For me and for my Gods

Simbi was travelling on and on until she came to a land and that was the land of poverty. Although she was in sadness at being away from the town of the woodcutter.

This land of poverty was too wonderful because all the clothes of her body turned into ashes immediately she started to travel on it. She was then in nakedness.

Having travelled for many hours she was ambitious to eat. Then she went to a tree to pluck some fruits and eat them. But to her great horror, immediately she touched the fruits just to pluck them, they turned into small stones. She was unable to eat them. Then she left there. A few minutes later, she travelled to a pond of water. As she was hungry badly for food she thought to drink some water perhaps she would be more powerful. But when she bent down just to start to drink that water it dried at once.

But at last when she noticed that it was the land of poverty she was travelling along as hastily as possible just to leave there in time.

Having left that land, she came to a path and she could not distinguish this path from the Path of Death. But anyhow she was travelling along on it until she came to a stream of water.

She stopped there and drank some water, though there was no food at all. But as she needed the looking glass and there was none, she sat down closely to this stream. She bent her head downward onto the water. And her shadow proved that she had leaned, the hairs of her head had become almost dust for want of care and she was greatly ashamed to see herself in nakedness. All these things had happened to her immediately she had entered the land of poverty.

With shame she left the stream at once. After a while she travelled to a bush. She cut plenty of broad leaves. She stitched them together with ropes. She wrapped her body with it as if it was a cloth. Having done that, she began to travel along on that path until she came to a house. The house was near this path.

As she was feeling to eat from a long time, she entered the house. She met an old woman inside it. She sat in a corner. She noticed that the house was full of all kinds of gods, who were the neighbours of the old woman. Because there was no any human being there with her. She was the owner of those gods. Although several food sellers and drapers were visiting there occasionally just to sell their merchandise. And she was buying clothes and food from them for herself and for her gods.

“Good afternoon here,” Simbi knocked the door and saluted with faint voice, for she was nearly to die of hunger by that time.

“Good afternoon, for whose voice shows that of a lady,” the old woman answered quietly from her usual sitting corner. And she was so old that she could only distinguish the voice of a man or a woman.

Then Simbi entered and with sharp sight she discovered the old woman sat down in a dark corner, although she was about to run out with fear when she perceived those gods which nearly occupied the whole house.

“Can I thank for something to eat?” she knelt before the old woman and asked softly.

“Oh! I am sorry, the bananas which you are looking before me now, are for me and for my gods only,” the woman replied.

“What about the food which is near you?” “And that food is for me and for my gods as well,” she explained.

“All right, can I thank for the water to drink then?” “What? the water is for me and for my gods,” she replied sharply.