Whoever Pays Gets the Whistle
The children ask the Hodja for whistles; only one of them gives him money.
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Nasreddin Hodja was on his way to the market. The children of the neighborhood crowded around him: "Hodja, buy us a whistle!" "Me too!" "Me too!" They were all shouting. Only one of the children came up quietly, took a coin out of his pocket and said: "Hodja, will you buy me a whistle with this money?"
The Hodja took the money, said "All right, all right" to everyone and went off.
In the evening he came back from the market. The children came running: "Where is my whistle?" "Where is mine?" The Hodja took a single whistle out of his pocket and held it out to the child who had given him money. The child blew the whistle: "Toot!"
The other children shouted: "Hodja, why didn't you buy us one?"
The Hodja smiled: "Whoever pays gets the whistle, children."
The children sulked, but that day they learned something: it is easy to ask, and hard to give something in return. The next market day every one of them had a coin in their hand. And the Hodja filled his saddlebag with whistles. That evening the whole neighborhood rang with "toot, toot"; the Hodja's wife covered her ears: "Hodja, what is this noise?" The Hodja said, "They paid for them, let them blow."
The tale ends here. Sleep well.
Whoever Pays Gets the Whistle is a children's tale from Nasreddin Hodja, suitable for ages 3-8 and about 2 minutes long. Read it free on Masal Merkezi, play a lullaby or nature sound in the background, tap any word to see its Turkish meaning and save it to your favorites. For similar tales browse the Nasreddin Hodja category.
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