The magical stool
Mitrangi Fal
Fungawari Singbul by B. Jayantakumar Sharma

Translation by Nganthoi Lourembam *

An illustration of Folk tale 'Mitrangi Fal' by Nganthoi Lourembam

Once upon a time there lived a king. His wife died after giving birth to a son. The king got married to a second wife.

Along the progress of time, the son who was born by the king's first wife was all grown up. He got the same talent of craftwork like his father, the king. They could create wondrous magical power to the wooden crafts. Knowing each other's talents, the king loved his son very much. His second wife was very much jealous to this sweet father-son relationship. She was always busy thinking how to kill the son.

After secretly consulting with all the king's shamans, one day the second queen acted unwell. The shamans of the palace depicted that 'the illness of the queen could only be cured after bathing with the blood of the sliced head of the king's son. The same was told to the king by the members of the palace. The king was distressed with the news and forgot to eat or drink. But the king thought, "I could get many sons in future but if my second wife dies I cannot get her back." Thus he agreed to what the shamans had said and ordered to take his lovely son in a jungle and kill him.

As ordered by the king, the slaughterers brought the young boy into a jungle. Looking at the lovely face and youthful nature of the boy, the two slaughterers remembered their own children at home and felt mercy for the boy. The two decided to not kill the boy and from the middle of the jungle they set the boy free. They sliced a dog's head which was brought with them and filled the blood in two pipes.

Taking the two pipes filled with blood, the two slaughterers returned at the palace. After bathing with the blood, the second wife who was pretending to be sick acted cured from the illness. And the shamans informed the king that her illness was cured after bathing with the blood. The king pretended to smile but inside he was burning with the thought of losing his own son.

The king's son who was freed by the slaughterers came across the jungle and reached a different place. The young boy reached a river bank and met a young and pretty girl who was fetching water from the river. It was like love at first sight. After having a conversation, the young boy and girl promised to get married. The young girl was a minister's daughter and when they asked her father's permission for the marriage, the minister agreed to it and organised a namesake marriage for the two. The boy was kept at the minister's house as his son-in-law.

Feeling bad to not do any work and just eat-drink at home, the king's son, once, went up the hill with the villagers for wood cutting.

People, who had come for the wood cutting, chose thick and strong trees. The king's son did nothing but just remained seated. When everyone decided to return home after finished cutting woods, the king's son stood up in between the woods and called out, "Ho Tree!" A tree which is not thick but in a bad shape replied, "Hao (yes)." The king's son happily said, "That's my tree." He went near the tree and after cutting it from its bottom he took it home. His friends thought, "What is he doing? Why he chose a tree in bad shape instead of choosing a thick and strong tree?"

When he reached home, he made an amazing tiny wardrobe from the tree he brought. He asked a Hidinga businessman (the one who does business through boat) to take his wardrobe across the country. The Hidinga businessman took the address and other details of the king's son and took his wooden wardrobe to sell it when he goes for business.

The Hidinga businessman rowed his boat towards the south and reached a different place. The Hidinga businessman handed over everything he brought to the king of the place. When the king looked at each of the items next by next, he found the tiny wardrobe. No one knew how to open the wardrobe.

The king thought, "Eh: This is none other than my son's handwork" and took all the details 'from which place and who had sent the wardrobe.' The king gave a similar wardrobe to the Hidinga businessman and said, "Give this wardrobe to the amazing carpenter as a reward for his work."

When the Hidinga businessman returned to his hometown, he gave the wardrobe to the king's son which was given by the king. When the king's son opened the wardrobe which cannot be opened by anyone, he found a Sana Khangel (gold biscuit) and realised that his father had sent it for him with love.

After some days, the king came, sitting on a magical stool, near the palace where his son was living. He was flying round and round. People looked at him with surprise. The king who was sitting at the flying stool shouted from above, "Hey king of this place, listen! I bet you a challenge. In the afternoon, after four days from today, I will drop a Ngahou (traditional fish) made of wood from the sky and let it swim into your Thanga lake. You should create a wooden Sanamba (a cat like animal which is traditionally believed to be fish eater) and let it catch the Ngahou. If you fail to do so, I conquer your place. Every year you have to give me tax."

After finished talking the king flew away. Hearing to what the king had said the other king of the place got worried. Who could perform such difficult work! Looking at the Bor Mantri (head minister), the king said, "Bor Mantri, you have to come up with an idea to fight against the neighbouring king. If we could not save ourselves from this bad luck we will be conquered by the enemy kingdom. Thus you have to try to save our kingdom; if fail you will die."

Suffocating with sadness, the old Bor Mantri returned home. Looking at his sad and pale face, his daughter asked him, "Father, why do you look sad ever since you returned from the palace?" The Bor Mantri told her all his worries and burden given by the king. His daughter then told everything to her husband, the king's son. 'The king's son knew that his father had come to get him' and said, "Dear, tell father in law that I will save his life and please tell him not to worry at all."

On the afternoon of the given date, a large number of people gathered on the edges of the Thanga lake. After a while, the king from the neighbouring place came with the magical stool and flew round and round above the Thanga lake. He dropped the wooden Ngahou (fish) into the water. The wooden fish jumped inside the water like a real fish which shocked all the spectators. They said, "What can our king do against it!"

Meanwhile, from another edge of the lake, the king's son threw a Sanamba made of wood which can talk. The wooden Sanamba swam into the lake and caught the wooden fish (Ngahou). All the viewers were mesmerised with the incident. While everyone was mumbling about the amazing illusion, the king lowered his magical stool and tried to catch his son. His son ran towards home but when he reached the yard the king caught him and took him away. Sitting on the magical stool, the king and his son returned to the palace.

Only an illusionist knows another illusionist; with the power of magic, the king got back his lost son.


** From Manipur folk tale Book called "Fungawari Singbul" by B. Jayantakumar Sharma