Makato and the Cowrie Shell
Thailand
Once upon a time there was a boy named
Makato. He was an orphan, and had no friends or family to take care of him.
Because he had to make his own living he did all kinds of odd jobs: chopping
wood, feeding pigs, clearing and cleaning. He didn't mind to work hard, and
despite his small wages he was satisfied with his life.
He was only 4 when his mother passed away,
but he remembered some stories she had told about the kind-hearted king of
Sukhotai. Ever since he was small he wanted to meet this king. One day, when
helping a friend to find food for elephants, he found so many branches that the
friend offered him a job to become the assistant of the King's mahout. He
worked hard cleaning elephants sheds and finding food. One fine morning
Makato's patience and hard work got rewarded: he was to accompany the King's
elephant an a parade. As the king mounted the beast, in his splendid, shiny
costume, he dropped a tiny cowrie shell. Makato picked it up and held it out to
the king. who told him to keep it.
At the time the people of Sukhotai used
cowrie shells as money, and although one little cowrie had little value, he
wanted to use it wisely. He went to the market to buy seeds, yet quickly
realized he could not even buy the smallest bag of seeds, while he noticed a
lettuce seed stall.
"Lady, if I dip my finger into this pile
of seeds, can I take those that stick to my finger for one cowrie?", he
asked. "Well why not", replied the sales lady, amused by his
suggestion. Makato carefully scraped the seeds from his finger and planted
them, watering the tiny sprouts daily, until the garden was covered in fresh,
green lettuce. Proud as he was, he offered to king his first produce.
"Where did you get these, my boy?"
the king asked surprised, and Makato told him the story. He king was impressed
by so much intelligence and industry that he offered him a fixed position at
the palace.
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