The Legend of Pineapple fruit

Once upon a time, there was a woman who lived with her daughter Pina in a tiny hut in the village. They were poor, and the mother worked day and night to make both ends meet. No matter how hard she worked, though, she never got any help from her daughter. Pina was a lazy, spoiled kid who liked to play in the backyard all day. Whenever her mother asked for help around the house or tried to send her on an errand, she would always find an excuse by saying she can’t find the object that was needed to complete that task. If her mother asked her to sweep the house, for example, she would say she cannot find the broom, even if it was right there in front of her. Needless to say, her mother always ended up doing the work herself.

      One day, her mother became very ill. She called out to Pina, who as usual was playing in the backyard.

      “Pina! Pina! Come over here, anak. I am very sick. Can you cook some porridge for me please? I am too weak to get up.”

      Pina ignored her mother and continued to play.

      “Pina, come over here this very instant, or else!” Pina’s mother mustered all her strength just to say this, but it worked. Pina grudgingly stopped playing and went inside the house. She poked her head inside her mother’s room.

      “What do you want, Nanay (mother)? You really expect me to cook for you? That’s too hard,” protested Pina, pouting and stomping her feet.

      “Pina, it is very simple. Just put some rice in a pot and add water. Once the water boils, let it simmer for awhile. Stir it occasionally with a ladle. Everything you need should be right there in the kitchen.”

      Pina reluctantly left and went to the kitchen. Her mother could hear her banging the drawers and cabinets. Then her mother heard her open the back door and sneak out into the backyard. Her mother waited and waited. Finally, she called out to Pina again.

      “Pina, did you cook like I told you to?”

      “No,” was the defiant response.

      “And why not?” was her mom’s exasperated response.

      “Because I could not find the ladle,” was her flippant reply.

      “Oh, you lazy child! You probably did not even bother to look for it! What am I going to do with you?  Here I am, sick, and I cannot even count on you!” 

      Her mother wept bitterly. In her anger, she shouted, “I wish you would grow a thousand eyes all over your head! Then you can find what you’re looking for. Maybe then you won’t have any more excuses.” 

      As soon as she said this, there was complete silence. Her mother thought, “She is trying to be quiet so I will forget about asking her again.” She sighed.

      She waited a little bit to see if Pina would come back. Realizing the wait was futile, she wearily got up to do the cooking herself. When she looked out into the backyard, Pina was nowhere to be found. She sighed again and said to herself,  “That lazy kid probably went to a friend’s house so she did not have to do any more errands for me.”

      Exhausted from the exertion, she soon went back to her room for a much-needed rest. Weak as she was, she just tried to do everything by herself, having given up on any help from Pina. Hours passed by, and then days. Still no sign of her wayward daughter. With a heavy heart, she thought that Pina had ran away for sure. 

      When she finally recovered from her illness, the first thing she did was look for Pina. No one had seen or heard from her. It was like she disappeared into thin air. Months passed and still no sign of her. The mother felt bad for her angry outburst, and she feared that she might probably never see her daughter again.

       One day, she was sweeping the backyard where Pina used to play. For months now, she had noticed this strange plant growing on the very spot where she last saw Pina. By this time, the leaves of the plant had fully opened. Inside, she saw this strange yellow fruit that resembled a child’s head with a thousand eyes. A thousand eyes…

      She suddenly remembered the spiteful words she used that fateful day. With horror, she realized that in the same way her mother’s love had spoiled her daughter, so did her anger  unwittingly curse her.  Somehow, her daughter had been turned into this plant.

      To honor the memory of her beloved daughter, she named the fruit Pina. She took such loving care of it like it was her own daughter. The fruit flourished so well that it bore more and more fruits, and became popular among the village and the entire country. Its name later evolved to pinya, or pineapple in English. That’s how the pineapple came to be, according to folklore, named after a spoiled child who was cursed with a thousand eyes…
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This story is my favorite in all legends I read. I really learn a lesson from this story especially for being a responsible child into our parents. Every children should now that.

Sometimes Pina and I were the same in manner but now I realize that I should be a responsible one especially I'm the first daughter. 

Oh! One thing I hate in this story is one's the mother of Pina wish that she's daughter have so many eyes but in the end the good thing is her mother was reproach to what she says.

All in all the story was good and this is the last story I will cherish because i already knew since i was a child.

The Lion and the Mouse

Once, as a lion lay sleeping in his den, a naughty little mouse ran up his tail, and onto his back and up his mane and danced and jumped on his head ...

...so that the lion woke up. 
The lion grabbed the mouse and, holding him in his large claws, roared in anger. 'How dare you wake me up! Don't you know that I am King of the Beasts? Anyone who disturbs my rest deserves to die! I shall kill you and eat you!'

The terrified mouse, shaking and trembling, begged the lion to let him go. 'Please don't eat me Your Majesty! I did not mean to wake you, it was a mistake. I was only playing. Please let me go - and I promise I will be your friend forever. Who knows but one day I could save your life?'

The lion looked at the tiny mouse and laughed. 'You save my life? What an absurd idea!' he said scornfully. 'But you have made me laugh, and put me into a good mood again, so I shall let you go.' And the lion opened his claws and let the mouse go free.

'Oh thank you, your majesty,' squeaked the mouse, and scurried away as fast as he could.

A few days later the lion was caught in a hunter's snare. Struggle as he might, he couldn't break free and became even more entangled in the net of ropes. He let out a roar of anger that shook the forest. Every animal heard it, including the tiny mouse.

'My friend the lion is in trouble,' cried the mouse. He ran as fast as he could in the direction of the lion's roar, and soon found the lion trapped in the hunter's snare. 'Hold still, Your Majesty,' squeaked the mouse. 'I'll have you out of there in a jiffy!' And without further delay, the mouse began nibbling through the ropes with his sharp little teeth. Very soon the lion was free.

'I did not believe that you could be of use to me, little mouse, but today you saved my life,' said the lion humbly.

'It was my turn to help you, Sire,' answered the mouse.

Even the weak and small may be of help to those much mightier than themselves.
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This is second story I'd like the most when I was a child. It is very simple but you can learn a lesson.I really like to tell this story to my grade school classmates and also to my playmates where all of them are willing to listen. First, this story is a fable which is written by Aesop. As far as I know fable's story uses animals as their characters. I think its because the writers don't want point out that the people is their talking about in the story. It's slightly different from my first favorite story although they both a fable.

This story is about forgiving and helping other. The characters here are also animals which is a lion and mouse. At first I like the mouse of being a clumsy and playful because I reflect myself from it. The lion is the most powerful in forest is just like my friends who I'm afraid of but in the end I'm happy because they became friends. Why? because the mouse save the life of the lion away from the hunters. 

All in all the lesson I've learn from this story is you need to forgive someone or simply don't underestimate the ability of the others. I really like this story and this is one of the story I will never forget.

The Monkey and the Turtle

The tortoise and the monkey found once a banana tree floating admidst the waves of a river. It was a very fine tree, with large green leaves, and with roots just as if it had been pulled off by a storm. They took it ashore. "Let us divide it," said the tortoise, "and plant each its portion." They cut it in the middle, and the monkey, as the stronger, took for himself the upper part of the tree, thinking that it would grow quicker for it had leaves. The tortoise, as the weaker, had the lower part, that looked ugly, although it had roots. After some days, they met.

"Hello, Mr. Monkey," said the tortoise, "how are you getting on with your banana tree?"

"Alas," said the monkey, "it has been dead a long time! And yours, Miss Tortoise?"

"Very nice indeed, with leaves and fruits. I cannot climb up to gather them."

"Never mind," said the malicious monkey, "I will climb up and pick them for you."

"Do, Mr. Monkey," replied the tortoise gratefully. And so they walked toward the tortoise's house.

As soon as the monkey saw the bright yellow fruits hanging between the large green leaves, he climbed up and began plundering, munching and gobbling, as quick as he could.

"But give me some, too," said the tortoise, seeing that the monkey did not take the slightest notice of her.

"Not even a bit of the skin, if it is eatable," rejoined the monkey, both his cheeks crammed with bananas.

The tortoise meditated revenge. She went to the river, picked up some pointed shells, planted them around the banana tree, and hid herself under a coconut shell. When the monkey came down, he hurt himself and began to bleed.

After a long search he found the tortoise.

"You must pay now for your wickedness; You must die. But as I am very generous, I will leave to you the choice of your death. Shall I pound you in a mortar, or shall I throw you into the water? Which do you prefer?"

"The mortar, the mortar," answered the tortoise; "I am so afraid of getting drowned."

"O ho!" laughed the monkey; "indeed! You are afraid of getting drowned! Now I will drown you!"

And going to the shore, he slung the tortoise and threw it in the water. But soon the tortoise reappeared swimming and laughing at the deceived, artful monkey.
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This story is the most I love. when I was a child, I always want my grandmother to tell this story for me. Well, when I was a child I don't really know what is the full meaning of that story instead I remember only that I'm happy ones I hear this story particularly the characters use here which are animals like monkey and turtle. Once you read this story made by our national hero which is Dr. Jose P. Rizal, it's seems to be a common story for you but for me it really caught my attention especially when I grow older where I realize what is the message of this fable.

This story is about the two friends the monkey and the turtle where they found a tree which is pulled out by the flood. The monkey choose the upper part while the turtle choose the lower part of the tree because they decided to divide it. Actually, there's one conflict which comes in my mind which is why did the monkey choose the upper part? It seems to be that the monkey is not thinking wisely because he known only that if has a leaves and branch it will be grow easily rather than those who have not. In the second place the turtle choose the lower part where I knew that she thinks that it will be easily grow because it has roots. It makes me amaze to the turtle for what she'd choose. After a few days they meet again where the monkey said that his banana plant where died but the plant of turtle where alive and have many fruits. Now, this is the event makes me mad because the monkey become selfish and greedy. Just like the turtle I will be get mad and angry to my friend monkey because of what he done. If I were the turtle I will do the same she do to the monkey. One thing that makes me excite in the story is when the monkey found the turtle where the monkey tell the turtle on what way she want to die. It;s either she will be burn or threw in the river. On the last part of this story I really amaze the turtle because she can escape from the monkey because she think's wisely again.

All in all, the lesson I've learn from this story is I will never forget and I will apply it into my real life situation.