In which the seasonal stories starts off with a tale from India

 A Clever Trade (India)

Once there was a proud king who ruled with less of wisdom and more of greed.  He and his children and his advisors and their children spent the days gambling and gossiping and letting the subjects of the kingdom do all the work for no reward. 

It did not take long for the all the wealth in the kingdom to disappear, and so the king and his youngest son and his son’s clever wife were forced to leave that place and go to a far-off land where they were unknown and unloved.

There they all lived in great poverty, in a tiny home that had only stars for a ceiling.  Each day the men would go out and work for other people, and the clever woman stayed at home, using her wits to stretch the few coins they could earn. 

She had only one rule:  whenever they went away from home, they should always pick up something to bring home.  It might be a stick, a stone, a large leaf, or even garbage.

The men had learned that she was much more clever than they were, and so they did as she required. 

When they brought home bits of cloth, she stitched them together to make blankets.  When they brought home stones, she built a strong wall. 

But one day, all they could find was a dead snake.

“I’m not sure what use this is,” said the woman, “but I will find a use for it somehow.  And she threw the dead snake up onto their ragged roof. 

Early the next morning, a large bird flew over the house holding something shiny.  The clever woman tugged on the tail of the dead snake, making it move as if alive. 

The bird was attracted by the movement, and dropped the shiny thing to grab the snake instead.  The bird flew away with the dead snake, well pleased.

The woman saw that the shiny thing was a beautiful necklace of shining golden lotus leaves.  “The bird stole this from the queen!” she said. 

She went with her family to return the necklace to the queen. 

When the queen asked what they would have as a reward, the woman requested only this:  that on the Diwali holiday, people would keep their homes dark. 

If they wanted to burn candles and lamps to welcome the goddess Lakshmi and beg her for good fortune, they should bring those lights to the little home of the poor family. 

Before Diwali, they cleaned the house and yard most carefully, preparing for the festival.  At twilight, people came to their home and lit their lamps.  Soon hundreds of little flames danced. 

At that moment, the goddess Lakshmi came from the heavens, looking for light to lead her to the people she might bless. 

But all the land was dark, except for the light around the smallest and poorest house.  

“I must go there,” said Lakshmi.  But when she arrived, the woman stood in the doorway, blocking the way with a broom. 

“You may not come here,” she told the goddess.

“But I am tired and wish to come and rest in the light,” said Lakshmi.  “Let me come in!”

 “Only if you promise to leave your blessing with me,” said the woman, and the goddess agreed.  Lakshmi was given sweets and honor, and blessed that woman.

From that day on, the luck of that family grew. 

They returned to their own kingdom, and the woman shared her good fortune with all the people there. 

For the rest of their lives, they worked hard, lived simply, and shared the blessing of the goddess Lakshmi.