Shon Mehta

One day, a pig dreamt about a mystic land behind the mountains, where there was lots of food, and eternal happiness. Enlightened with this knowledge, pig decided to move to that land. As he was making his plans, he saw an old tortoise. In sheer benevolence, as was his nature, he decided to ask the tortoise to accompany him on the journey. "I am going to the mystic land behind the mountains, where there is lots of food and eternal happiness. You should come with me.” The tortoise looked at the pig with amusement.  "There is no land behind the mountain, just a barren desert." said the tortoise. The pig was hurt. “I saw the land in my dreams. Don't you trust my dream?" asked the pig. “I would, but I know for sure that the land beyond the mountains is just a dry desert. I trust my knowledge.” said the tortoise. "Don't go there, its barren desert, with no food. You will die with hunger!...

P eople can go to any extent to fulfil their crazy ideas. Mr. Thomson, in his thirties, was a rather boring man.  He had no hobby, except reading crime fiction.  He worked in an irrelevant government department, in an obscure position. He resigned one day. Nobody noticed. The very next day, he started visiting slums of the town. He kept going there until he found a young girl. The girl was an orphan. pregnant, and abandoned, she had nowhere to go. He brought her home. Next day, he packed his bags and moved to his farmhouse with the girl. He had bought the farmhouse sometime back - it was located several miles from the city, out in the nowhere, just where he wanted it to be. After a few months, the girl gave birth to a boy. Mr. Thomson delivered the baby himself. The girl died in childbirth. It was left to Mr. Thomson to raise the boy. He cared for the boy the best he could. He home-schooled the boy, and trained him in various martial arts and weapons. The ...

A man went to a magician. He had heard that the magician had the power to put a person in any mask he wants. "I want to be a popular man. Do you have a mask of a popular man?” “Yes, I have. Here, wear this mask.” Saying this, the magician put him in a mask. The man went home with the mask. He was now a popular man; everybody appeared pleased with him, and praised him all the time. He loved all the attention he was getting. But, soon, he started feeling anxious. "What if  tomorrow  I do something wrong? All these people will then stop loving me.” the man thought to himself. He couldn’t sleep that night. Next day he worked extra hard to make others happy, so that he could remain popular. But at the end of a day, he felt more anxious than before. This went on for a while. After some time, the man couldn't take it anymore. He went back to the magician. "I don't want this mask. It is making me anxious all the time. Please give me a different mask...

He was enchanted with the place since the day he read about it. He spent his childhood dreaming of the place. He fancied living with the people there. He learned their language. He learned to cook their food. He even learned to dress like them. Then, one day, he got a job, and moved to the place of his dreams. It was more beautiful than he had ever imagined. The people were friendly - they asked him about his place, his culture, and his people. He made many friends. Soon after, he met a nice local girl. He fell in love, and they married. Now, he knew that he belonged to this place. This was his home. Months passed. Then years passed. His kids grew up, and moved away. His wife died. Then, just like that, he too was no more. People gathered at his house. Everyone was sad. There was silence. Someone said "The foreigner was a good person. Almost one of us." Everyone nodded. Image: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pointillist-Self-Po...

Looking for the updated version?  > This story has been completely revised, polished, and integrated into the official  Jivavarta Universe . Read the new definitive text and view the official 6-panel comic strip adaptation here:  Microfables of Jivavarta: Hadwin's Gift (Updated Version) . One day Hadwin asked his new friend, "What do want for your birthday?”  The friend thought for a moment, and then said "I don't know. I can never decide, what I want."  "But then, what should I give you on your birthday?" asked Hadwin.  "Why don't you surprise me?" said the friend.  “Sure, I will try." said Hadwin.  After his friend left, Hadwin sat there thinking.  A stranger, who was listening to the conversation, got up, and walked towards Hadwin.  "Don't choose the gift for your friend, it will make you unhappy?” Said the stranger  Hadwin was little surprised — rather, annoyed — by the stranger’s advice.  He dec...

A man went to meet a monk. “I need your help.“ “What is it?” the monk asked. “I spent all my life helping others. I tried to do good, as much as I could. But then, just once, I did a bad deed. Now everyone has forgotten my good deeds, and they think that I am a bad person." The monk thought for a while, and then picked a large vessel and started pouring water in it by using a small mug. Every time monk poured a mug of clear water in the vessel, he said “See, you did a good deed.” After ten-fifteen mugs, suddenly the monk picked some mud and dropped it into the water, saying “See, now you did a bad deed.” Water in the vessel was now all muddy. “You did good, you did good again. But then, you did bad, and suddenly you were never any good.” Said the monk. The man understood. He was disappointed. “So, there is no solution. Everyone is going to think I am a bad person, forever. Just because of my one act.” The monk did not  answer. He kept pourin...

Ilitsa was a compassionate and kind girl. She always helped others. As a token of their appreciation, many tried to give her money. But Ilitsa always declined, saying "I don't take money, as money makes a person evil." One day, the grandmother gave two seeds to Ilitsa, and told her to plant and water them. Ilitsa obediently planted the seeds, and watered them every day. In a few weeks, one seed bloomed in to small plant full of pretty little flowers with a pleasant fragrance, while the other grew into a thorny shrub. Grandmother came visiting again one day, and looked at the second plant. "Ilitsa, what has water done to that plant? It has become all thorny!" Ilitsa looked at her grandmother curiously. "The water didn't make the plant thorny. The seed was of a thorny plant, so it bloomed into thorny plant. Look, here is a plant from the other seed you gave me. It has such beautiful flowers.” Grandmother chuckled. "So, now you understa...