Pen of Passion

~vintage 12/2007

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess. Not only she was beautiful, she was also a true lover of music. She could not eat, play, or sleep without someone standing besides her playing her favorite tunes. When it was time for her to get married, the princess asked her father to organize a talent competition inviting the best and brightest musicians in the kingdom to come and compete. With the competition, she hoped to find her ideal husband–one that would enchant her with the most beautiful of music. Unfortunately, none of the competitors was able to impress her with his music. The princess was thoroughly disappointed.

On one starry night, she was sitting melancholily inside her private quarter when she heard a beautiful flute’s sound lingering outside her rear window. The music quickly conquered her heart. The princess hastily left her quarter, and headed toward the direction of the music. Unfortunately, she was not able to identify who the flutist was.

The music would return in each of the next ten nights. Even though she still did not know who the flutist was, the princess’ views on life took a dramatic turn. She started to enjoy life again. In fact, she was never happier than now. Her sudden change of attitude caught her parents’ attention. Seeing how much the princess was deeply in love with the unknown musician, her parents decided to help make her dream come true by having guards hiding around the castle–hoping to catch the mysterious musician. After much effort, the unknown flutist was apprehended. When the musician was brought to the princess, he wore an old and ragged attire and his face was covered by a mask.

The princess was ecstatic about seeing the person she had longed desired for the very first time. What she really wanted to see was his face, because it was the subject of her many beautiful dreams. When the flutist refused to remove his mask, the princess had no choice but to ask the guards to gently remove it. Unfortunately, what she saw was totally opposite of what she had romanticized. The man’s face was very repulsive. In fact, it was the most hideous thing the princess had ever witnessed. Disappointed and saddened, the princess had the guards sending the man away.

The next night, the beautiful music returned once again. Instead of bringing joys and happiness to the princess’ heart like usual, the music absolutely infuriated her. In her rage, she ordered the man executed. She also convinced her father, the king, to ban all flutists from playing their music in the kingdom. The princess, herself, would continue in her search for an ideal husband, a musician that is both handsome and talented. The end.

Commentary: The main lesson here is ugliness doesn’t pay. When someone says that he or she prefers “inner beauty” over “outer beauty”, you should not take it at face value.

Retold by Simon N.

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The story took place many years ago in the kingdom of Anam. The ruler of the kingdom, at the time, was a ruthless man who severely mistreated his subjects. The people of the land were disapproved of the king’s abuses, but remained silent for fear of execution. Even the king’s trusted adviser despised his tyrannous rule; he secretly devised a plan to teach the king a lesson.

It happened that the king owned a rare Siamese cat. He loved the cat so much, that he ordered a golden cathouse be made just for the feline. The cat got to live a truly luxurious life. He ate the same delicacies that the king ate, in spite of the fact that many people in the kingdom were starving and dying from hunger. He slept on a beautiful silk pillow, while many of the king’s subjects were sleeping on the streets. He was always attended by two human assistants, who tended to his every need.

Seeing how much the king loved the cat, the cunning adviser used his access to the palace to steal the cat. Once he brought the cat home, he started to train the cat to eat the same rotten food that most people in the kingdom were subjected to. At first, the cat refused to eat the food. After several days without eating, however, the cat finally succumbed to his hunger and ate the food. The adviser repeated the same training everyday, until the cat got used to the new food. Not only that, he had become much more comfortable sleeping on the floor.

When the king found out that his beloved cat had been stolen, he ordered an intensive search for the cat. Since this was a one-of-the-kind cat, the search quickly turned to the adviser’s home. Both the adviser and the cat were apprehended and brought to the king. Facing accusations that he stole the cat, the adviser fervently denied the charges. He told the king that the cat was truly his cat and not the king’s.

To prove his innocence, he asked the king to bring out two bowls of food, one contained the food that the king regularly consumed and the other contained rotten food. Without hesitation, the cat chose to eat the bowl with rotten food and not the other. The adviser then asked the king to bring out the cat’s favorite pillow. The cat, however, totally ignored the pillow and remained lying on the floor. Since the cat ate rotten food and slept on the floor, the adviser argued, he was definitely not the king’s cat who was used to a life of luxury and comfort.

Although the explanations were logically sound, the king was too smart of a person to buy into the argument. He had the adviser arrested and imprisoned. The story of the cat, however, quickly spread throughout the land. It became a rallying point for the people of the kingdom, who rose up and dethroned the king.

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Simon N. 2007 (adapted from oral traditions)