Adaptation of the Tibetan folk tale

In a small village in Tibet lived an old woman who loved to have an egg for dinner every day. He wanted no roasts, no vegetables, no sweets. Just a single egg before bed!

Every morning, at a slow pace and using a cane made from a stick, he went to the market to buy a very white and delicious free-range egg that at night he savored as if it were the most exquisite caviar.

Time passed and a day came when his legs, due to his advanced age, began to weaken. Having to walk so much was exhausting! For this reason, he decided to break the clay piggy bank that he kept in a drawer and, with his meager savings, buy a chicken.

– It’s a perfect plan! I will take care of and pamper the little hen so that every day she gives me an egg for dinner. I’m too old to go to town every day!

Indeed, he did so. He chose a beautiful specimen and returned home with it.

The hen, who was foolishly hairless, lay down in a corner of the kitchen where there was a soft, fluffy cushion. The old lady was amused and allowed it because she wanted her to feel comfortable and happy. In addition to giving her the best place in the house, he fed her the best corn and covered her every night with a wool blanket so she would sleep warm.

The hen felt very grateful from the first day because she lived like a queen. To reciprocate the old woman, she tried very hard to lay the best egg she could every morning. As soon as the sun came up, the woman would pick it up enthusiastically and always thank her for the gift.

– How delicious are your eggs my chicken, thank you very much!

The woman was so content and happy that on one occasion she decided to invite her neighbors to dinner. Given the circumstance, she needed the hen to lay six eggs, one for her and five for her guests.

– Little hen, little hen, be good and give me six eggs for dinner today, please.

The hen was silent and said no and no with her little head. The poor thing didn’t do it out of stubbornness, but because, as we all know, hens can only lay one egg a day. The old woman, who was quite ignorant, did not know this characteristic of chickens and continued to insist on the poor animal.

– Come on, hen, give me six eggs, one is not enough for me!

There was nothing to do. For the hen it was an impossible mission, something that went against her nature. Puzzled, she looked at the old woman with a circumstantial face trying to make her understand the situation.

Unfortunately the owner lost patience and started cursing. She got so angry that in a fit of rage and believing that the hen kept all the eggs inside her, she decided to open it and remove them all. She was stunned and with a contorted face when she found that inside her there was not one.

What could I do?… Time was pressing and the guests were about to arrive. The only thing he could think of was to remove her feathers, spread her with a little oil and paprika, and roast her in the oven.

The neighbors came on time and sat down at the table. When the old woman appeared with the tray, one of them commented:

– Chicken for dinner? How strange, if you always have an egg for dinner!

– Yes, it’s true… I tried to get my hen to lay six eggs today but since it couldn’t be, I decided to make her our dinner.

The friends looked surprised and laughed.

– What a blunder! Chickens lay only one egg a day! For not thinking things through from tomorrow you will have neither one thing nor the other!

How right was the neighbor! The old woman, due to impulsiveness, had lost her chicken and therefore the possibility of having an egg for dinner every day. Without a doubt, a disastrous decision!

But don’t worry because this story doesn’t end badly! And it is that at night, already in bed, the old woman reflected on what happened until she found a way to correct her mistake.

– Yes, yes, I already have it! This time I’ll do things right!

Are you curious to know what he did?…

Very easy! The next day he went to the market and was well informed about how hens lay eggs. The seller confirmed that she could only get one egg a day and then the woman was very clear: the best thing would be to buy ten hens that would give her ten eggs every morning.

This is how, from that day on, he continued to enjoy a delicious egg for dinner.

And the other nine? She saved them for when she entertained guests!