The Boy and the Ghost
The King’s Surprise Visitor
The King was engaged in a game of chess with his Prime Minister in his private chamber when an unexpected interruption occurred. A guard entered the room, bowed in reverence, and announced, “Your Highness, a villager requests an audience with Your Majesty.”
“Bring him in,” the King commanded. A visibly scared and pale villager came in and bowed before the King. Explaining his reason for the abrupt intrusion, he said, “I am from Kaisarpur village, Your Majesty. We, along with the surrounding villages, are in a dire situation.”
The Unusual Problem
“What’s the trouble?” asked the Prime Minister, clearly uneasy about the interruption to their game. “The trouble is a strange ghost has descended upon our village. It is massive, bigger than the largest tree, but it does not harm any living being directly. However, it’s consuming all our vegetation, and if not stopped, we will soon have neither fodder for our cattle nor grain for us. In the past week, it has devoured fifty acres of our standing crop,” the villager explained.
“That’s a serious threat,” the King said, becoming grave. “Why have you only just now come to us?” he asked. “In the interim, our village’s witch doctors attempted to imprison the ghost in a jar. However, their efforts were unsuccessful,” the villager replied.
A Boy’s Brave Proposal
Following many failed attempts to imprison the ghost by various people, including the Court Exorcist and prisoners, the situation seemed dire. The King even offered a reward to anyone who could capture the ghost. Then, one fine morning, a twelve-year-old boy came forth claiming he could arrest the ghost.
When questioned by the Court Exorcist, the boy boldly replied, “I have two things more powerful than magic; the brain and strong will.” The King applauded his response.
Capturing the Ghost
The boy’s plan involved a procession with twelve chariots, a glass jar, a band of musicians, and a group of well-dressed people on horseback. On reaching the jungle where the ghost resided, the boy cleverly tricked the ghost into jumping into the jar. The boy then quickly sealed the jar, successfully imprisoning the ghost.
With a triumphant march, they returned to the king, bearing a ‘strange and tiny’ offering in the jar; the captive ghost.
