Weaving Dreams

Akbar was in a good mood one evening. He decided to tease Birbal. Akbar said, “I had a dream last night. In my dream, I saw you.” Birbal said, “Your Majesty, I feel honoured. What else did you see?” Akbar said, “We were walking in the marketplace. It was night. There was darkness all around. Suddenly, we fell into ditches. You fell into a ditch full of garbage. But I was lucky! I fell into a ditch of honey.” Akbar winked at Birbal, who understood this was a prank. He quipped, “Your Majesty! Your dream was incomplete.” “Why do you say that?” asked Akbar. “I too had the same dream,” said Birbal. “We looked for some water to clean ourselves. But we didn’t find even a drop. So you licked me and I licked you clean.” Akbar had a hearty laugh and said, “You’re the smartest of all!”