The secret of the magic jar

This is a true story that Punch and his sister Judy's nanny told them in Mumbai. His brother and sister are playing in the corridor, waiting for their mother to come home. Her mother drove out this afternoon. The big pink crane hates horses and carriages. He always stays alone at the end of the garden on weekdays, and now he is with them. The nanny, known as "Ai A" in India, is throwing mud at the crane to make it dance. (1) the capital of two Mumbai states in India. ② The original name is Ayan, which means wet nurse.

This kind of pink crane jumps very well. When it is unhappy, it always gives up and eats.

The crane lost his temper, spread its wings and croaked, so Aa had to sing. In Mumbai, once this song is sung, cranes are dishonest. This is an old song, which is sung like this: cloth dog worships its low Kinala,

Mutu Mutu Muxia Gayi,

Nadi Jina Laquintat Laga,

Dulajia-Dulajia Zhuzai.

It means: a crane was on the river bank, swallowing fish, and a thorn on the shore stabbed it, so its life ended (that is, bit by bit).

Ai, Little Punch and Little Judy often speak Hindi. Their Hindi is better than English.

"Look!" Punch clapped his hands and said, "He understands. He is ashamed. Dulajia-Dulajia, Zhu Zaiyi! Go away! "

"Dura-Dura!" Five-year-old Judy shouted the same thing. The crane really shut up and walked to the coconut tree, fragrant fruit tree and red pepper tree at the end of the garden. Punch followed all the way and kept shouting, "Dulajia-Dulajia!" He kept driving the crane to the fence of Shenxiang, and he stabbed himself with one punch before stopping. Then he burst into tears. He was only seven years old. It was too hot and he wore few clothes, so he was stabbed several times by Shen Xiang. Judy also began to cry. Since Punch is crying, there must be something to cry about.

"ah!" Punch looked at his chubby calf and cried, "I made that bad Shenxiang tree hurt so much! Oh, dear! Maybe I will die! "

"No, Shen Xiang stabbed and died, and then Judy left!" Judy also cried and screamed.

"no!" Punch immediately put down his leg and said, "When I die, you just sit there and eat endlessly!" " I won't die! But, honey, I was stabbed too much. What should I do? "

Ai lowered his head. Punch always has two small pink thorns on his leg. She looked out of the garden, looked at the blue waters of Mumbai Harbor and the ships moored in the harbor, and said, "Once upon a time, there was a Raj." "Raj" means "Maharaja" in Hindi, and "Rani" means Queen of India.

"Love, will punching die?" Judy asked. She also saw the pink stab marks on Punch's body and thought it was the most terrible thing.

"It won't die," Punch said. "Ai is telling a story, Judy, don't cry."

"This Raj has a daughter," Ai said.

"Oh, this is a new story," Punch said. "Last time Raj had a son, he later became a monkey. Shh-!"

Ai picked Judy up from the mat in the corridor with her soft brown arms and put it on her lap. Punch sat cross-legged in the back.

"Raj's daughter is so beautiful," Ai continued.

"How beautiful? Better looking than mom? Then I don't believe this story. " Punching said.

"Baby Punch, she is a fairy princess, and she is really beautiful. When she grew up, her father Raj said that she must marry the best prince in India. "

"Where did this happen?" Punch asked.

"It's in a big forest near Delhi. That's what people told me. " Ai replied. (1) the capital of Delhi in northern India.

"Great!" Ponzi said, "I want to go to Delhi when I grow up. Go on, love! "

"Maharaja and wizard talked once. A wizard is a man with a white beard. They play' Zadu' (that is, magic), let the snake come out of the basket, plant pebbles and grow into mango trees, just like you have seen "Punch Baby" and "Little Judy". But at that time, they could do more amazing things and turn people into tigers and elephants. After the king spoke, the wizards predicted the stars above the princess when she was born. "

"I-I don't understand this," said little Judy, wriggling on Ai's knee. Punch doesn't understand either, but he seems to understand.

Love gave little Judy a gentle hug and whispered, "How can a child understand?" The thing is: when a little doll is born, if the star is in a certain position, it will be a sign of' good'. If they are in other positions, it will be a sign that children may be weak, have a bad temper and may have to travel far away. "

"Do I have to travel?" Little Judy asked.

"No, I won't go far. On the night of giving birth to Judy's baby, a group of very good little stars appeared in the sky, which means that people are safe at home. They are flashing up and down, but they are happy. "

"That I-I-me? What did the stars do when they gave birth to me? " Punch asked.

"A new star came out that night, and I saw it. That's a big star, dragging its fiery tail across the sky, indicating that punch is going out of town. "

"It's true, I have been to Naxi grams by train. Never mind the princess's stars, what did those wizards do? "

"After astrology, they were a little worried, saying that the princess had to be locked up like this, and only the best prince in India could let her out. So, when Princess 16 years old, they put her in a big, deep clay grain jar covered with straw. "

"I saw it in the Mumbai market," said little Judy. "Is that an old-fashioned jar?"

Ai nodded, but Judy trembled, because once her father lifted her to the mouth of such a vat, and she saw it was dark inside.

"Then how do they feed her?" Punch asked.

"She is a fairy, maybe she doesn't need to eat?" Ai said.

"All people have to eat. This is not a true story. I won't listen. I went to play with cranes. " Get down on your knees.

"Don't go, don't go, I just forgot, there are a lot of things to eat. There are red and yellow bananas, almond milk cakes, rice and peas, chickens and ducks stuffed with raisins and red peppers, fried bread of rapeseed, and candied fruit made of cream and sugar. Have you had enough? In this way, the princess was locked in a vat of grain, and Raj announced that anyone who could save the princess must marry the princess, rule ten provinces and enjoy prosperity.

"We didn't hear. Punch, I didn't hear it, "said little Judy. "Love, is this story true?"

"This was before punch was born. This was before I was born. That's what my mother told me. After the announcement, thousands of princes, Raj and various important people came to Delhi. The vat covered with straw was placed in the middle of the crowd, and Raj announced that in order to open the vat, he allowed everyone to spend a year compiling spells and learning all kinds of great spells. "

"I don't understand," little Judy said again. She was in the garden to see if her mother had come back, so she didn't keep up.

"This vat is a magic vat, which needs magic to open," Punch explained. "Say, love, I can understand."

Love to laugh. "yes. Raj's wizards told the princes that it was a magic jar, led them around the jar three times, and muttered with bearded mouths, asking them to come back within a year. Princes, officers, many senior officials and ministers and many chiefs rode away, some went to the east, some to the west, some to the south, some to the north, some to my father's court for advice from wizards, and some to visit saints in the cellar. "

"Is it like the saint I saw on Naxi Mountain? They are all naked. They showed me the little icon. I also burned something in front of these people and put it in a jar, which smelled delicious. They also said I was an Indian kid and I was … "Punch stopped out of breath.

"Yes, that's the kind of person. The princes really went to consult the old people covered with gray-yellow pigments, witches living in caves, dwarfs, talking tigers, talking horses, learned parrots and so on. They told all these saints and elves about the princess in the magic pot, and the saints and elves taught them spells. These spells are really amazing. They also suggested that some princes kill giants and dragons and cut off their heads. In this way, some princes and saints spent a year together in the forest, learning the magic that can split mountains and split the ground after death. The princes knew very well that Raj's wizards were miraculous, and they had to use the most effective runic spell to open the granary. For this purpose, there are almost no spells and spells that they don't learn. They did everything I said, cutting off the tail of the little devil living in the desert of the Great Northern Wilderness. In the end, there are only a few dragons and giants left, and the poor can farm at will and no longer fear evil.

There was only one prince who didn't leave with everyone: he had no horse, saddle and entourage. He is a prince of humble origin: his father married a Potter's daughter, and he was born to this woman. At this moment, he is sitting and thinking. When the children in the city were grazing livestock, they passed by and threw mud at him.

"Oh!" Punch cried, "Dorobou is wonderful. Did they hit him? "

"I'm telling the story of the princess. If you keep asking so many questions, how can I finish it before going to bed? He sat on the ground. Just then, his mother, Rani, came to cook with firewood. He told a story about the princess and the granary. Mother said, "Remember, a clay pot is just a pot, but you are the son of a Potter." After that, he left with dry wood, and the Potter's son waited until the end of the year. By the end of the year, all the surviving princes came back, with the ferocious and terrible heads of the giant and dragon cut off, scaring the people to kneel on the ground and dare not look up. They also brought the tails of all the fairies, all tied into a bundle with ropes, and the feathers of the bird of God. Their saints, gnomes and talking beasts followed; There are also many ox carts, full of sealed books with runes and spells. Raj chose an auspicious day. On that day, all the wizards came, and the grain jar was placed among everyone. According to their birth and family qualifications, the princes moved forward in turn and opened the jar with spells. There are many princes, and the spells are very clever. Therefore, when performing these spells, lightning flutters on the ground, rumbling like a broken egg on the kitchen floor; It was dark at night, and the people heard the voices of goblins, ghosts and talking tigers, and saw them walking around in the granary, making the earth tremble.

Even so, the vat remained motionless. The next day, the earth split like wood, and several rivers poured out to the flat. This magical army walks around with flags. -That spell is too powerful! The snake crawled around the jar and hissed, but the jar still couldn't open.

At dawn, the cracks on the ground closed again, and the river flowed away, leaving only a touch of plain. This is because all spells can't last long.

"Ha!" Punch took a deep breath. "I'm so happy! Judy, it's just magic! Speak, love! "

"Finally, all the people can't think of anything. The sage was so anxious that he bit his nails that Master Raj smiled. At this time, the Potter's prince came to the flat ground alone, without even a talking beast or a clever bird.

Everyone laughed at him when they saw him. I saw him go to the grain jar and shout,' The pottery jar is just a jar, but I am the son of a Potter.' He put his hand on the lid of the grain jar and lifted it. Where is the princess? She's out! At this time, the people said, "This is a really powerful spell! So they chased the saints and talking beasts, chasing them around and trying to kill them. Then Raj's wizard said, "This is not magic at all. We didn't spell this jar at all. It used to be just an ordinary jar, but now it is still an ordinary jar, which is exactly the same as what the collector bought. Even a child can take off the lid one day a year ago, or he can take off the lid any day later. Princes and officers! You are so clever! You only rely on saints, but also expect the head of a dead giant and the tail of a demon, that is, you don't have to do things yourself! How clever you are! There is no magic here! Now, there is only one person who makes all your spells worthless because he is not afraid of anything. Go home, princes! However, you can stay and watch the wedding if you want. But remember one thing: a clay pot is a clay pot. "

After the story was finished, there was a long silence.

"But those spells are very powerful!" Punch asked incredulously.

"Those spells are just words. How can they make this jar? Can words turn you into a tiger, baby punch? "

"No, I'm still Punch."

"That's the reason," Ai said. "If this jar was enchanted, the magic would have opened it. But it's just an ordinary steel cylinder on the market. You can only open the lid by hand! "

"Oh!" Ponzi let out a whoop of joy and laughed. Judy smiled like him. "Now I understand. I want to tell my mother. "

After mom drove back, when she was getting dressed for dinner, my brother and sister told her the story directly twice. However, they are upside down, telling the middle of the story first, and then telling the beginning of the story; Then I started from the end of the story and turned the middle paragraph into the end, confusing my mother.

"Never mind," Punch said. "I'll show you!" He reached into the table to get the big toilet water bottle that is not allowed to be touched at ordinary times, pulled out the cork at once, spilled half a bottle of perfume and spilled a car head, but shouted loudly: "The pottery jar is just a jar, but I am the son of a Potter!"