Storytelling Week 4: The Baker's Justice

In the beginning there was only bread and god. Bread that Samuel got up and baked every morning before the sun even dared to show its face.  Every day he toiled in his hot kitchen and everyday, he and his wife hauled the bounty to the local market to earn a little money. It was a difficult life but Samuel didn’t complain.  He had come to accept that his life was as god willed it to be.

(Medieval Baker, Source: Wikipedia Commons)

In the kingdom where Samuel lived, there was a Queen who had grown very bored.  She had been read every story ever written, tasted every food ever cooked, and seen all the beautiful places the world had to offer. The queen never accepted anything but the best and was used to getting her way in all things. To assuage her increasing boredom, the queen had taken to dressing in disguise and exploring the city at night.

While walking through the bazaar one night, the queen saw Samuel and his wife attempting to sell the last of their bread.  Suddenly a nearby horse spooked and went careening down the alley, destroying Samuel’s small shop and flinging bread everywhere.  Samuel’s wife began to wail taking in the utter destruction of their livelihood but Samuel seemed calm. 

The queen crept closer to observe this strange man.  Samuel comforted his wife and told her not to fret.  Samuel calmly told his wife that everything was part of god’s will and they must come to accept such misfortunes.

The queen was shocked at the quiet man’s easy acceptance and began to wonder at his amenable manner. The queen could not believe anyone could be so content! She thought the baker must have been acting to save his pride in the public market. Determined to expose the baker’s true character the queen devised an evil plan.

Posing as a beggar woman, the queen followed the somber couple back to their small home. Once they had retired, she crept to their doorstep and rapped on the door. Samuel answered promptly and welcomed the unfortunate woman inside.  Complaining of hunger, the disguised queen asked for a crust of bread. Samuel turned to his hearth and began mixing and kneading the dough for a fresh loaf since he no longer had any to spare.

Slyly the queen told Samuel’s wife that she had no money to pay them but wanted to give them something for their kindness. She claimed that the only thing she had to offer was her wedding ring, which she highly treasured since her husband’s death.  She wished to leave it in their care until she could return and pay them properly. 

(A golden ring, Source: Flickr)

Unknown to Samuel and his wife, the queen never planned to repay the couple but merely meant to cruelly test them. She sent her servant to steal the ring the very next day and then returned to the baker’s home and revealed her identity. She demanded the return of her precious ring and poor Samuel and his wife could not produce it.  She declared that he must return it or repay its value within the week or lose his head, knowing full well that the ring rested within her pocket.

Samuel’s wife immediately began to weep, knowing they could not replace the ring. But Samuel remained calm putting his fate in gods hands.

The queen returned to the palace, gloating over her neat trick.  She knew that by the end of the week, Samuel would lose his calm facade and rail against the gaurds as they drew him toward the executioner.  To celebrate properly the queen planned a pleasure cruise on the placid river for the end of the week.

Samuel's wife searched high and low and baked extra bread all week, hopelessly trying to save her husband's life. But Samuel remained calm, continuing about his daily activities and praying to his god.

At the end of the week, Samuel decided to walk to the river and fish for a fine dinner. Samuel hoped to enjoy his last day in the beauty of nature and provide a fine dinner for his wife.  As he gazed out across the bank, contemplating life and speaking to god, he noticed the queen's pleasure barge.

The craft was alive with chaos. Shouting and screaming, servants rushed around in panic searching the water around the same boat.  Samuel hailed the vessel and asked the servants what had happened. A weary attendent called out the news across the water. The queen had fallen into the river and could not be found.

Samuel slumped heavily to the bank, struck dumb by the tragic news. The queen was gone. His life would be spared. Just then, Samuel felt a sharp tug on his line. Samuel reeled in the line to find a most glorious fish with gleaming scales and a nice fat body.

Brimming with joy Samuel returned home to his wife with the good news and the lovely fish. Samuel thought his day couldn't get any better when he heard his wife exclaim from the kitchen. He rushed inside only to discover that his wife had recovered the very same ring from the belly of the wonderful fish.

And here is the end of the tale, but whatever happened to that sparrow?

Authors Note: The original story, The Praying Baker, featured a capricious king who dressed as a beggar one evening and went to the bazaar. There he overheard the earnest baker praying for god's will to be done.  The king wished to test the baker's sincerity and devised a plan. While in disguise, the king offered the baker a very expensive ring as collateral for a piece of bread. The baker accepted but the king had no intention of a fair deal. The next day the king sent his servant to steal back the ring under threat of beheading. The servant was able to steal the ring and return it to the king.  The king then sumoned the baker, revealed his identity, and demanded the return of his ring or face beheading. Of course the baker could not produce the ring, nor repay the king, but he calmly accepted the king's decree and left his fate to god's will.  The king gave the baker 10 days grace to produce the ring or its value in coin. On the 8th day the King went on a hunting trip and lost the ring in a stream. It was then eaten by a fish that was caught by a fisherman and brought to market. On the 9th day, the baker decided to go to the market for a fish to enjoy with his wife on his last day. He just so happened to buy the fish who ate the ring. The overjoyed baker went at once to present the ring to the king. The king was so baffled at the coincidence that he rewarded the baker richly and made him a royal favorite.

I liked this story when I originally read it but felt that the king did not get what he deserved. He was just to quick to threaten beheadings with little regard for human life. In this retelling, the ring returned to baker when the queen died and fell into the river. In this way, I felt that justice was served.  I also switched the king to a queen. I tried to incorporate the classic beginning and ending of all the Persian Tales into my story as well. All of the stories in part A of Persian Tales begin with "Once upon a time there was a time when there was no one but God." and end with "and now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home."

Story source: Persian Tales, translated by D.L.R. Lorimer and E.O. Lorimer and illustrated by Hilda Roberts (1919).