Legs, Hands, Ears, Eyes and Mouth

Day was just breaking, and out in the garden the first bird was already singing, high and clear. In a small house, five people lived together. A new day was beginning, and each of them had a job. Vietnamese people still tell children the story of these five, and it begins on a peaceful morning just like this one.

Master Legs woke up first. He took one step, two steps, three steps, all the way out to the end of the lane. Then he walked back, his feet moving nimbly over the cool earth.

Master Hands stretched, then flung the door wide open to let the sunlight pour in. His hands held the broom to sweep the yard. They pushed a thread through the eye of a needle, and carried one thing after another. They worked without a moment's rest.

Miss Eyes opened wide. She looked up at the clear blue sky, and at the road in front of the door. She looked to see where a needle had dropped, so it could be picked up. With Miss Eyes watching the road, Master Legs could walk without stumbling, and Master Hands could reach for exactly what he needed.

Uncle Ears sat quietly, both ears pricked up, listening. He heard the birds chirping on the branches, and the water trickling by the big earthen jar outside. He even heard someone calling from far away, so he could tell the others.

And Old Mouth just sat there, chewing rice, drinking water, enjoying every bite. He went nowhere and held nothing. He only sat in one place and ate.

So the five lived together in peace for a long time, each with a job, every day like the last.

Then one day, a small doubt stirred in the heart of Miss Eyes. She watched Master Legs walk until his legs ached. She watched Master Hands work without stopping, and Uncle Ears listen all day long. Then she looked at Old Mouth, still sitting at ease, eating and drinking. How strange, Miss Eyes thought to herself. We work ourselves to the bone, and Old Mouth only sits and eats.

So Miss Eyes leaned close and whispered to Master Legs, then to Master Hands, and then she told Uncle Ears as well. "Listen, I have been watching for days now. Every one of us works hard. Only Old Mouth gets to sit idle and eat what is put in front of him. That is not fair at all."

Master Legs nodded along. "Yes, that's true. My legs walk all day, and they are very tired." Master Hands chimed in too. "My hands work without a break, and all Old Mouth has to do is eat."

Uncle Ears listened to them all and felt a small doubt inside, but he did not yet know what to say. So Miss Eyes, Master Legs, Master Hands and Uncle Ears went together to see Old Mouth. "From now on, we are stopping work," said Miss Eyes. "You can see to your own meals, because we will not wait on you anymore."

With that, the four of them went off, each to their own place, determined to do nothing at all.

The first day passed very strangely. Master Legs would not walk. Master Hands would not hold anything. Miss Eyes could not even be bothered to look, and Uncle Ears did not care to listen. Nobody went to the market, and nobody cooked rice, so Old Mouth sat there with nothing to eat. By that evening, everyone felt a little sluggish.

On the second day, everything grew slower still. Master Legs felt his legs grow heavy, and he did not want to lift them. Master Hands felt his hands go limp and hang loose. Miss Eyes felt her eyelids drooping, and she wanted only to close them. Uncle Ears heard a dull buzzing, and the birdsong drifted past him like a dream. They all sat slumped, and nobody said a word to anyone.

By the third day, all five were tired and sad. With no one to find food, Old Mouth had nothing to taste, and his lips were dry. And strangely enough, when Old Mouth went hungry, Master Legs grew weary too. Master Hands ached, Miss Eyes grew dull and drowsy, and Uncle Ears felt heavy in the head. Everyone in the house was worn out, with not a bit of strength left to work.

Uncle Ears was used to sitting quietly and listening, so he thought things over longer than anyone. He listened to his own belly, and to the tiredness in his arms and legs. Then, all at once, he understood something.

"Ah, now I know," Uncle Ears exclaimed softly. "All this time we thought Old Mouth was sitting idle when he ate. But eating is work too. When Old Mouth chews the rice and swallows the water, the rice and water turn into strength. That strength lets your legs walk, your hands hold, your eyes see and my ears hear. These past few days Old Mouth has gone without, and that is why our whole household has wilted like this."

Miss Eyes, Master Legs and Master Hands listened to Uncle Ears, and suddenly it all became clear. All along, each of them had a job, and Old Mouth's job mattered to them all, just as theirs did. No one had been lazy at all. They had simply misunderstood one another.

So the four of them hurried off together to make peace with Old Mouth. Master Legs stepped straight out to the market. Miss Eyes searched for the best fruit, and Master Hands picked it and carried it home. Uncle Ears listened for the pot of rice to come to the boil. Before long, Old Mouth had hot rice and a tasty soup to eat.

Old Mouth had eaten only a few bites when, wonder of wonders, Master Legs felt his legs grow light again. Master Hands felt his hands grow strong again, and Miss Eyes brightened. Uncle Ears could hear the birds in the garden, as clear as could be. The whole household was lively and happy again, as before.

The next morning, day broke again, and the bird in the garden sang again. Master Legs took one step, two steps, out to the end of the lane. Master Hands flung the door wide open to let in the sun. Miss Eyes looked up at the blue sky, and Uncle Ears pricked up his ears to hear the bird. And Old Mouth sat chewing his morning rice with great relish. The five worked side by side once more, each with a job of their own, and that small house was full of laughter again.