This is in response to Rochelle’s Weekly Photo Prompt for Friday Fictioneers.
Word Count : 100
Babbam Hajjaam was a gifted barber.
One day the king called him to get his hair cut.
As he took off his crown Babbam was shocked to see that the king had two horns on his head.
Unable to keep it with himself Babbam shared this secret with a tree.
The tree was subsequently cut to make a drum, a flute and a harmonium for the king’s daughter’s wedding.
As they were being played the guests heard the drum rumbling,”The king has two horns”
The flute crooned, “Who says? Who says?”
The harmonium replied, “Babbam Hajjam! Babbam Hajjam!“
99 Words
You can read the other stories here.
Trivia : This is one of the stories from a book I used to read very often as a child. I neither remember the name nor the author of the book. In fact I have forgotten the other stories also. Only this story (shortened further to be within the word count) and the lessons learnt from it have stayed with me till this date.
Interesting.
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Thank you very much Joy
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You are very welcome!
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Poor Babbam Hajjam! How could he know a thing like a tree would share his secret!
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Yes, absolutely. He thought it was the safest thing to do.
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Lesson learned! It’s best to keep the secrets entrusted to us. 🙂
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You have hit the nail Richard…mum is the word.
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I wonder what happened to tge poor barber 😄
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Oh well! Poor Babbam …let’s not even talk about it…or it could have been a coup for him since the king’s little secret was out!!!
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I remember my grandmother telling me this story.
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Heehh… Heehh .. I know many of our age would be knowing this story and may be recounting it to their grandchildren
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Very true dear friend
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Flash fiction has a unique charm — capturing emotions, ideas, and entire worlds in just a few words. Looking forward to reading this intriguing piece. Thank you for sharing your creativity!
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Thank you very much Safiaji and you are so right about very short story.
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It has the feel of one of those stories our grandparents told us
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Yes, absolutely. And now I am going to tell it to my grand niece.
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Geeta, thank you for sharing this old tale from a book you read as a child. Quite intriguing. The truth will come out and I hope the barber is long gone before the king’s men can hunt him down.
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Don’t you think Lisa the poor barber is not at fault but it’s the king who actually kept such a big secret….just joking….but there are many ways of looking at the same thing ? 😀
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For sure, Geeta.
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बबम की कहानी सिखाती हे
राज़ तब तक राज़ हे जब तक कोई मेहरम न हो
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I love the word मेहरम। I have heard the word in some ghazal but I can’t remember which one. And about the moral of the story…why….yes, you are absolutely correct.
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I’m thinking Babbam Hajjaam has a limited life expectancy.
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Poor chap but there can be a mass revolt against the king before he gets caught.
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This story made me smile. The instruments reveal the dark secret. Interesting entry, gc.
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Thank you so much Hazel. That smile is precious 💕💕
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You’re so sweet. My pleasure, gc
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Such a lovely childhood story, Geetaji 😊 The way the secret comes out through the drum, flute, and harmonium is so memorable. Some stories stay with us forever. 🌸
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True and the lesson learned through it.
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Good fun
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Thank you very much Derrrick 🙏
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I’ve always said you should never confide in a Harmonium, they have absolutely no sense of discretion. What a great tale this was! Well done.
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Oh Sandra ! It’s clear you’ve experienced the Harmonium. I totally agree with you.
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you can’t fool or quieten a tree – great story I loved it 🙌
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Thank you so much Ange. Trees are the wisest.
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the secret is out. what happens to him now?
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Hmmm…. something to ponder on
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The tall tale of the telltale tree.
Too terrific!
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Thank you very much 😊🙏
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A fairly tale with a moral story, just don’t tell the King.
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Thank you so much James
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Simply delightful, Geeta!
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Thanks a ton Keith
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What a great story, Geeta. Such a lovely tale for kids!
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Yes, Chris. This was one of my favourite childhood stories.
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Dear Geeta,
What a discovery. Nicely rendered story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you and grateful Rochelle 🙏
Shalom
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I love this!!
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Thank you so much. Kindly
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Reads very much like an African folklore.
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All folk lores are earthy and have some commonality. Thank you so much.
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Absolutely.
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Babbam Hajjam is in ‘soup’ . . . Lol !
😆 🤣 😂
The truth remains that once a second ear hears about it and is in the know, it is no longer a ‘secret’.
✋️ 😆 🤚
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You are so right. But BH is very resourceful and he’ll get out of it..
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