Pitara Kids Home > Talespin > Stories for kids

Double it up!

By B Sumangal; Illustration by Sudheer Nath

Raju and Savitri lived in Tanjore in the state of Tamil Nadu. Raju worked in the rice fields of a local landlord or zamindar for six months a year. In turn, he received four sacks of rice as salary. He would then sell three of them in the local market and keep one sack for himself for food.

At the local market he would exchange the rice for vegetables, flour, and groceries. Savitri would do the cooking and washing and look after the home.

One year there was a severe drought. There was no rain and the rice fields dried up. By April, the two were getting tired of eating nothing but rice. So one day, they decided to go dig for tubers. They took an axe to cut firewood and set off.

Throughout the day Raju cut branches and Savitri searched around for tubers and mushrooms. In the evening they sat under a tree exhausted. Raju put down his axe nearby and leaned his back tiredly against a tree. As he put down the axe, the axe fell through! What he thought was solid ground was in fact a large hole covered up by grass.

He frantically dug up the grass and weeds as his axe was very precious to him. And Lo! What did he find? A large copper vessel was buried in the earth tall enough to hold him. Raju and Savitri dug up the earth until the vessel was uncovered. They lifted it carefully and turned it upside down. Since the vessel was too tall it would have been difficult to remove the axe.

Mud, rocks, dead plants and small rats fell out of the vessel. Anxiously they searched the huge mound of dirt for their axe. Suddenly Raju felt the wooden handle and pulled out an axe. At the same time Savitri also felt a handle and this time pulled out a new and shining axe!

They were stunned. Where did the second one come from? A brand new at that? Suddenly they heard a voice calling them by name. It said, "Raju, I am the guardian of this vessel." Whatever you put inside the vessel will double. But beware! Each time your life will be reduced by two years."

The two were totally amazed! Never in their lives had something like this happened. Though they realized that they could be rich, they knew that they had to be careful as their lives would be reduced each time they double an item.

They decided to take the vessel home. At home Raju wanted to try out the vessel's magic. Raju dropped in a bucketful of rice. When they turned the vessel, surprise! surprise! they found two bucketfuls!

Raju jumped in joy and hugged Savitri. "Now we can be rich and happy", he cried. Savitri, the cleverer of the two, cautioned Raju "let's not be greedy. Let's carefully double everything or we won't live to enjoy the wealth."