The Liar and the Sultan

👑 The Liar and the Sultan

Once upon a time, there was a Sultan (King) who loved to be entertained.

To hear and enjoy the tales of liars, the Sultan summoned a town crier. The Sultan told the criers:

"Whoever can tell three never-before-heard lies, I will give them whatever reward they wish. But whoever tells a lie that has been heard before, I will punish him! Announce this to my people."

Hearing the criers, liars gathered, thinking they could surely win something from the Sultan. Ten, twenty people gathered and came before the Sultan. Their leader stepped before the Sultan, where the Viziers (ministers) were also assembled.

The Sultan asked the leader of the liars:

"Tell me, my son, tell me one lie that has never been heard before."

The young Liar said:

"My Sultan! My father was very rich. We would put eggs into the troughs of the watermill. When the mill turned, roosters would come out from one side, and young chickens ($ferik$) would come out from the other! The whole place was filled with chickens!"

The Sultan asked the Viziers:

"Have you ever heard these lies before?"

The Viziers replied:

"No, my Sultan, we have never heard them."

The Liar continued:

"My father's place became full of chickens and chicks. He said, 'Let's change our business.' This time, we collected wool from the villages and brought the wool with camels. We put it into the troughs of the mill. When the mill turned, carpets would come out from one side, and rugs would come out from the other!"

The Sultan asked the Viziers again:

"Well, have you ever heard these lies before?"

The Viziers replied:

"No, my Sultan, we have never heard them."

After the Liar had stepped away, the Sultan said to the Viziers:

"This Liar is going to defeat me! Whatever he says next, you all must say you have heard it before!"

All the Viziers gathered. The Sultan called the young Liar:

"Come, my son, tell your final lie."

The Liar said:

"My Sultan! Your father fell into such a poor state that he came to my father's house and took two camel-loads of gold. Your father died without paying back that debt!"

The Sultan turned to the Viziers and asked:

"Have you heard this before?"

They all replied:

"We have heard it, my Sultan!"

The Liar immediately said:

"My Sultan, in that case, I want that gold back!"

In this way, the Liar saved himself from punishment.

The Sultan realized the harm of entertaining himself by making people lie. He understood that lying never leads to a good place. He never again entertained himself by making people lie and chose only good and useful forms of entertainment.

• ferik: A young chicken that has just left the chick stage.