A story from Indian heritage, with exciting and enjoyable events for children. It also helps develop thinking skills in children, the ability to solve riddles, and understand indirect statements.
Story Events: There was a king named Feruzshan. The king was ruler of the town of Kashmir. One day, his wife the queen was sitting looking from the balcony and saw a woman wandering selling fish. The queen asked the seller if she had female fish, but the seller apologized to the queen and told her she only sold male fish. The seller began to depart, and as she walked, the queen heard the voice of a fish laughing loudly.
The Laughing Fish Angers the Queen: The queen was angry and thought the fish was mocking her. She hurried to the king and told him the story of the laughing fish. The king summoned the city’s chief minister, named Hussein, and asked him to know the mystery of the laughing fish from the queen’s statement, otherwise he would cut off his head. The king gave Prime Minister Hussein a time limit of 15 days to reveal the mystery of the laughing fish.
Hussein’s Journey to Solve the Mystery of the Laughing Fish: Hussein was perplexed about knowing the reason for the fish’s laughter. He decided to go on a journey to search for a wise man to help him solve the mystery of the laughing fish. Hussein went out wandering and saw a farmer named Rahman. He decided to befriend him and travel with him to his town. Perhaps he would help him solve the mystery of the laughing fish. But Hussein would test the farmer’s intelligence and wisdom from time to time.
Hussein Tests Farmer Rahman’s Intelligence: During Rahman’s wandering with Hussein, they passed by a corn farm. Hussein told farmer Rahman that he would like to exchange roles with him. But Rahman didn’t understand the meaning of Prime Minister Hussein’s words, so he didn’t care about his matter and they continued walking.
Rahman and Hussein passed by a village, and no one welcomed them. Hussein said to Rahman: What are those tombs we passed by? But Rahman’s intelligence level wasn’t capable of understanding the statements Hussein was making to test his intelligence, so he thought Hussein was a foolish man.
The two continued their journey and passed by tombs filled with people bringing food and flowers to commemorate their dead. Hussein said: What a beautiful and vibrant village! For the third time, Rahman looked at Hussein in wonder at his words without understanding him.
Rahman Hosts Hussein in His Home: The two continued their journey until they reached Rahman’s village. Rahman was a kind man, so he asked Hussein to spend the night with him in the house, and in the morning continue his journey. Hussein was happy and went with Rahman to his home. Hussein entered Rahman’s house and wondered, saying: Are the walls of this house strong enough for me to sleep with peace of mind?
Jawhara Solves the Mystery of the Laughing Fish: Rahman also didn’t understand the meaning of Hussein’s words, so he ignored them. But his daughter Jawhara, who was watching the guest Hussein, laughed and told her father that the guest was extremely intelligent and his words meant other meanings. Rahman wasn’t aware of everything Jawhara his daughter was saying.
Rahman told her that he thought Hussein was a foolish man. Jawhara began explaining to her father the meaning of Hussein’s words. She told him when he asked about the strength of the house’s walls, he meant: Will you welcome him and actually host him, or are you just saying formal words?
Rahman was amazed at his daughter’s intelligence. He told his daughter the phrases and words Hussein repeated during their journey. She explained each one to him. She told him when he passed by the city and no one welcomed them, he thought it was like tombs, meaning he found no welcome from people like the dead.
But when he passed by the tombs, he thought it was a city because it was full of movement and people. Rahman was dazzled by Hussein’s extreme intelligence, and his words that seemed like nonsense in Rahman’s eyes. Jawhara was excited to meet this extremely intelligent man. In the morning of the next day, she talked to him and asked the reason for undertaking that long journey. He told her the story of the laughing fish, which mocked the queen when she asked the seller for female fish, not males.
Because Jawhara enjoyed wisdom and intelligence, she told Hussein the mystery of the laughing fish. She said to him there was a man infiltrated among women planning to kill the king. Hussein was amazed at Jawhara’s interpretation of the mystery of the laughing fish. He asked Jawhara to return with him to the palace to tell the king about the mystery of the laughing fish.
Jawhara went with Hussein to meet the king. Jawhara asked the king to dig a deep, large hole, prepare all the servants in the palace, and ask them to jump over the hole without falling into it.
But none of the servants could jump from above that hole except one maid. When her identity was revealed, it was discovered she was a man disguised in maid’s clothes, plotting to kill the king. The king was happy to discover the mystery of the laughing fish. He gave Jawhara a box of gold, and Hussein married the beautiful girl Jawhara.
Translated from the story: Laughter of a fish