ESL Blogs

Far in the village,lived a very rich old woman.She lived all alone , there was nobody but her maid.  This old woman was as miser as miser could be for she never had given a charity.She almost always believed that giving charity is the shortest way to poverty.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                She shouted to her maid from the window waving by her cane to the children playing in her house garden:"kick those little devils from my garden and make sure they do not take any of the fallen fruits."                                                                                                                                                      The maid said  :"my lady,they are mere young children playing without taking anything ..........," shut up and do what I ask you to do" interrupted the old lady.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The maid  entered  and said:"my lady, there is a poor woman at   the door begging your charity.Do you like to give her anything ?"                        Filled with fury the old woman said:"when will those beggars stop knocking at my doors?Do  they get bored?Let her go away."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            One day the maid came into  the old woman's room while she was counting a sum of money and said in a desperate voice:"there is a strange passerby needs any thing to eat.What do you like to give to him?""Go and kick him out .And do not you think you can give him anything from behind my back for I count everything "said the old woman.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       In the next day the old woman demanded her maid after she had cleaned the house and the garden to cook a small chicken for their lunch ."my lady, my lady......."cried the maid shedding tears."What's up?"asked the old woman anxiously                                                                   ._a crow sneaked from the kitchen  window and took the chicken before I put it in the oven and fly away                                                                        _What!!!You must be punished, you are wasting my money lousy maid .What a cursed crow!I'll let you starving for the rest of the day.You are killing me......ah .......my heart  my heart.......                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     The maid took the old woman's hand and laid her on her bed while she was murmuring curses and rebuke and closed the door of the room leaving her to rest.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           "Wake up,wake up..."said two freaks in the same voice punching the old woman in her shoulders.                                                                           "Who are you ?and where am I?trembling with fear asked the old woman.                                                                                                                  "Shut up your mug!You are here to be asked not to ask"they said.                                                                                                                                 "Please leave me,I am starving.I didn't eat anything since morning"                                                                                                                               "No we wont leave you.Remember you are not alone starving what about your poor maid?You left her without food without any mistake of her,didn't you?"                                                                                                                                                                                                                         "please give me something to eat,I am too hungry to walk,have mercy on me."                                                                                                           "Isn't it strange to ask for charity while you ever never wanted to be asked?"                                                                                                                  For the first time in her long life the old woman felt how cruel she was and while she was pondering her horrible miser image a big crow appeared in the horizon carrying a wrap in his mouth.Landing beside the old woman  and the two freaks, the crow had put the wrap and said:"I owe this woman something ,and it is time for settling debts".                                                 "take it",said the two freaks.                                                                                                                                                                                           Quickly  the  old woman opened the wrap to disappointedly find nothing but her raw small chicken .What happened todays morning flashed in her mind and felt shy.                                                                                                                                                                                                     "common eat quickly ,there is no time to waste ,we have a lot to do with you today"  said the two freaks.                                                                  "I can't eat it,it is raw!"                                                                                                                                                                                                         "Excuse me my lady this is what I have exactly taken from you no more ,no less and I have paid my debt"said the crow waving farewell while flying away disappearing in the wide horizon.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         "Eat ,you have not anything with anybody .This is all what you owe today."                                                                "I can't eat it ,I am old I have no teeth, there is no way to eat this."                                                                                                                                 One of them came towards her and opened her mouth while the other pushed the chicken in.                                                                                "Oh, I 'm sh_o_k_i_n_g       h_e_l_pppppppp"                                                                                                                                                            waking up up from a short snap,the old woman thanked God realizing that it is not a mere wicked nightmare but also a siren for quick change.she apologized to her maid and asked her that from this moment on to give every needy whatever s\he wanted, and let the children play in her house garden and eat from whatever fruit tree they liked.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Among the maid surprise ,the old woman told her that she had learned a lesson that she would not forget for the short  remaining days of her life:what we take is  nothing but what we give.