Once upon a time an old woman lived in a village. She was wealthy but was very clever and miser. She lived alone in an old hut and never allowed anyone to enter her hut. Though she was getting weaker day by day due to old age but did not have any servant or other helping hand and used to do all the household work by herself.
She had only one thing in her mind.....
'' If I allow someone to enter my house the person will steal away all my money and I will get poor.''
One day a young man from other village came to the old woman's village and he heard about that woman from the villagers.
The young man thought that how good it would be for him if he succeeded in getting a good share of the old woman's wealth by any means.
Next day he went to old woman's house and knocked the door .
''Who is there'' ? ,asked the woman.
''I am a relative of yours" ,the young man replied.
''Why have you come here?'' ,old woman asked again .
I heard that you are living alone and it is not good for you to live alone in this old age so I decided to stay here and look after you.
The woman did not allow him to come in but he started to live in the compound of the house.
Many days passed like that and one day the old woman got sick and she called the young man in the house as she had no one else to look after her.
The young man served the woman like her own child, she became so pleased with him that she allowed him to stay with her.
After some time the illness of the woman worsened.
Now she knew that she was going to die soon , she called the young man and said to him, '' Son, I want to tell you my last wish , that when my body will be placed on the pyre please burn my pillow with my body."
Two days later, the woman died. The young man did exactly what the woman had asked him to do. He burnt the huge pillow with her.
After completing the funeral and rituals he rushed to the old woman's hut and started searching madly for the money.
He searched here,
he searched there,
he searched everywhere.
But the young man didn't find a single penny.
So where was the money? Well, it was in the pillow which was burnt with the old woman.
Ah ! all the efforts of the young man failed.
Indian folktale
Re-told by-Aunt Mary
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