Author: THE LAND WITHOUT OLD MEN
Long long ago, in one cold country, all the young people decided to kill all the oldest people. What was the use of their going on living with their white beard and all? They had had their life, they had had their time, and that was that.
"But we need them", said a man who was not very old and not very young. But the king was young. So giving the order did not trouble him. He declared that anyone who had reached the age of fifty was to be killed. Thus lots of
wise old men were killed and lots of wisdom passed away with them.
Only one kind-hearted young man took pity on his old father. After all, he
owed his life to his father. So, he hid him away in an underground room and
took care of him.
Time passed and a terrible drought came. The young people tried to put up
with all kinds of troubles, but more and more troubles followed. The snow
melted and spring came. But they did not have a single grain of seed to put in
the ground.
The old man in the cellar could see that his son was going about looking very unhappy all the time. One day he asked him, "Are you in trouble, my son? Tell your father all about it. He may be able to help you".
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The son told him all about the troubles, from beginning to end. The old man thought for a while, and then said, "Don't tell anybody anything now. But when the last patches of snow melt on the fields, take your plough and plough up the lane in front of your house".
When the spring came and the snow melted, the son did as his old father had
told him. And what did he see? There came a quick spring rain, and out of the
ground there began to grow wheat and maize, oats and barley, and even
beans and peas in some places.
It seemed so wonderful that the news of it spread up and down the country. It
was a thing no one had ever heard of a man's growing crops without putting seeds in the ground. The king got to hear of it too. He quickly ordered the boy to be brought before
him. "What did you do? How did you do it?", the king started asking him questions
at once. In fear, the boy told the truth.
"Bring me your father here," the king ordered. So the old man was brought before the king.
"What made you think there would be seeds in the doorway?" "Well, Your Majesty, just think of how many seeds drop on the ground when
people carry the corn home on their carts."
The wise old man was given a royal reward. He had saved the life of the whole nation.
And ever since then, they have respected all old people.
