The Faithful Horse

 

   Written by: Asma Kakar

Murtaza and Sharif were two friends living in a green village. Murtaza had a brown horse and Sharif had a white one. Their lands were far from the village.

One-day, they were riding on their horses. Murtaza said to Sharif that he likes Sharif’s horse very much, and it would be his kindness if he exchanges the brown horse with his white horse.

Sharif said that he also loves his brown horse and his father brought it to him while the horse was a foal and he would never exchange it with his white horse. When they reached the land, Sharif tied his horse to a tree but Murtaza was thinking about something. Sharif told him to come down from the horse and walk with him on the lands.

Murtaza said that you should go and I would come behind you. Sharif went toward the land and Murtaza tried to steal Sharif’s horse but he couldn’t. He had been trying to steal Sharif’s horse so many times before too.

One evening, when Sharif was going home on his horse, he saw a man was sitting in the middle of the way and had covered his face with a blanket and asked Sharif to bring him some water because he is sick and could not walk. Sharif came down from the horse and tied the horse to a nearby tree and went to bring some water. When Sharif went, the stranger took the horse and went away. Sharif did not know that the stranger was Murtaza.

Murtaza took the horse to the city and fed it with every kind of feeds. After a few days, Murtaza became sad and thought that the brown horse would be tamed and want to go back home on it. When he arrived at the village, the horse became rebellious, dropped Murtaza on the ground and ran away.

A few minutes later, Sharif arrived on the white horse, which Murtaza had given him for safekeeping. Murtaza said that his both legs are wounded and could not stand up. Sharif helped him to get up. Sharif said that I knew that you had stolen my horse because the brown horse came back home with a rope you had bought for your horse.

Murtaza was very ashamed and promised that he would no longer deceive anyone.