The Singing Bone

Once upon a time, there were three brothers who were princes of a faraway kingdom. The two older brothers were confident and bold, but also quite selfish and unkind. The youngest brother, Simpleton, was gentle and kind-hearted, which often led the older two to mock him and call him foolish.

One day, the three brothers set out on a journey to explore the world. Before long, the older brothers became restless and reckless, causing trouble wherever they went. They bullied anyone in their path, including animals. But Simpleton always stayed behind to make amends, showing kindness and compassion.

The first time, the brothers came across an anthill. “Let’s destroy it and watch the ants scatter!” one of the older brothers laughed. They raised their sticks, ready to strike. But Simpleton rushed in front of them and cried, “No! Leave the little creatures alone. They have done nothing to harm us.” The older brothers scoffed but grudgingly moved on, leaving the anthill untouched.

Later, the brothers stumbled upon a lake where a family of ducks swam peacefully. “Let’s catch a few for dinner,” the second brother suggested, his eyes gleaming. But again, Simpleton stepped forward. “No, let them be! They deserve to swim freely without fear.” The brothers grumbled, but once more, they left the ducks in peace.

Their journey continued into a forest, where they discovered a hollow tree buzzing with bees and filled with golden honeycomb. “Look at all this honey! Let’s light a fire and smoke the bees out so we can take it,” the oldest brother said eagerly. But Simpleton pleaded, “Please don’t! The bees work hard for their honey. Let them keep it.” Reluctantly, the older brothers listened and moved on, though they found Simpleton’s kindness increasingly annoying.

Finally, the brothers reached a grand but mysterious castle deep in the woods. It appeared abandoned, but upon entering, they found it filled with stone statues of people frozen mid-movement, as though they’d been turned to stone by some spell. At the castle’s heart stood an ancient table with three challenging tasks written on it. The note claimed that anyone who could complete all three tasks would break the curse and win untold riches, as well as the castle itself. However, failure meant being turned to stone, like the others before them.

The brothers were intrigued and decided to try their luck. The first task was to find a thousand pearls scattered across the castle grounds, hidden among the grass, bushes, and trees. The older brothers quickly grew frustrated and gave up, but Simpleton knelt down and began searching patiently. To his surprise, the ants he had saved earlier appeared, swarming the area. “We’ll help you, kind prince!” their leader said. Within moments, the ants gathered all the pearls into a neat pile, completing the task.

The second task was to retrieve a golden key that had sunk to the bottom of the castle’s deep, dark lake. Again, the older brothers refused to even try, but Simpleton walked to the water’s edge, unsure of what to do. Just then, the ducks he had spared earlier swam up. “We’ll help you, kind prince!” they quacked. One duck dove beneath the surface and soon returned with the golden key in its beak. The second task was complete.

The third and final task was the hardest of all: Simpleton had to identify the youngest of three sleeping princesses. The princesses were identical in appearance and lay side by side in a hidden chamber of the castle. Only one was the right choice; if he guessed wrong, he would fail. As Simpleton stood puzzled, the queen bee from the hive he had protected buzzed into the chamber. “We’ll help you, kind prince!” she said. The bee flew around the three princesses, then landed on the lips of the youngest one, for she had eaten the sweetest honey. Simpleton trusted the bee’s wisdom and chose the princess she had marked.

The moment he did, the spell over the castle was broken! The stone statues turned back into people, the castle came alive with light and joy, and the three princesses woke up. The youngest princess smiled at Simpleton, for she knew he was a kind and true-hearted man.

As a reward for his courage and kindness, Simpleton was made ruler of the castle and married the youngest princess. His older brothers, humbled by the events, apologized for their unkindness and learned to respect him. Simpleton ruled wisely and well, and he never forgot the help he received from the ants, the ducks, and the queen bee.

And so, the kind-hearted Simpleton and his princess lived happily ever after, proving that kindness and compassion are the truest forms of strength.