THE MAGIC PEN

Writer : Rosli Nik Mat

Long-long ago in China, there was a folks tale about a boy who had a magic pen.

His family was very poor. His parents worked as paddy farmers.

The land which they worked on was only a small one. Sometimes their paddy plants produce very little
paddy. And at times, their paddy plants were destroyed by flood.

Nevertheless, although life was difficult, they never give up.

At one time, the flood season come again. All their plants were destroyed. Although they were sad they
never gave up. They accepted what had happened as something fated from God to test their patience.

The boy also felt sad at what his parents had gone through. In the evening, he would go to the paddy field.
He was trying to find, if there were still any paddy left.

He tried to find. How happy he was when he found a few stalks of paddy. Quickly, he took them and
brought them home.

"My parents will surely be happy because these paddy can be kept as seeds," he said to himself.

Halfway home, he met an old man. The old man's clothes were
patched. "This old man must be very poor," he thought to
himself.

"Please help me!" the old man pleaded.

"How can I help you?" he asked the old man.

"I am very hungry. For days I have not eated," said the old
man.

"But I have no food," he told the old man.

Nevertheless, the old man said," Aren't you carring a few
stalks of paddy?"

"Yes, but I want them to be paddy seeds!" he told the old
man.

The old man continued talking, "Give it to me. The paddy could be cooked to
become rice."

The boy took pity of the old man.

"Alright, if that is so!" he straight away gave the paddy to the old man.

The old man thanked him and went away.

A few days later, some King's guards come to his house. The guards told the
boy's parents, "Tomorrow you must prepare ten sacks of paddy. That is an order
from the King. If your refused, your head would be chopped off."

They were afraid on hearing the threat. They know that the King was very cruel.
Those who do not obey him will be punished.

"Please help us!" the boy's father pleaded.

"Now it is the rainy season. Our paddy plants have not grown well. We cannot
afford to prepare a lot of paddy," his father pleaded again.

Nevertheless the guard only said harshly. "We don't care. You must obey the
King's order."

Then the guards went away.

The boy was very sad. But they could not do anything. "Our family will all die
this time!" said his father.

That night, they could not sleep. They were waiting for the guards to come and
catch them in the morning.

But in the morning, before the guards come a poor old man come to their
house.

"My dear good boy! Before, you had helped me when I was in difficulty. Now it
is my turn to help you. Take this magic pen! I give you as a present for the
kindness you have done to me," said the old man.

"Draw whatever you want," said the old man again. After he
had said that, the old man went away. The boy dazed and
thought of the incident. His parents were puzzled too.

"Is the pen trully magic?" his father asked.

"I don't know!" said the boy.

"If that is so, why don't you draw something?" his mother
added.

The boy quickly took some papers.

"I am hungry. I want to eat the meat of a duck," he tried to
draw a duck.

"Father wants to eat an orange. Try and draw an orange,"
said his father.

"Mother wants a pair of new dress," his mother said shyly.

The boy drew the pictures of an orange and a pair of dress.

They were shocked because the drawings soon become a real duck,
an orange and a pair of dresses.

"Wah, really magic!" they said happily. Not long after that, the
guards come to their house.

"Have you readied the ten sacks of rice?" the guard said harshly.

"Not yet!" said the father frightfully.

"Now we will chop off your head!" said the guards again.

"Wait a minute!" the boy added.

"Wait for what?" the guard said angrily.

"I will get ready the ten sacks of rice you wanted," said the boy again.

Without wasting anytime, the boy started to draw ten sacks of rice.

The guard become angry. "Do you think I am stupid? What can I do
with pictures of ten sacks of rice? I am going to chop off your head too."

But the pictures soon become real ten sacks of rice. The guards were
shocked on seeing this incident.

"Wah, your pen is trully magic!" said the guards.

Without wasting anytime, the guards quickly took away all the sacks
of rice. They quickly went back to the palace.

They told the whole incident to the King. The King was amazed on
hearing the incident.

"Now you go there back. Order the boy to draw a hundred sack of
paddy for me," ordered the King.

The guards quickly obeyed the King's orders. "Now the King orders
you to draw a hundred sacks of paddy. If not, your head will be
chopped off," the guard ordered.

Not long after that, they brought back a hurdred sacks of paddy to
the King. The King was really amazed to see the hundred sacks of paddy.
Now the King realized that the pen owned by the boy was trully magic.

Since that day, the boy lived happily with his parents. With the
magic pen, they could have anything they wanted. In fact, the boy did
not forget to help the poor people in his village.

Not long after that, the King ordered the boy to his palace.

"I want to attack another country. Draw for me a hundred thousand
soldiers, a thousand weapons and two hundred horses," ordered the
King.

"Alright your majesty!" said the boy.

"But I want to ask for ten days duration," said the boy again.

"Why do you take suck a long time?" asked the King angrily.

"The number of soldiers, weapons and horses are so many. I cannot get them
ready within a day," answered a boy.

"Alright, if that is so!" the King agreed.

The boy then quickly went back to his house. He told his parents about the
King's next order.

"Draw all the pictures. If not our heads will be chopped off by the King," said
his father.

But the boy refused to do so.

"Why don't you draw the pictures?" asked his father.

"Many people will die, if the King attacks," answered the boy.

"If that is so, what shall we do then?" his mother was feeling very frightened.

Yes, our heads will surely be chopped off by the King!" said his father
again.

"We must run away from here!" answered the boy.

"How can we run away?" asked his father.

Without wasting anytime, the boy quickly draw a ship and the sea.
When they were readied, in front of them, were a ship and the sea.

They went on board the ship and went away from the country.
They were saved from the cruel King.

"The boy had run away!" the guards told the King.

The King was so angry. But the King could not do anything. He did
not know where the boy and his parents had went.