FOLK TALE
In ancient days, a farmer and his clever old mother lived in a village ruled by an ignorant young chief. The chief believed that old people were useless, so he ordered that everyone over seventy be taken to the mountains and abandoned. Away went the clever old judges, the knowledgeable old doctors, and the wise old teachers, up to the mountains.
The good farmer could not bear to do such a heartless thing. Instead, he hid his mother in a cave that he dug under his house.
One day, powerful Lord Higa and his warriors rode into the village and threatened to conquer it. The ignorant chief begged for mercy, although he himself had never shown mercy to others. “Set us any task,” he pleaded, “and it shall be done.”
“Any task?” said Lord Higa. “I am fair and I do admire cleverness, so let’s see if there is any cleverness in this village.”
He ordered the villagers to complete three impossible tasks.
“But no one can do what is impossible!” protested the chief.
“Fair is fair,” replied Lord Higa. “You did say ‘any task.’ Now then, first you must make a rope out of ashes. Next, run a thread through a crooked log. Lastly, make a drum that plays without being tapped on top.” With that, Lord Higa and his warriors galloped away, vowing to come back before it was fully dark. Already the light was fading from the sky.
With no time to lose, the chief asked all the people in the village for their advice, but they didn’t have a clue. “If only the elders were still living among us!” they all cried. “Think of how clever they were and all that they had learned over the years.”
When the clever old woman heard the chatter of confusion above her, she