One hot season, Tenali Raman's garden was terribly dry. The plants needed water, but drawing bucket after bucket from the well was exhausting work.
Then one evening, Tenali noticed something unusual outside his house. Movement. Someone was hiding. Then he saw another shadow.
Thieves.
They were waiting for the household to go to sleep.
Tenali could have raised an alarm. Instead, he had an idea.
He went inside and began speaking very loudly to his wife — loudly enough for anyone hiding outside to hear. There were thieves in the neighbourhood, he announced. Their jewellery and valuables were no longer safe inside the house.
They needed a hiding place. Somewhere nobody would think of searching.
The well.
Outside, the thieves listened.
Tenali and his wife found a heavy box and filled it with stones and other useless things. Then they carried it into the garden. The thieves watched from the darkness as Tenali struggled dramatically with the heavy box.
At last, he dropped it into the well.
SPLASH!
Then Tenali and his wife went back inside.
The thieves waited until everything became quiet. Their plan seemed perfect. All they had to do was empty enough water from the well to reach the treasure.
So they began.
Up came one bucket. Then another. And another. They poured the water onto the ground beside the well.
Hour after hour they worked, never noticing that Tenali was quietly directing the water towards his thirsty plants.
By the time morning approached, the thieves were exhausted. At last, they reached the box. They dragged it out and opened it.
Stones.
No jewellery. No gold. Nothing worth stealing.
Then they looked at the garden. The plants had been watered beautifully.
Tenali had not only protected his home. He had persuaded the people trying to rob him to spend the night doing one of his hardest chores.
