150- A Poisoned Watermelon

As Sam returned from school, he found his father writing a sign, “Warning! There’s only one poisoned watermelon which no one knows but the farmer.”

Sam said wondering, “What is that father?”

“As watermelons grow, thieves come to steal them by night.”

“Why do you poison a watermelon, Dad? It may kill a family or two.”

“I didn’t poison any watermelon.”

“I’m sorry, you’re lying.”

“I don’t want to lie but I found no other means to prevent the thieves from stealing.”

“Do you want to lose eternity for the sake of watermelons? Didn’t the Bible say,

“But the cowardly, unbelieving ...and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with

Fire and brimstone, which is the second death”

(Rev. 21.8)?”

“What shall I do son?”

“Don’t lie under any condition, father.”

The farmer insisted on hanging the sign at the entrance of the field of the watermelons so that the thieves would not steal them. The thieves came by night and when they found the sign they wondered, “Did he truly poison a watermelon?”

They started arguing but reached no conclusion. Finally, they decided to leave lest anyone of them should get poisoned.

As Sam reproached his father, his father said, “Now for three days no thief approached the field, didn’t my plane succeed?”

Sam answered, “You may think it to be successful but you made God angry with us which would deprive us of His blessings.”

Father commented, “God knows my heart. There was no way out but lying.”

A week later, Sam found his father very sad. As he asked him about the reason behind his sadness, father said, “The thieves replaced my sign with another large one that says, “There are two poisoned watermelons.” I’m at a loss. Did they really poison one of the watermelons or did they lie like me? I don’t know what to do. I can neither sell the watermelons nor eat them. I’ve lost the whole field.”

Sam commented, “Dad, you’ve lost the timely and the eternal. As you measured lies to people, they measured you more of the same measure.”

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: بطيخة مسمومة.

May I possess You, O the Eternal truth,

So that I may never lie.

Grant me to say the truth no matter how much it costs.

And not to lie no matter how much it profits me.

Let me say the truth to possess You O the Truth.

Can You Wait for Me?

Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

A Bee with No Sucker