Climbing a Tree with Shoes

One day the mischievous children of Aksehir decided to play a trick on Nasreddin Hodja. "Let's get the Hodja to climb a tree. When he's up there, we'll grab his shoes and run," they planned.

They gathered at the foot of a huge walnut tree at the edge of the village. As the Hodja walked past, they shouted: "Hodja, nobody can climb this tree. Not even you!" The Hodja stopped, looked at the tree and looked at the children. He saw the sparkle in their eyes. "I can't climb it? You'll see," he said.

He took off his shoes, but instead of leaving them on the ground he tucked them into the sash at his waist. Then he began to climb. The children were surprised: "Hodja, what will you do with your shoes? Do you wear shoes in a tree?"

The Hodja answered from among the branches: "Who knows, children? Maybe there's a road up there. And you can't set off on a road without shoes!"

At first the children looked at each other, and then they burst out laughing. Their plan had come to nothing. The Hodja climbed to the top of the tree and threw walnuts down to them: "Since you got me up here, you might as well have your walnuts." The children gathered up the walnuts, and the Hodja climbed down and put his shoes back on.

Shyly, one of the children confessed: "Hodja, we were actually going to steal your shoes." The Hodja laughed: "I know, my boy. But when you see through a joke, instead of getting angry you can turn it into a fun game. You didn't win any shoes, but you won walnuts."

From that day on the children did not stop playing jokes on the Hodja, but now they always laughed together. This story is about being careful, and also about turning a trick into fun instead of a fight.