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The Strange Porridge
The Strange Porridge
Long ago there livid on on the island of roti an old women and her grandson . what had
happened to her grandson is parents , the old wimen did not cere to speak about . behind their hut
, they grew rice . although their field did not yield much rice, there was enough food for both of
them . but for other food , the grandmother hed to go the sea to catch fish . every time the
grandmother weth out fishing , the boy wes to allowed to go with her.but one day he could not
restrain himself and said to the old women , “please granny , let me go with you . I”d like to
catch fish too , “ no ,my child , don go with me .it is too dangerous . stay here and cook the
ricefor us . take only one grain . that will do , the old women went awey , leaving the boy gratly
disappointed . he sat around the reason why he wes not allowed to go . suddenly he realizen thet
it wes getting late . he went to the kitchen ,wondering to himself , “only one grain ? it is so
funny granny think like that . how can it be ? no , surely not . “so when he put the rice pot on the
fire , he took several handfuls of rice , as he doubted the truth of what his grandmother sain .
whan he trought that it wes time to take the pot off the fire , he lifted the lid “goodness ! “he
exclameid whet is happening ?”for just as he lifted the lid a stream of hot porridge flew out of
the kitchen and then across the backyard . in tears the boy with looking for his grandmother , as
he could not understand ehat had happened . what he found her and told her what he hed done ,
she grow angry . she took hold of a piace of wood and beat him hard on his head till he wes
black and blue and howling loudly in pain . no matter what the boy said , begging for
forgivingness , the grandmother did not relent and kept beating him to teach him obedience ,
she said . but quite suddenly the boy vanished . the grandmother looked for him everywhere. But
now he gone. Then, while she wes still searching for him , she heard a voice saying , “good bye ,
granny ! you are alone now on , then the voice died awey . from that time on , the people of roti
have never beaten their children or any other people on the head