Hot Tea

Retelling of Old Legends

Hot Tea

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Once upon a time there was a gentleman who after a long successful career retired to a countryside mansion to enjoy the rest of his years in relative comfort.

He had many friends and countless hobbies to fill his days. What he most excelled in however, was the collection and preparation of tea. He’d delighted in this particular beverage ever since it was first introduced to him by a learned, highly esteemed professor that he was fortunate enough to befriend. Over the years he’d accumulated a vast knowledge about the many varieties of tea and the many ways of preparing it, using his extensive collection of the rarest teapots and cups.

It was a rare privilege indeed to be invited to one of his Tea gatherings that were always conducted with such pomp and ceremony.

Once, a supposedly learned, affluent relative was travelling from the Provinces to the City and called on him to pay his respects. At the end of a lavish feast, the host and guest both retired to the Tea-room where the relative was served the choicest tea steeped in precious spring water.

The relative enjoyed the tea so much that he repeatedly, after each sip, grunted, “Excellent!”

Delighted that his relative must appreciate the finer things, the host eagerly inquired, “Are you referring to the tea or choice of spring water.”

The last thing he expected was this explanation, “It’s the hotness of the tea which I like the best.”

The End

The Old Man Loses His Mare

Retelling of Old Legends:

The Old Man Loses His Mare

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(When events occur, who can rightly predict the outcome? Who can tell whether it happened for good or for bad, for fortune or for misfortune?)



Once upon a time an old frontiersman lived in a ramshackle hut. He lived modestly with his wife and son tending their small plot of land from sunrise to sunset. With never a cross word to anyone, always ready to land a helping hand, he was well liked by all his neighbours.

One spring day his untethered mare inexplicably ran off into the territory of a hostile tribe. On learning this, all his neighbours hastened to console him but the old man was not perturbed in the least. He simply shrugged and quietly said, “Who’s to say this is not a blessing?”

Some months later, the mare returned accompanied by a fine stallion. His neighbours this time rushed to congratulate him on his good fortune.

“Who’s to say this is not a misfortune?” His puzzling response sends the callers back home, shaking their heads.

Now it so happened that his spirited teenage son was fond of riding. At dusk after his chores were completed he yielded to temptation and, without a word to anyone, he simply mounted the stallion and galloped into the distance. They flew over the rough terrain jumping hedges, boulders and streams to test his as well as the horse’s mettle. At one ill-fated juncture, unable to clear a deep gully, the horse reared, throwing the boy to the ground and breaking his leg.

Again the worried neighbours rushed to offer their deep sympathy.

The old man once more shrugged it off. “Who’s to say this is not a blessing in disguise?”

That autumn the hostile border tribe having gathered up momentum, unleashed a wave of murderous raids to rape and plunder. All able bodied men were naturally called upon to mount a defence but by the time the reinforcements eventually arrived countless volunteers in this ragtag militia had lost their lives.

The son of the old man, being crippled, was spared from the fighting and so survived.

The old man said to his son, “Look how a misfortune may turn out to be a blessing and a blessing may be actually be a misfortune. It is impossible to predict what capricious fate has in store.”

The End

The Fox Assumes The Tiger's Might

Retelling of Old Legends:

The Fox Assumes The Tiger's Might

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(Where would we all be without the support and backing of family, friends, organizations, nations etc?)

Once upon a time a mighty ferocious tiger caught a fox. Pinning the poor creature under his paw, he opened wide his enormous maw to swallow his prey all in one gulp.

“Don’t you dare eat me,” shouted the desperate fox, mustering up all his courage. “God has made me king of all beasts, you will suffer most terrible consequences if you so brazenly defy The Almighty’s will!”

Seeing the tiger’s skepticism, fox insisted, “I have the proof. Just let me lead the way and you follow close behind and note how every creature will flee at the sight of me.”

Curious, the Tiger gave his consent and the two of them set off together. True enough, when all the beasts saw them coming, they scattered, turned tail and ran. Not realizing that it was his own self that was the cause of this great panic, the tiger accepted the fox’s claim and let him go.

The End