About four hundred years ago, there lived Muslim king Akbar. He was a great king that he was called a great emperor.
Akbar lived in a huge palace in Delhi, India.
At Akbar’s court, there were many famous people. There were artists and musicians; dancers and poets; and clever scientists and writers, too. There was also a very funny man there, called Mullah Do Piyaza.
The Mullah made the Emperor laugh. When the Emperor was sad he called for the Mullah: `Where is my friend Do Piyaza? Bring him to me now’.
The servants in the court went off in all directions. Soon Mullah Do Piyaza was brought in front of the Emperor. And very soon after that the emperor forgot all his troubles. He rolled about with laughter.
Mullah Do Piyaza really was a very funny man. Nothing surprised him and nothing shocked him. He always had something to say. He had a quick answer for any question.
One morning, the Mullah said goodbye to his wife and son, and went off too the court as usual. His son, Raffia, was only six years old. And today, he began to behave very badly. His mother, the Mullah’s wife, got very angry with him.
`You are bad boy!’ she shouted, and chased him out of the room. The frightened little boy ran to his son room and hid under the bed. His mother decided to leave him where he was?
Raffia stayed under the bed all day.
`Raffia behaved very badly today,’ the Mullah’s wife said when the Mullah returned in the evening. `I chased him: and he is hiding under his bed. I am worried about him now, but he won’t listen to me. You go to him, dear husband. Talk to him sweetly and asked him to come and have his dinner.’
Mullah Do Piyaza went immediately to Raffia’s room. He peeped under the bed; yes there he was, resting peacefully against the wall. The Mullah did not want to frighten Raffia. He lay on the floor and out his head right under the bed. The little boy smiled brightly.
`Hello father,’ he said. `Have you been punished too? Never mind. There is plenty of room under here for both of us. Crawl right in and make yourself comfortable.’
For the first in his life, Mullah Do Piyaza found himself speechless! He crawled under the bed and joined his son.