough the orphan had regained his status in the family as well as a wife who was prepared to accord him due honor and respect.

  The beggar had been able to help his three friends. Using his clever tricks and with the power of his magical objects, he had been able to restore their honor as well as make peace within their respective families. Feeling well satisfied with all of this, the beggar set off as before on his travels across the high Tibetan plateau.

  Under the spell of the beggar’s personality, yet again the prince let all caution fall and cried out: “But this beggar is a true bodhisattva!”

  The moment he said this he bit his lip—but it was already too late.

  Instantly, the sack on the prince’s back opened by itself and released its prisoner, Ngödrup Dorje. Gloating hugely, the zombie declared, “Here’s the blow you deserve for talking back!” and he disappeared in a puff of wind.

  The prince was very discouraged with himself, but he knew that neither anger nor tears could change a thing. Without a pause, he set forth once again for India, for the place called Silwaytsal, to capture “He Who Fulfills All Dreams.”

  19

  Hunting Down the Zombie Again

  ONCE AGAIN Prince Dechö Zangpo, filled with a sense of perseverance and determined to get Ngödrup Dorje back, traveled across the entire kingdom until he finally reached the place in India where the dead dwelled. Very soon he spotted the zombie that was quite different from all the others who were crowding around him. The zombie was gold on the top, silver on the bottom, and had a mane of pure turquoise.

  Ngödrup Dorje did try to take refuge in the top of a sandalwood tree, but Dechö Zangpo, using his ax, quickly convinced him to come down. He caught the zombie, put him in the sack, and tied it securely closed with the magic rope.

  On the twenty-seventh day, the prince was crossing the great barren plain. He was exhausted and feeling pain all over when Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice:

  “In this desolate region, there are no people and you will not find a place to rest, not even a place the size of a prairie-dog dropping. So to make this long journey a little more pleasant, I propose two solutions. Either you, a living being, will tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you one.”

  He knew that the prince, being very much on his guard, would not reply, so without waiting he began telling him another one of his very beautiful and amazing stories.

  20

  The Darpo Brothers

  ONCE UPON A TIME in a remote corner of Tibet, there was a very poor peasant family with many children, among which were two sons, both named Darpo. One of them had been born in the summer and the other one had been born in the winter. The two Darpo brothers got along very well, and their particularly close relationship was most clearly noticeable when they were playing. If you saw one of them playing, the other could not be far away.

  One day their mother died in childbirth. Alas, shortly thereafter, the father also died as a result of a terrible accident that occurred while he was working. The younger brothers and sisters were taken in by their uncles and aunts, but the two Darpos were already grown up, so they were obliged to fend for themselves. As they were rather talented at entertaining people as storytellers and singers, they left their home village and took to the road, where they could offer their services in exchange for food, lodging, and a modest fee.

  One very hot summer day, the two brothers stopped on their journey not far from a small village. As usual, they sought out the village well so they could refresh themselves by drinking a little water. But the Darpo who was born in the summer, rushing to the edge of the deep well, lost his balance and fell all the way to the bottom. His brother, totally stunned and extremely agitated, could not think of any way to save him.

  Darpo Born-in-Winter tried all kinds of ways over the next hours to get his brother out. He was without success. The well was much too deep for any ladder to be of help. After some time, Darpo Born-in-Summer shouted up from the well that he was hungry and asked his brother to get something down to him that he could eat. Not having money to buy food from the market, Darpo Born-in-Winter looked around him and saw some apricot trees not far away. He hurried over to them and was able to gather a large number of apricots. Taking half for himself, he threw the other half down the well so that his brother would not die of hunger. Weeks and then months passed, and the Darpo brothers remained inseparable: one at the bottom of the well and the other one, keeping his brother supplied with food, never far away.

  At length it happened that a pit from one of the many apricots that had been thrown down the well sprouted. It grew so fast one could see it growing, until it became a very tall apricot tree. This was quite a miracle, but Darpo Born-in-Summer had been at the bottom of the well so long that he did not stop to ask questions. Overjoyed by this miracle of nature, he gathered all his courage and all his strength and climbed the tree, higher and higher. In this way, after all this long time he was able to get out of the well. He was saved. Above, his brother Darpo Born-in-Winter, who had been waiting impatiently, hugged him in his arms. The two brothers laughed and wept at the same time for joy and happiness. At last they decided to continue on their travels. On the road they recounted and sang about what had befallen them in their lives to whomever they met, and in exchange for this entertainment, they were lodged, fed, and given a bit of money.

  Naturally, Prince Dechö Zangpo, who was an only child, experienced strong feelings listening to the story of the Darpo brothers, and without stopping to think, he said, “Oh, how touching it is to hear about that kind of strong love between brothers.”

  Then the sack on his back released its loquacious prisoner, Ngödrup Dorje. Gloating hugely, the zombie declared, “Here’s the blow you deserve for talking back!” and he disappeared in a puff of wind.

  The prince was about to be seized by a fit of anger, but taking into account the experiences he had had, he restrained his temper and immediately set off again on the way back to India to recapture Ngödrup Dorje, “He Who Fulfills All Dreams.”

  21

  Hunting Down the Zombie Again

  HARDLY HAD HE arrived at Silwaytsal, the place where the Indians leave their dead, when the prince was surrounded by numerous dead beings who crowded around all talking at the same time, crying, “Halala!” and “Hululu!” and saying, “I’m the one you’re looking for. Take me! Take me!” But he quickly forced them aside with the help of the red cone-shaped object, all the while scanning the area for Ngödrup Dorje. Spotting a body that was quite different from the others, he recognized the zombie he had to capture—gold on the top, silver on the bottom, and with a mane of pure turquoise. The prince tried to approach him, but Ngödrup Dorje fled into the top of a sandalwood tree, exclaiming, “I am not the right one! I am not the right one!”

  All the prince had to do to convince the zombie to come down was to touch the tree with his ax. It came down quickly and the prince nimbly caught it and put it in his sack, which he tied up securely with his magic rope.
/>
  On the thirtieth day, when the prince was once again crossing the same immense barren plain in silence, Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice:

  “In this desolate region, there are no people and you will not find a place to rest, not even a place the size of a prairie-dog dropping. So to make this long journey a little more pleasant, I propose two solutions. Either you, who are a living being, will tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you one.”

  Confronted by the prince’s silence, the extremely sly zombie began telling him what had become of the Darpos, the brothers linked by profound fraternal love.

  22

  The Darpo Brothers and the Sick King

  ONCE UPON A TIME in a distant country there was a king who continually suffered from terrible, barely tolerable headaches. No doctor or shaman in his country had succeeded in curing him. The king had tried all means available to him to find a cure, but to no avail.

  In despair, the king resorted to having his men put up thousands of little notices in all of his towns and villages—on tree trunks, in the marketplaces, and in places that merchant caravans passed by. The words on these notices were always the same: “The person who succeeds in curing the king’s headaches will receive half of his kingdom as a reward.”

  Reading this notice, scores of people coming from different countries thronged the court hoping to be presented to the king so they could cure him. Among these people were renowned doctors and healers, but also magicians and a great number of charlatans. Everyone wanted to try his hand.

  Weeks and months passed without any improvement in the king’s condition. On the contrary, the headaches got worse and worse, and the king thought he would soon die.

  One day the Darpo brothers, who had traveled through many a country, also heard of the sick king’s offer. And this is what happened to them as they were passing through a dense forest: Darpo Born-in-Summer heard a voice that seemed to be coming from the top of a tree. Fascinated, the two brothers stopped and looked closely to see just where this strange voice was coming from. Darpo Born-in-Summer discovered to his great surprise that he was able to understand everything being said by a large crow perched on the top of the tree:

  “It is a great pity that nobody understands me, because I know the answer to the enigma of the king’s illness. In his head, a poisonous spider is hidden. There is an effective method for getting it to come out. The king has to lay one of his ears down on a piece of cloth that is green like a lawn. Then somebody has to imitate the sound of thunder by turning a stone grinding wheel very close to his other ear. To imitate lightning, all that is necessary is to light an incense stick and move it back and forth near one of his ears. Next a wet branch has to be shaken near one of his ears to imitate a heavy rain. As a result of these tricks, the spider will think that a powerful summer storm is in progress, and all by herself she will crawl out of the king’s head. But because human beings don’t understand the language of crows, I can’t help them. What a shame! What a shame!”

  And the crow flew off into the distance, leaving behind a perplexed Darpo Born-in-Summer, who had heard and understood everything.

  Excitedly he told his brother everything. His brother looked at him somewhat incredulously. Yes, he thought, it was quite possible that living through a long period in darkness at the bottom of a well could have produced a transformation in Darpo Born-in-Summer’s perception, even to the point where he now possessed special powers. Without delay, the brothers made their appearance before the king, pretending to be powerful shamans from a very remote corner of Tibet. In spite of his many disappointments—because to this day no method had succeeded in helping him—the king was impressed by the persuasive words, the charm, and the singing of the two Darpo brothers, and his hope was revived. Thus he commanded that everything be brought and set up very exactly in accordance with the strange instructions of the two brothers, who themselves were following to the letter the indications of the big crow. And so indeed it happened that the spider came out of the king’s head, and in no time at all his headaches disappeared. After three days the king, once again completely himself and infinitely grateful, kept his word and gave half his kingdom to the two Darpo brothers as a reward. And that is not all! The king had two very beautiful daughters whom he gave to the Darpo brothers as brides.

  Having become rich and noble, the brothers decided to continue to live together under the same roof. And when the old king died, they peacefully divided the kingdom between them. And they became a source of inspiration for all of their subjects.

  “What good luck the Darpo brothers had in the midst of their bad luck!” Prince Dechö Zangpo exclaimed without thinking, spellbound as he was by this excellent story. Hardly had his words been said—he didn’t even have time to regret them—when, presto! the sack on his back opened up and released its prisoner, Ngödrup Dorje. Gloating hugely, the zombie declared, “Here’s the blow you deserve for talking back!” and he disappeared in a puff of wind.

  With a heavy heart and with a conscience heavily afflicted by this renewed failure of his, yet with a strong sense of perseverance, the prince turned on his heels and started back on the road to Silwaytsal. He promised never to let himself fall into the zombie’s trap again.

  23

  Hunting Down the Zombie Again

  PRINCE DECHÖ ZANGPO once again traveled across the whole breadth of the kingdom to reach India and the dwelling place of the dead. He had hardly arrived there when he was again surrounded by large numbers of dead beings elbowing each other and all calling out at the same time: “Halala!” and “Hululu!” “I am the one you are looking for. Take me! Take me!”

  At that point the prince followed the guru’s instructions and forced them away with the help of the cone-shaped red object, repeating over and over, “You are not the one. You are not the one.” This caused them to flee immediately.

  Having done that, he saw that one among them was not behaving like the others and had a very different kind of body. The top of the odd one was gold, the bottom of him was silver, and he had a mane of pure turquoise. This one fled to the top of a sandalwood tree, saying, “I am not the right one! I am not the right one!” The prince knew for sure that this was Ngödrup Dorje, “He Who Fulfills All Dreams.” He took hold of the second object the guru had given him, the ax, with which he lightly touched the tree. This simple action made the top of the tree tremble, and the prince began to speak to Ngödrup Dorje: “Come down to the ground. If you don’t, I will cut down this sandalwood tree.”

  You can guess what happened next. The prince used the magic ax to persuade the zombie to come down and let itself get captured in the sack, which was securely tied up with the magic rope. And so it was that the prince took his prisoner on his back and set off once again on the long road to the guru.

  On the thirty-third day, as the prince was crossing that so-very-barren plain, weakened by thirst and hunger, Ngödrup Dorje began speaking to him in a very sweet and soothing voice:

  “In this desolate region, there are no people and you will not find a place to rest, not even a place the size of a prairie-dog dropping. So to make this long journey a little more pleasant, I propose two solutions. Either you, who are a living being, tell me a story, or I, who am a dead being, will tell you a new story.”

  The prince, who knew what to expect if he opened his mouth, restrained himself from replying, and the zombie recounted another tale yet more compelling than the previous ones.

  24

  Nana the Tiger

  ONCE UPON A TIME there was a man who one day was pursued by a ferocious tiger named Nana. To escape from him, the man climbed as fast as he could into the nearest tree. Showing no pity, the tiger tried to catch hold of the man’s right foot, which was resting on a broken branch. With a horrendous aggressive roar, he bounded into the air toward his prey. The man immediately drew up his right foot and, with his last strength, climbed up a little bit farther toward the top of th
e tree. The mouth of the tiger, gaping wide, instead of biting the man’s foot, closed down on the broken branch. The tiger couldn’t get loose. A sharp and unbearable pain spread through his mouth. The more he twisted and turned trying to free himself, the more deeply he hooked himself on the point of the broken branch. Blood began flowing from his mouth, down along his muscular neck, and down along his empty belly.

  Nana shrieked with pain and begged the man to help him. Seeing such a noble beast suffering so horribly, the man felt his heart fill with a feeling of compassion that replaced his terror. He quickly climbed down out of the tree and lifted up Nana the tiger as best he could in an effort to get his mouth off the hook of the pointed branch. At last free, the tiger regained his spirits and jumped on the man again with the intention of devouring him. The man, stunned, cried out, “I just saved your life. Could it be that you are so wicked and ungrateful that you want to eat me?”

  Nana knew nothing but the law of the strongest. He knew nothing of gratitude and nothing of compassion. He expressed his way of seeing things, and the man shouted and expressed his regret for his act of kindness. They had been arguing a good while when a hare came along and heard them. Curious, the hare approached and asked them what it was they were arguing about. Glad to have somebody willing to listen to him, the man readily recounted to the hare what had happened. Very slyly the long-eared animal pretended not to fully understand the situation. He told them that he could help them determine which of them was right, but he would have to gain a better understanding of the situation. He asked them to show him what position each one of them had been in so he could sort out their disagreement. Right away the man, who had understood the hare’s plan, climbed back up the tree, and Nana, who was without doubt ferocious but also stupid, leaped up as he had before, his mouth open, and once again got himself hooked on the broken branch. Once again the beast shrieked with pain and begged the man for help. At this moment, the sly hare calmly said, “So there you have it. The situation is back the way it was before your argument. Now you have a second chance to think over carefully just what it is you want to do.”