fairy tale

Once upon a time there lived a poor family in a small, secluded province in the Philippines. The father was a struggling carpenter who could barely find work to support his wife, two sons and daughter. The family lived in a small shack next to the dump. The roof leaked, the floorboards creaked, while cockroaches sprawled all over the dirty floor. Everyday they struggled as they had very little money to feed themselves with. The parents felt helpless as everyday the whole family went to bed hungry. “How can we live like this?” asked the mother. “If we don’t get enough food, we’re all going to starve to death.” In response, the father nodded his head as he had no idea how he could put the food on the table. One day when the mother and the children were out of the house, the father was pacing around thinking about his family’s situation until he said to out loud, “How am I going to feed my family?” As the last word left his mouth, a large bang went off right in front of him while a cloud of smoke shrouded his view. While he fell onto the ground in fear not knowing what was going on an angelic-looking woman with a compassionate and caring face appeared out of the smoke. “I can help you”, said the women. “I have been watching you and your family and I know of your problems.” Out of thin air, an old, black pot appeared into her hand as she said, “Take this. This enchanted pot should help solve your family’s misfortunes. Whenever you take off the lid, a steamy, pile of rice will always be underneath it for you to feed your family. But listen to my warning. This pot only works for the purest of intentions. If ever the pot is used for evil intentions, the pot will shatter at the touch and the enchantment shall be lost.” As the father took the pot, the women instantly vanished with the same ear-shattering bang as before.

Completely shocked and in disbelief at what just happened, the father looked felt the warmth in his hands coming from the pot. As he took off the lid, steam emerged from the pot as the smell of fresh rice made his eyes drool. Ravenously, he devoured the entire pot in a few short minutes. The empty pot became cool after he had eaten the whole pot to satisfy his appetite. After he put the lid back onto the pot, immediately the same sensation of warmth comforted his hands. He lifted the lid and in the pot was another batch of hot rice. When his family came home he ecstatically told them what had happened and for the first time in years, the whole family went to bed with a full stomach.

After months of eating just plain white rice, the family desired something else to eat. One day the mother said, “Why don’t you go to the restaurant down the street and sell the rice there so then we can buy some meat to eat with our rice.” After thinking about what the angelic woman said, the father was hesitant in doing so. He then thought about it some more and concluded that selling the rice to get money for food was not an evil intention. Nervous to touch the pot, the man slowly reach out to lift the lid. As his fingers touched the lid, the pot did not shatter. “Thank goodness!” exclaimed the father as he sighed in relief. He took it to the restaurant and amazed the people there by the enchanted pot. Everyday the father would sell a few containers of rice which gave them just enough money to buy meats and vegetable to eat with their endless amounts of rice.

After months of eating assorted and delicious meals, the mother eventually said, “The kids are getting old. Why don’t you start a rice business to get enough money to send them to school?” The father then again thought about what the angelic-woman had told him. Just like before, he concluded that sending his kids to school was a good intention. Hesitantly he reached his hand toward the lid and made contact with it. He exhaled as the put did not break at his touch. The father then established a contract with all the local restaurants that required them to buy rice from him and him only. Business was booming for him as he made more than enough money to send the kids to school. As they made more money, they used the money to move out of the dumpy shack and into a nice two-story house in a nice neighborhood.

Ten years passed as the family lived extravagantly with their great wealth. All three kids were in college and out of the house as the father’s business had made them lots of money. One day the mother said, “I’m tired of living in this boring place. Why don’t you sell the pot so we can buy the big mansion next to the ocean?” Without hesitation the father advertised for the pot to be sold. As numerous companies sought out to buy this, the father took the highest bid and signed a contract with the company to sell the pot. Without hesitation, the father grabbed the pot to deliver it to the company. As soon as his finger touched the lid, the pot shattered into hundreds of little pieces. Within the broken shards, not a single grain of rice existed between the cold shattered pieces. At that moment, the father’s heart sunk down deep into his stomach as he went speechless. A loud cracking sound resonated through his ear drums as smoke appeared the same way years ago. The women however had a look of anger and disappointment this time. In a solemn tone she said, “I have been watching you over the past years and you have failed to heed my warning. Your greedy intentions have caused the pot to shatter and now I can tell you that you will lose everything that you have just gained.” In the blink of an eye she vanished again with a bang. He stood there speechless. After the company learned of what happened, they ended up suing him for everything that he was worth. In a matter of weeks, he lost his house, his company, and all his money. With no money, he couldn’t send his kids to college anymore. And just like that, the family moved back into the shack with many hungry nights ahead of them.