Dark Souls
When I was a child, 6-7 years old, my aunt told me a story that stayed with me since that time. When I first heard it, I was sad and angry. Later in my life, I always remembered it with a sarcastic smile and a grateful thought to my strong willed and tough aunt. This story would become, throughout my life, up to this moment, the first chapter of my personal guide to human beings. It has served me well. Without further ado, here is how this story unfolds:
“Once upon a time there was a traveler, Nejoy, crossing the forest to reach the city looking for work to support his family. It was a hot summer day, and Neyoj was very thirsty. He was told about a well in that forest, and he was looking for it to quench his thirst. It didn’t take him long, with his tracking skills, to find the well.
As he reached down to scoop some water he found the level to be rather low and unreachable with his bare hands, so he took off this belt, tied his handkerchief around its buckle, and from the edge of the well dipped it in the water, hoping, as he pulls it out, to squeeze the water from the imbibed handkerchief into his mouth. On his first try, he felt a weight pulling the belt down, so he put an extra effort and when he got to the end of it he found a snake rolled around the handkerchief. Very surprised, his first reaction was to throw the snake back into the well, but this latter told him: “please do not do that, I have been stuck in this well for so long, and you are my savior. Set me free in the forest and you will not regret it. I will pay you back your good deed”. Nejoy hesitated a bit, but being who he is, a good man, he let the snake go in the forest.
He dipped his handkerchief again and the same thing happened to him, but this time it was a monkey. He begged Nejoy for his life and promised him as the snake did, that he will pay him back for saving him from the well. Nejoy let the monkey go in the forest.
Dying from thirst, he dipped his handkerchief for the third time, and this time the weight was even heavier. So, he pulled with all his strength to lift the belt and to his biggest surprise he saw a man holding tight to it. This time without any hesitation Nejoy got the man out of the well, then told him what happened before with the snake and the monkey, and he went on sharing with him his happiness for saving, this time around, someone from his own kind. The man thanked Nejoy and went his way in the forest.
Finally, Nejoy managed to get some well-deserved water into his dried-up mouth, quenched his thirst and carried on his journey to the city.
Two days after reaching the city, he noticed a lot of agitation in the market and people were all excited and running towards the king’s palace.
He asked one of the merchants: “what’s happening?”
The merchant replied: “it is the king’s son! When the queen came this morning to wake him up, she saw a snake curled up above his head with its mouth open in front of the prince’s face”, “no one has been able to do anything to save the prince, because any sudden move might lead to the snake biting him in his face and a sure death will ensue”.
“Oh, this is a real tragedy! But, why is everyone running towards the castle?” Nejoy asked.
“The king has promised a great award to whomever will save his son, so everyone is going there to give it a shot” replied the merchant.
Nejoy, intrigued by this story, and especially by the presence of that snake, followed everyone to the palace. As soon as he got there, he went straight to the prince bedroom and as he suspected, the snake threatening the prince life was no stranger to him. There was the snake he saved from the well, looking at him. Nejoy ordered the snake to leave, and as it was crawling out of the room to disappear in some hole in the wall, it told Nejoy: “I promised I will pay you back, and here I am delivering on my promise”.
The king was informed about how Nejoy saved his son, so he summoned him to his quarters to thank him and to give him the promised award. Nejoy was very happy, as this money will allow him to bring his wife and children to the city, so they can live together.
Few weeks later, the harvest had just ended and the cellar of the castle was filled with all the grains, oil, dried meat, … that will serve the city during the harsh months of winter. Early on the first day of the week following the harvest, a wind of panic came flowing from the castle: “there is a crazy and wild monkey in the castle cellar, and it is destroying all the city supplies. It is a catastrophe. No one has been able to tame this monkey and the king has put an outstanding award for anyone who can save the lifeblood of his kingdom”.
Nejoy understood immediately what was happening. He rushed to the castle, into the cellar and ordered the monkey to leave. As the monkey was on his way to jump out of the window, he told Nejoy: “I promised I will pay you back, and here I am delivering on my promise”.
The king was so thrilled with Nejoy heroic act that not only he gave him a handsome reward, but he also asked him to live in the castle next to him and to become his personal advisor. To which Nejoy said yes and he moved in with his family and became the closest person to the king after the queen and the prince!
Following all these events, Nejoy became the talk of the palace and the city. Many people were enviable of his sudden rise into the king’s favor.
Many weeks went by, Nejoy working closely with the king and all things going in the best way imaginable. One day the financial advisor of the king came to see him with very concerning news about a constant theft from the king’s safe. Money has been disappearing, every day and no one has a clue on who or how it is possible, as the safe is the most guarded object of the entire kingdom and only three people have access to it: “the king, the financial advisor and Nejoy”.
Two days later, early in the morning, the king’s guards knocked on Nejoy’s door, when he opened it, they put him under arrest, shackled him and asked him to follow them at once to meet his very disappointed king. Nejoy had no idea of the reason that triggered this sudden change in the king’s mind about him. As they entered the king’s chamber, standing next to the king was the man that Nejoy saved from the well. Intrigued, Nejoy was also happy to see him again, but it didn’t seem to be mutual.
The king said angrily: “Nejoy, after all I have done to you, I am so disappointed that you are the one stealing from my safe”.
Nejoy, completely surprised, rebuked this accusation: “my king, never I would do such a thing. You have been so generous with my family and me, I am, and will always remain loyal to you. What makes you accuse me of such a crime?”
The king then looked towards the man from the forest and told him: “repeat what you told me”.
The man said hatefully: “I met Nejoy in the forest, as he was making his way to the city. He was thirsty and hungry, so I offered him food and drinks and we started talking. After a couple glasses of wine, he started bragging about this evil plan he put together to strip you out of your wealth and your kingdom. His plan was fomented with his two accomplices, a snake and a monkey, and his aim was to get close to you and gain your confidence, so then he can start stripping you from your money and eventually topple you and take hold of your kingdom”.
“This man is lying!” shouted Nejoy. “I saved him from the well where he was drowning, and so I did with the snake and the monkey” and he told the king the whole story… he then asked the king to give him 24 hours to find out the mystery behind the stolen money.
The next day Nejoy came back to the king holding in his hand the thief, a rat who made a breach in the back of the safe and was transporting the gold coins and the jewels to his own hole.
The king understood his mistake, understood the envy, the greed and the ungratefulness of the man from the forest. He immediately sentenced him to be forever banished from the kingdom, he then apologized to Nejoy for doubting his honesty and loyalty and asked him to forget this bad episode and to remain next to him for as long as he wishes… ”
At the end of this story, my aunt always said to me with a solemn voice: “don’t forget my dear little nephew, many sons and daughters of Adam have a dark soul, they pay you back your good deeds with their envy and jealousy, beware of these people in your life! Also remember that the closest they are to you, the more harmful they are!”