The King has a secret nobody should know. What can it be?
The King's Secret
A Santali folktale
There once lived a king who had a son
with the ears of an ox.
The king was ashamed of him,
and kept the prince hidden away
in a secluded room
in the palace.
Soon
the time came
for the prince's
head-shaving ceremony.
The king called
the royal barber
from another kingdom
and the ceremony was held
in secret.
When it was finished,
the king summoned the barber
to his personal chamber
and warned him.
"Never tell anyone
about the prince's ears.
If you do, I will throw you
into the dungeon!"
into the dungeon!"
The barber promised
not to say a word
about it to anyone.
But alas,
he was very bad
at keeping
secrets.
Days passed
and his stomach began to swell.
"I must tell someone
or else my stomach will explode!"
thought the barber.
Just then a splendid idea
crossed his mind.
He walked up
to an old tree
and quickly whispered
the secret to it.
His stomach immediately shrank back
to its normal size,
and he felt
much better.
"The tree will definitely
keep the king's secret safe,"
said the barber to himself.
A few days later
a drummer came by
in search of some good wood
to make a new drum.
to make a new drum.
He stopped
in front of the same tree
the barber
had whispered his secret to.
"This is exactly
what I’m looking for!"
he thought to himself,
looking at the tree.
He soon made himself
a new drum
and went to the palace
to sing in front of the king.
The guard at the gate
was happy to see him.
"Sing something
to please the king.
He's
in a bad mood today,"
said the guard.
Suddenly the drum
began to sing on its own.
“I have a secret
no one should hear.
The king's son
has ox's ears!”
The guard quickly
grabbed the drum
and shouted at the drummer,
"Nobody can reveal
the king's secret!
Run away
before someone catches you!"
But it was too late.
The king had heard the song
and ordered
the drummer to be brought in.
The poor drummer
was dragged into court.
"Throw him
in the dungeon!"
thundered
the king.
"But he didn’t do it,”
said the guard.
“It was his drum,
Your Majesty."
"Then throw
the drum
in the dungeon too.
And punish all those
who heard my secret!"
roared the king.
He was so angry
that his mustache quivered.
The guard boldly
stepped forward.
"Then you'd better
throw your whole kingdom
into the dungeon,
Your Majesty,
because we all
know your secret."
The king was stunned.
He looked at his most
trusted minister.
"Is this true?"
he asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty.
We never said anything
because we didn't want
to upset you"
replied the minister.
The king felt ashamed.
He realized
what a cruel father he had been
to keep his son hidden away
for so many years.
The next day, the king declared a holiday.
The next day, the king declared a holiday.
He held a special parade and proudly took
He held a special parade and proudly took
his son around the kingdom.
his son around the kingdom.
Everyone cheered
and waved
at the young prince in spite of his ox’s ears.
at the young prince in spite of his ox’s ears.
The guard
led the procession,
followed by the drummer,
who played
his new drum.
Illustration : Emanuele Scanziani
Music : Ladislav Brozman & Riccardo Carlotta
Animation: BookBox
Translation : Nicole Else
Narration : Timothy Tikker
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