The lazy Meera

The lazy Meera

Meera was a very lazy girl. Her mother who was poor, wanted Meera to spin thread from cotton so that she can sell it in the market .But Meera was so lazy that she never did it. One-day Meera’s mother scolded her a lot. Then Meera started crying. At that time the queen of that kingdom Aiswarya , passed by the side of Meera’s house. Hearing Meera’s pitiable weeping she entered her house. She asked Meera’s mother, “Why is this girl crying?” Meera’s mother did not want to tell the truth. So she told, “This girl always wants to spin thread. Since I am poor , where will I go for so much cotton.” The Queen told Meera’s mother who she is and told her, “I will take this girl with me. I have lots of cotton.”

The queen took Meera to her house and showed her three big rooms of cotton. She told her, “I like you so much. Please spin all this cotton in to thread. Then I will make my eldest son marry you.”

Meera did not do anything for three days and kept on simply crying and staring at the cotton. On the third day, the queen came to enquire about what was happening. Meera told her, “Great Queen, I am terribly home-sick. I am always remembering my mother.” The queen consoled Meera and told her to continue spinning. Meera did not know what to do. She was staring out of the window. Then three old women, one who had a flat foot, another with hanging lips and another with a flat finger came towards her. Then they asked her why she was sad. Meera told about her problem. The three old women agreed to help her under one condition, “When you get married to the prince, you should invite us for your wedding. You should tell the queen that we are your aunts. Also you should eat in the same table with us.” Meera readily agreed.

The three old women immediately started the job. The woman with a flat foot, cleaned the cotton with her foot. The Woman with the hanging lip , wetted the cotton with her lips and made it like threads. The woman with a flat finger started spinning the thread with her fingers. Soon they completed spinning the entire cotton. Meera went and told Queen Aiswarya that the job was over. The queen became very happy and arranged for the marriage of Meera with her son. Meera invited those three old women and introduced them to the Queen and the prince as her aunts. She treated them very well and honoured them. They became very happy. When they took leave from the prince, he asked them, “Auntie why is it that the feet of one of you is flat, ones lip is hanging and another’s fingers are flat.” The old woman with flat foot replied, My feet are flat because of cleaning cotton. Her lip is hanging because of wetting the cotton and her finger is flat because she used to spin cotton in to thread.”

Then the prince decided that his wife Meera would not do any spinning because then she will become ugly. Meera lived very happily with the prince.