Aditya and the Vampire
Once upon a time, a carpenter named Aditya lived in a small village. He was an illiterate fellow and earned his living through hard work. His old mother lived with him and encouraged him to work harder.
As luck would have it, his uncle died and left all his wealth to Aditya. Now that he was the master of a lot of money, Aditya thought it fruitless to labour by the sweat of his brow. So he went to his mother and said, “Mother, why should I labour any more? Let us live happily with all this wealth.”
His mother replied, “What foolish talk is this, boy? You will earn more money by working harder. Money earned is money saved. However, if you so wish, you may buy a house.”
So Aditya bought a house but did not give up carpentry. He thought he should also become learned, so he went to the village schoolmaster and requested him to lend him some books. The schoolmaster gave him a beginner’s primer and a book containing the stories of King Vikramaditya and the Vampire.
After some time, Aditya mastered the alphabet and learned to read quite well. Naturally, the first book he read avidly was the one featuring King Vikramaditya and the Vampire. Aditya was fascinated by the tales but was especially intrigued by the wit and cleverness of the vampire. He sought to emulate the King’s example and make the acquaintance of a vampire. But where to find one? He asked many others in the village, but they all scoffed at him and warned against such foolish talk.
In that village lived another crafty carpenter named Vaidya. He was jealous of Aditya’s good fortune and was always plotting to grab the latter’s wealth. When he heard about Aditya’s new obsession, he decided to take action.
One day, he accosted Aditya in the street and said, “Well, Aditya, I understand that you keep the company of vampires.” Aditya replied despondently, “I wish I could. But no one will tell me how.”
“Oh! That’s easy,” said Vaidya. “Go to the crematorium with me, and you can make the acquaintance of hundreds of them. But be sure to take some money with you.”
Aditya was overjoyed to hear this and did not pause to think why it was necessary to carry some money to the crematorium. In the dead of night, he crept out of his house noiselessly and reached the desolate moor. But there was no vampire to be seen, only a white figure flitting from tree to tree. Thinking that he had at last found the vampire, Aditya bounded forward and clasped the white figure around the middle. To his surprise, he received a ringing blow on his ears, and the next moment he fell. The white figure ran off with Aditya’s money. Of course, it was Vaidya who had played this trick on Aditya. He returned home, not so much sorry about losing his money, but acutely unhappy that he could not talk to the vampire. He related all to his mother, who realized that her foolish son had been well duped. However, she suggested that he should cultivate a friendship with the vampire and learn more.
The next day, Aditya went off to the moor and saw a white-clad figure standing motionlessly. Summoning courage, he approached it and attempted to start a conversation. But the figure did not reply and remained mute. Angered at last, Aditya showered blows on it, but it was of no use. He became bruised in the process, but the figure would not speak. How could it? It was only a rock draped in a white sheet. Naturally, it was the work of Vaidya!
Aditya returned home and told his mother how he had tried to speak to the vampire and how becoming impatient at its continued silence, he had struck it, injuring his hand. His mother was amused by his endless foolishness but remarked, “Son, it’s no use running after the vampire. It is said that if it likes a man, it will seek him out and become friendly. So stay here and don’t go out anymore.”
Aditya thought this was sound advice, and that night he slept in the open in front of the house. Vaidya took this opportunity and, at midnight, set fire to the house. A neighbour returning to the village saw the blaze and ran to wake the sleeping Aditya.
<p“Aditya, get up, get up,” shouted the neighbour.
But Aditya thought that the vampire had come, and closing his eyes tightly, pretended to be fast asleep.
The neighbour shouted, “Get up, Aditya, your house is burning.”
Still, Aditya did not get up, believing the vampire was up to some trick.
Disgusted with the slumbering Aditya, the neighbour exclaimed, “Go on then, get burnt with your house,” and ran off.
Meanwhile, Aditya’s mother came running and shrieked at her son to get up and put out the fire. Hearing his mother’s voice, Aditya got up reluctantly and saw the house burning merrily. Quickly, he ran to get buckets of water and doused the flames, but the damage had been done. The house was reduced to ashes, and thus Aditya lost all his wealth.
From that day forth, he gave up all foolishness about the vampire and devoted himself to carpentry. As for Vaidya, his guilt was established by the village panchayat, and he went to jail for a long, long time.
When the wind is in the East, then the fish bite the best. When the wind is in the North, then the fishes do come forth. When the wind is in the South, it blows the bait in the fish’s mouth.