Once upon a time, there lived a very hard
working old woman. Her husband died a long time ago. She has not children. She
lived alone in peace and prosperity. In the early morning she got up and worked
till the late night everyday. During the day time, she worked in handloom works
and in the night she rendered her duties in cotton works. She was very wise and had witticism. With her
hard working, she became the richer day by day. Her hard works and wealth had
spread from her village to another. On hearing the news of her wealth, a thief
from another village had kept his eyes on the old woman. The thief who was
trying to steal goods from the house of the old woman had bee waiting
opportunity to go inside the house. Every night, the thief tried to enter the house
of the old woman but in vain. One day, the thief while trying to enter the
house, had heard the voices of two persons talking inside the house. The thief
was thinking that the old woman was not still taking to her bed. He immediately
left the house. The other day, the thief attired in black dresses and covered
his head with mask entered the house while the old woman was going out to fetch
water for using it in the cooking. The thief was waiting the old woman to take
rest to her bed. From the corner of the house, the thief saw the body of old
woman by the light of the lantern. Taking with great care, the thief was
approaching towards a place for comfortable in his hiding. At last he was
hiding behind lantern which was hanging near the fireplace. The old woman was
working in the late night. She didn’t know the thief was waiting his time.
Nor did she see the thief was hiding behind
the lantern. In a surprise movement, the old woman smelt theft inside the
house. If course, there was a sound of bated breath behind the lantern. While
doing her works half heartedly, the old woman was thinking that how to trap the
thief in an ideal manner. She was alone and old. She thought that if she cries
for help at the top of her voice, the thief may either kill her or ran away. So
she at last found a well thought plan to overpower thief. But it would not an
east task. As the night was far advance, the old woman started her yet another
trick. As if in her usual tone of having conversation every night, she started
calling, “Oh! Lantern, Oh! Lantern, my lovely friend.” The lantern did not give
any reply. There was silence. The lantern was giving light in and around the
area as usual. The woman again said, “Oh! Lantern, Oh! Lantern, my lovely
friend. Everyday, you always made replied.
Why you remained silent today. Do you want to take a rest? ” The lantern still
remained silent. But the woman continued. Every day in the late night, before I
am going to my bed we had been talking and discussing on any matter. “Oh!
Tonight you remained silent, I know there is something behind it”, the old
woman said. What happened tonight? Are you feeling ashamed before someone who
was inside our house?
Why you feeling ashamed when a stranger was
entering and hiding inside the house. Don’t be ashamed. Give you reply just as
we talked every day. The woman was inviting the man hiding in her house and
giving a thought provocation idea. The wise woman again said, “Oh! Lantern, Oh!
Lantern, my lovely friend, Oh! My lovely friend, Lantern. Everyday, you always
made replied. Why you remained silent today.” This time, if you did not give
your response, I would presume that a
stranger was inside the house. Seeing and hearing what had happened inside the
house, the thief was thinking that the old woman was talking with the lantern
every day. He also thought that the old lantern would also not be an ordinary
one. It would have the power to take conversation. Indeed, the thief delved in
deep thought, “when I take a hide behind the lantern, the lantern is feeling of
ashamed her before me. So she did not made her replies. If the old woman
continued to talk to the lantern, I would give the replies in place of the old
lantern.” The old woman again said, “Oh! Lantern, Oh! Lantern, my lovely
friend, Oh! My lovely friend, lantern. Every day, you always made replies. Why
you remained silent today.” This time, the thief made a reply ,”Yes, lovely
friend”.
On hearing the terse reply, the old woman
confirmed that the thief was near the lantern. She thought herself that this
thief could be trapped easily. And then the old woman continued, “Why not you
speak when I call you several times? Are you sleeping a bit earlier?” The thief
behind the lantern again made his replies, “I have taken nab, I don’t hear what
you had said earlier.” The old woman said, “I am now feeling of sleeping but I
have to complete my day’s work. Until the works complete, let us take our
conversation”. The woman further said
that she would tell a story before completion of her day’s works. The thief said,
“I would be very happy, I want to hear your story”. The old woman began to tell
her story. Once in a far village there lived an old woman. One of her eyes lost
its sight. Besides, she was also a deaf person. There was a lantern hanging
over the post near the old woman working every night. In the light of the
lantern, the old woman worked hard every night. One day, because of her
overworks, she took sleep. While taking her sleep, a thief entered the house of
the old woman. The thief had collected all the household articles and tried to
leave the house along with the booty. To her surprise the old woman opened her
one eye and came to know that a thief was trying to collect all the materials
from her house. Suddenly, wanting to catch the thief, the old woman at the top
of her voice cries out for her help of the neighbors. “Oh! There is a thief, Oh
thief inside my house.” The thief was hearing the story attentively.
Surprisingly, on hearing loud and sound of the seeking help of the old woman in
the middle of the night, the irate neighbors equipped with good weapons rushed
into the house of the old woman. The thief was easily overpowered. Thus the old
woman had easily trapped the thief.
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