The Clever Parrot

Once, there lived a merchant who had a beautiful daughter. Both the king and the viceroy loved her.

One day, the merchant decided to go away for a few days on business. When the viceroy heard that the merchant was leaving on business, he asked a witch to turn him into a parrot. Before leaving, the merchant bought the parrot for his daughter.

The viceroy knew that the king would woo the merchant’s daughter as soon as the merchant left. In the form of the parrot he said to the girl, “I will tell you a story but while I’m telling it to you, you will not meet anyone.” When the servant came to inform her there was a letter from the king, she refused to receive it in her father’s absence.

When the merchant returned, the parrot disappeared. The viceroy asked the merchant for his daughter’s hand and he agreed. The king died of a broken heart. The viceroy had been cleverer than him.