Stories For Life | Food For Thought

  The Legend Of The Devil Bird | A Tragic Story  Devil bird Once upon a time there lived a hunter in a remote village in Sri Lanka. The village was situated near a thick forest surrounded by the hills.  The hunter was married and had one little son. He was a cruel and heartless man. His one and only dream was to kill some animal each day. There wasn't a single day when he did not add some meat to his meals. He had the habit of leaving home every morning on hunting. One day, it so happened that the hunter had to return home empty handed.  As he was sitting under the huge banyan tree in front of his hut, his little son came to him. The little one asked his father, " Father, you haven't taken me to the forest for some time. I like to see deer drinking water at the lake."  The hunter stood up and told his wife that he was taking their son to the forest. He was one who never changed his decisions. So, the woman told the hunter, "Take good care of the child, please. D...

  The Young Gardener | A Short Story  A young man entered a shop and asked the shopkeeper if he could use the telephone and he would pay for it. The shopkeeper looked at the young man from head to toe and nodded his head.  The young man reached the phone and dialed a number. The shopkeeper watched silently. The young man started talking.  "Good morning! Madam...Are you looking for a gardener?" "The lady replied, "Good morning! No, not  necessary at the moment."  The young man said, "I can mow your garden and prune the trees." The lady said, "Well, I already have one for all this work."  The young man then said, "I'll do it for half the wages you pay for him."  The lady still refused. He said, "Well, madam , I have long experience as a gardener. I have worked for a number of wealthy people. I can transform your garden also into one of the best gardens in the city. Just allow me to work in your garden one day."  The lad...

  The Little Shoe-shiner  A certain elderly gentleman was on his way to his office along a busy pavement in Colombo. The gentleman stopped for a while to buy a newspaper when a small boy of school going age approached him and said timidly, "Sir! Shall I polish your shoes?"  The gentleman looked at the child from head to toe. He felt pity to see the child in a tattered shirt and a pair of shorts. It appeared that the little child had not taken haircut for ages. The old gentleman automatically remembered his grandson who was also around the same age as the child standing in front of him.  "Alright, polish them quickly. I'm in a hurry to attend some important meeting," said the gentleman. The child pointed to a stool by the side of the pavement. The old gentleman made himself comfortable on the stool and allowed the boy to do the polishing. The child started his work. However, the old gentleman found that the child was slow at work. The gentleman said, "Child!...

  The Hiccup Treatment   An old couple lived in a village. They lived alone because their children were married and lived far from home. The old couple lived happily at their small cottage.  One day, the old woman got bouts of hiccups and whatever she did, she had no relief. The following day, she decided to go to the village doctor with a neighbouring lady.  The doctor told the woman that he wanted to examine her first. So, he asked her to lie down on the bed. The old lady got on to the bed with the help of the other lady. The doctor first checked her pulses and then examined her well. The old lady was still getting hiccup. He then sat down on a chair next to the bed and asked,  "How old are you grandma now?" She said, "I'm 83 doctor!" and continued suffocating her hiccups, "I have five children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, too".  The doctor kept silent for a few seconds and said,  "Mum! I find that you are pregnant!".  The old la...

 Once Upon a time, there lived a donkey in a forest. He was young and strong. However, everyone in the forest humiliated the donkey where they met him. They used all the bad words they could use to call him a 'a fool'. But the donkey never quarreled with them. Instead, he took every effort to keep away from the others.  This behaviour helped the donkey to focus more on food. Before long, the donkey grew into a strong and healthy animal.  A very cruel lion ruled this forest. Everyday, some animal fell a prey to him. So, everyone in the forest lived in great fear.  One day, the lion king saw the donkey grazing on the bank of the river. He was delighted to see the hefty donkey. The lion hid behind a bush and waited for the donkey to get closer. The lion at once pounced upon the donkey. The panicked donkey kicked the lion so hard that it fell dead at the spot.  The animals heard the deadly roar of their king and watched as to what was going on at a distance. They sa...

  A good friendship is a strong bond Ravi and Sugath were two good friends. Wherever they went, they went together. The whole village knew about their friendship.  Once the two friends wanted to visit one of their old teachers in another village. The path to that village fell through a thick forest infested with wild animals.  On the way, Ravi asked Sugath if he could climb up trees. Sugath said that he had never climbed up a tree. The two friends continued their journey.  Suddenly, Ravi saw a bear coming towards them. He quickly climbed up a near by tree. Sugath was left alone on the road. He was shivering in fear. He had nothing to do but to lay on the road as if he were dead. When Sugath saw his good friend lying on the road, he remembered his friend did not how to climb up trees. He was shocked to see his friend on the road.   Ravi quickly climbed down and ran to his friend in a flash. He also lay beside Sugath. Sugath murmurred to see Ravi, "Friend, cl...

Contentment Is Bliss   Once upon a time, there lived a woodcutter named Banda in a village in Sri Lanka.  He worked only for a short time every morning. Then he engaged in some other work at home.  One day, a German tourist came to his village for a short stay. His name was Bernard. He showed an interest in knowing the livelihood of the people who lived in his vicinity.  The tourist observed Banda worked only for a short time every day. He was curious to know as to why Banda worked like this. So, one day he talked to Banda.  " H! I'm Bernard from Germany. I see that you work only for about an hour every day. Can I know why?"  "Well, I think this is enough for me. I have work in my garden and I do them."  "But don't you think, if you work longer you can split more wood and earn more. Then you can buy a wheelbarrow and transport more wood to the town." "Well, then?" "Then you can buy a truck with the money and transport logs to the tow...