The Lions Whisker

Haile was a happy little boy living with his mother and father in their home in Ethiopia.
But, one day, his mother died and Haile was so hurt, and so confused, and so angry.
A year passed and his father decided to remarry. But, Haile remained so hurt, and so
confused, and so angry. So when Zeynab met him and hugged him he pulled away
from her. When she fixed him his favorite foods for dinner he didnt eat. When she
made him a play suit out of fine cloth he ran through the woods and played so
roughly he tore the clothes up. Whenever she spoke to him he ignored her.

One day when her husband was gone hunting, Zeynab went to Hailes bedroom to
talk to him.

"Haile, I love you so much and I really need you to love. . ."

Before she could finish Haile jumped up and said, "I hate you, you arent my mother.
Im running away."

Haile ran past Zayneb and out of the house. Zayneb sat down and cried and cried.
When her husband returned she told him what had happened. He told her to go on
and cook dinner and not to worry that he would find Haile. Haile was at the river in
his favourite spot. The two walked home and ate dinner without a word.

That night, as the other two slept, Zayneb got out and walked deep into the forest to
the home of the witch doctor. The witch doctor was a very wise woman who knew
the ways of peoples minds and hearts.

"I need you to make me a love potion so my step-son will love me," said Zayneb.

"Well," the old woman said slowly, "Before I can give you a love potion, you must
bring me the whisker from a ferocious lion."

Zeynabs eyes grew large as she said, "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Use your imagination," said the witch doctor.

Zeynab went home and slept just a few more hours. She got up before the sun rose
and put several large pieces of raw meat in a bag and headed toward the hills. She
walked until she found a cave which had large paw prints around it. Zeynab took a
piece of meat out and placed it in front of the entrance to the cave. Then she hid in
the bushes about 50 feet from the entrance and waited.

After a few minutes a large, very ferocious looking lion stepped out of the cave,
looked around, smelled the meat, and ate it all up.

Zayneb waited for a couple of hours then she walked up to the entrance of the cave
and placed a second piece of meat in front of it. Then she moved back only 25 feet
and didnt hide in the bushes. After a few minutes the lion came out. He looked
around, stared at Zayneb, smelled the meat, picked it up, and ate it all up.

Zayneb waited for a couple of hours then she walked up to the entrance of the cave
and placed a third piece of meat in front of it. She moved back only 5 feet and didnt
hide in the bushes. After a few minutes the lion came out. He looked around, stared
at Zayneb, smelled the meat, picked it up, and ate it all up.

Zayneb waited for a couple of more hours then she walked up to the entrance of the
cave and placed a third piece of meat in front of it. She moved back only two steps.
After a few minutes the lion came out. He looked around, stared at Zayneb. She
stared back at the lion. Although she was shaking inside, she didnt move her body.
She just stared right back at the lions large brown eyes. The lion smelled the meat,
picked it up and began eating.

Very slowly Zayneb extended her hand, grabbed a whisker and quickly pulled it out.
The lion kept eating as slowly, very slowly, as if walking on a tight rope, Zayneb
backed away toward the bushes. When she got into the forest she ran back to the
witch doctors home.

Breathing heavily, she rushed into the witch doctors house and held up the whisker.
"See, here, I brought you a lions whisker. Now, give me a love potion."

The witch doctor looked at the whisker. "Ah, this does look like a ferocious lions
whisker. But, I dont have any love potions."
"What, what do you mean?" screamed Zayneb.

"Now, tell me, how did you get that lions whisker?" the old lady calmly asked.

"Well, I had to be very, very careful and patient. I was very gentle and very quiet, and
persistent."

"Yes, and you were very courageous. See, you have all of the skills you will need to
get your stepson to love you without a magic potion."

Then Zayneb understood. She returned home and treated Haile nicely as before. But,
she did not make any special efforts to win his affection. She was just her sweet,
giving self. When Haile was rude to her or ignored her, she continued on as if he had
said nothing. In three weeks Haile began to smile and speak to Zayneb. In six weeks
he offered to help her with chores. In nine weeks he invited her to walk with him to
his favorite place at the river. One night about 12 weeks later, just before he fell
asleep Haile looked up in Zaynebs eyes and said, "Zayneb, I love you.

Wonderful story.with POWERFUL lesson

A woman baked chapatti (roti) for members of her family and an extra one for a
hungry passed by. She kept the extra chapatti on the window sill, for whosoever
would take it away. Every day, a hunchback came and took away the chapatti.
Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his
way: The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you! This
went on, day after day. Every day, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and
uttered the words:

The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you! The
woman felt irritated. Not a word of gratitude, she said to herself Everyday this
hunchback utters this jingle! What does he mean? One day, exasperated, she
decided to do away with him. I shall get rid of this hunchback, she said. And what
did she do? She added poison to the chapatti she prepared for him!

As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. What is this I
am doing? she said. Immediately, she threw the chapatti into the fire, prepared
another one and kept it on the window sill. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up
the chapatti and muttered the words: The evil you do, remains with you: The good
you do, comes back to you!

The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the
mind of the woman. Every day, as the woman placed the chapatti on the window sill,
she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune.
For many months, she had no news of him. She prayed for his safe return.

That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to
find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments
were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he
said, Mom, its a miracle Im here. While I was but a mile away, I was so famished
that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by.

I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was kind enough to give me a whole
chapatti. As he gave it to me, he said, This is what I eat everyday: today, I shall give
it to you, for your need is greater than mine!

As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale. She leaned against the
door for support. She remembered the poisoned chapatti that she had made that
morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son,
and he would have lost his life!

It was then that she realised the significance of the words: The evil you do remains
with you: The good you do, comes back to you! Do well and dont ever stop doing
good, even if it is not appreciated at that time.