The bear who reads a book (A Turkish folktale)

There lived a man who once committed a mistake against the Sultan and when the Sultan came to know of this he called the sinner.

- I can only forgive you on one condition : if you teach an animal how to read and bring that to me here. Otherwise I will behead you.



When the man understood what the Sultan had commanded then thought what he can do. Then he caught a bear and took him home. He collected some pears and hid them in the pages of the book and put that book in front of the bear. Surely the bear started turning the pages of the book.


When the deadline came the Sultan called the sinner to the court.
- Have you fulfilled my condition? – he asked.
- I brought him and put the book in front of the bear he had brought.

The bear started searching angrily in vain for the pears amongst the pages of the book. Then the Sultan asked in surprise:

What is he doing?
Then answered the man: He is reading the book in his way Sir. This way the man saved himself from the punishment.