Stories about elephant calf Lanchenkar. Ayusha Erdyneev

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      The befuddled African shook his head. His thoughts were all jumbled up, but one thing was clear: one should not boast of one’s size or strength; what matters is one’s wits.

      “Well, one of us is going to be an African. On the other hand, why should I go there if I wasn’t born in Africa?” asked the little African but he still made for his home shakily.

      As for Lanchenkar, he headed to the Indian jungle wishing that the heat would subside.

      One Eye

      Lanchenkar was curious by nature. It was his mother who most often answered his questions. Wisdom personified, the Queen of All Elephants tried to teach her dear son life subtleties.

      Owing to Lanchenmo, the Elephant Prince grew up bright and clever, fathoming things ordinary creatures couldn’t.

      Since Lanchenkar was not an ordinary elephant and not an ordinary prince, he asked difficult questions.

      “Mom, please close one eye. Now tell me: is your eye closed or open?”

      “Closed.”

      “But I see that one eye of yours is open.”

      The Queen’s eye that was open, became round with surprise.

      “Don’t you see that my eye is shut?”

      “Can you see me?”

      “I can.”

      “With just one eye?”

      “Yes, of course.”

      “How can it see you if you closed it?”

      “No, I didn’t.”

      “Then, close your eye.”

      “Yes.”

      “Is one eye of yours shut?”

      “Shut and open.”

      “How can it be both shut and open? Can a jar of jam be closed and open at once?” Lanchenkar argued.

      “No, a jar of jam can never be open and closed at the same time; nor any other things,” replied the Queen.

      “So you will agree that one eye is one thing, not two?”

      “Absolutely.”

      “Then one jar of jam can be either shut or open and there is no third way?”

      “Everybody knows it.”

      “So what about one eye of yours?”

      “It’s neither shut, nor open.”

      “That means a jar of jam is neither shut nor open and you can’t eat the jam because if you don’t close the jar, you can’t open it.”

      “This makes no sense… What I mean is one jar is closed and the other open.”

      “I had in mind just one jar.”

      “I was wrong, there was no second jar,” the Queen conceded.

      “Let’s begin anew. Is your eye closed or open?”

      “It’s open.”

      “Now I ask you to close your eye. Tell me is your eye closed now?”

      “No, my eye is open.”

      “But I see that one eye of yours is closed. No use arguing with you. You don’t honor our bargain to close one eye.”

      “Very well, I’ve closed one eye,” said the Queen, and then she cried: “Oh, I can’t see anything!”

      The Tale of Ivan

      One day, being in a state of meditation4, Lanchenkar acquired a divine auditory gift, when he could hear all sounds in this world.

      – Black?

      – No, red.

      – And why white?

      – Because it’s green.

      After the meditation the Elephant Prince did not forget those phrases. He kept thinking what all that might mean. What things could have so many colors? Lanchenkar asked many wise men but none could give him an answer. It seemed that there could never be such things in this world! But Lanchenkar didn’t lose hope and continued his quests.

      In this state Lanchenkar could sense things which he otherwise took no notice of.

      One day he met a tramp from a faraway Northern land. His name was Ivan. He was a daredevil but kind and openhearted. Lanchenkar asked him to explain those strange words.

      “Dear Ivan, do you happen to know a thing that could be described as:

      – Black?

      – No, red.

      – But why white?

      – Because it’s green.

      Perhaps you have it in your north.”

      “Sure,” Ivan replied. It’s currants. They grow everywhere where I live. We make stewed fruit from them and give them to children in cold winter. What you heard was a dialogue at a bazaar. There are black and red currants. If red currants are not ripe, СКАЧАТЬ