Reflections

Kailas stood there watching his mother making some sugar candy. The longer he watched, the more his mouth watered at the thought of how good a piece of that candy would taste. But his mother had different ideas. Giving her son a stern look, she said, “Off with you, and help your father in the garden. You are not getting any candy today.”

Crestfallen, Kailas slunk out of the door, and as soon as he had gone, the mother carefully hid the candy in a cupboard, little knowing that her greedy son was slyly watching her through the window.

As soon as the opportunity offered, Kailas tiptoed into the kitchen and helped himself to a nice large piece of the candy, and just as quietly made off into the garden to enjoy this delicious sweet. But before Kailas could take a bite, his father suddenly appeared around the corner of the house. Knowing his father would thrash him for stealing the candy, Kailas quickly dropped the candy into the big water pot he was leaning against.

Hours passed before Kailas had the chance to retrieve his piece of candy, and when he looked into the water pot, he was horrified to see the face of a boy looking up at him. Of course, he didn’t realize that he was gazing at his own reflection.

“You rascal,” he shouted. “What are you doing in our water pot?”

His father, hearing the son’s outcry, came running up and wanted to know what was wrong. When Kailas told him there was a boy hiding in their water pot, the father peered cautiously into the pot and jumped back in amazement. “That’s no boy, it’s a man in there,” he cried, “and what a villain he looks.” Then, picking up a stout stick, the father added, “I will teach the rogue a lesson.”

Hitting the pot with all his strength, the father shouted, “Take that, and that and that.” In the end, the pot broke into a hundred pieces, and water gushed everywhere. But there was no boy and no man inside the pot.

The father looked dumbfounded at first, then turning on his son, he cried, “Look what you made me do, you young rascal,” and belabored his son with the stick.

“You don’t see me losing my nerve?”