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adapted by Amy Friedman and illustrated by Jillian Gilliland
THE CLEVEREST TUNE (a British folktale)
Once upon a time there lived a successful merchant who had three children. Alas, he was growing old and felt he would soon die. He wished to leave his estate to one of his children, but which one? The mansion was huge, with 100 high-ceilinged rooms, vast hallways, fireplaces, wide balconies and long porches. Which of his three would best care for the place?
At last he came up with an idea, so he called his children to his room.
"I will soon die," he said, "and in my will I shall leave each of you one pound. With that pound, you must buy something that will fill up every room in this mansion, ceiling to floor -- all at the same time. Whoever does this will inherit the entire estate."
The three children looked at each other. The eldest son considered himself a brilliant lad; he had studied hard, and received many degrees. Naturally he was certain he could outwit his brother and sister. "Never fear, father," he said. "I shall take great care of this place."
The middle brother shook his head. He was a clever fellow, well-known for his wit and charm, and this task, he knew, called for not just intelligence. "Ah, brother, don't be too quick to think you shall win, for this task calls for cleverness."
Now the youngest child, a girl, was a fun-loving young woman. She had a beautiful singing voice, a lovely smile, a large, warm heart. But she had won no degrees, no prizes, no contests of any kind. Still she leaned close to her father and kissed his cheek. "When I win, dear father, I promise to take care of my brothers."
A few days later, the merchant passed away, and after the funeral and days of mourning, the merchant's advisers read the will and gave each child one pound. With that the three children set off to carry out their quests.
Now the eldest son had given the matter a great deal of thought, and the moment he had his pound in hand, he set off with a great cart and traveled around the country buying up bags of feathers, the sort that people stuff into pillows and mattresses. He hurried back home, and into each room he tossed feathers that flew everywhere, ceiling to floor.
Then he called to the advisers to check the rooms, and so they began their march through the mansion. In the first few rooms, of course, they found feathers flying everywhere, but by the time they reached the 50th room, the feathers had settled on the floor, and so, alas, the lad had failed.
The clever middle son grinned at this news, for he had purchased a box full of candles, and so he walked from room to room, and in each room he set a candle. These he lighted, and so each room was filled with light.
Once again the advisers began to walk through the mansion, checking the rooms. Sure enough, room after room was filled with light. But by the time they reached the 51st room, the candles had burned down to nothing, and so the last 49 rooms were filled only with darkness.
Now it was the daughter's turn. With her pound she had purchased a harmonica, one of the instruments she loved to play. She opened every door in the mansion, and then sat in the central hallway and began to play a lively tune. Soon music drifted everywhere, and all the servants and advisers and even the mourners began to smile, for the music was so beautiful.
When she had finished playing, one adviser smiled at her. "That's a lovely tune, my dear, but you failed to fill the rooms."
The daughter shook her head and laughed. "Oh no, that isn't so," she said. "I filled every room in this house three times."
"What are you talking about?" asked the puzzled adviser.
"First I filled each room, ceiling to floor, with the sound of music, and then people began to smile; and second, I filled each room with joy; and, third, even though we all remain saddened by my father's death, my music has made this house fill with life again, just as it was when my father was alive."
The adviser had to agree, and so it was the lively daughter who inherited her father's estate, and just as she had promised, she always looked after her brothers.
"Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic," the second CD in the audiobook series, is now available. For more information, please visit www.mythsandtales.com.
